Starting Witchcraft║What I Wish I Knew 

I lost touch with magic for years because I thought that I had to be a Wiccan to practice it, but I really didn't like a lot of the Wiccan ideas and traditions.

My main mistakes: 1 - trying to learn everything at once 2 - trying to catch up after 20yrs 3 - not doing enough comparative research

Don't be afraid to just be a general witch...... You can do what fits for each time....

The book Rebel Witch really helps let you know that you can really do whatever you want with witchcraft. Changing things up and following unconventional paths is honestly the point of most pagan practices.

My biggest thing was everything had to be ceremonial. Even the simplest things had to be made grande, calling on the God and Goddess and the four elements. Then I started getting into Hedge Witchery where everything is done on the fly. (No pun intended.) Adaptability is everything.

The one and only part I wish I knew is that I can change up any ritual or spell to fit my needs specifically, you do not need to follow "recipes". By all means if you want to, I find now that I'm adding or interchanging the components, the spells work a lot better for me! Thank you for the video!!

Note: Apparently I burnt my parting in the sun, it doesn't look any different in real life, but on camera, it looks really red so please excuse that 😂 Timestamps: Intro: 00:00 Change is Allowed: 01:03 Comfort Levels: 03:33 Many Methods: 04:53 Wicca vs Witchcraft: 07:44 Items aren't Required: 20:28 Trust your Gut: 12:29 Write Stuff Down: 14:34 Ceremony isn't Everything: 16:32 Not all Books are Good (for you): 19:11 Natural Gifts: 22:27 Bloopers: 26:54

I remember as a young child assuming seeing "people's colors" was a natural inherent sense. Like smell, sight, hearing etc. One day saying something to my older sister about how pretty our Great Aunts "colors" were. Hers were a light bright iridescent glowing pink. Very unusual and not like I had ever seen before. My sister told me that there were no colors around our Great Aunt or anyone else. We debated this for a time. She told me I was weird and stupid and to knock it off. I can remember for days afterwards when I would see the colors. I would close my eyes and tell myself, "No you don't see any colors! No you don't see any colors!" Until finally there were no colors. And now to this day I cannot see auras. 😢

Firstly, that green eyeshadow is 🔥🔥🔥, Hearth; Secondly, would you like to do a video on the masculine aspect of witchcraft or just paganism as a whole? As a (mostly) gay man, the heavy emphasis on femininity is...isolating, for the lack of a better term.

I was just telling my sister yesterday how I never expected to be what some would consider a "green witch".

At nearly 60 years of age, I am just discovering the practice. I have tried many other practices - Kabbalah, Buddhism, Daoism- but I look at them as having built a solid foundation for what I hope is my ultimate practice. Mistakes, or things I wish I would have done differently, are just as strong building blocks as actual "correct" (if there is anything like correct) practice. Good video. Blessings.

The very first point hit home, I never knew so many witches have been through that. I too spent so much time trying to be the "textbook witch". My altar had to have a god and goddess statue, I had to have the elemental correspondences, and a chalice, and athame - the works. I had all of those things... yet everything felt wrong. I felt like I was faking it because I didn't feel connected to what I was doing. I ended up giving it up for YEARS, only to come back every once in a while and try to be the "textbook witch" only to feel the same disconnection. It really hurt me because I felt like I was a person of the earth, and I thought the earth didn't want me.. It was only until a little over year ago that I realized I can worship the earth how I saw fit, I didn't NEED a matron or patron, or God and goddess representation. I know it sounds silly, but growing up there was this certain prescribed order that was forced down my throat in the books I read, I felt like I wasn't a true witch if I didn't "follow the rules". Now I make most of my own tools, I don't care if they don't look insta worthy, I created them and that means more to me than anything else. My altar is set up how *I* want. Once I started following my heart and intuition - doing what I feel comfortable with I felt the world open up to me. My altar is nothing like how the witchy books say it should look (I'm sure older witches know what I'm talking about xD) and thats ok. It calls to me, and makes me feel wonderful to look at and be around. I also finally came to terms with not having a certain God or goddess. If they call to me, great! If I go my whole life without a God or Goddess coming to me, that's also okay. I can still connect with the earth and work with the elements regardless. Please do your research and do what makes YOU comfortable. Blessed be witches! 🧙🏽🖤🧝🏾‍♀️

What I wish I knew before starting magick.....sometimes you just need to put down the wand and get some therapy. For real, lol

7:55 I think this is a really important point. I'm a practicing Buddhist, but I've recently started borrowing some elements of witchcraft to augment by preexisting practice. One idea I'd recommend is deliberately sitting down and writing out precisely what it is you believe in, beginning with the most basic, fundamental principle you can isolate, and extrapolating from that. You can then reevaluate those principles over time if necessary, based on new understandings. I think this helps understand exactly what it is you believe, what ideas govern your understanding of the world, and what you want to accomplish through magic.

