Getting Started on Your Magickal Path Without Getting Lost

In a magick forum I frequent another member commented to me about how difficult magick was pre-internet. Finding magick books as a kid in the 70s wasn’t as simple as it is these days. My first magick related books were Carlos Castaneda’s books. At least they are the first ones I recall. My mom bought a couple of them for me in the English section of a Munich bookstore while were were visiting family friends in Germany for a few weeks. I really don’t recall any other major influences for quite some time after those books.

These days? Yeah, I am sure my biggest problem if I was a kid these days would be getting lost in all the possibilities! As classic choice maximizer, I can really get in my own way. Ugh!

What I would end up having to do is pick something and commit to it for a few years somehow. When I was a kid I really didn’t know of any other choices so I spent a few years attempting to do what I was reading about in Castaneda’s books. Except, jumping off the cliff. Seeing my hands in my dreams, meditations and trance states, and looking over my shoulder for death? For sure. I was a weird kid.

Today, finding a system or group of spirits in close alignment with your inner nature is so much simpler. Just start searching and reading! Notice what or who you notice in your awareness and dreams. As you feed your brain with the history and stories of gods, goddesses, witches, and others you will be able to begin to recognize when they show up in your life.

My Magickal Friends

For myself, nature spirits and elements have pretty much always been my thing. The ocean and moon … OMG! I spent my summers in and on the waters of Puget Sound north of Seattle.

I’ve also got a crew of animal spirits I work with regularly. Recently, I have crossed paths with a fae and some others. We get along well so I am working with them as well. Plus, my dragon friend is pretty cool.

When it comes to more widely recognized individuals I have been drawn to working with Hecate. Feeling her presence plus my primal draw to the ocean and moon seems like a natural fit for getting to know her.

I’ve also been working with more traditional spirits/angels/demons via well known systems. These workings have for the most part gone well, too.

If I was just starting out hopping from one system or paradigm to another could begin to restrict my growth. Especially if it was happening frequently. Where I am at I have an approach to magick I know works. Because of this background I can explore more without getting distracted.

If you don’t have a strong background in one approach you can end up spinning your wheels and not getting anywhere as you go from system to system. Which is why, especially in the beginning, finding what fits you and stick with it for a while is so important.

Don’t fear being stuck. You can always choose other approaches, paradigms, and pantheons for your magick. Early on though the most important factor is going through a system of some kind. A somewhat recognized system or recommended author so you can see other people have had success. Their success will be important in those moments when you feel like giving up. Just stick with it for a year or two then reevaluate. Even six months can make a big difference.

So, how do you pick an approach to magick?

Use your intuition combined with research. Take advantage of the internet and research, research,research. Some approaches or systems will really resonate. Others will leave you wondering how anyone could take them seriously. Yet, for someone the system you can’t wrap your mind around fits like a glove.

Find your system. You don’t need to know how perfect the fit is just that your intuition is telling you to go for it. Then stick with it for 6 months. Reevaluate. Stick with it another 6 months. Reflect back on your journal entries. You are keeping a journal aren’t you!?!

Know what your are drawn to in creation. What myths resonate with your inner child? From Unicorns to Superman. Open yourself to yourself. Get started.