There are a few fundamental tasks that all caster types of any discipline should understand how to do. The first one is that of basic enchantment and second is generic skill with energy manipulation. For a particularly good page (with a Wiccan slant, therefore focussed on "white" style magics), try the Spirit Online - Elemental Lessons. They can give you a decent idea of what it is like to work with the energies of enchanting and may aid in becoming familiar with the overall feel of magic's intricasies. Remember that, regardless of which caste seems like the one you may want to try, the instructions of basic magic are similar. Everyone of any art simply has to become familiar with the feel of working with a mystic energy. There is also the philosophical and human aspects of magic that have to be dealt with before proceeding into "magic". Too often, magic is seen as a split from reality rather than a magnificent extension of the latent power of the human will over the causative mortal realm. It is a tool -- neither good or evil -- that we can use to our advantage or detriment. One of the first things to realise is that logic is an active part of the understanding of magic. Things work for a reason, and understanding logic helps us understand why they do. I strongly encourage those that are interested in magic to first ground themselves in the basics of the hard sciences (such as What is "Energy"?, (sub-)Atomic Structure, and Thermodynamics) and applied philosophy (such as Venn diagrams, Logic, and Occam's Razor,).
Now, keeping in mind the basic list of caster types given on the previous page and the disciplines that concern their use, choose your energy type (fate?). You will, as a rule, fall under one of these categories if you take the time to review the spells that you have cast in the past and/or evaluate the answers to the third question on the previous page and decide in terms of pragmatism which is most useful at this time. At this point you may not have a list of spells. Don't fret about it if you are totally new to magic -- you can make a record of spells as you go along and simple make decisions as would best fit your needs for the moment. These castes are set out as a guideline to help you identify what kind of spells you use most frequently and to aid in defining a type of energy to focus on (which is not critical at this very moment, since this is only the second beginning page, but is rather something to keep in mind for later). Though one primarily can only devote enough time to the furtherance of one caste, considering the vast amounts of material to cover when attempting to refine any given art, very minor abilities from any or all of the other castes may manifest due to the holistic nature of the interplay of energies in the cosmos. These additional minor gifts do not mean that you will be able to pick up and perform many arts, but prove rather that there is occasionally a small degree of overlap in the castes and a minor amount of flexibility in their use/definition. Some spells do exist, furthermore, which a magician of any sort will be capable of casting due to relatively low skill requirements. Either way though, if I could offer one bit of advice, it would be this: Take Your Time! The decision process is long and hard. You can not just sit down one night, ponder your brains out and emerge with the answer (normally; there are some people out there that are just plain gifted at everything, though). It takes a long time to figure out just what your talent is because of the emotional associations that people attach to the caste names. One may sound better, or seem like exactly what you want, but your spells will tell the truth of where you fit. The intrinsics of every art have to be explored to ensure a wrong decision is not made, and keep in mind to search every aspect. Some people want to be Summoners, but are simply not good at it while they are good at elemental magic but do not like it. This may be the case, but do not let Emotion overcome Utility. Do not disclude magics that you do not like the sound of for that reason alone. Try diligently to find out what you can do, and then determine what you can do with it.
Focussing power, occassionally referred to as "Mana", which has its roots in Roman mysticism, is literally as easy as breathing. Ever wonder why magicians, if they are so powerful, don't simply run out into all the world and smite their foes in great miraculous blasts of fire and lightning? Here is why -- at the foundation of magic. One must focus occult energies ambient in their environment (on some level -- perhaps not at the materal level). A single focussed exertion of occult power is taxing. It is difficult like any other act of concentration and mental endurance. Magic is a refined art based on honing one's own ability to grasp and focus on the direction or concentration of a specific energy pattern or phenomenon. To focus, you can try this extremely simple ritual (note, this ritual does not use "tools" like most of the worthless rituals out there and still relies on the magician to mindfully exert themselves on their environment's energies):
This prepared ritual is a beginner's technique and should work splendidly until one is capable of simply using sheer thought to congeal/aim specific energies while in any situation or any location. Please note that it is a ritual and can be discarded or adhered to as one wishes as soon as competency in basic energy manipulation is attained.
One common principle in magic is that the person themself has no true power by themself. All power comes from exertions on the external. The practice of focussing energy from the external and exerting existing ambient power on the external is a foundational precept for any caster type that wishes to have their skill available at any given time rather than endure the tedium of having to cast a circle, open the circle, conjure a spirit, use the spirit, recall the spirit, banish the spirit, and close the circle, et cetera according to whichever ritualist paradigm is being used. This shows most clearly the utter beauty of using direct magics as are listed on this site as opposed to many other mainstream ideologies which rely on expensive trinkets, elaborate preparations, meaningless actions of rote memory, or the presence of other people to work.
As time passes and one gains experience in using this most simple process, it will become apparent that one's skill is increasing and that spellcrafting no longer needs to be structured by the three-step method mentioned above. In much the same way as stretching exercises allow one to stretch further, and running practice allows one to run faster/farther, so culling the mystic energies around you and focussing them allows for stronger concentration, precise direction, and hastier structuring for successive spells. This is a practice which requires dedication. Like any athletic competition, your skill will increase according to how much you put into it. The precision and efficiency of a spell, the skill of the caster, the condition of the caster's mind, and the amount of variables present to be manipulated all play a part in the efficacy of a spell. It can only be as good as you allow it to be.
I will note, however, that there is an alternative method that is often used other than gathering to a point and releasing, as mentioned above. Rather than hoarding anything, the other variation to casting is to take into account the largest area possible and focus the energies from that expanse further, thereby skipping the middle step of focussing it to an area. Instead of drawing from an artificial ambient energy pool, this method uses a tremendously large pull on powers at the furthest reach of a caster's influence and brings it to focus for a spell. This method requires more concentration than the aforementioned Collection/Volition pairing, but tends to become the favoured method of intermediate and advanced casters as they progress.
The keys to advancement in magic are eternal: Order, Diligence, Concentration, Truth, Discipline, and Sacrifice. Once this process has been championed, one can continue on in their studies of magic.
Addendum: I often receive emails saying something to the effect of "You have a lot of advanced magics on your site but how do I start?". The answer is HERE. This page, regardless of your caster type, describes the basics of magical practice and the "How-To" of beginning. Please read this page carefully before sending me a "How do I start?" letter. This is your foundation for magic, though no power is specified. Fill in your own blank according to purpose.
Beginning Magic 3
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