Witch training is a practice that involves teaching individuals the skills and knowledge needed to become a witch. It is a form of education that focuses on the study and mastery of various aspects of witchcraft, including spellcraft, divination, herbalism, and energy manipulation. Witch training can take many different forms, depending on the tradition or path followed by the individual. Some may choose to study informally with a mentor or through self-guided learning, while others may seek out formal training programs or schools specifically designed for witches. One of the key aspects of witch training is the development of a deep understanding and connection to nature and the natural world. This often involves learning about herbs, plants, and their magical properties, as well as how to work with energy and the elements.

How to Become a Witch: A Beginner’s Guide

Everything you need to know about witchcraft, covens, and the risks.

Welcome to W’s Witch Week, a celebration of all things witchy. In the days leading up to Halloween, we’ll be boiling up a wicked brew of all things occult, from pop culture’s favorite new witches to the real women practicing Wicca today.

Halloween is right around the corner, but that’s not the only reason witches seem to be everywhere as of late. Increasingly, they’ve been popping up all over the place, from pop culture—see: Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the horror film Suspiria, Netflix’s remake of Sabrina the Teenage Witch—to the runways of Fashion Week (Celine and Burberry were just two of the seemingly dozens of brands that served up witchy vibes this past season alone). There are, of course, deeper things at play: Witchcraft and covens have also proven to be a source of solace and solidarity for some in the #MeToo era, following an increasing association between witches and feminism.

Alas, one doesn’t simply become a witch by wearing Burberry and accessorizing with a black cat, or buying some crystals and altering their Instagram aesthetics. (Just ask one of the estimated one million Americans who currently practice some form of paganism.) Get acquainted with some of the preliminary steps for joining their ranks, here.

Know the risks.

Witchcraft isn’t just fun and games; perks like hexes and love spells can come with a price. The infamous Salem witch trials may seem far in the past, but the persecution of witches (or those suspected of witchcraft) continues today. Despite the mainstream’s growing fascination, the past few years have also seen, for example, a whopping 900 percent rise in (at times lethal) child-abuse cases linked to suspicion of witchcraft and demonic possession in the U.K. There are, of course, methods of protection, like carrying an evil eye. The easiest one, however, is to simply not go around shouting about your newfound identity.

Choose your path.

There’s no shortage of types of witchcraft, meaning there’s also no shortage of choices for an aspiring witch. Rather than get overwhelmed, get your bearings by having at least a basic understanding of the terms below.

Paganism: An umbrella term for religions other than the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam that typically places emphasis on the earth and nature. Its modern-day practitioners are known as neo-pagans.

Wicca: A religion that’s perhaps the popularized form neo-paganism, thanks in large part to the so-called Father of Wicca, Gerald Gardner, who cultivated his specific ideology, now known as Gardnerian Wicca, in the mid-1900s. Whereas witches are typically thought of as women, many Wiccans are men and worship both a god and a goddess. What was initially thought of as an anti-monotheistic gesture, though, has more recently been criticized for espousing heterosexuality and the idea of a gender binary, which was, in part, what led to the emergence of Dianic Wicca, in the 1970s, for those who chose to only worship the goddess and to do so only in the presence of women—a policy that’s since proven to be problematic, as many of its covens prohibit transgender women.

Ceremonial: The by-the-book practice of placing the highest value in—not to mention expertly executing—ceremonies and rituals.

Brujería: An umbrella term for African, Caribbean, and indigenous Latin American witchcraft, dating back centuries, if not thousands of years. Increasingly, though, the word bruja, Spanish for witch, has been reclaimed by Latinx women interested in their heritage—and made contemporary by, say, using the gender-neutral term brujx.

Solitary: This group is made up of those who choose not to find a coven, but instead operate on their own with the type (or mix) of witchcraft that they choose.

Eclecticism: A more social route for those who choose not to stick to a particular category but instead mix traditions as they please.Learn the terminology.

You can get a more comprehensive guide to definitions via Shelley Rabinovitch and James Lewis’s The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism, a good portion of which is available on Google Books. Before that deep dive, though, any beginner should have at least cursory knowledge of the terms listed below.

Initiation: The rites that put a budding witch on the path to making things official, by joining a coven after studying its practice, traditionally for a year and a day. The initiations that follow eventually allow the initiate the opportunity to become a high priest or high priestess; those with enough knowledge, experience, and dedication can become the leader of a Wiccan coven.

Coven: A gathering or community of initiated witches, usually led by a high priest and/or high priestess. If a coven is Wiccan, their meetings often involve sabbats, which are celebrations of the annual cycle of seasonal festivals known as the Wheel of the Year. (Non-sabbat meetings, such as the observation of a full moon, are known as esbats.)

