Seeking a Magical Education

If you are interested in learning how to do this work for yourself, you can either study independently or with a teacher. I am an excellent teacher — having been a professional educator (high school English and theatre teacher and a public speaker within the witchcraft community) for many years. But I am not the only teacher available to you, and I think all prospective students ought to know what to look for.

Wherever you study, your education should include:

1. Grounding and Centering — The magician is the center of her own Universe, and from a place of balance she can control the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.

2. Sensing, Raising, and Moving Energy — The magician should be able to sense, generate, and control the flow of the energies listed above.

3. Shielding — You don’t want to be bombarded or bothered by these energies, so you must know how to shield from them.

4. Invoking and Evoking — All effective magicians must know how to call energy and spirits into their presence and into their bodies to accomplish their work.

5. Banishing — If you call it, you need to know how to get rid of it. Whether you prefer sage smudge or the Star Ruby (a ceremonial banishing using ancient Greek language), you must be able to rid yourself of unwanted Spirits.

6. Laws of Magic — A sorceress can’t function properly without a basic understanding of the way magic works.

7. Psychism, Divination, and Spirit Communication — This will give you some tools to communicate with the Unseen World of Spirits.

8. Ethics — You must know where your ethical boundaries are.

I think it's worth noting that the above list is only aimed at the "science" of magick/Craft. I've left religion and faith out of this particular list, but that might not be the way you prefer to learn your magick. You might want the rich symbolic heritage and potent mysticism of a particular religious tradition to inform your magick. If you study with me, we can work that in. (It's how I work best, too.)

I recommend the following texts for close study as you begin:
Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig
The Essential Guide to Possession, Depossession, and Divine Relationships by Diana Paxson
The Witches' Key to the Legion: A Guide to Solomonic Sorcery by Laurelei Black