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Author Topic: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck  (Read 3244 times)

addy

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Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« on: October 23, 2011, 10:47:05 am »
Greetings everyone :) I have been studying Wicca since the end of december of 2010. I have read the books "living wicca" and "A guide for the solitary practioner" both by scott cunningham. I also have read "Wicca for beggingers" by Thea Sabin. In those 8 months I have also talked to some pagan people, and read online resources. I understand what pathworking and trances are, grounding, meditation, sheilding, altar tool/setup, the concept of deity, how to cast a cirlce, the rede and three fold law,    calling the quaters, magick, and the the wheel of the year. I study each holiday when that holiday comes, so I know about the ones I celebrated. I feel as though I dont know enough and most certainly need to keep reading. Ive only read three books and guidance of other Pagan friends. Do you know any good books? Websites? and any suggestions? I learn really well by doing. So should I read and practice some things as well? I understand the year and a day thing as well. I am the type of learner who needs to do things to understand them. Thank you and blessed be :)
« Last Edit: October 23, 2011, 10:49:07 am by addy »

Miss

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2011, 11:43:08 am »
Quote from: addy;27054
Greetings everyone :) I have been studying Wicca since the end of december of 2010. I have read the books "living wicca" and "A guide for the solitary practioner" both by scott cunningham. I also have read "Wicca for beggingers" by Thea Sabin. In those 8 months I have also talked to some pagan people, and read online resources. I understand what pathworking and trances are, grounding, meditation, sheilding, altar tool/setup, the concept of deity, how to cast a cirlce, the rede and three fold law,    calling the quaters, magick, and the the wheel of the year. I study each holiday when that holiday comes, so I know about the ones I celebrated. I feel as though I dont know enough and most certainly need to keep reading. Ive only read three books and guidance of other Pagan friends. Do you know any good books? Websites? and any suggestions? I learn really well by doing. So should I read and practice some things as well? I understand the year and a day thing as well. I am the type of learner who needs to do things to understand them. Thank you and blessed be :)

 
What do you feel like you're missing?

I like Christopher Penzack's Inner Temple book. "Trance-portation" comes highly recommended and so far it seems quite good as well. It just depends on what you feel like you're missing.

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2011, 12:19:49 pm »
Quote from: addy;27054
I feel as though I dont know enough and most certainly need to keep reading. Ive only read three books and guidance of other Pagan friends. Do you know any good books? Websites? and any suggestions? I learn really well by doing. So should I read and practice some things as well? I understand the year and a day thing as well. I am the type of learner who needs to do things to understand them. Thank you and blessed be :)

 
There's a couple of different things to consider...

First, this learning thing? Continues for a really long time. I've been doing religious witchcraft work formally for a bit over 10 years, and there's still tons of stuff I don't know, or know I really want to dig into more. (And that's with doing a lot of formal group work and training, so I was both putting a great deal of time into learning and practice for about 6 years, and in situations where I had to build skills fast to help the group out a number of times.)  

The idea behind a year and a day is that it's first a minimum time frame - enough time to give someone who's diligent about their learning a chance to learn enough to decide whether they want to make a longer term commitment, to let them experience the full wheel of the year (and for people in group work, it's a good length of time before making major oaths.) But it doesn't mean you're supposed to know everything at that point!

(Also, as noted above, the amount of content people cover when working regularly with a group tends to be larger than the amount people - even very diligent people - cover when working on their own, since thoughtful group work will tend to cover things you might not have picked up for yourself yet, or some situation will come up where learning/covering/practicing a particular skill is very relevant very quickly for some reason. Plus, you're just around people who are doing more complex things than you could do by yourself, and pick some things up by osmosis.)

So, in terms of learning more, there's basically two options. One option is to focus on a specific area of interest more thoroughly. Some common examples include:
- working with a wide variety of trance/meditation techniques
- digging much more deeply into ritual structure and technique, as well as different approaches to circle casting, etc.
- getting very familiar with a particular method of divination (Tarot, astrology, and runes are all particularly good here, and they all reward decades of study)
- particular aspects of practice - deepening a relationship with a particular deity, with the elemental powers or guardians, that kind of thing.

