#for further context i am not a witch or pagan myself but i DO study the occult/occult history | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mamascauldron · 4 years

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Waking Witchblr: Teacher’s Tuesday

Hi, @wakingwitchblr & all!

Let me start off with this: I am not a teacher/mentor in terms of actual practice (though I can point people in the right direction: experienced practitioners and reliable sources). This post is probably a little different than the intended purpose of Teacher’s Tuesday, but I hope it’s alright.

This one is all about research for one’s Craft and Path.

For transparency’s sake:

I have only two years of actual Craft practice at current. I’d classify myself as a toddler or kid Witch in terms of experience. (Can I be Kiki?! :D )

I am a newly devoted Celtic Pagan/Polytheist.

I searched for my spiritual path for somewhere between 15 and 20 years, starting as a kid who realized Christianity wasn’t for me.

For the vast majority of that time, I was some form agnostic or atheist, with no spiritual anything in my life. (Note: you can be these and a Witch, I just wasn’t.)

I am an educator: world history for grade 10 and writing for college students.

I am an academic: I have 11 years of university, most of which required consistent research. Needless to say, I’ve developed this skill immensely.

I am a white person whose ancestral line, as far as I am aware, is based in Western Europe and the British Isles.

OK! So, now you know where I’m coming from. Take everything I say with all of the above in mind.

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Know Thyself

Many thanks to the Greeks for this, as it certainly encapsulates a key part of the research process. These questions are good for the beginning of a new research project, but also necessary as you progress to reflect upon what you’ve learned so far and where you yet need to go.

Here are some questions to consider when you are starting:

What do I already actually know about the subject? Not “what did my friend tell me” or “what did I see on Pinterest”, but what have you actually looked into yourself and studied?

In terms of spirituality, morality, and ethics: what do I value? For example, many of us (rightly) value respecting closed belief systems and avoiding the appropriation of beliefs and practices. Another example: Am I open to New Age and more modern religions/practices such as Aura readings and Wicca? Or am I seeking something older, something documented in history?

What resources do I currently have access to for learning? Google has a host of possibilities, and you may even be able to find scholarly works on Google Scholar. Those of you in university or public schools also likely have access to research databases via your library. Your public libraries may even have books or ebooks via apps that you would read or listen to; don’t forget about Interlibrary Loans! & lastly, you may have a local metaphysical shop, Druid’s circle, Pagan group gathering, et cetera. Take inventory of your resources.

Photo by Alfons Morales on Unsplash

The Funnel Approach

There are a couple of ways that I’ve seen people recommend breaking into Witchcraft and Paganism. The first is picking something that piques your interest (e.g. candle magick) and researching that topic in depth. The second, I don’t see all too often. I call it the Funnel Approach to research, and it’s something that I’ve learned to do as a scholar and teacher.

It’s exactly how it sounds: start very broad, then narrow down to your focus. It’s the approach I’ve been using for my spiritual journey over the last few years and it has served me well. A note: to do this properly does take time and energy. It’s an investment in your journey and patience is necessary.

It is also important to note that you can do this multiple times as your interests and needs shift -- nothing is set in stone. Ever. In fact, if you find that you’re stagnant and not learning or growing, I recommend reflecting on yourself. Everyone can learn something. Everyone.

Here’s how it worked for me so far:

I answered the Know Thyself questions above in a journal to better understand what I learned in context with who I am and who I wanted to be.

The broad start: using those questions, I cast a wide net for resources about various practices, focusing on introductory-level books. Examples of what I read include Scott Cunningham’s Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner and David Beckett’s The Path to Paganism. I value respect for closed cultures, so I found sources from those cultures and determined what practices I was uncomfortable with in terms of appropriation. Reputable works regarding other spiritual paths weren’t just books, but blogs, myths, scholarly papers, podcasts, et cetera from well-known, experienced practitioners who are considered elders in their practice. Bonus if they, at any time, examined who they were in context with their practice in a critical way. *see my ‘for transparency’s sake’ note above for an example.

After reading, I decided that I wanted to pursue Celtic Paganism in some form and that my Craft would likely resemble more folk magic with a smattering of newer concepts that I felt comfortable with. This is when I started writing out what types of Witchcraft were appealing: I made my list for further research in each.

At this point, for each topic I wanted to learn, I sought out experienced practitioners (some even here on Tumblr!) to follow and learn from. This is also where I actually started to do things. Trial and error. Read more. Try again. Record how it goes. Et cetera. Some ideas were abandoned as not suiting my philosophy or goals, others were discovered and explored during the process.

Now, I have narrowed down who I am and what I want my Craft to look like. Like all good research and practice, I will repeat the steps as necessary while I grow. As you learn more, you’ll probably find yourself struggling with the Socratic Paradox:

I know that I know nothing.

Photo by Lysander Yuen on Unsplash

Recording Your Research

As you do your research, you need to record your notes. Ok, well, not need, but I strongly recommend it unless you have an extraordinarily good memory. You can do this however you’d like, but here is what I do:

I have digital bookmarks for sources and/or saved PDFs if it’s from a database. Major notes/thoughts that were really impactful are handwritten in my Book of Mirrors (a super messy notebook where I am just throwing down necessary information for my journey) with information about where to locate the source I have saved. Books have little colorful flags in them to mark a page that I found particularly important.

I am also starting to do an annotated bibliography, in a sense. For each source, I try to find out more about the author/creator. How many years have they practiced? What is their standing in the community they are a part of? What is their cultural lineage? Where do their ideas, practices, or philosophies originate from?

As I complete research on a topic, I’ve started drafting final pages for my Book of Wisdom, which is meant to be a reference book for my Craft. It not only includes information, but each topic will contain notes about where it came from and its context.

Is it a lot? Yes. But it is thorough.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Wrapping Things Up

This is by no means an entirely exhaustive ‘how-to’, of course. If I were to really write out every single step I’ve been taking, it would be a literal book! However, my hope is that it helps Baby Witches and Pagans take their first step(s). I see a lot of “where do I start?” posts.

If anyone has further questions regarding how to do research - about any topic!!! - please feel free to get in touch! I do this professionally, but don’t mind helping my community out if I have the time.

If you found this helpful, you can buy me a coffee (literally, I want to go out for coffee for once, haha).

#wakingwitchblr #WWTeachersTuesday #witch #witchblr #pagan #paganism #mom witch #green witch #cottage witch #kitchen witch #celtic paganism #celtic pagan #research #journal #baby witch #how to

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