Online Resources

I've been scouring the web looking for good resources, and I'll tell you what... It's not very easy.
There are thousands of websites that have good information, and thousands more that have bad information. Then again, what I find bad, you may find good. So I can't tell you what you can't, or have to look for. All I can do is give you my opinion and what was right for me.

There are dozens of Pagan forums and chat rooms out there, even if they're hard to find. I really only had luck with a few. I'll let you sort them out for yourself.

If you're looking for instructional videos, YouTube is the obvious answer. I can give you a few hints there. You don't have to watch them, but these are a few of the ones I keep up with:

• Theshoewhisperer. She has a range of videos about a range of topics.
• Fleurdelacour5787. She has some good book ideas. 
• TipToeChick. She goes on rants, but her info is sound. 
• Avalonmoon91. I haven't watched her, but she was recomended to me by my mentor.

There are many websites that have info and sell stones and crystals. metaphysicalrealm1.com has a lot up for sale. Although most of the information I use is from my books, when I come across a new stone, I normally go to gemhut.com. It's a gemstone index that has quite a few different stones. It's not the best, but it does in a pinch.

If you want to learn the Tarot online, Learntarot.com is a self-paced series of 19 lessons online free. Again, it's always good to have a teacher and books, but this can work if that's what you want.
For learning, I would recommend having your own deck. The deck I used was the Rider-Waite deck. The program, as well as teachers (myself included), highly recommend it for a learning deck. I still use mine for personal readings.

Books

There are thousands of Wicca books out there. Hundreds on any topic you can think of. I'm not going to spout all about my own personal collection. That's what I'll do when I make my own YouTube channel. :D 

There are many topics to delve into:

• Divination books
• History of Wicca
• Traditions of Wicca
• Herb books
• Oils and incense books
• Recipe books
• Books full of spells and incantations
• Book of Shadows
• Candle books
• Magick books, forbidden and not
• Craft books
• Decoration books
• Books on Astrology
• How to books

And so many more topics I haven't even broken into yet.

When starting out, I'd suggest getting 1 book. An intro to Wicca book. Simple, to the point, all about the basics. Then once you've officially decided, check some books out from the library on a range of topics. When you figure out what you're drawn to, or interested in, look for the best books you can find, or the top rated, or whatever you feel like you need. Sometimes when you buy things just because you want it, you strike out big time. Other times, you hit the ball out of the park.

I normally do a ton of research. I look up every book I can find on a subject and figure out the highest rated, or most informative, and get that one, or ones. Sometimes when I go to the store to get a certain book, I get the feeling, or pull, to buy a completely different one. If that happens, I go with it. Always. I suggest you do the same. If you get a pull towards something, that means it wants to be yours, or it is yours. 

There are some good authors and some bad ones. I'm not going to tell you who you have to read, and who you shouldn't-but a few of the highest rated authors, or the most published, I'm including.

• Edain MCoy
• Scott Cunningham
• Raymond Buckland
• Judy Hall
• Lesley Bremness
• Gerald Gardner
• Silver Ravenwolf

I'm not saying I read them, or I don't. I'm not saying I personally recommend them, or I don't recommend them. They're just the highest rated overall.

The Planets

There are 8 planets that orbit the sun. A short while ago, Pluto's planet privileges had been revoked. One can only assume he'd been a bad bad boy. Therefore the 8 are as follows:

• Mercury 
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars 
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus 
• Neptune

Pluto would have been next if he wasn't such a bad ass.

In reality, it wasn't Pluto's fault. The IAU (International Astronomical Union ) changed the definition of "planet" and Pluto got demoted to "Dwarf Planet" as a result. 

There are hundreds of websites you can go to for info on the planets (including the Dwarf ones) so I'm not going to get too into them. I will tell you that nineplanets.org has a multimedia tour of our solar system.