The other option is to keep on working on a variety of topics, but spiral it in a little more deeply - work with a bit more intention, explore some different approaches, etc. One way to do that is to use any of the number of books that have some kind of progressive practice (like _Twelve Wild Swans_, where a discussion is starting here, but also books like T. Thorn Coyle's _Evolutionary Witchcraft_, various of the Christopher Penzack books, etc.)
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PhantomQueen

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2011, 12:48:11 pm »
Quote from: addy;27054
Greetings everyone :) I have been studying Wicca since the end of december of 2010. I have read the books "living wicca" and "A guide for the solitary practioner" both by scott cunningham. I also have read "Wicca for beggingers" by Thea Sabin. In those 8 months I have also talked to some pagan people, and read online resources. I understand what pathworking and trances are, grounding, meditation, sheilding, altar tool/setup, the concept of deity, how to cast a cirlce, the rede and three fold law,    calling the quaters, magick, and the the wheel of the year. I study each holiday when that holiday comes, so I know about the ones I celebrated. I feel as though I dont know enough and most certainly need to keep reading. Ive only read three books and guidance of other Pagan friends. Do you know any good books? Websites? and any suggestions? I learn really well by doing. So should I read and practice some things as well? I understand the year and a day thing as well. I am the type of learner who needs to do things to understand them. Thank you and blessed be :)

 
Sounds like you're getting the basics down well!  re you feeling stuck because ou feel like you're missing something (ie running out the house and knowing you forgot something)? Or is it the kind of 'I knw there's an area of work I still want to delve into?  Sometimes a person just needs to sit down and give the knowledge gained a chance to sink in and obtain the full extent of the lessons learned.  This might just be a short time to just 'Be' instead of 'Do'.  A time to review of sorts.  It would also give you a chance to feel that gentle tug to 'Go here' or 'Go there' that you may have missed otherwise.  Just a thought, anyway :)

Celtag

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2011, 12:59:49 pm »
Quote from: addy;27054
Greetings everyone :) I have been studying Wicca since the end of december of 2010. I have read the books "living wicca" and "A guide for the solitary practioner" both by scott cunningham. I also have read "Wicca for beggingers" by Thea Sabin. In those 8 months I have also talked to some pagan people, and read online resources. I understand what pathworking and trances are, grounding, meditation, sheilding, altar tool/setup, the concept of deity, how to cast a cirlce, the rede and three fold law,    calling the quaters, magick, and the the wheel of the year. I study each holiday when that holiday comes, so I know about the ones I celebrated. I feel as though I dont know enough and most certainly need to keep reading. Ive only read three books and guidance of other Pagan friends. Do you know any good books? Websites? and any suggestions? I learn really well by doing. So should I read and practice some things as well? I understand the year and a day thing as well. I am the type of learner who needs to do things to understand them. Thank you and blessed be :)


To me it seems like your doing a great job of learning your craft, I mean your really only a year into it, these things take time and practice. I have only been studying Celtic Paganism for about as year to, and I still have a long way to go before I master any of it. Just keep reading and working, you are doing great!
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addy

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2011, 02:01:42 pm »
Thank you everyone for the motivation and the suggestions :) I really appericate the help :) Hope all goes well to you guys!!! and have a wonderful day :) blessed be

Celtag

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2011, 03:54:34 pm »
Quote from: addy;27074
Thank you everyone for the motivation and the suggestions :) I really appericate the help :) Hope all goes well to you guys!!! and have a wonderful day :) blessed be

No problem! Keep you head up and learning
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MarieBay

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2011, 10:36:06 pm »
Quote from: addy;27074
Thank you everyone for the motivation and the suggestions :) I really appericate the help :) Hope all goes well to you guys!!! and have a wonderful day :) blessed be

 

I've already recommended this to someone else earlier this evening, but I'll do it again because you're looking for books... Ronald Hutton's The Triumph of the Moon takes a good close look at the history of modern witchcraft in Great Britain. Oxford press authors don't take their research lightly... it's a dense read, but it'll get your brain-gears turning :)

And as Jenett said, this learning thing goes on for a really long time. You've got your whole life to figure out the intricacies of your beliefs, and that's a really beautiful thing. Frustrating too, and overwhelming at times because gosh, there's just so much to know!

