The Daughter of Swords in the Wild Unknown deck is the equivalent of the Page of Swords in a traditional deck. The page symbolises entering a state of higher learning and the suit of swords, linked to air, symbolised thoughts, knowledge, your own beliefs and truth. A perfect card to symbolise embarking upon your witchcraft journey.
This article is primarily for people just beginning to get interested in the craft. It can be quite scary and overwhelming if you don’t know where to begin, when you are being pulled towards something as big as witchcraft. Hopefully I am able to shed some light and make this a time of enlightenment and discovery.My first piece of advice is to research. The most common method is, of course, to read books. There are lots out there, of varying levels of difficulty. Try to read books that aren’t just someone giving their opinion as fact. I truly believe that you should do what feels right for you, no one can tell you what is going to work and what isn’t. Of course, there are some essentials that need to happen for spells to work, such as concentration and visualisation, but all of these things come from within you. Look for general books that give advice and read a range. Don’t just read books on Wicca if you don’t know that that is your path, don’t read something as specific as tree magic and assume you know all there is to know about magic as a whole. There is a lot of difference within paths, so don’t read one specific point of view and take it as gospel, read a range so you can work out what options there are and find something that works for and resonates with you.
If you find books too intimidating, there is always the internet. So many people are talking about witchcraft and different belief systems, there are short videos on so many different topics which are perfect to help you get a feel fora specific belief system or practice, which will save you a lot of time and give you a broad rang of information. From there, you can pick and choose what resonates with you and what you would like to pursue further.
Put little things into practice to see how you feel when you’re doing it. You do not need to pick a specific path, feel free to pick and choose, change what you identify as, incorporate bits from another path into your own, or be completely eclectic and just do you. Don’t worry about doing a fully fledged ritual at this stage if it intimidates you, you could simply go for a walk, collect a fallen branch or a pebble, and have it as the start of your altar. You don’t have to go crazy, be creative as you like. Don’t stress yourself out about it because witchcraft is meant to be enriching, not stressful.
Don’t be too rigid when you are starting out. If you are doing spell work, feel free to substitute things like incenses and oils for whatever you have. Don’t spend loads of money if you don’t know if this is the right path for you, you can do any spell with what you have in your house right now. If you want to create an altar, instead of buying expensive statues, you could paint pictures to go around your altar space. Creating art is such a good way of connecting with deities and other correspondences, and if you have the tools already, it is cheap! Get DIY about it rather than spending money especially when you are starting out, and have fun!
See if there are any local pagan groups in your area, meeting with other people is great for getting an understanding of different belief systems and feeling less alone. If there just aren’t any, try online! Join Facebook groups like the very active Hedgewitchery where you can ask questions, discuss matters and actually talk to other witches online.
Listen to your heart. Lots of people say this or that is the right way, but it is all personal opinion. If something feels right, just do it. The worst thing that is going to happen is that your spell won’t work, read my post on successful spellcasting for tips on how to avoid this.
My final piece of advice is just do it, especially if you have been sitting on this a long time without taking the plunge, just do it. it can be something small, light a candle and write something that you want to banish from your life on a piece of paper and burn it while visualising.
I hope that you enjoyed this post and found it useful, watch the corresponding YouTube Video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41hBLYqBS_4
R G Wood XO
rgwoodwitch.com 