How do I know if I have what it takes to be a witch?

[Maria]

Hello everyone! I hope someone can help me. I am interested in learning about the craft and I know a little bit I'd say. Can someone tell me exactly what it takes to become a witch. For instance, what is a "normal" day like? And what things must I do? I've read up on the subject but I haven't found anything about day to day living. Any info would be helpful. How do I know I have what it takes or know if I'm meant to practice? Do I have to possess certain gifts? And how would I know what gifts, if any, that I have?

[Elysium]

Hello everyone! I hope someone can help me. I am interested in learning about the craft and I know a little bit I'd say. Can someone tell me exactly what it takes to become a witch. For instance, what is a "normal" day like? And what things must I do? I've read up on the subject but I haven't found anything about day to day living. Any info would be helpful. How do I know I have what it takes or know if I'm meant to practice? Do I have to possess certain gifts? And how would I know what gifts, if any, that I have?

Well I can tell you what my day looks like. You'll find the path differs from person to person. There's no wrong way to wicca as long as you have good intentions. If you haven't already, look up the wiccan reade and give it a detailed read.

I generally get up and do regular people things. If I have time I do try to meditate before work, if not I take 10 min to meditate at work before I start working. I find this helps put me in a good mindset.

Coming home from work I take a cleansing shower after dinner, then I set up my offerings to the God and Goddess. I do my opening of the temple (cast my circle, call quarters) I meditate, if need be I do my magic, if not I continue with my cakes and ale ceremony; I thank the God and Goddess for the good things in life. I then close the temple (banish circle and dismiss quarters).

And that's it.

The only requirement is an open mind and the willingness to learn, there's no central doctrine on how you need to live. Nor do you need any special skills. You are welcome as you are.

[Maria]

Thank you, Elysium. I appreciate you sharing info about one of your days. I believe I need to read up on altars and circles. I think that might get me going in the direction to understanding. Thank you ever so much!

[LoneWhiteWolf]

Day to day live isnt any different from a norrmal persons life. You choose what to do, its a very free and easy going path.

If you like, you can pray at certain times of day (plus there's many gods to choose from), meditate, burn incense, etc. so long as those actions have meaning behind them.

This website helped me out alot when i decided i wanted to take this path: http://paganwiccan.about.com

And just like you im still finding my paws haha!

Being wiccan doesnt mean you automaticly become a witch. Its not like harry potter in that one day you wake up and get wisked away towards destiny. It's a path that will get you on the journey to finding the real you.. I think, haha! That's my thought of the day, time for Wolf to head to bed!
Xx

[MsMollimizz]

My local library is in a system where I can borrow
books from area libraries also; can you do the same ?
If so, see if you can get your hands on:
Witch's Guide to Life by Kala Trobe
It's a little thick but it should give you more of an idea.
Gentle Light
MsMollimizz
We all have a bit of witch in us just have to develop it !

[Maria]

Thank you all for all the advice, information and for letting me "see" what a normal day is like. I will certainly use all of it to figure out how to change my life one day at a time!
Many Blessings to you!!

[SnowCat]

I get up, fumble my way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, avoid stepping on cats in the process, finish waking up. Then I ask for strength and guidance for my day. Sometimes I ask for extra strength and guidance during the day because of inattentive drivers or uncooperative patients. It's pretty much just a normal day. Nothing that screams pagan.

Snow

[onyx208]

I've found we aren't a "breed..." there are no standards we must uphold in order to qualify. It's a very personal path. I'm new to the craft and still battling the fear of doing things "wrong." But this is a very individualized path of living. I find it to be more about feeling.

I like to infuse my day to day life with witchy things- chants/payers when I'm grateful or stressing, appreciation witnessing nature around me, burning sage and incense, meditating at my altar, doing a reading when I'm called... Etc.

As far as gifts... Open your spirit. A gift is something given to you, right? Therefore, gifts will find you, just be receptive and don't be afraid to try new things when presented with opportunity.

The biggest thing that helped me initially was meditation, meditation, meditation! Start with guided imagery/visualization, and let it take flight from there. If you don't have a specific deity in mind, that is one way to let one speak to you.

Hope that made sense and was helpful!

Onyx

[MsMollimizz]

