Wiccans can be a witch and witches can be Wiccans but they are not the same thing. Wicca is a religion whereas witchcraft is a practice. It is most common that Wicca's practice witchcraft but it is not necessary just as it is not necessary for a Christian to go to church. So it is important that you don't mix up the two.
Most people think that when we say magick we are referring to the supernatural magic that you see in fantasy novels and movies but it is actually not at all. The idea of magick is manipulating your energy, the energy of anyone doing magick with you, the energy of the elements earth, fire, air, and water, and any energy from deities and spirit guides. We then use other things such as herbs, crystals, phrases, candles, etc. And when using these things we can have very effective results.
So the first step that most people partake in is making a sacred circle around your workspace (your alter). One can do this in several ways. You can envision a white light coming out of your finger, wand, athame, or whatever it is you use and trace a circle around your workspace, you can also take your bosom (broom) and sweep around in a circle, you can outline the circle with crystals, candles, salt, or put a representation of each element in the 4 quarters, and the last example I can think of is to smudge your circle with sage. You can also do a combination of these things. The point of making a circle around your space is to get rid of negative energy from your space and to keep them out for the whole process.
This middle part is extremely diverse. Some people will meditate first, this is the time where they call upon the elements, deities, good energy, etc. Then the magick workings take place. The reasons for doing magick varies. You can do it for yourself, to help others, to improve an environment/situation, or anything in between. An example of a very simple type of spell is knot magic. You take a string, piece of yarn, rope, whatever, of a color that corresponds with the subject of your spell so green for money. Then let's say you have 3 things you want to happen... a permanent job, money for rent, and money for groceries. So you tie a knot for each thing you want to happen. There are different ways to release the energy to start the spell. It varies from person to person. What I like to do it burn the yarn which starts the magick. Often you will find that the rent money won't just fall in your lap but you'll be provided a way to get it.
To end, one will typically thank all the elements, deities, etc that loaned their energy and then break the circle.
It sounds very easy to do magick but it honestly takes a lot of concentration and focus.
I think that's all I have to say about magick. Next, I will talk about alters and the tools one keeps on/around their alter for magickal working and rituals (rituals I will elaborate on likely after the post about alters)
Please check out the last 5 posts of this series by clicking the links here. Who we worship: Part 1
General Beliefs: Part 2 Wiccan Holiday's (first half): Part 3 Wiccan Holiday's (second half): Part 4 What Happens After we die: Part 5
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