Practicing Witchcraft as a Teenager

I am forever seeing questions from teenagers who want to practice witchcraft or Wicca but don't want their parents to know about it.

They usually keep it secret from their parents because of religious differences, or they feel their parents will think it's silly. I don't recommend keeping secrets from your parents but sometimes practicing on the down-low is necessary.

You will be out on your own soon enough—it won't hurt you to follow your parents' rules a little bit longer. Until then, hopefully these tips will make living under your parents' roof a little bit easier.

Why do you want to practice witchcraft? Witchcraft is such a broad term anyway. So what exactly do you want to learn, who exactly do you want to worship? There are so many options.

Start by identifying what you do and don't believe in. Then make a list of things you are interested in learning. This will help guide you. There is so much information out there it's good to have a starting point.

I actually got into Wicca when I was about 15. I was for some reason obsessively researching superstitions and that led me to witchcraft.

My mother was raised in a strictly religious Seventh Day Adventist household. I'm not sure if she ever really believed in God but she had become very anti-religious by the time I was born. Everything I learned about Christianity came from my grandparents who lived a couple of states away and my friends who invited me to church with them after sleepovers.

I was lucky enough to have the freedom to research and practice whatever religion I wanted. I still kept it on the down-low because I figured she would think it was silly.

You'll find different "rules" in different places but there's really only one that everyone agrees on.

"Do as you will and harm none."

So basically you can do whatever you want as long as you don't hurt anyone else or yourself.

You can really worship any deity that you like. There are books and websites dedicated to them. Do your research and see who resonates with you.

Many choose to worship the "God and Goddess" or "Father Sky and Mother Earth." They are the embodiment of male and female energy. They are not really given names though some people like to associate them with certain deities.

I personally choose not to worship any deities. I believe in using the earth's natural energy and resources to practice magic.

The best way to practice Wicca or witchcraft is by interacting and respecting nature. Go to the woods, or a park. Put your bare feet in the grass. Listen to the sounds around you. Enjoy the natural world.

Magic is free. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to scam you or take advantage of you.

Tools are used to help you focus your mind on your intention. That's why candles are so popular. Watching the flame of a candle helps you focus on your spell. If you are not allowed to have candles or open flames then you simply have to choose something else to focus on such as holding a crystal (or pretty rock).

If you do have some money to spare then treat yourself with some pretty stuff. I recommend choosing quality overlooks. Items you make yourself are also better than the stuff made in China.

Candles: I loved burning candles as a kid. My whole family was really into bonfires and stuff some lighting candles wasn't a big deal. Whenever possible you want to use a new candle for each spell. This ensures it has "clean" energy. So using tea candles or votive candles are perfect. They're also way cheaper. Just be safe and never leave a lit candle alone.

Incense: I learned something pretty cool when storing my incense. If you store it in a small box and then open the box it will make your room smell like incense without burning anything. So keep this in mind if you're not allowed to light anything on fire. (Even some real-world rental places don't let you burn stuff.)

Crystals and Stones: You can find a lot of good stones just by looking at the ground. I have a whole tin of quartz that I found at the beach and in my mother's yard.

Buy your stones at rock shops, not at novelty stores. Half the time those are plastic, fake, or manufactured.

Books: My local library actually had a few books about witchcraft and Wicca. (Check the non-fiction section in the 130s). You may also be able to get other books through inter-library loans if that is available to you. Many books are available in e-book form if you want to read them on your phone. You can even find some for free by searching the book's title +pdf.

You're going to get better information from popular books published by reputable authors.

*Warning* Be careful searching the internet because there is a lot of misinformation out there and some people intentionally post misleading information that could harm you.

A lot of people get interested in witchcraft because they want to do magick (yeah the real kind with the "k" at the end).

I'm sorry to disappoint you but the real magic is not like the movies. There's no poufing potions or purple smoke. It's also extremely unlikely that you'll hear or see anything abnormal.

There is no white magic or black magic. Magic is a form of neutral energy that you can use for whatever purpose you desire. It's up to you whether that energy is used for "good" or "evil."

Many practitioners follow the "rule of three." They believe any energy you send out into the world will come back to you times three. This is good to keep in mind when deciding on spells to cast.

Many practitioners have a "book of shadows." You've seen them in the movies, huge and fancy with beautiful pictures. In reality, these are usually handwritten in regular notebooks, maybe a fancy journal from Barnes and Noble.

A book of shadows is used to keep all of your research in one place. So if there are any spells or rituals that you like you can put them into your Book of Shadows to easily find when you need them.

Everyone's book is different and you should really only show them to trusted people.

You can journal in your book of shadows too. Write down your observations or any dreams you remember. Keep a list of things you want to research.

I recommend adding a meditation practice into your routine. It helps you clear your mind and really get in tune with yourself.

I recently discovered the "wall gazing" method. You don't need anything but relative silence and a blank wall to sit in front of. Sit cross-legged as close to the wall as you can, so basically you want your knees touching the wall (If you cannot sit comfortably this way then sit on a chair). Keep your back straight. If you have poor posture then this will definitely be uncomfortable.

Then you just sit there and stare at the wall. Thoughts are going to come into your mind. Just watch them pass by, like watching cars on the street. They don't stop to talk to you, they just drive on past. Your mind is going to want to follow these thoughts. When you notice this happen don't get upset, just bring yourself back by refocusing on your breathing.

This is not easy, and it's not fun. It's not supposed to be fun. It's not supposed to be relaxing. It's work but it will really help you achieve what you want in your life. It helps you understand what your true priorities are.

Your mind is going to hate you for doing this. It's going to come up with a million reasons why meditation is stupid and you should just stop or give up. It's going to tell you everything around your home you could be doing right now. Accept those thoughts and refocus. You can do it.

Leave any questions you have down below and I'll try to answer as best I can.