I highly recommend PhantomQueen's advice to chill out and do some serious pondering every once in a while. Better yet, make a habit of it! Keeping a written record of the things you learn can help you review progress and come at problems/questions/etc. with a fresh perspective.

MadZealot

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2011, 04:02:40 am »
Quote from: Miss;27057
What do you feel like you're missing?

I like Christopher Penzack's Inner Temple book.

That's a good 'ern.  He also has a CD set of guided meditations from the book, which I enjoy and still use.  

To the OP: it looks like you have the proverbial bases covered, so just keep working what you're working.  If you're looking for a great epiphany of sorts... well... that'll come when it comes, you have no control over the where & when.  I could be wrong here, but I get the impression that you've been working a solitary path?  It might be high time for you to seek out some fellowship.  If a formal coven structure doesn't appeal to you, then maybe a pagan meetup group?  Something informal to swap ideas, maybe do some ritual together.  In effect you will see the same things in a new context, which should contribute to your personal growth.
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Ainne

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2011, 09:06:30 am »
Quote from: addy;27054
Greetings everyone :) I have been studying Wicca since the end of december of 2010. I have read the books "living wicca" and "A guide for the solitary practioner" both by scott cunningham. I also have read "Wicca for beggingers" by Thea Sabin. In those 8 months I have also talked to some pagan people, and read online resources. I understand what pathworking and trances are, grounding, meditation, sheilding, altar tool/setup, the concept of deity, how to cast a cirlce, the rede and three fold law,    calling the quaters, magick, and the the wheel of the year. I study each holiday when that holiday comes, so I know about the ones I celebrated. I feel as though I dont know enough and most certainly need to keep reading. Ive only read three books and guidance of other Pagan friends. Do you know any good books? Websites? and any suggestions? I learn really well by doing. So should I read and practice some things as well? I understand the year and a day thing as well. I am the type of learner who needs to do things to understand them. Thank you and blessed be :)

 
The Circle within is a good book for post beginners. Its written in a Wiccan context, however was very helpful for me. The next step is to LIVE your religion. Observe the sabbats and esbats regularly, meditate, do ritual to deity to connect further with them. Its not always all about studying.
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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2011, 05:36:42 pm »
Quote from: addy;27054
I understand what pathworking and trances are, grounding, meditation, sheilding, altar tool/setup, the concept of deity, how to cast a cirlce, the rede and three fold law,    calling the quaters, magick, and the the wheel of the year. I study each holiday when that holiday comes, so I know about the ones I celebrated.

 
Just to add, there is nothing quite so immersing as good, old fashioned practice. When I was a noob so many ages ago I never really felt I grokked things until I had spent an entire year DOING it. So, I cast circle every sabbat, full moon and new moon. Spent time evperiencing the seasons and how they change and affect my area. Cast some spells, meditated on the elements, consecrated all my tools and generally did the physical "stuff" to augment the "learning" stuff. If you really do learn by doing, that would be the next logical step.

Micheál

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Re: Been studying for almost a year... Now Im stuck
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2011, 01:52:09 am »
Quote from: Rowanfox;30512
Just to add, there is nothing quite so immersing as good, old fashioned practice. When I was a noob so many ages ago I never really felt I grokked things until I had spent an entire year DOING it. So, I cast circle every sabbat, full moon and new moon. Spent time evperiencing the seasons and how they change and affect my area. Cast some spells, meditated on the elements, consecrated all my tools and generally did the physical "stuff" to augment the "learning" stuff. If you really do learn by doing, that would be the next logical step.

Aye, you really learn if you're efficient in your practices or not when you actually go through the motions. Practice makes perfect.
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