BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Wicca Question - A Year and A Day

Can you do this by yourself?

I'm thinking of starting on Oct 30th to finish on Oct 31 of next year.

Some will say no, but there are plenty of solitary practitioners in Wicca or other forms of Paganism.

As with all things in your path, you have to do what is right for you. So, in my opinion, yes, you can do this on your own. Others will say no, and sometimes vehemently so...

I see no reason why you could not do it on your own except it is easier to understand with the aid of an elder. It is wise to have an elder to guide you and bring clarification on some matters.

A good, basic book on Solitary Practice is Scott Cunningham's Wicca For the Solitary Practitioner. You can't ever go wrong with Cunningham, no matter what topic he wrote about.

Hi Robin !! Sometimes you have no choice.

I have been studying and researching for almost two years. But I do not yet feel confident and comfortable enough to do a self initiation. I am so anal about every detail... am I pronouncing the names correctly? what if I stumble through instead of being fluid? It would be most helpful to have an elder to guide me but since I don't I won't feel right about trying for fear of "gimping" through and appearing disrespectful.

Witchcraft is not just a form or a creed or a set of rules. It is about being yourself. So you might make a mistake or mispronounce something? So many are so afraid of hurting something by our ability to make a mistake or offending a deity. They are here for us, we are not here for them. The power that we have within countermands fear based religion. Lighten up on you and enjoy this adventure.

Another good book for doing it alone is "Arachne's Web". It is set up so you can do it in year and a day. Personally, I think that at some point the ancient ones might well have had to learn on their own, gathering what information they could as they came in contact with others of like mind. If they did, so can we. Anway that works. Bless be, Astrid

If you state your intentions in the beginning, i doubt you could be disrespectful. Gods and Goddesses, though sometimes wrathful, are elders themselves, they will know you are starting out. So relax, take a deep breath and relish in your ritual.

While it is very good to have the guidance of a mentor I have been told by my mentor that if someone wanted to do this on their own that if you follow Raymond Bucklands entire book "Bucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft" it is equal to a third degree. Sarah Redhawk