If people do invest in materials for practice, I suggest crystals, stones and precious metals. Engraved if possible, but you can use either in many magical practices. Another thing I would suggest would be herbs 🌿

The masculine aspects of witchcraft is a very under discussed topic.... I am sure it would be very much welcomed

I used to write everything down on post it notes in my college room but when my mum came to visit me, she threw them all away. I've so many arguments with her because I keep finding my possessions in the bin that she's just thrown away without my knowledge or consent.

When learning at first I wish I knew that not getting it on the first try was normal and that practice was needed

Some things I wish I not only knew, but also understood when I started. 1. You are never "off" your path or on a different path. You are always on your path no matter what you do in life. 2. Every experience in life enhances your understanding and knowledge. Real life experience is better than book knowledge. How can you understand love without being in love. How can you understand pain without being in pain? How can you work with sexual energy if you never had an orgasm. 3. Don't wait to do spells or work with energy. Don't be afraid of failure, the greatest lessons are often in our failing not success. 4. Ask people for advice! But don't rely on others to dictate your practice. Don't be afraid to look new on a topic. 5. Be careful about who you trust in the community, don't go to public rituals or gathers without proper defenses in place. 6. Laughter is the greatest banishment. 7. Constantly challenge your beliefs! 8. There are a lot of "witchcrap" books out there, be careful on what you buy or study. There are a lot of made up concepts without any real basis. Challenge every author.

May I add : do not start out wth getting rid of people-spells and lovespells before you know more about the craft......

One of my starting out mistakes is deity. I felt that I HAD to work with a deity. It was years before I realized that simply isn't the case.

I have been practicing for around 3 years now, my main mistakes are: 1)changing too much. I changed my practice almost every week. That didn't allow me to focus on the basics and my personal craft. 2)I jumped into Wiccan ideas and believed those were the only form I could follow. 3)I went into paths that weren't mine. They weren't closed, however I wasn't ready to go into them. 4)I thought I had to have every tool ever made. And 5)I followed the advice of elder witches because I belived due to their age and experience, they knew best.

My first spell was a binding spell in 2008 on a teacher that consistently bullied me. The next day, she said nothing horrid to me.

My book of shadows is in a Tommy Oy spiral notebook I got at the thrift store

As an acolyte coming from Catholicism, I’ve been drawn to working with saints. However I’m a bit apprehensive that they’d be upset for turning away from the church. I have mixed feelings about it. As always, I love the bloopers.😆

I wish that I hadn't listened to my mother when, as a child, I said that I was/wanted to be a witch and she responded that as she wasn't I couldn't be. I died inside, loosing so many gifts and adopting so many bad habits/coping mechanisms... I feel like a fallen "angel", an "indigo" with no wings.... I wish that I had had the help, support and information to be who I was (hope to still be able to re-become) I am currently finding it so very hard to claw back my birthright... but hey I guess there must be a reason and the path will be easier if I enjoy it rather than dwelling on what could have been! Best wishes to all those that are walking the path least trodden, that are fighting/dealing with their shadows and who are hanging on in there... Blessings to you all!

i remember talking out loud and feeling a presence trying to comfort me the first few months i started witchcraft! i haven’t felt anything like it since but i was so scared by this unexpected thing i think i pushed it away 😭

I started practicing witchcraft with your channel

Embrace your mistakes! I never learned so much as I have from making mistakes. And you wouldn't be who you are without them. It is wonderful that you share them, and I feel sharing our mistakes keeps us humble, but they are something to be grateful for as they brought you to where you are now, a beautiful, confident and intelligent woman.💖 Thank you for sharing your journey. 🧙‍♀️

I’m starting with a digital book of shadows but I have a bad memory due to seizures so I have to write everything down now anyways lol

I'm so glad you made this video. I think I might be a Lunar Witch and I was going to buy a book that you recommended. Well, I read all the negative reviews on Amazon and didn't buy the book. I'm going to buy this book now because of this video. Thanks Hearth.

