Asiya's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Do you have to be "born" a Witch; do you have to have practitioners of Witchcraft in your family history in order to practice Wicca or Witchcraft effectively?
There is no such thing as having "witch" in your blood. It's not a genetic trait. No one is "born" a Witch, just as no one is "born" a Christian, or "born" an architect. Wicca is a religion, and magick is a skill.
A minority of Pagans have been born into Pagan families, or have had relatives who practiced Witchcraft - just as someone may be born into a Christian family or have a relative who is Christian. This however is not a prerequisite to membership of the religion.
Anyone who believes in Wicca's religious tenets, and is willing to dedicate themselves to study, practice, and living Wicca can become a Wiccan. Everyone can (and from a certain perspective, does) practice magick.
2. How do I find a teacher?
For many reasons, finding the right teacher can be difficult. Wicca isn't an organized religion and its members don't proselytize. Your search for a teacher may require research and patience. This article from the Witches' Voice website gives advice on what qualities to look for in a teacher: Teachers, Good & Bad.
Regularly visit your local occult shops. They often have information about Pagan organizations and covens. Sometimes the shop owners themselves hold classes. They will also have info on upcoming festivals and public events where you can meet others.
The internet is a great tool for networking. There are many Wiccan websites that offer networking sections. These can be found simply by typing "Wiccan networking", "Pagan networking", or "web weaving" into a search engine. The best site I have seen for networking is The Witches' Voice. The Witches' Voice has many listings, broken down by country, U.S. state, and city.
In the meantime, continue to study and practice. Eventually, an appropriate teacher will find their way into your life. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
3. How do I find a Pagan/magick/occult shop in my local area?
The Yellow Pages usually list magick supply shops under categories such as "Metaphysical", "New Age", or "Occult". Via the internet, the quickest way to find listings of local shops is to go to The Witches' Voice Local Shops index, and select your state or country. Witches' Voice listings aren't complete, so you may want to check the Yellow Pages to make sure you don't miss out on a great store. If there are none close to you, there are always online stores.
4. Will you be my teacher?
While that's a great compliment, personal teaching requires unlimited patience and lots of time that I currently don't have. You can teach yourself magick (see question #4). Also, I feel that if you were to learn magick directly from a teacher, it would best be done with someone in person as opposed to a stranger over the internet, so that the teacher can demonstrate techniques, and be readily available to you (see question #2). However, I don't mind answering specific questions.
5. Okay, so how do I become a Witch?
Study. Don't just read; make it an active process by studying the information presented. Take notes, highlight or underline essential passages, collect information from a variety of authors (and websites) and do comparisons. Believe me, I know there is an overwhelming amount of information out there, some of it conflicting. Take it slow - you don't need to, and can't, learn everything all at once. There is a Recommended Books section and a Recommended Sites section on this website.
Ask specific questions - of yourself, others, and the books you read. Don't take things for granted; question why things are done in specific ways and why certain associations are made. Ask questions about the things that are difficult to understand. Try to figure stuff out on your own through study and contemplation, but don't be afraid to ask others for their opinions and help if you need it.
Practice consistently. Doing the work is essential to truly understand Wicca and magick. Form a daily practice of magical work, meditation, and divination practice. Experiment with different magical techniques and ritual forms. Try out the exercises and rituals given in books. Celebrate all the Sabbats and Esbats.
Keep a record of your daily practice, any rituals and spells you perform, unusual experiences that occur, things you have found to be of interest, and subjects you would like to know more about.
Spend time with nature. Take a walk, lie in the grass, watch the sunset, go to the park, go to the zoo, decorate your home with plants and flowers. Wicca is an earth-based religion.
6. How can I tell if someone has cursed me? How can I break a curse cast against me?
It's very difficult to determine if someone has cursed you unless they openly tell you so or you find physical evidence of it. However, whether someone has is not the crux of the issue. What matters is whether you are allowing a curse to work on yourself.
The power of a curse doesn't come from external sources. We curse ourselves, through self-defeating thoughts, feelings, and behavior. By telling ourselves we don't deserve pleasurable things, we're powerless in bad situations, we have bad luck nonstop, etc. Those negative feelings manifest into our actions and we end up sabotaging happy situations and creating unhappy ones. Most of the time, we're not aware when we're doing this.
Exploring those self-defeating feelings within ourselves brings to light how a curse was successful. Deal with those feelings and you will be rid of the curse. Then it won't make any difference if someone tries to curse you. Curses "work" through belief in them.
It is human nature to blame someone else for our misfortune, rather than to see what actions we took that may have led us to the place we are. It is easier to believe someone or something "out there" is causing our trials and tribulations. This, however, is not taking responsibility for your own actions and attitudes; it's deciding that someone else has control over your life.
If you feel you are cursed, the best magical thing to do is regularly practice a grounding or centering exercise. There is a grounding exercise from my BOS. The LBRP (Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram) is highly recommended for those with a ceremonial bent.
Here is a visualization spell to wash away negativity, when you feel you're just having a run of bad luck. Draw yourself a hot bath. Burn a purification incense such as lavender, chamomile, or sandalwood. Light a white candle and turn off the lights. Get into the bath, and just lay there, relaxing your body for a while. When you feel fully relaxed, visualize the negative energy as a black, sticky film covering your body. Visualize the hot water slowly evaporating the film into the air. As it leaves your body, it moves towards the candle flame, where it is burned away. When all the film has left your body, drain the tub while staying in it. After doing this, take a short shower. Imagine that the water pouring down on you is pure white light, showering you with positive energy.
7. Can you give me a spell (or cast a spell on me) that will convince me magick is real?
Nope. It doesn't matter to me whether non-practitioners think magick is real, and I'm not here to perform magic tricks.
Most people when asking this question have a distorted image of magick in their heads from Hollywood or role-playing games. They want to see a specific manipulation of external reality (e.g. say this rhyme three times and all the light bulbs in your home will burst).
The knowledge that magick is real comes only from consistent, disciplined practice.
