Articles — beginner

Thinking about taking up the runes? Mastery of the runes can take many years, but it is not difficult for a beginner to learn the basics. (Much as young children can quickly learn their ABCs.) The first learning tool you’ll need is a rune set of your own, to begin familiarizing yourself with this ancient system of knowledge. First, some background: Runes are archaic European letters used in magick and divination. The best-known runic alphabet is the Elder Futhark, which contains 24 symbols.There are other rune systems, such as the Younger Futhark, Northumbrian runes, and Witches' runes. But most of...

Grown in a Witch’s garden, picked at midnight with a silver sickle, mixed 39 times by hand, and so on. Magickal incenses can be a potent, personal tool with infinite variations. But sometimes you just need an incense that smells good and is in accord with your magickal purposes. An incense that doesn’t require a mortar and pestle, charcoal, or fireproof gloves before you can light up. Sometimes, you’re rushing into the supermarket on the way to a ritual and you need to choose an incense now so you can grab the bean dip and get the hell outta there....

Picking out a first Tarot deck shouldn’t be a monumental task. And yet, with so many different decks on the market today, lots of beginners are intimidated by the sheer number of options. It’s true that you can never have too many decks. But it’s also true that you have to start somewhere. I’ve cut through the massive number of Tarot decks to recommend six classic versions that won’t lead you astray. Whether you’re choosing a first deck for yourself or as a gift, one of these decks is sure to be a good fit. I used three criteria when...

 “Am I cursed?” Because I am (I guess) sort of a professional Witch these days, I get this question from time to time.  Because of the ubiquity of “white” (i.e., benevolent) witchcraft—and the efforts of modern Witches to clear the air—you might think that Witch paranoia was a thing of the past. However, my blog’s comments and email inbox tell a different story. Lots of people believe they may be under a curse or enchantment cast by a Witch. And they’d like to get to the bottom of it. I Googled it real quick to check up on the collective...

Magick workers talk a lot about something called intention. As in, “focus on your intention,” or “write your intention on a slip of paper.” Most of us would agree that formulating the right intention is one of the major—if not the major—prerequisites for successful spellcasting. After you’ve settled on the direction of the working, the next step is usually forming your intention into something less nebulous: A sentence, a sigil, an image or object. But what is intention? Is it the same thing as will (or Will)? Is it deeply felt desire? Is it visualization? Is it as simple as...