My name is Cirrus, and I am new to the site (as you may have guessed). After looking through Newbie Central, I still have some questions that I feel weren't quite answered.
A. Covens: I'm interested in seriously pursuing magick, but I'm not quite sure where to start. I gathered that Covens are basically community groups of people with the similar interests, but how do I choose a coven to apply to? Can you join multiple Covens at once? And once you join, are you totally committed to it?
B. How can I determine what spells are real and which are not? Example: I wish to write/ copy down my own physical spellbook with my experiences and spells in it. I thought that a good spell to start with would be a protection spell over the book to protect my privacy and help keep anyone who would disapprove unaware of my practices. A search through the online spellbook brought up 4+ different spells to that end. How do I know which one works? Or is it simply a matter of my intents and belief that a given spell will work?
A. I'm not sure if you're talking about an online coven or a coven outside of the internet. If you're looking for an online coven, you should read the descriptions of all the covens and decide what you're looking for in a coven. You can not be in more than one online coven. When you join an online coven, it is common decency to be committed, but if it really isn't working for you, it is okay to leave. Outside of the internet, covens don't necessarily have "applications," but rather requirements to take part in classes or rituals. Usually people are required to make a committment to one coven; once you have finished their course or whatever they offer, you can choose to stay or leave. While you can leave at any point, people usually make committments to a coven.
B. A spell will work if you put strong intent and energy behind it. Generally a rule of thumb is that if it's not physically possible, it won't work. Some spells require colored candles or something, and to check if they're right you can use a search engine to find a list of color correspondences. If a spell requires runes or something in a different language, you have to know what it says, so you can put power into the words, and also so you're sure it's not just gibberish.
A. I'm assuming you mean a coven on here since you asked here. There are several covens that teach in different areas of witchcraft and paganism. You should make a list of magickal topics that interest you, and then find a coven that teaches or focuses on those subjects. It's not garunteed that you'll find one to meet your every exact need, but there will most likely be one out there that sparks your interest.
B. Spiraldance is right with the general "if it sounds impossible, it probably is" rule of thumb. Try some of the spells out to see if they work for you or not. Intent and belief does play a large part in casting spells, so take that into consideration when you practice. If you're still not sure which spell(s) to use, write your own. It will be specifically designed/customized for you, and will carry your own personal energy, which may increase its effectiveness.
Thank you very much! Y'all definitely cleared that up for me. I will be sure to carefully consider my choice, if any, of coven and get to practicing and research on the spells.