I gather I didn't answer the question, shame on me !
To start with, I'm a night owl, always have been.
I say my prayers at my alter before I climb into bed,
asking Isis if she'd watch over me while I sleep. And
if she'd keep me safe from harm until I rise again.
Give thanks to Mother Earth for nurturing and
sustaining us every day. Give thanks to Sister Moon
whose light, lights a path I follow. Thanks to Brother
Wind whose breath bring the healing rains. Thanks
to Father Sun, for without his light none of this
is possible. Blessed Be
Hubby closes the black-out curtain early so most
of the time it's dark in my bedroom, so I'll sleep on !
When I get up it takes me two cups of coffee, and
don't bother me 'til I'm into my second cup cause
I'm not ready to converse yet.
I spend some of my day reading different type of
magickal beliefs, face reading, healing stones,
crystal skulls, emailing myself different things
to print at library(I'm only one block away!)...
Round about 3pm I relax and go within to start
meditation for about 20-30mins. Then I wake
him up at 4:30, start dinner around 5pm. Eating
dinner and he usually has anew movie to watch
with dinner (you've got to see The Kingsmen !)
converse for a couple hours with him. He goes
down at 9pm. If someone is waiting for a reading
I will have known earlier if I can do one that
evening, a couple more aspirins between pills
and I'll do a reading. Not on Saturday or Sunday
tho, my programs are on. Dead Files and Ghost
Adventures Sat. Fat Guys in the Woods and
Strangest Weather on Earth are on Sunday.
Off to bed, starting with evening prayers.

Gentle Rainbow Light
MsMollimizz

[Silversong]

Hello everyone! I hope someone can help me. I am interested in learning about the craft and I know a little bit I'd say. Can someone tell me exactly what it takes to become a witch. For instance, what is a "normal" day like? And what things must I do? I've read up on the subject but I haven't found anything about day to day living. Any info would be helpful. How do I know I have what it takes or know if I'm meant to practice? Do I have to possess certain gifts? And how would I know what gifts, if any, that I have?

Everyone has the capability to be a Witch, which may be something you have to convince your subconscious of. (Stubborn things, subconsciouses.) What's more, being a Witch means different things to different people. To some, it just means acknowledging the sabbats and worshipping the Goddess alongside the God. To others, it means doing a brief ceremony every day. The path is different for everyone, which is kind of a principle concept in Wicca - many paths, one destination.

I'm a teenage Witch (which may give you a new perspective, at least), still in high school, and I live with my mother, who is also a Wiccan (I thank the Goddess for that every day; I'm very lucky that my family knows, accepts, and can even teach me more about my chosen path), but we also live in an extremely Christian town, so our way of life is probably different from a lot of people. My religion doesn't much affect my everyday life, other than inside my own head and heart (which I suppose is exactly where it should affect you, isn't it?). I don't usually wear a pentacle (actually, I just got mine), and my Book of Shadows is tucked away among a bunch of drawings in my room, where it's nice and safe. The only thing that my religion really affects consistently are my Sundays: I play piano for a Lutheran church for my job, and I do still participate in the service. I just see things a little differently: communion to me is somewhat akin to cakes and ale, something I noticed a few weeks into the job; in the prayers, I quietly add "and Lady" or "and Goddess" under my breath; I abstain completely from parts of the spoken prayers ("holy Catholic church", etc.); and instead of "for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ," I quietly say, "for the sake of Your sons and daughters."

As far as what you "must" do, the only thing for that as far as I'm concerned is acknowledging the Divine in all, and following the rule of harm none ("An' it harm none, do as ye will."). Everything else is a matter of preference, choice, and feeling, even how you celebrate the sabbats and/or esbats. Following the Wiccan rede (the summary: "Bide within the law ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust. Eight words the Wiccan rede fulfill: An' it harm none, do as ye will. And ever mind the Rule of Three: what ye send out comes back to thee. Follow this with mind and heart, and merry ye meet, and merry ye part.") is part of it, but even that has undergone different interpretations.

Knowing if you're meant to practice the Craft is something only you can know. If Wicca feels right to you, then it's probably your path. If it doesn't, then it's not. There are no real guidelines. Knowing you "have what it takes" - as I said, anyone can be a Witch. Each and every one of us is a priest or priestess in our own right, and the God and Goddess love each and every one of us equally. You have the right, and the ability, to practice the Craft, to work magick. You may have to work at undoing some subconscious programming it sounds like you might have, telling you you can't be a Witch, you can't do this. A lot of people do. There are no special gifts you have to have, only your own will and mind and, more than anything, intent. Intent is a word you'll hear a lot in reference to Wicca, and that's largely what it's agreed that the Rule of Three refers to.

If you choose this path, we'll be here to help you along your way. ;3 I'm not as experienced as most of the people on here, and I'm much younger than a lot of them, but I will do my best to help where I can, just like anyone else.

[SpiritTalker]

There's so many ways to live our Witchy-ness that are just mundane actions - how you "brew" the morning coffee while greeting the dawn - Sol & Gaia, hailing the 4 winds Boreas, Euros, Notos, & Zephyrs. There are different "styles" of practice - from shamanic to kitchen witch. Some interact with unseen realms if they’ve developed psychic abilities & some don't but often there's “something” in the witch soul that's a little bit out of step with The Normies. A witch might want to work strictly outdoors in Nature or with animals as their day job but that’s not “a given”; they might bring their spirituality within their living space with a devotional nook in the home, again like anyone might do. Early morning or late at night, & before kids get home are optimal meditation opportunities. Witches work spirituality around their obligations like anyone else.