Witches

[RayRayBidet]

Please can you recommend some books to read to help me understand witch craft/witches. The beliefs and practices.
I am feeling at a very low ebb, I am too far from the sea. I am very interested in witch craft and wonder if it could help me.
Didn't want to die rail the other thread, I tried reading it but often didn't understand the things being discussed.
Thanks!

*Derail

Hi, Ray. Is there anything in particular that draws you in? Are you drawn to water or fire or nature?

Have a look at Vivianne Crowley's books for a start. She gives excellent guidance in a very easy to understand form, and has written several shorter books such as 'Principles of Paganism' , 'Principles of Wicca' , as well as 'Wicca' and 'Paganism' in the Thorsons First Directions series. All shorter first guides. Her 'Phoenix from the Flame: Living as a Pagan in the 21st Century' is a longer but still readable guide. She is a university lecturer and psychologist in addition to being a High Priestess and author. She also wrote 'A Woman's Guide to the Earth Traditions'.

Marian Green also has several short but excellent books on working with aspects of nature etc.

Both of them are lovely down-to-earth women into the bargain.

Don't worry about derailing the other long thread! It's more like a bunch of people nattering on all different subjects, including this. Come and join us. ❤️

I am drawn to the sea, but specifically the North Sea iyswim. Though I love all water.
I love Northumberland and feel like I wake up and connect to things when I go there. Like I can feel the turbulence of the past there. A bit like people talk about Cornwall I think! Probably not explaining very well.
But walking on the beach there I feel like I belong to it.
I live very far away from it now, but I wonder if there is some way of feeling that connection somewhere else.

@RayRayBidet. Please come and join us on the other thread. There are others there who are new to the path. Water and sea witches are a “thing” and the luminal space where land meets the sea is very powerful

(Ps. @TooManyPaws. I know Marian too - lovely person! We must have some overlap somewhere!)

Thanks @TooManyPaws @Elphame I will come on over 💕

RayRayBidet

You have had some good suggestions - but I echo what others say- come over and join us- no question is too silly or basic.

Paganism/witchcraft is a broad and diverse area, even those who have been practicing for a long time will have very little knowledge about certain aspects.
Some on the other witch thread are very new too- so don't be put off.
Collectively we have a lot of information, but now one of us is an expert on everything.,
So pop over, pull up a cushion, and ask anything you need to.

Hi Ray, I’m not a witch but I share your love of sea and shore and wanted to add a few thoughts.

I grew up by the sea and now live inland and do understand your wistfulness about being so far away.

It sounds as if you need to find a way of feeling you belong to your new landscape - and it to you. I know it’s not easy because there is something unique about a familiar expanse of water stretching out into the distance, the wind, the smell, the sand underfoot, the big sky -
the whole experience. But perhaps there are rivers or lakes nearby that you could familiarise yourself with and, over time, form a bond with. It takes a while to feel at home in new landscapes. Be patient with yourself. My DS and I found a sandy, pebble-strewn stretch of riverbank near where we live and we call it the ‘secret beach’. Sometimes it helps to reframe reality just a bit.

Other than that, I go on MN with my feet sloshing in a basin of warm salty water from time to time and I listen to YouTube videos of seashore sounds with my eyes closed. I’ve also got some sea glass from my hometown shore. The glass has been shaped by the sea, as have I, and I find having it nearby comforting.

I also wonder if it might be good to connect to more people who are themselves at home in your current environment as this will also help to create a feeling of belonging in you.

@OutwiththeOutCrowd
Thank you, yes you are right I need to connect with this place.
I'm going to find somewhere to do that.

I was lucky enough to be guided to my current home which has a small river (it rises five miles away and flows into one of the great UK river estuaries ten miles away) around two sides of the garden; it is what made me buy the house despite the amount of work needed. Sometimes I just walk out of the back door to sit at the top of the river steps in the dark, and listen to the sound of the water and the worlds around, including those sounds not of our day-to-day world.

While I am extremely fortunate in where I live, I agree with OutWithTheOutCrowd above. Find your own little place of watery peace, even if you need to make a small pond in your garden or on a balcony in a former hard sided paddling pool. I even have an indoor water fountain which I fill with sea glass and beach stones I have found over the years. Even if you are in a city flat, create your own small piece of sacred water. ❤️

@TooManyPaws
Thank you that is a really good idea. Sounds lovely living by the river

I understand what you are saying very well OP. Like you, I am very connected to the sea. Tbh you need to move to the place you feel connected to. I moved back to the sea years ago and would never live anywhere else now. When I'm too old and frail to choose to be near the sea I think I will die quickly. For me it's a source of life and strength.

It's difficult to explain but I understand what you mean

@HalloumiGus
I wish it was an option

Why is it not an option? Could you even move closer to a coastline?