Salem in a scene from season three of *Sabrina the Teenage Witch*, with the titular character played by Melissa Joan Hart—and dealing with the repercussions of the insults Salem let loose during an online game of chess.

Familiar: An animal-shaped spirit that serves as a witch’s spy, assistant, companion, and protector—the classic example of which is Sabrina’s black cat, Salem.

Altar: A surface that a Wiccan uses solely for activities such as casting spells, chanting, and worshipping the god and goddess. Typically, the altar is covered in a symbol-adorned cloth, which protects it from ash, liquids, and candle wax, as well as religious and ritual items like incense, wands, chalices of water, and cauldrons.

Pentacle: A magical tool such as an amulet or talisman that often appears on an altar, and is also often confused with a pentagram—a symbol popular in Wicca and, confusingly enough, the Church of Satan, which has pretty successfully taken ownership of its inverted version. (Inverted pentacles aren’t necessarily satanic, though Wiccans have recently largely strayed from using them to avoid that association.)

A Wiccan pentacle, made up of a pentagram (a symbol used for protection and directing magic), versus the original goat pentagram, dating back to 1897, which later served as inspiration for the Sigil of Baphomet, aka the Church of Satan’s official insignia.

Black Magic: A form of magic used with dark, malevolent, and harmful intentions, commonly associated with satanism. Spells have been used for a variety of purposes ever since the days of the Magi of Zoroastrianism and Ancient Egypt, but those that are specifically used for negative and/or harmful purposes are known as hexes and curses.

Séance: A ceremony used to contact spirits, including the dead, usually with the help of a medium.

Grimoire: The umbrella term for a magic text, ranging from diaries to textbooks.

Book of Shadows: A Wiccan’s personal grimoire, used to store information they need, such as thoughts, recipes, and instructions for spells, rituals, and hexes.

Study up.

Even if you think you’re sure you want to proceed, it’s best to find out what exactly you’re signing up for. Before paging through your spell books, it’s wise to do your research—particularly since the modern-day idea of witchcraft has been pieced together by a mix of legends and existing translated historical documents, leading each of the pros to have a slightly different take on the subject. Going back to the first step of knowing the risks, The Penguin Book of Witches, written by Katherine Howe, a descendant of some of Salem’s accused witches, is a helpful guide to witch-related history (and tragedy), dating back to the 1600s. (For a more firsthand—and definitely lighter—read, Stewart Farrar’s What Witches Do recounts his experience of being a witch and part of a coven led by Alex and Maxine Sanders, who cofounded Alexandrian Wicca in the 1960s.)

Still interested? If so, start with the basics (and praise your deity of choice you made this decision after the invention of Google). For those interested in Wicca, Lisa Chamberlain has become a go-to source; her book Wicca for Beginners is basically Wicca 101, and there are plenty more books where that came from, both by Chamberlain and also on her recommended reading list. If you’re interested in other forms of witchcraft and/or ready for a deeper dive, pick up Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today, by the late journalist and Wiccan priestess Margot Adler. The first sociology of contemporary paganism in the U.S., it still holds up since its first publication, in 1979, thanks in parts to its three more recently revised editions.

Stock up.

Depending on what type of witchcraft you decide to pursue, you’ll likely need at least a few supplies from an occult store, like candles, oils, roots, and herbs for rituals; spell books; tarot cards; potion ingredients; cauldrons; and, for those drawn to psychism, a crystal ball. (Some supplies won’t need to be purchased—the so-called Feces Spell, for example, is definitely chief in that category.)

Practice, practice, practice.

Some places to start are learning how to do a candle dressing, trying out some basic rituals, and familiarizing yourself with the different uses of crystals and candles—all of which you can keep a record of in your Book of Shadows. ​

Magickal Training Manual for the Busy Witch

Do you find yourself too busy to focus on your magical practice? I know many students of the magical arts who are eager to focus on their spiritual path but end up complaining that they have no time to do so. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, then Magickal Training Manual for the Busy Witch is for you.

Magickal Training Manual for the Busy Witch reveals a training program that will allow you to incorporate your magical practice into your everyday life no matter how busy you may be. It is unfortunate how many witches and magicians out there fail to live a magical life simply because they have no time. But, if you just come to really think about it, being busy is not an excuse! In fact, it is absurd. You must not allow your busi-ness to get in the way of your magical practice -- because magick is your life -- or, at least, that is how it is supposed to be.

Magickal Training Manual for the Busy Witch is divided into 4 parts:

Part I discusses the basics, so that you will have a better understanding of your real situation and how you can pursue a magical life regardless of how busy things may get.

