Allow me to first introduce myself (though this bit could be placed elsewhere and I'm sure the rest of it could as well, but I couldn't figure out where to post it). My name is Manda, I'm eighteen, and my parents are both Christian. Not really heavy kind of Christians but enough so that they don't like that I harbor pagan views and beliefs. That being said please don't get my situation twisted; this isn't about being rebellious or any such nonsense because I don't follow their belief, it's about what feels right and what I believe. What I think may make me feel...at home.

As of late I've really done some searching and I have been looking keenly at Wicca. How deeply rooted it is to the earth and sky, the system of beliefs and how it works...it really hits home for me. Only thing is that I really have no idea where to start. What to do, how to go about it, or who to ask. Can anyone please point me in the right direction? I'd greatly appreciate it.

You sound alot like me when I first started knowing my believes where in the wicca area I guess you can say. My parents really religious but they like yours still didn't really stand for it you know. So I read alot of books my personal fav is Scott Cunningham, Thea Sabin, Janet Farrar, Doreen valiente, Raymond Buckland. My fav that ain't really a teaching book that touch me was Phyllis Gurott's Book Of Shadows. Hope this helps. Your best step is to read as much as you can then you'll know if you are going the right way. Any more questions dont be afraid to ask!

Thank you very much! I'm doing a lot of research and reading as it is, as well as courses on Magical Circle to get me started. So far I've started my own Book of Shadows and I've gotten eighteen different pages in it so far. I will certainly take the authors you listed into consideration.

Thanks again!

Scott Cunningham is a great start as well! About.com has a resident pagan(i think she is) she has a full section on about pagan and witchcraft with informative articles, and Witches Voice is a great place to start as well!
=)

good luck with your bos I love mine I just really started mine & I love working with it is my little quite time. I truely am in love with it

Welcome Manda! There are many great pagan authors out there, but I would recommend that you start in a direction that feels right to you. What would you want to explore first? The wheel of the year? esbats/sabbats? different pantheons? herbs for spells and remedies? Gerald Gardner and the history of wicca? chakras? gemstone power? researching things you find drawn toward and taking notes might be a way to start your BOS. There is a lot of information to absorb, but it can take years to learn and form your own path. Take your time and enjoy the journey!

I agree, you'll always be learning & follow your hear.

Have you ever been one to journal, write poems,or anything?
I think that those who write a lot are most likely to write more.
I think it's a cure in some ways cause i've allways kept journals, and can't remember the most detail,I am 28 and I've had a journal since I was 10.
When I look back and try to interepret it's really different from b4.
I'ts a way to lok back on everything
If I lived in the past I'd be dead by now,
loo 4ward,learn from your mistakes and grow

I agree I love looking back at scrapbooks, reading old journal. Love it

Scott Cunninghams book are very very informative...and puts things in easy to understand format..but like the others said follow your heart and have fun!