Hearth, thank you so much for your videos. I have wanted to practise witchcraft for a very long time. But i was intimidated by the religion aspect of Wicca and did not know until YOU that Wicca and witchcraft are separate. So i am definitely taking your tips and ideas to heart and jumping into this new life. Take care of you Hearth.

I'm starting my journey. After reading about being a kitchen witch, I realized it's really aligned to what I already do. I love cooking and I love my kitchen. That being said, I'm still a bit hesitant because I do not want to follow a religion.

I really appreciate that you discuss that you don't have to be Wiccan to Practice the Craft. I know it sounds like a dichotomy, but I am a Christian Witch.

Yes i,m 15 and just beginning this journey

Totally agree the best investment as a beginner is in books - the books I still constantly use are the encyclopedias of herbs, gems, moon correlations etc. As your practice evolves these are the books you'll keep using. The thing I wish I knew at the beginning is that it's ok to experiment - it's ok to just dive in. 💙

I started in 2019 and I wish I didn’t struggle so much with accepting my goddesses. Now it’s much better and I love having a connection to them all. I’ve always been very basic and simple with my craft and now I’m exploring new, more complex rituals. I think being cautious is a good thing but in this case, I was too cautious and grew slower than I could have.

I'm still a beginner witch myself, but something I really wish I knew when I first started is that you don't NEED to join a coven. You can if you want, but you in no way need to.

For me it was getting caught up in the Hollywood and fantasy side of things in that if I didnt do in 100% correctly something bad would happen. Quite foolish. I jumped in after two years of being afraid and had almost immediate results. Titles of our practice can be good to give people an idea of what we do, but thats about it. Too often we get caught up on telling people what we identify as instead of actually practicing and growing which is the entire point.

1. The first spells your should do are protection and cleansing. Keep to this for a while. 2. A lot of books are ghostwritten. Especially basic beginner, and very general books. Reaearch the authors and their other work. 3. Take note of the intentions and mindset of the author or creators you are reading or watching. Everyone thinks about things differently. See if you align with their mindset and beliefs before blindly following everything they say and do. That's not to say they are wrong but it will make you more connected with the person you are learning from.

Biggest tip from me is to not be scared of any particular thing associated with witchcraft (i.e. Ouija boards, Fae, etc.). Simply don't start there, give yourself space and time, learn more about them so you have a better idea of how to work with them if they interest you, but don't feel like you have to work with them. If after learning about them, they don't feel scary anymore and it interests you, then go for it. If not, move on. No one thing is "wrong" or "bad" in witchcraft. It's just what works for you and what doesn't. Also, I'll reiterate that not all witches are wiccan, because most of what I've read hadn't felt quite right until reading "Root and Ritual" by Becca Piastrelli and starting to watch Hearth's videos.

Great video as usual. I was lucky to be brought up around magical practice but it also put me in a box for a few years. The advice on books is spot on. I read about all styles and magical cultures and believe this has helped me grow more than I could've hoped. I'm now able to appreciate all forms and be fluid between them. Keep up the great work ❤

I wish I didn't take in the belief that my thoughts create my reality as I experience intrusive thoughts and that's not a great combination haha.

I recently stumbled upon your channel while starting my research into witchcraft and I am on a binge! You are so knowledgeable and know what you're talking about. And you're so accepting of newcomers which is so important I feel because this is a slightly intimidating practice with how much there is to learn and the different cultures involved. I just hope you know that you are much appreciated and I am SO glad I found your channel. I am so excited to start this journey and find my true self as a witch.

My first spell was trying to turn into a mermaid if i remember right. Haha i was introduced into witchraft at a super young age (7-8ish?) and always been obsessed with mermaids. Course it didnt work, but ive always had a "mermaid spirit" 😁. On books i reccomend getting unique books that break the norm, because most 101 info can be found online and its all the same lol and personally i dont want to clutter my house with info i could easy look up or just pdf. Also i dont use no or hardly any tools so its really not needed for myself at most times. Tools are just props that hold only the power you give them, I believe. They help the mind, but if your mind can superceed the need/want of a point of contact, its much more freeing I feel.

