Cautions and Precautions?

[Nymree]

Hi all,

I've been working to get back into my spirituality and practice, and in doing so have finally stumbled across something that I think, through causing me anxiety, has been restricting my progress. When I first started my path a year or more ago, I did a lot of varied research and looked for advice from a lot of different places on starting out in Paganism and the occult. One big piece of advice that I now realise impacted me quite heavily was that there are dangerous spiritual entities to be cautious of (I think the author referred to them as shadows or demons). My family has a history with the occult, and there have been some horror stories past down that aren't exactly soothing to hear when starting out without much tangible guidance. Ultimately, I think this scared me off a bit from every practicing, or really enjoying the witchcraft that I was learning about, despite feeling naturally drawn to it.

So, I suppose what I really want to ask here, is what should I be cautious of when (re)starting my Pagan and occult path? I'm looking more for general advice and opinions. Should I be scared witless, or just extremely cautious? I know there are always risks involved, but the thought of any of those horror stories being true kind of puts a damper of the excitement of learning new skills and finding peace in my path. I want to hear from those with reason and experience (hence why I come to this forum specifically) what I should be cautious of, how to protect myself if necessary and what I need to know in consideration to the dangers and "darkness".

I'm sorry for any ignorance on my own part. I'm going off of family stories, random internet information and that one freaky thread that scared me witless that one time, but unfortunately as a solitary practitioner and a student I have limited time and resources - reaching out to the community seems to be the most logical and direct resolution, even if only temporarily until I can gather more resources. 

Thank you to any and all replies made. Blessed be x

[Jenett]

So, I suppose what I really want to ask here, is what should I be cautious of when (re)starting my Pagan and occult path? I'm looking more for general advice and opinions. Should I be scared witless, or just extremely cautious?

So, the answer to that question sort of depends on what you're intending to do. (Think about it like sports and hobbies: the safety tips that make a difference when swimming are different than the ones that matter when you're typing, are different than the ones that matter if you're skiing. For people wondering why typing is in there, it is your friendly example of things without many immediate dangers but the possible effects of long-term damage if you're not attentive to ergonomics or signs of RSI.)

The biggest things, I think, are:

1) Be sensible about the practical physical safety issues
(fire, sharp objects, reactions to herbs/oils/incense/etc, outside safety issues, etc.)

Essay on Seeking about this with a lot more info.

2) Start with basics for the practices you want to include.
this is a place where skipping basics or combining things from multiple paths can be complicated. Often those things aren't really all that necessary for a while - but it's possible to hit a situation suddenly where they are, and if you don't have the skills or habits or background knowledge to sort it out, *then* things can go wrong.

The other part is that different paths and practices have their own safety precautions. People who borrow from different sources sometimes don't think about also making sure they're bringing along the appropriate safety practices with the other things, or they change things and don't think about what additional implications that has for safety.

I've got another essay (based on a question a while back like yours here) that talks about evaluating risks.

3) Be really careful about what attention you deliberately invite.
It's generally not a good practice to randomly strike up conversations with unknown entities and promise them things. Stories tell us, this often ends up badly.

Building a relationship more deliberately over time, with a being you've learned about before reaching out to, and where you're careful about what commitments you make, when - that makes for a much less interesting story, but a much less unsettling life on the whole.

If your practices are including a circle or similar protected space practice, get nice and solid on that before you do other things. My path uses a circle for multiple things, and protection is only a small piece of why.

On the other hand, it's my experience that there are non-physical entities who get curious and may come poking around if you do something more obviously magical. In many practices, a cast circle helps damp some of the more interesting stuff down and/or provides you with additional protection if something shows up, depending on the specifics.

(Think of this like going out in a state park and hanging out: chances are most of what you see is not going to be an animal that wants to hurt you - or a human who wants to, for that matter. At most, it's going to be curious, come peer at you, and wander off. But even if the more dangerous stuff out there is really pretty rare, that doesn't mean it's not out there at all. That's why some sensible precautions make a lot of sense.)

This is also part of the thing you see with bad experiences with ouija boards. It's not that they're innately dangerous, per se - but they've got a higher rate of attracting curious pranksters than, say, sitting in your room watching a movie.

And reaching out to random entities without a well-focused invitation can be okay - or it can be the equivalent of a teenager's parents being out of town, them having a few friends over, and suddenly someone without boundaries shows up and it's hard to sort out what to do. So, if you want a less drama-scary life, precise invites and only letting the beings in you invited help a lot.

[Nymree]

So, the answer to that question sort of depends on what you're intending to do. (Think about it like sports and hobbies: the safety tips that make a difference when swimming are different than the ones that matter when you're typing, are different than the ones that matter if you're skiing.

Thanks so much! This was very informative and helpful, I've checked out your resources and they've been a great help. Thanks again!

[Morbid]

Hi all,

I've been working to get back into my spirituality and practice, and in doing so have finally stumbled across something that I think, through causing me anxiety, has been restricting my progress. When I first started my path a year or more ago, I did a lot of varied research and looked for advice from a lot of different places on starting out in Paganism and the occult. One big piece of advice that I now realise impacted me quite heavily was that there are dangerous spiritual entities to be cautious of (I think the author referred to them as shadows or demons). My family has a history with the occult, and there have been some horror stories past down that aren't exactly soothing to hear when starting out without much tangible guidance. Ultimately, I think this scared me off a bit from every practicing, or really enjoying the witchcraft that I was learning about, despite feeling naturally drawn to it.

So, I suppose what I really want to ask here, is what should I be cautious of when (re)starting my Pagan and occult path? I'm looking more for general advice and opinions. Should I be scared witless, or just extremely cautious? I know there are always risks involved, but the thought of any of those horror stories being true kind of puts a damper of the excitement of learning new skills and finding peace in my path. I want to hear from those with reason and experience (hence why I come to this forum specifically) what I should be cautious of, how to protect myself if necessary and what I need to know in consideration to the dangers and "darkness".

I'm sorry for any ignorance on my own part. I'm going off of family stories, random internet information and that one freaky thread that scared me witless that one time, but unfortunately as a solitary practitioner and a student I have limited time and resources - reaching out to the community seems to be the most logical and direct resolution, even if only temporarily until I can gather more resources. 

Thank you to any and all replies made. Blessed be x

I definitely advise being cautious, especially if you intend on anything dealing with spirits.  Take the proper precautions, which really go into your traditions and your own journey.  Personally, I always use a circle before I start anything, I summon a dragon for protection, and some other things.  Jenett posted some helpful things, of course basic safety precautions apply as needed.

That being said, don't allow yourself to be paralyzed with fear.