Hey :)
I'm new here and i'm not all that confident about where to start, or how to start off at all. There's allot to search around but I'm not sure where to dive in first. A little advice from someone who's been through the same?
Also, i'd like a little confidence boost. I'm 20 but i've been interested in this kind of thing for a while now, but i've never really made the jump until now, I was wondering about the age/time others got been into this or were maybe born into it?
There are so many "paths" and "beliefs" that you really have to specialise in what interests you the most. Read and study! I have studied many things, many beliefs, over the years. But I am an old man! It takes years even to learn just a little! And we will never know it all! There is much to learn from this site for a "newbie". Learning to meditate is a good start. And there is a lot to learn from reading!
I read Newbie Central, Articles & Som Survival Guide. I then posted in ' Introduce Yourself ' Then I post specific questions / discussions in the appropriate forums. Hope that helps.
Start with the articles, many spells here are imposible because any fluff in the spell casters cowen can post what they want, id start with whats in th first page that opens on articles, and by whats their you should get the baisics
and im not even 16 yet I know quite much, lets put it this way, the gate will only open when the key is redy to be found, but magic is a huge subject so you cant realy lurn all that there is aboat it, so if you see something here for instance in the forums that you have no idea on you should reasorch it, knowledge is power
merry meet. not too sure where you should start without knowing your path. you are just interested in all things 'witchcraft' 'pagan' and the like? there's a few sites and articles you could look into, and see if your library has any beginners books on the subject. [try to find books written by Raymond Buckland, Janet and Stuart Farrar, Laurie Cabot, and so on since they tend to write about witchcraft and are seen by most as 'experts' over say Silver Ravenwolf or D.J. Conway] around this site, i suggest you read the FAQ and the rules to be safe. the articles are good to look into [though they are beginning to get flooded with bad articles it's still worth a look]
those are a couple sources that can help you in your research.
if you are unsure on your path, i suggest meditating. it's a good habit to get into even if you decide to leave the pagan paths. [also, since you said you need a confidence boost, meditation can help you 'find yourself' so to speak]
as for the age/time question, i wasn't born Wiccan, i converted when i was 15/16. most people even today are fine with my choice [while i have some spiritual people in my life, everyone i know follows a 'not effecting me so whatever' attitude] if you were born into the path, depending on the path [i speak from a Wiccan view after all] most people raise their children to celebrate the holidays, but don't initiate them until the age of 13 [16 or 18 are also used, it's based on maturity and tradition] since no one is 'born a witch' it's a personal choice.