Thank you for posting this it definitely helps hearing how you learned and it didn't just happen automatically A lot of people promote buying a lot of stuff or doing courses that cost quite a bit I've seen quite a few people who come off as gatekeepers they make it seem like if you don't follow their path and if you don't worship the same way the do you are wasting the deities time which I felt is very toxic and gatekeeping I'm glad your on here telling us to follow our gut Hope you have a great weekend

I truly feel you on the pushing things away, I used to be very attuned to the spirit realm. God pushed it so deep that I can't find it anymore

I like your style of practice and books give me the same excitement, they give you. I have practical solitary magic and crooked path

I'm a "light worker" I read tarot! I am very intuitive. I just call myself a good witch! 😃 I do whatever feels good to me♡ and is natural. I'm really good at manifesting!! Sometimes I gotta watch what I say. It's crazy sometimes. Lol. Love your channel girl. New sub here.

Thank you so much for making this video. I am so guilty of being stuck in the ceremonial trap right now that I don't get anything done, and it makes me so discuraged and overwhelmed.

I completely agree with learning to manage abilities vs. shutting them down. I took about 2 years off of mediumship, and sort of shut it all out, and now I'm back to basics learning all the things that I didn't have terms for before, but naturally did without knowing. Honestly, having the basics and terms now that I didn't have before helps, but re-tapping in can be difficult after 2 years off.

lovely video..i follow my own path , i have my own magic.

I spent a lot of money on Wicca 101 books 20 years ago , only to realize that all were the same and I was vibing with all of it because I felt more like a folklore crossroads practitioner

As a beginner I fell into the wicca trap and studied it and practiced it (or at least tried to) for about a year and then realized it's not for me at all. Ritual magic isn't my thing. We learn through our mistakes. I've been classifying myself as a pagan witch now instead of a wiccan for another year and boy it's been so much better.

Love this woman she definitely knows her stuff.

I believed witchcraft was categorized into two groups that being Light magic and dark magic. And you could only be a "dark witch" or a "light witch". I was unaware the branches of witchcraft were immensely middle ground. Also I agree with all of the points talked about in the video and admit to doing quite a few of them when first starting out.

Your channel is actually what made me realize that it was witchcraft that was calling to me. I've been doing as much research as I can to learn different aspects of it from different sources and I actually feel that many of the mistakes you list in this video are ones I myself won't make because I'm researching. Will I make a couple of them? maybe, but that's all part of the craft. I'm so glad I discovered your channel and am taking the first steps towards my own path.

I fell into some of the same things , the you have to stay in one kind of magical practice forever. I also wish I had reached out to the community

Great video. Very useful for anyone interested in Witchcraft. I am 50 and back in the day there wasn't any Internet or books, plus my family was Christian... I saw spirits in dreams, coming to my bedside, all ages, backgrounds, nationalities...and it frightened me beyond words, I woke up shouting, I was very young. I feared falling asleep.I asked the spirits in my prayers to please stop the visits and for sure, they stopped. Now, I feel I could handle this and help spirits, sigh. But that door got closed probably for ever. The other thing in my case, I was very good at reading palms in my twenties. It started out normal but I stopped when I realised I was influencing people, big no no for me, plus the thing developed to a point where the palm was an excuse and I started to get clear messages for people in my head, not through the lines and signs, like, "you are going to have a very bad car accident if you don't stop doing such and such, but you'll survive. Just once, mind you.They won't protect you beyond that." And the thing happened. Everybody told the person they didn't understand how they had survived, that it was a miracle. And the person stopped what they were doing ( good thing). I also comforted desperate people, telling them that they were going to have children, or find a soulmate... But often it was only warnings and it felt awful,because self- fulfilling profecy might be an issue, but then, there was an important and urgent message from the other side. I stopped reading palms when things always came to be true. I even saw an accident I was going to have myself. I now can't read a palm. Nothing. Not even a tiny thing because I said, please stop, this is too much to handle. I only recently approached magic again, two years ago. Now I can handle things better but my talents have changed and are weaker. Still, Spirits are involved bc that's what I naturally channel. Don't be afraid, ask, get information, protect yourself. Blessings to all.