Read more about earth by nineplanets.orgThe IAU has changed the definition of "planet" so that Pluto no longer qualifies. There are now officially only eight planets in our solar system. Of course this change in terminology does not affect what's actually out there

Read more about earth by nineplanets.org

The IAU has changed the definition of "planet" so that Pluto no longer qualifies. There are now officially only eight planets in our solar system. Of course this change in terminology does not affect what's actually out there.

Read more about earth by nineplanets.org

Tarot.

I've been messing around with Tarot cards lately. And I really get a feel for them. I only have one deck, and one book so far. I'm so looking forward to getting more. 

My original deck is the Rider-Waite:

 
I've been looking through tons of other decks getting a feel for them and I've found a few I'm hoping to acquire soon. 

There's the Shadowscape Deck:

The Mystic Dreamer Deck:

And The Faerie Deck:

At the moment, this is it. <3

Traditions

In Wicca, there are many traditions. I don't know everything about all of them, I don't even know all of them. I can tell you a general description of the few I do know.

• Alexandrian Wicca: Alex Sanders founded this tradition in the 1960's. Originally based in England, practitioners work sky-clad and much of their ritual is similar to Gardnerian practices, though Alexandrians place more emphasis on ceremonial magicks. Sanders calls himself 'King' of his witches.
• Black Forest Clan: The clan practices a tradition known as Euro-Witchcraft, which includes the Caledonii Tradition of Druidic Wicca, Gardnerian, German, and Celtic witchcraft. Training in this tradition prepares one as a licensed member of the clergy. The High Priests and High Priestesses do not hive off. Instead, they multiply by forming new covens while remaining part of their original coven. This makes the clan both stron in unity and numbers. 
• British Traditional: There are a number of different British Traditions, all of which are based on what people believe to be the pre-Christian practices of England. Many British Traditional groups follow Janet and Stewart Farrar, who have written a number of influential books about witchcraft. The groups tend to be structured, with training for neophytes (beginners) following a degree program under the supervision of the coven. Their practices are said to be a mix of Celtic and Gardnerian traditions. 
• Celtic Wicca: This tradition looks to ancient Celtic and Druidic deities and beliefs with an emphasis on the magickal and healing powers of plants, minerals, gnomes, fairies, and Elemental spirits.
• Dianic Tradition:The Dianic Tradition focuses on the Goddess with little talk about a God. The Goddess is worshiped in her 3 forms: Maiden, Mother and Crone. There are different varieties of Dianic withes. Since the 1970's, the Dianic Tradition has been seen as the feminist movement of the Craft. Some, but not all, Dianic covens are strictly women.
• Feri: There are a number of ways to spell the name of this tradition; such as: Fairy, Faery and Faerie. Victor Anderson is credited with bringing the Feri tradition to the U.S, where he has taught in the San Fransisco area since the late 1960's. Feri teachers tend to add something of their own when teaching, so there is a strain of eclecticism in this tradition. Feri's are usually solitary.
• Gardnerian Wicca: In the 1950's, after England repealed it's witchcraft laws, Gerald Gardner went public about his practice of witchcraft. He rewrote the rituals of the coven he belonged to so they would be more accurate. Gardnerian covens have a degree system in which one learns about the Craft. Individuals must be initiated by the coven and cannot initiate themselves through self-study. Gardnerian covens work sky-clad. In addition, some try to have equal numbers of men and women in the coven.
•  Georgian Wicca: George Patterson founded the Georgian tradition in Bakersfeild, California in 1970. His followers are also known as the Georgian Church. Their rituals are drawn from Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions, with other elements added as the coven members see fit. In fact, in some covens members write their own rituals. Some Georgian covens work sky-clad and some do not. 
• Reclaiming: Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance, received her training in the Feri tradition from Victor Anderson. In 1980, she and some of the women in her coven went on to co-found the Reclaiming Collective. Reclaiming focuses on linking magick and spirituality with political activism. The teachings of the tradition, which is non-hierarchical, have spread from the San Fransisco Bay area and are disseminated by individual teachers and at which camps, week long programs that are offered in the U.S, Canada, England and Germany.
• Seax-Wica: In 1962, Raymond Buckland, a protege of Gerald Gardner moved to the U.S, where he founded this tradition. Buckland taught the Gardnerian tradition for a number of years. Because of problems that he saw in the practice of the Craft, he started his own tradition in 1973. Seax-Wica is based on Saxon traditions, but as Buckland admits, he made it up alone. Covens decide for themselves if they will work sky-clad or not. Witches in this tradition can be initiated by the coven or through self-study.
• Strega Witches: This type of witch follows traditions from Italy sometimes known as 'La Vecchia Religione' or The old Religion. Some people trace Strega teachings back to a woman, Aradia, in the 14th century. The Strega tradition is rapidly gaining popularity in the U.S. 

