Witch Skills

Since posting my guide to visualization, I’ve been thinking — having a series of posts on what I consider essential witch skills might be a good idea. I mean, I’ve been doing this sort of stuff long enough that I should have some basic idea of what I’m doing, right?

…right?

Eh. Maybe not so much. But I’m sure I know some things. I know my post on visualization was helpful to some folk, at least. I’m sure I could be helpful in other areas.

Of course, first I have to figure out just what I consider to be essential Witch Skills.

Take this post as a rambling exercise — I’m thinking out loud, using y’all as my sounding board. Nothing I list here is permanent; this entire list is just to give me a jumping off point. In fact this entire post is basically an excuse to get another W done for the Pagan Blog Project.

Also, I’m not talking about skills like herbalism, or mead-making, or carving, or salve-making, or anything like that. Those are good skills, yes, but they’re not for everybody, and I’m not about to suggest any of them are essential to being a witch. I’m talking about the kind of skills that give you the basis for good magic work. Skills that, once you have them, are passive — to use gamer parlance — at your fingertips without you needing to think too much about them. Things that should become automatic.

Now, not all of these are automatic to me, either — I do not claim to be an expert in anything, except perhaps how to fuck up your life royally. Some I’m good at; some not so much. But who knows, maybe in this ongoing blogging project I’ll become better at some of them. And I hope that the posts I eventually write on these skills will help y’all, too. (That is, if you’re interested in being a witch and/or magic work. If you’re not, then feel free to skip these posts! They’ll all be in the Category Witch Skills. You won’t hurt my feelings, I promise. I’m a heartless bitch anyway.)

Morag’s List of Essential Skills for the Witch — budding or otherwise

• visualization, or imagination — we’ve done that one. 
• critical thinking.
• trust in oneself — yes, this is a skill. You do have to work at it.
• how to listen.
• how to sense energy and discrimination — how to tell the difference between your own energy and the energy of other beings
• shielding.
• how to ground excess energy.
• how to raise energy.
• how to breathe. yeah, that’s a skill. especially nowadays.
• proper posture (which, as you know, is difficult for me too).
• strong intuition. Yes, again, a skill.

I think for now that’s a good list. It gives me a starting place, at least. I’m sure more things will crop up for me as I engage in this project.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m pretty excited about this. This could turn out to be a pretty cool little series of posts.