I would absolutely love it if you could talk more about crystal witches

I started practicing in the early 2000s and for at least 15 years it only worked semi well because until today there is practically NOTHING here in Germany that is not Wiccan-based (at least I never found anything) and that doesn't work for me at all. Only since my English is good enough to read English books and explore other magical practices I get really good results and I dare to experiment.

Also I’m dying for you to post a video about runes!!

After more than 15 years of practice, I agree with everything you said. I really wish I had written more of what I did back in the day, trust my gut instinct more, feel less forced to follow wicca or ceremonial magic that didn't resonate with me at all, and most of all, I wish I hadn't pushed my gifts aside the way I did, because it is often very hard, if not impossible, to get them back later on.

I also feel like many of these things are things that apply to just everyday life and are things that you learn with age too. As someone starting witchcraft in my 30's with soon to be two small children, and very simple witchcraft as that is what I can make time for and enjoy, I already felt like I'm allowed to practice in anyway I choose and change it as I wish because practicing in a way that is fulfilling to me is the most important.

When it's possible, borrow books at the library first, and buy books when you know what you want and need.

I low-key didn't expect this video to help me, just remind me of a few things for my subconscious but it has. Everyone tells me as a baby witch to do energy work or use my pure energy but I find my magic works and is stronger with deities. I've been into tarot and astrology 3 years before I started doing any witchcraft so working with my own energy isn't unbeknownst to me. I've also followed a spiritual path of manifestation, law of attraction, Buddhism and Taoism before doing any witchcraft for a year and a half. And I know working with deities is better for me as my own energy just doesn't cut it. 4:53 Many methods

I’m early!! I love this and the little title typo lol. I’m so happy I discovered your channel.

Im not sure where the best place is to ask you questions so I'll try here first. I wanted to know if there was anything that is traditionally done the day that a loved one passes away. My grandfather passed unexpectedly earlier this year and I was trying to find out if there was a spell or something that I could do for him on the day that he passed but I wasn't able to find anything. I ended up lighting a tea light and letting it burn all the way out.

Im *really* basic and im a very bad witch, but I kinda just go with it anyway lol, I may not be as powerful as anyone else but that's not the point yknow I just wanna do my own stuff I don't care if i suck

I work with energy, psychic development, crystals, I am loving crooked path by Kelden.

Your face at 17:21-22. Yep. ETA: Also, that green eyeshadow on you is da bomb

It's really nice to hear someone else talk about these things, makes me feel less crazy! I'm a novice practitioner but I've already faced issues with most of the points mentioned.... fortunately I actually trusted my gut and overcame it before actually creating the habit of falling into these "traps" but I feel like that happens to so many people... and usually modern media doesn't help at all so it's nice to have someone like Hearth around

Your eyeshadow is to die for omlll

I love how honest and open this was.

Writing this down would be mine. Also having a digital copy simply because I lost a lot of information I had due to pages getting wet or pages getting ripped out of binders.

I am also a Reiki master, teacher, healer.

i’ve been studying for just a bit , and this video completely calmed my nerves on how i felt everything needed to be absolutely perfect and out of the books. sis… u got a new subscriber !:D

Hearth: love the bloopers at the end!! Thank you for sharing them!!!

Oh my! I can relate to almost every of those things. I now consider myself an intuitive witch, best decision ever.

I'm still a baby witch, but I have some input. Not rushing myself, and giving myself breaks. I was spending 8 to 10 hours a day sitting in my office just researching and writing things in my book of shadows, I did this for weeks. After that I felt so overwhelmed and wanted to stop my journey. Then I felt like I couldn't give myself breaks, from research and learning. It felt like a race to see how fast I could be a witch.

Your 100 per cent right thank you. My ancestors old witchcraft folk

Can’t wait to dive into this one! I get so overwhelmed lol!

I really like your videos. You explain everything so well and you're always tolerant and accepting of other practices or mistakes people make, whether it's in their practice or non-witches' perceptions about witchcraft. Your videos really help me shape my craft the way it best fits me. I also made some mistakes in the beginning of my craft, like buying all kinds of tools rather than books. Sure, that's because I was enthusiastic about learning and wanted to surround myself with witchy tools, but as you said, you usually don't end up using all of them. I'm now collecting things only when I read a book and it talks about a tool I consider using in my own craft.

definitely gonna start using “big style” every chance I get 🤣 you’re my favorite!

