You only know when you can cast. I have been practicing, and studying the occult for ten years, and I have never cast a spell, as I am not ready.
You have to and need to study and practice all of the basics. Each of the basics go hand in hand with each other. You need to learn visualization so you can do a technique of grounding. and you need to learn to properly meditate so you can ground yourself. The basics are kind of like the pentacle. Each of them are needed, they are all connected, and if you miss one just one, everything goes off balance.
It is suggested that you learn them step by step, and work yourself up.
1. until you feel ready, it's different for everyone.
2. you should get meditation, visualization, circle casting, and energy work down pat before casting a spell. you don't have to memorize all the herbs, or the colour association, if you have a book with a simple candle spell or something, go with that.
3. essentially you should work your way up. if you're doing your year and a day, your first month or two [or however long it takes] should be learning how to meditate, cast circles, learn tools, holidays, rituals, and other 'basic' information. but eventually within the year [once you've got the spell casting skills down] you should try casting low magick spells like candle magick, take a candle of the corresponding colour, charge it with energy, light it, and visualize as it burns out. then slowly move up to other spells.
Shawn is right study study study. Practice everything. It will take years.
For right now go with what your most interested in. From your prior posts it sounds like energy manipulation. Its a start.
As for your other question dont sweat the little things, just practice and learn.
Sounds like your allowing yourself to get overwhelmed (it happens) take a breath & and focus on a single attainable goal for where your at. When you reach that go on to the next.
Again I cant stress enough seek out infomation by web site book any method possible. Keep a journal. Once again good luck
I have spent ten years on the basics because I want to understand it to the best I can. I have talked to people who have totally different opinions on crtain basics, and I have tried to pick up on the ones that made the most sense.
I try to take as much time as I can so I can understand it the best, and learn as many aspect of it as possible.
Well, more than likely it would work, but probably not in the way you expected it to, and you would not be happy with the results. In fact, it may cause whatever situation you are thinking of using magic for to become worse. Or, it may not work at all. Or, you could be tricked into believing it worked. Or, you could open yourself up to unwanted influences... There is a lot of things that could happen. Simply the fact that you are asking what could happen is a good indicator that you are not ready for whatever you are looking to do. When you are ready, you won't have to ask. Stick to the basics, learn them well, don't get delusional and you'll be ok.
