Question about teen wicca?

Question

I have always been interested in wicca since I was young. Over the years it kinda just faded but when I picked up a book about it last week I wanted to get back into it. I'm 16 now and I wanted to know where are good places to start and if I can find support to help me.

I live in nyc.

I have been catholic my whole life

i dont need to read bible verses..i get enough of them at school

but I never felt really connected with the catholic religion....

Answer 1

Stay away from $ilver RavenWolf and the Idiot's Guide to Wicca and WitchCraft.

There are MANY stores that will cater to you and your needs in NYC. http://witchvox.com/vn/sh/usny_sh.html

Good books are:
Pagans and the Law by Dana Eilers

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft - Ronald Hutton

Witchcraft Today - Gerald B. Gardner.

Witchdom of the True - Edred Thorsson

Wicca: the Old Religion in the New Milennium - Vivianne Crowley

Advanced Wiccan Spirituality - Kevin Saunders

The Elements of Ritual: Air, Fire, Water & Earth in the Wiccan Circle - Deborah Lipp

Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic - by Phyllis W. Curott

Positive Magic - Marion Weinstein

The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition - Dianne Sylvan

Book of Shadows - Phyllis Curott

The Second Circle - Venecia Rauls

The Heart of Wicca: Wise Words from a Crone on the Path - Ellen Cannon Reed

Evolutionary Witchcraft - T. Thorn Coyle

The Wiccan Path: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner - Rae Beth

21st Century Wicca - Jennifer Hunter

Witchcraft: A Concise Guide - Isaac Bonewits

Way of Four - Deborah Lipp

Answer 2

I started out with Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner". It's very down to Earth and explains things without condescension or agendas. I also really like jennifer Hunter's "21st Century Wicca"; it deals with a lot of practical, day-to-day concerns. A friend of mine has a book coming out in the next couple of weeks, too; his name is Nicholas Graham, and the book is called "The Four Powers". It's an excellent 101 guide that goes over many different paths, not just Wicca, and the exercises are designed to help you figure out what paths interest you.

You can see some reviews I've done on books on various pagan topics at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com and there are also a lot of good reviews at http://www.davensjournal.com/review.xhtm...

http://www.twpt.com/ also has a bunch of reviews, as well as some articles. And there are reviews galore at http://magickware.wordpress.com/...

Also, check the customer reviews at Amazon.com on various books; those are a really good indicator of what the various reactions to a book have been. And Amazon has a bunch of lists of recommended books at the bottom of each book page; these are put together by customers, too.

The thing is, you want to get opinions from a bunch of people, not just one or two. We all come from different backgrounds, and that affects our personal preferences, what we like adn what we don't like. Take what others have said, pick some things that interest you, and then read them. Form your own opinions as you go along, and refine your further research from that. Bounce your ideas off of others for perspectives.

Good luck on your journey :)

Answer 3

There are many places online where you can get some information and clued into local groups. There are a LOT of them in NYC.

www.witchesvox.com
and
www.ecauldron.com

are two good places to start. I would also recommend a wonderful book called "21st Century Wicca: A Young Witch's Guide to Living the Magical Life" which you can get at a local borders or online.

Blessings on your journey for it is often as interesting and as important as the destination. Don't forget to use all your senses and don't let yourself get dragged too far in by the first group you come across. The wiccan world is just as diverse as any other spiritual 'group' and what works for some won't work for everyone.

Blessings,
Zimmi

Answer 4

Raven's voice and Rev Amy gave some good feedback. The only thing I'd like to add is that you may be mature enough to read books that aren't geared towards teens (which are usually watered down quite a bit). Perhaps this time you might be interested in learning about the "meat-and-potatoes" part. The book suggestions on Amy's list are good.

I agree that one should avoid books by Ravenwolf unless you want to have to go back and unlearn everything later (been there, done that). In fact, there are very few books by Llewellyn that I would ever recommend--you can recognize this publisher by the crescent moon on the spine of the books.
Good luck in your journey!

Answer 5

If you think you are actually going to be commited to something this new to you, something extremely complicated and requires a lot of reading and research, go ahead. Make sure you know what you're getting into. It is not my intention to offend you, but I really hope you know that this religion isn't a joke. It's nothing like Hollywood makes it out to be. It's not Charmed or Buffy, or Snow White--you won't be able to turn your ex-boyfriend into a frog or make room instantly spotless with a quick wiggle of the nose. It's a earth-based, diversity and equality-focused, mysterious and wonderful faith. Do a lot of research, and I mean a LOT, and not just on the internet, but in books. This path requires a mass amount of reading. See my sources for good websites, but you might need to do some navigating on your own. Good Luck, and Blessed Be!

Answer 6

You will probably have a difficult time finding a Priest or Priestess to train you because you're under 18. And when you are old enough, hopefully you'll also know enough to make an intelligent choice about what Tradition you wan to learn more about, and which kind of teacher you are looking for.


But I'd recommend networking on line; you might try this to start:

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/regional/a/newyork.htm

Hon, I hope I don't offend you, but you do know that this is nothing like "Charmed" or "The Craft" or "Real Magic", right?

Read. I recommend that you stay away from anything by Silver Ravenwolf. Be cautious with books published by Llewellyn Press - look in the back for attributions (sources) for the book you're considering. If there aren't many, skip it and find a different book on the same subject.

********

Now, the rest of this note here is to the Christians who always show up to condemn us.

Are you purposely trying to alienate and radicalize the Pagans who have, in general, accepting views of Christians?

I'm an interfaith kind of person - I have friends of many religious paths, and some VERY dear friends who are Christians. Some are even clergy.

You are going a far way to changing that. Every time y'all show up on questions about my religion to condemn, or even worse, accuse me of being a Satanist, you erode my good feelings about Christians. I have to remind myself that you're not all like that. It's actually affecting my relationships with the Christian friends I have.

Is that what you are trying to accomplish? Do you WANT to make enemies out of tolerant and accepting, peaceful Pagans?

I think you ought to think about the consequences of your actions

Answer 7

Teen Witch Online is at http://forum.teenwitchonline.org You can ask questions there, and get answers from both other teens and adults who've been practicing Wicca for decades... get a full range of perspectives, and decide for yourself where you'd like to go from there.

http://cauldronofannwn.com/temple/lessons.html is, in my opinion, the best online training course for witchcraft--and it's free. It's not easy, though. But all the lessons are there, and you can look at them, think about them, and write to the author if you'd like.

Answer 8

Look into Paganism. This is the root of Wicca. Although you may be too young to partake in some of the rituals, you may find that studying about them fruitful if you intend to in the future. Good luck.

Answer 9

Why do you want to muck around with detities for? I can assure you if you go beyond the fluff bunny stage and get into a coven. The thrill of communicating with these spirits will wear off fast, especially when you soon discover they aren't as nice as they pretend to be at the start.

I think you should leave the afterlife alone and find something less dangerous that will be fun and cool for you to do.

Answer 10

Do not listen to "iceprincess" or whatever her name is. I don't believe that she was ever Wiccan....she's just a xtian trying to persuade you with BS.

You might have trouble finding a teacher, as you are under 18 and many will not teach minors due to the obvious legal implications. However, there are lots of great resources on the web, the libraries and in bookstores. You might also want to look up Wiccan teens in your area. Try:

www.witchvox.com

Good luck on your journey!