#I'm afraid I'm only dipping my toes into the cultures and myths of these cultures so I mean no offense

[the-lady-corvidae]

hey! im totally new to the whole witch and tarot thing but i'm so interested in it!! got any tips for an aspiring witch who legit decided she wanted to start this journey today? My mind is open to anything 😊

WARNING!: Long post is long…

Hi there! Firstly, I want to welcome you and congratulate you on taking your first steps on this journey! I’m absolutely flattered that you chose to come to me for advice, though truthfully, I’m still an aspiring baby witch myself. I’m no expert in any field, metaphysical or otherwise,—though even many witches with years of experience are still on a journey of learning and self-discovery themselves and would claim the same: that they aren’t by any means an expert at what they do, just that they have more experience in some things—and though I can’t give you any real witchy advice on how to cast circles or write spells or charge your tools, I CAN tell you what I’ve learned thus far into my own journey into my own craft. Please keep in mind that much of this information is what I’ve learned on my time on Tumblr and most of this can be found (and much more easily summarized for convenience) in the posts in the witchcraft 101 tag.

You’ve already accomplished one of the first things I would have suggested, and that’s to have an open mind. That you’ve taken such an interest into this path of life says a lot. Always keep your mind open to this path; and not just this path, but the many diverging and branching paths of witchcraft. You can do so much by seeing what intrigues you and researching it. And don’t just research one area, but see what else speaks to you. You’re interested in tarot; maybe that will lead to interest in some other forms of divination, too; scrying, pendulum work, rune stones. Maybe that will lead to an interest in the history behind the tools, or to corresponding crystals, herbs, planets, constellations, gods, goddesses, candle colors, sigils, EMOJI spells! Your options are limitless! Don’t be afraid to dabble. Dip your toe into the waters of witchcraft; you never know which pool you’ll be ready to jump into!

However, on that note, it is important to be aware that there are certain areas that you may find yourself cut off from. Certain religions and spiritual paths are deemed “closed”, meaning that unless you are already born into them or initiated into them, it’s considered appropriative and highly offensive to use elements of those religions. There are also certain terms that are considered as appropriation, racial slurs or just looked down upon in bad taste; “spirit or totem animals”, “sage smudging”, the misconception of the term “karma”, as well as the word “gypsy” are all examples of these. In summary, just be respectful of closed religions/cultures and be mindful of what you say.

On the subject of research, it’s also a good idea to expand your horizons on that front. Be aware that not everything you’ll find on Tumblr—or the internet in general—will be 100% true. Some people can claim they know the secrets of the universe and that their way is the right way (9 times out of 10, these people are the scam-artists you’ll hear about when skeptics talk about psychics, diviners, and witches) but the truth is that, just like art, there’s really no right or wrong way to practice magick. With magick, there’s no end all, be all. It’s diverse and what works for one person doesn’t have to work for you; some witches are more traditionalist in their witchery, some prefer modern technology for their craft, some use expensive and fancy tools, some use whatever they can find laying around, some don’t use any tools at all and simply use their belief and intent to harness their magick. Some witches incorporate religion into their craft, and some don’t; some are Pagan, some are Wiccan, some are Christian, some worship the Greek pantheon, others the Norse pantheon, and some choose to worship a variety of gods/goddesses from MANY religions. Some witches are okay with casting curses, others not so much. And all of this is okay because their path is theirs and yours will become yours. It’s important to respect everyone’s own individual path, even if it clashes with your own beliefs; That’s just being a good noodle. :)

Also, don’t feel as though you have to lump yourself into a category. I know some people identify as sea witches, storm witches, cosmic witches, hedge witches, pop culture witches; it seems that the possibilities are endless and it can honestly feel kind of overwhelming if you’re just starting out with no real direction. You may feel compelled to label yourself and your craft, but it’s really not necessary. A lot of times in life, we feel the need to label ourselves as others outside our personal bubble may label us. Just like in high school, the jocks, the cheerleaders, the goths, the nerds, etc. etc. But it’s not really THAT import. So don’t ever stress over the whole “but what kind of witch am I?” debacle. Keep your options open to find what speaks to you, whether it’s one path or many.

