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Post by Mystical Journey on Jan 7, 2012 23:53:44 GMT -8
What do you tell someone who says to you: I am new to this path. Where do I start?
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Post by Sunna on Jan 8, 2012 2:24:15 GMT -8
I always advise everyone to start out with books. Read a 'collective' of ideas about the history and the varying paths that sprung forth from it and try to read as many pathway-specific books as you can. I personally started out with an encyclopedia geared toward the history and current-day use of witchcraft and magic, after which I 'graduated' to books from Wiccans like Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham. After those, I had a basic sense of where I wasn't going and of possible things to focus on. I dove into divination, runic lore, old tales of Egyptian magic, mythology, energywork and other things. I ended up on a very eclectic sort of path and have taken something away from a multitude of paths in both pagan and non-pagan corners. Read, study, write, ask, discuss, practice, work. That's the gist of things, to be honest. You have to be willing to commit yourself to a path that has no ready pre-made answers. You have to be willing to face yourself in all your glory and all your downfall, which is to say that this path is largely experienced as an 'inner path' that confronts you with yourself on a very frequent basis. You have to be willing to put in the work necessary. To make sacrifices. To put yourself in service, in whatever way you see fit and maybe also to whatever divinity asks it of you.
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Post by Mystical Journey on Jan 8, 2012 9:01:20 GMT -8
Beautiful Sunna...Any chance you might list a few of the books you would recommend? That would be amazing. Also, we have a section here for book listings and reviews. I know that when I started to embrace and want to know more, this is where I turned. I have a couple of mentors who were amazing to me help but all, especially solitaries, are not so lucky. I thought that the section would be awesome for those who wanted to know about books.... Thanks so much!!! Blessed be Sunna!!! Enjoy your Sunday! Journey I always advise everyone to start out with books. Read a 'collective' of ideas about the history and the varying paths that sprung forth from it and try to read as many pathway-specific books as you can. I personally started out with an encyclopedia geared toward the history and current-day use of witchcraft and magic, after which I 'graduated' to books from Wiccans like Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham. After those, I had a basic sense of where I wasn't going and of possible things to focus on. I dove into divination, runic lore, old tales of Egyptian magic, mythology, energywork and other things. I ended up on a very eclectic sort of path and have taken something away from a multitude of paths in both pagan and non-pagan corners. Read, study, write, ask, discuss, practice, work. That's the gist of things, to be honest. You have to be willing to commit yourself to a path that has no ready pre-made answers. You have to be willing to face yourself in all your glory and all your downfall, which is to say that this path is largely experienced as an 'inner path' that confronts you with yourself on a very frequent basis. You have to be willing to put in the work necessary. To make sacrifices. To put yourself in service, in whatever way you see fit and maybe also to whatever divinity asks it of you.
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