Intro to Witchcraft

What is Witchcraft:

So what are witches and just what exactly is witchcraft? Are they the scary things you see in the movies, or are they just innocent people trying to find an alternative way of life? Religion would have you believe that they are evil beings that work for the devil. That's what I thought for many decades, but then my eyes were opened.

Witches are just people. Witchcraft is not a religion, it is a practice of magic, also known as energy. Simply put, witches are those that work with that energy. They put their energy out into the universe to achieve a certain desire. They manipulate that energy and make the outcome of it align with their desire. 

They are careful in how they use their energy. Some use that magic for good, some for other nefarious means. I prefer to use my magic, my energy, for positive things. I'm not Wiccan (Wicca is a religion) but I do agree with some of their tenets. I do believe that we get back the energy that we put out into the universe. I guess you could call me a love and light witch. I don't do hexes or curses. I don't do spells that negatively affect other people. I just work on myself. 

"Witchcraft is seeing the love in nature that is around. It is enjoying the sunrise and sunset. It is seeing the dew on the flowers in the morning and the bright colors of the seasons, the gentle movement of your hair as the wind blows it, and the warmth of the sun on your skin. It's the tweet of birds and the hello of all wild creatures. It's living with Mother Earth and being humbled by her power. When we all work with the divine, the arrogant technology is not affecting us. Witchcraft is about being aware of your surroundings, developing a strong mind through meditation, and understanding respect for all living things that involve your environment. There is no better place to get peace than by yourself in a natural setting." - from Witchcraft for Beginners (free on Amazon Kindle).

So are you interested in witchcraft or things of the occult? Have you always felt an interest or been drawn to mythology? Let's talk about signs that you just might be a witch. 

Are animals drawn to you? Do you see the same animals over and over and don't understand why? This could be in real life, in media, on the internet, anywhere. For example, when my mom died I moved into her home and I found dragonflies EVERYWHERE. She collected them. I found them in jewelry, broaches, key rings, and even on her bathroom wallpaper. And a few months after I moved in I went outside and there was this beautiful dragonfly just sitting on the fence. It let me get so super close to it that I was able to get some amazing photos of it with my macro lens. You could literally see the hairs on its body. I just knew at that point that she was speaking to me. She was connecting to me through that creature. This was years before I even thought of witchcraft. I ended up getting a tattoo of three dragonflies that wrap around my arm for her. Several years later I had gotten into crystals and spirituality and found out about spirit animals. I believe that the dragonfly is my totem animal, the animal handed down through generations. The one she uses to come visit me when I'm in need. My other spirit animals are squirrels, owls, and dolphins.

Are you an empath or feel drawn to healing others (physically or emotionally)? I am an empath, although I didn't know what that was until a few years ago. I had no clue why I was always so emotionally drained when I was around people. I didn't know why I felt this mix of emotions when I was around them. That even just grocery shopping would send me into a panic attack because I just couldn't handle the feelings I was feeling. Now I know more how to combat that, but it was definitely eye opening when I found out about empathic abilities. I also feel very drawn to helping others, teaching and educating on the many different topics that I love. I also believe I fall on the autistic spectrum and so that makes all of this doubly hard for me to handle, because I don't always have the appropriate response.

Do you feel drawn to collecting things like shells, crystals, feathers, or anything else from nature? I have always collected shells and rocks. When I was a child and our family would go on vacation, my mother and I would stop at the state lines and pick up a rock from the new state we were visiting. We were going to create a rock garden from them. It was more like a rock basket. Unfortunately my dad got sick and died when I was young, so we never really had the money to go on many more vacations and collect stones. But I still have them and cherish every one. We would even stop by those places in the mountains where you get a bucket of rocks to sift through to find gemstones. I still have all of those too. But afterwards anytime I'd see any gemstones in the store, I'd buy them. I started amassing a collection but never knew they had spiritual "powers". I just loved collecting them. In December of 2020 I fell and fractured a vertebrae in my back and had to have surgery in March of 2021. But in the healing process I got turned onto healing crystals. I started participating in all of the giveaways I could find on Instagram and I won a lot. Almost every crystal in my collection I won in a giveaway. It was like the universe was blessing me and let me tell you what... it helped. Tremendously! I started delving more into crystals and alternative healing and that led me to astrology, and eventually, witchcraft. And thanks to my new witchy friends I conquered my fear that religion had instilled in me for my entire life. Now I am a witch and collect many things, including feathers, tree limbs, and anything I can add to my craft.

Did you have an obsession with mermaids, fairies, trolls, or any type of fantasy creature growing up? I know I did. I loved mermaids. I remember seeing Splash with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah when I was about ten years old. I wanted to be a mermaid SOOOOO MUCH!  I was already a nature swimmer. I felt more at home at the beach or in a swimming pool than I did on dry land. Once I got in the water, it took nighttime or the closing of the pool to get me out of it. And I always pretended I was a mermaid swimming under water. I also LOVED unicorns. I remember this one painting that my mom's friend got me when I was a child. I can still see, although I don't know what ever happened to it. I became a teenager and pictures of the New Kids on the Block took precedence of my wall space over unicorns. But I truly loved them and had so many toys. She-Ra and her winged unicorn was one of my faves.

Are you drawn to nature and the moon? I have always loved nature, however my sinuses do not. But I am most happiest at the beach or in the mountains, or in a forest surrounded by trees. I love to listen to the sounds of nature. I love hearing the birds in my neighborhood chirp at the squirrels and the squirrels screaming at the neighbor's cat that won't let it down from its tree to munch on some seeds. The cycle of life is amazing and we see this amazing miracle in front of us if we'd just step away from our phones long enough to look. And astronomy has always been something that has drawn me. I love all of the planets, especially Saturn. The Orion Constellation is my favorite. The Pleiades is something I always look forward to seeing. But the moon... the moon is powerful and amazing and I have always, ALWAYS, felt it's draw. And I've also always been very sensitive to its power, especially that of the full moon. I could always tell the days when the moon was full just because of how people acted around me. Especially drivers. The moon controls our tides, but it also has power over our emotions as well. Ask any nurse or first responder.

Do you ever notice repeating numbers or patterns? For example, have you repeatedly seen a set of numbers like 444 or 11:11? That's your guides helping your out with a lesson you need to learn. Witches and spiritual folk are more attuned to that than others. Your intuition guides you to see these numbers for a reason. So keep an eye out and next time you see one, google the number and "spiritual meaning" and find out what your guides want you to learn or pay attention to.

But chances are, if you're already reading this, then you either are one or have been thinking about it for quite some time. So if you'd like to learn more, follow my blog and comment. I love to help people, and I am always here to help you.