Part II gives detailed instructions of magickal techniques, as well as how you can incorporate them into your daily life.

Part III lays down notable best practices that you should observe to live a magical life in a busy world.

Part IV is my personal message to you, dear reader.

May this magical manual serve as a guiding light and lead you to the true path of magick -- a path of love, happiness, peace, and full of magic, wonder, and meaning -- the life that you deserve.

Kathy Barrick ~ Witch Training Academy Pattern

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Witch Training Academy

The model is stitched on 40 countSeaters linenfrom Fox and Rabbit Stitch count 144 x 154 Patterns are NOT REFUNDABLE in order to protect the copyright of the designer.

Please NOTE: PRE-ORDER ITEMS ARE NOT IN STOCK and will ship within 2 business days of arrival. If you order these new items PLUS other in stock items, your entire order will ship when your FULL ORDER is in stock. Please contact me if you need items from your order sooner.

This often involves learning about herbs, plants, and their magical properties, as well as how to work with energy and the elements. Many witches also study astrology, tarot, and other divination techniques to enhance their intuition and ability to connect with the spiritual realm. Another important aspect of witch training is the study and practice of ritual and spellcraft.

Preorder & Special Order Information

• Patterns generally arrive within a month of their release (Market and Expo times can cause variation). New releases can be about a month while existing releases may only take a few days as they are simply being restocked.
• Fabric will be dyed to order and time varies between the Dyers. Generally between 4-12 weeks.
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• Should you want to cancel any items within your order, you will only be refunded in store credit less a restocking fee.
• If I cannot fulfill your order due to supply issues or discontinuance, I will refund your original payment method and contact you for alternatives.

Preorder & Special order items are NOT IN STOCK and will ship within 2 business days of arrival. If you order these items and other in stock items, your entire order will ship when your FULL ORDER is in stock. Please contact me if you need items from your order sooner, we can work on it together.

Cancellations

Refunds for cancelling any item with Preorder in the title, will be issued as a Store Credit less a 30% restocking fee . All cancellations are refunded in Store Credit only.

Postage & Handling is not refundable as it is a service that is not refundable once a shipment is mailed and accepted by the carrier

This involves learning how to cast spells, create sacred space, and work with various tools and symbols to create positive change and manifest desires. Rituals may be performed individually or as part of a group, and can vary in complexity and purpose depending on the specific tradition. In addition to the practical skills and knowledge learned in witch training, there is often a strong emphasis on personal development and self-reflection. Many witches engage in practices such as meditation, journaling, and dreamwork in order to deepen their connection to their own intuition and inner wisdom. Overall, witch training is a lifelong journey that involves ongoing learning and growth. It is a path that encourages individuals to explore their own spirituality, connect with the natural world, and harness their innate magical abilities. Whether someone chooses to practice witchcraft as a solitary practitioner or as part of a larger community, witch training provides the foundation for a deeply fulfilling and transformative spiritual practice..

Reviews for "Magickal tools: understanding the purpose and significance of witches' tools"

1. Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Witch Training" but was ultimately disappointed. The plot was predictable and lacked depth, and the characters felt one-dimensional. I also found the writing to be average at best, with cliched dialogue and repetitive descriptions. Overall, I found the book to be uninspiring and would not recommend it to fellow readers.

2. John - 1 star - "Witch Training" was a complete letdown for me. The story dragged on with no real sense of direction, and the protagonist was incredibly annoying and unrelatable. The magical elements felt forced and poorly explained, leaving me confused and unengaged. I had to force myself to finish the book, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging and well-crafted fantasy read.

3. Emily - 2 stars - I was excited to dive into the world of witches with "Witch Training", but unfortunately, it fell flat. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the plot lacked excitement and originality. The character development was minimal, making it hard to connect with any of the characters. Additionally, the romance subplot felt forced and added nothing to the overall story. I was left feeling underwhelmed and would not recommend this book to fantasy lovers.

4. David - 2 stars - "Witch Training" failed to captivate me from the start. The writing style felt juvenile and lacked maturity, making it hard to take the story seriously. The world-building was also lacking, leaving me with more questions than answers. The climax of the book was underwhelming and resolved too conveniently. Overall, I found "Witch Training" to be a forgettable read and would not recommend it to anyone seeking a well-crafted fantasy tale.

5. Jessica - 3 stars - While "Witch Training" had its moments, it never fully delivered on its potential. The concept was intriguing, but the execution fell short. The pacing was uneven, with long stretches of boredom between moments of action. The magical system was poorly explained, leaving me confused about the rules and limitations. Despite these flaws, the book did have some enjoyable moments, but overall, it left me disappointed.

Coven dynamics: the benefits and challenges of practicing witchcraft in a group