Teaching oneself, the old ways... Skills

In my mind, if you want to learn the old ways, there are certain skills that will help you, start out. The first of these is learning herbalism, or botany. Get a field guide on plants. Learn your local flora and fauna, any stories, legends, and properties. Now, I don't know if this particular skill includes learning the medicinal attributes (as well as the metaphysical), but I include them. If you are not into herbs and plants, you can learn crystals, rocks and minerals or about birds, as an example. Build a relationship with what you are learning, and see if you can implement it into other skills, you learn along the way.

The second is learning a divination method. This could be anything. Cartomancy, Tarot, I ching, Ogham. Pick something that calls to you, or draws your attention. And once you have, start getting to know how to use your tool, start doing reading on yourself, family and friends. Third, learn a form of "mysticism". By Mysticism, I mean to Meditate, Drum, Sing, Dance. The task here, is to "daydream" until you can get far enough along, where you leave your own consciousness. Lastly, do a simple form of magick. This can be a simple candle spell or cord magick. I recommend these to start out with, as other forms of magick such as bottle magick, using poppets and mojo or gris gris bags; are more "complex". The point here is to find a simple form that speaks to you and do it, to discover your own power and how to make things happen for yourself. 

Living Magickally

     When it comes to the Craft of the wise, some people believe that the Craft is a religion. Some believe it is a practice. What is the difference? Well, basically, religion is more ceremonial, and its a believe in God or Gods, and more organized. Everyone pretty much believes the same way. Witchcraft, on the other hand, is more gut or from the heart, more on the fly (random), and not everyone believes or does the same thing. It's what you DO that defines you, not what you believe.
     Regardless, of which "camp" you are in. I think that living magickally is a major component. Living magickally, helps you in so many ways! Some of these ways are subtle, like focus and realizing that everything you do, is magickal. Some are not, and I won't go into that one. You are going to have to realize that one for yourself. So, how do we live magickally? Well here, are some ideas.

~ Saying grace. Honoring the animals and plants that died for your nourishment.
~ Having your morning shower. -----> Purification
~ Talking to your deitie(s) ((if you have them)), you can do this at anytime, anywhere. And talk about anything.
~ Communicating with your ancestors, treating them like they are still in this world and part of the family.
~Drinking water. It is water is essential to our well being, it is the "essence" of life! When you drink water, you can go to a sacred place where sacred water "resides" and put some in a bottle. When you get home, you put a few drops in your tap water. And though the magickal act of contagion; you have ancestral water, to consume. You can also make water sacred by blessing it. Take some water and charge it up with energy/ breathe life into it. Doing this, does make a difference. After about a week, you will notice a difference. I am not going to go into what the difference is. You are going to have to discover that one, yourself.

Simple things like this make you step between the worlds, just a little bit. You start to see things, in a more magickal way/ in a different way or light. The basic meaning of this post, is to make everything you do, a sacred act.

Trance

Another "aspect" that is important in Cunningwork, is trance. But, a lot of people seem to think that trance is hard. Hopefully, I can dispel this "misunderstanding." So, first lets cover what trance is. Trance, very simply, is an altered state of consciousness. An example of this is daydreaming.  The "key" here, is to not try so hard! Because that is what makes trance, difficult. Some people seem to think, that to be in trance, you have to be silent, and unmoving. This simply isn't true! You can be in trance and still be awake and talking.

So now that we know what trance is, what are some easy techniques for inducing trance. Please keep in mind, that these are but a few, of the many techniques, one may use. Here they are:

1) Swaying side to side or back and forth
2) Drumming (I personally love this one, I think its the Irish in me.)
3) Ecstatic dance
4) Visualization
5) Daydreaming and lastly
6) Singing (why? Because when I sing, I enter an altered state of consciousness. The world fades away, yet at the same time, I am still in the here and now. This one maybe just my opinion though.)