Modern Witchcraft: Beginners Guide

The Basics

At the base of a witch's craft is some fundamental practices that are paramount to becoming a successful witch. Having the basics down guarantees a level of protection for the practitioner, and gives you a solid foundation on which to grow your craft and ensure progress.

The main basic practices I consider to be are: meditation, visualisation, grounding & centring, and energy work. Mastery of these practices enables you to work your witchcraft quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Each basic practice builds on the previous one, so I will describe them in a precise order.

In the next chapter I will give you some exercises to work on so you can get to grips with them, but for now I will merely explain what they are and the reasons why they are useful in witchcraft.

Meditation

Meditation is the process of calming and emptying your mind so that you are in a healthy mental space to be doing spellwork. Messy thoughts concerning our mundane lives, the past, the future, worries, doubts, fears... impede on our spellwork and can sometimes lead us to make rash and foolish decisions. Sometimes you may think you should cast a spell to fix a problem, but then you realise during a meditation session what it is you should do instead.

Meditation helps us to take a break, look at situations objectively, and improve our connection with nature and the self. It is a building block that allows us to do more advanced spellwork, from grounding & centring, to communicating with spirits, to past life regression, and more.

There are several different types of meditation which have different techniques and purposes. Different types of meditation can be used by witches depending on what goal they want to achieve. Below are some of the types most useful in witchcraft:

💭 Mindfulness meditation: This is a type of meditation very popular in western society and ideal for beginners. During this type of meditation, you focus on your breath, breathe deeply, and observe your mind's thoughts as they pass by. The aim is to take a mental note of your thoughts, without casting judgement on them, and then send them on their way. This type of meditation has a calming effect and allows you to assess your mind's thought processes from a neutral perspective. In witchcraft, this is useful for assessing your thoughts on a situation and temporarily removing your emotions so that you are able to make informed, logical decisions. This also has a calming effect which is good for preparing your mind for spellwork.

👓 Focussed meditation: This is a form of Buddhist meditation which involves focussing on one sole thing throughout the entirety of the meditation session. The aim is to maintain focus for as long as possible without letting your mind wander. In witchcraft, this helps to develop the skill of focus which is useful when casting a spell as you need to focus on your intent for as long as possible during the ritual. One advantage of this type is that it can be done almost anywhere doing almost anything, e.g. drinking a cup of tea. Instead of drinking tea and watching TV, just put your entire focus on the cup of tea and deeply familiarise yourself with its taste, smell, warmth, and every sensation as you drink it.

🧘 Spiritual meditation: This is any type of meditation that seeks to strengthen your connection with your deity(ies) and/or the universe. It is usually done by achieving absolute silence; silence in your external surroundings and in your mind. One method of achieving this is explained in Donald M. Kraig's "Modern Magick". His particular method involves carefully visualising a detailed image in your mind, putting all of your focus into it, and then slowly erasing it until there is nothing. In this moment of nothingness, you are able to achieve a feeling of "oneness" with the universe. This type of meditation is not easy to master and takes a lot of practice. In witchcraft, this is not only useful for developing your spirituality but also opening up your mind to receiving messages from your deity(ies) and/or the universe.