One more thing on the subject of general witchery; you’ll probably see it blasted on most every witchcraft 101 post you’ll find but: Witchcraft and magick is not a substitute for professional medical advice or practices. It’s always best to consult a doctor or psychological expert on such matters (admittedly to me this is really just common sense but still it must be said; I do not condone replacing medication with spellcraft). If anything, think of it like this; when you fall and scrape your knee as a child, witchcraft is NOT your bandaid nor your antiseptic. Instead, witchcraft is the kiss your mother or father places upon your treated and bandaged wound to make you smile again. Make sense? I sure hope so…

Now, you DID also ask for tarot advice. I’m still learning the general meanings of the cards (albeit very slowly, because, unfortunately, I keep distracting myself with failed attempts to multitask) but I’d say that would be your first step there. Learn the meanings of the cards, and not only memorize them, but learn for yourself what they mean to YOU. The tarot is a powerful tool, using imagery that pokes around at our own intuition in order to give us the answers we’re looking for. Make your own personal connections and associations with the cards, the imagery and the symbolism. Many of the cards have generally the same traditional meanings, though some artists and authors throw in their own spin on things from time to time.

A good starter deck is the Universal Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, which you probably either already have or can easily purchase from your local Barnes and Noble (also, a myth that most amongst the tarot community will say is untrue is that you need to be gifted your first deck. I would say don’t wait for someone to randomly hand you a deck; if you really want it, nothing is stopping you from obtaining one yourself; besides, it’s a really specific and rather unorthodox gift of choice that I wouldn’t expect anyone who isn’t already interested in the subject would ever buy for someone else) BUT feel free to browse around and see which deck calls to you. Truthfully, my first deck was the Zerner-Faber Tarot Deck (which I’ve since lost and still can’t find…), and since becoming interested in the subject of tarot reading, I’ve gotten four more decks, each vastly different in style and theme that the last.

You’ll find a lot of other witches who perform tarot readings will give you various tips and sometimes contradictory advice from what each other is saying. Sometimes they’ll say you HAVE to cleanse your deck after every reading, and others will say the only cleansing they performed was when they first bought it; you HAVE to shuffle it yourself, or you can let the person you’re reading for shuffle, or you can ONLY read for yourself and not for others. With this, I say, learn for yourself what your style is and how you and your deck connect. Spend time with it. A good way to learn about your deck is through a tarot deck interview spread (though some witches will tell you that it’s almost kind of awkward to put your deck on the spot for answers about itself like this; again, do whatever you feel comfortable with, whatever works for you is more than enough). You can find a lot of good spreads in the tarot spread tag on Tumblr, as well as other neat tips and cheat sheets for learning the cards.

Another good tool is the Labyrinthos Academy app for your phone; it’s a totally free app that helps you memorize the general meanings of the cards through little lessons and “homework assignments”, kind of like a free tarot workshop. The art style is really cute, to boot. ^^

Another really good resource for information regarding the tarot is BiddyTarot. I believe they have a Tumblr account, as well as an Instagram and website where you can learn the cards, meanings, spreads and assorted fun tips for readings. (I’m on mobile as I write this whole spiel, so I can’t exactly post any links; also I’m not 100% Tumblr savvy so I don’t really know how to put links in general…)

So, I think that will do it for now for what I can tell you. If you have any more questions or want more in depth research, you can check the witchcraft 101 tags on Tumblr for more information. I’m sorry if my explanation was really long and overly boring (it’s 3am and my brain is trying desperately to sleep at the moment, but I won’t let it) and if I missed anything important, be sure to let me know. It’s always nice to meet others who have chosen this path, and so it’s been my pleasure to welcome you to this community! Thank you so much for coming to me with this question and I hope that your path leads you to the answers that you seek.

Wishing you all the best in your craft!

🗝🔮✨