I wish I didn't spend years fighting my curiosity about witch craft because I believed it was evil.🤔

I trained one eyebrow to raise when i was younger (something silly i decided to do). Ground yourself and 'feel' your face/eyebrow. attempt to raise it and help physically with your finger. note how it feels. it takes a long time of 'training' your muscles what it feels like and eventually i was able to raise the one on it's own. try it for a few minutes every day. I didn't bother training the other one, but being able to raise one eyebrow is super fun and effective lol.

When I started my practice I believed that I was supposed to see spirits vividly like in the movies while meditating or in my dreams. It was so frustrating that I didn't and it felt like I wasn't doing anything magical or that I wasn't progressing at all.

When I was younger the conflation of Wicca and witchcraft was so rampant. I was drawn to witchcraft but so put off thinking I had to be Wiccan. I'd dip my toes in and withdraw, over and over again. Wicca just made feel a little silly. When I finally figured out that the two are not a package deal, how to research witchcraft while filtering out the things I didn't gel with and that weren't necessary, everything finally clicked and it was so natural. I've never looked back. And to this day, the conflation of witchcraft and Wicca is my biggest pet peeve. 😆

This video was really empowering thank you! I really enjoyed the emphasis on being able to explore, change, develop and growth in our ideas and practice.

Thank you for saying out loud all the things that I struggle with but know intuitively. Very validating. Thanks again.

Hello, hope you’re having a good day!

I loved this video! Was so warm an also made me laugh a couple of times with true facts. Wish I could have a witch friend or meet you haha Thank you for your fantastic content.

Always look forward to your videos Hearth. Have a great weekend. Ty from Ohio. 👋🙂🤍

I really appreciate and trust you so much!!

Love watching your Witchcraft clips I was in Witchcraft about 20 yrs ago But then I sort of lost interest. Even though I did still believe in certain aspects of Witchcraft. So I packed every away And did nothing about it until last year out came every thing again and even purchased more. I don't celebrate every season or do ritual s everytime. Since I went back to practice Witchcraft last year I done 3 rituals so far.My favourite are Samhain Beltane ,Ostara .20 yrs ago I started off In a coven but it got to be to much work and some of the people were actually Snobs. you had to do things their way. So I left after couple of months. Now I try and work on my own Which I find alot more rewarding

I personally don't feel comfortable going full-in on Wicca, just like I am not comfortable following every single sermon the priests gave at catholic church, I still consider myself catholic, but I practice in my own way in nature outside of the church building. What I do like to incorporate from wicca is the "do no harm" and "3-fold law" personally, but I know that isn't for everyone and that isn't all witchcraft practices. I very much believe in multiculturalism, that every culture is valid and has a right to exist as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, but then again, I can make an exception with accepting folks that use baneful magic in terms of last resort or self-defense, I just don't feel comfortable practicing it personally on the regular, may research it at least for the sake of both protection and not accidentally doing it unintentionally. Certain aspects of other cultures getting added to your own, depending on what you add in isn't always disrespectful misappropriation. Obviously do your research, taking it too far would be acting like your original culture doesn't exist and going into stereotypes and closed practices that folks don't want you appropriating, but if it is something more simplistic that can easily fit into your lifestyle without insulting another culture, I say go for it. Like the example of the importance of family in Hispanic and Chinese societies, 3-generation households where everyone has a role to play to keep the family alive. I feel like in the modern USA and other western nations we have become so focused on independent-living or you are a failure and a mooch that people forget that there can be a symbiosis if the family relationships are healthy, with free baby sitters while the middle generation works to make money for the family, the elders don't have to worry about not being able to live alone, the kids get the wisdom and a closer relationship with their elders.

Love and light to thee, High Priestess. Oh, and when I first initiated my studies in the craft, I began in crystal and candle Magicks.

Maybe you were meant to take the paths that you did in order to become the person you are today? Truly enjoy watching your videos.

I am into crystals. Although I do enjoy spending my money on crystals. I wish I knew that natural objects like shells, rocks, etc. Have energy just as much as crystals do. And you helped me to realise that a while ago. Thank you for your use information as always. I love your make up💚

Thankfully I had the initial intuition to write things down from the beginning but I fell into the same problem of thinking Wicca and witchcraft were the same thing for a long time.