Like I said before: This isn't all of them, just the few I know about. 

My 2nd love.

I had a friend in High School, Em. When I was 16, I went with Em to her father's work picnic. There I met Robbie. I was still with Mimi, but Robbie interested me. We only hung out for a few weeks, not very long at all. We went on a science retreat with his school. That's when I saw it. There was a picture of it in the rocks and minerals section. I hadn't even planned on going in there, but when I saw the huge poster I couldn't help myself. 

Quantum Quattro Silica. 
The most beautiful combination of minerals known to man. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to know everything about it. And I've done everything I could to become an expert on this one mineral. So far, I have only one book that features it, but I have numerous pdf's and websites bookmarked. I also have half a dozen 1-inch tumbled stones, and a few tiny tiny tiny ones.
I'm on a mission right now. I'm looking for a Quantum Quattro sphere and/or egg. Preferably larger than 2 inches.

The first stone book I acquired was old and battered, falling apart. It was all I needed to get into Stones and Gems.
Stones are pretty much my 2nd love.

Finding my way.

I grew up in a devout Catholic household. Everyday spent doing something with or for the church. I'm not going to tell you I didn't fit in, because I did. I enjoyed it, loved it even. The Catholic church was the one thing I had growing up. When we moved and switched churches, I was 13. We only relocated 50 miles north, but it felt like a whole different world.
My first friend was a girl named Kay. She was my entrance to Paganism. She was actually a Satanist. I know some people believe in it, but it was always too much for me. I liked Kay though. She was a good friend, even if her beliefs weren't the same as mine. Within months, she introduced me to her friends. One of them was Mimi.
Mimi was Wiccan. I couldn't stand her, but our paths kept crossing. I overheard her give an opinion about something one day in class, and that changed everything I had originally thought about her. Almost instantly she became my best friend. The next two years I got to see and experience things with her. I fell in love with the Craft. Her view of Wicca is what inspired me. I listened to what she had to say about it. I learned things with her. Seeing everything thru her eyes, I suddenly knew where I belonged.
At 14, I had still been going to the Catholic church in town every Sunday morning. Sometimes I dragged Mimi with me. Mainly, I went with my boyfriend at the time.
On Mimi's 15th birthday, my relationship with her changed. We went out to dinner with her parents and sister. Not only was it my first time at BD's, it was my first time kissing a girl. I knew from then on, I would always be in love with her. 
For the next two years, we were everything for each other. Best friends, girlfriends, partners, secret keepers, an ear for venting. 
Then the worst thing happened. Mimi moved 900 miles away. Our relationship ended, and I felt like I'd been abandoned. Three years had passed, and we'd lost touch. For some reason, we contacted each other. She got mad at me for dropping Wicca completely when she left. 
We still might be 900 miles away, but our friendship is like we never stopped talking. Thanks to her, I'm back on the path I love.

Boom.

I'm recently following the Wiccan path. I've seen some pretty inept blogs about it out there, and some pretty decent ones I read daily. I thought I'd come out and share my experiences along the way. 

So... Hello. Names Giomanach, but my friends call me Jake. I'm 22, soon to be 23. Bomb drop: I'm a girl. I don't have kids. I play the violin. I cook like a boss. I'm addicted to Netflix, Hooray for old TV shows! I enjoy walks outside, crafting, spending time with friends, reading and writing.

I guess that's it for now. I'll be posting again soon.