Fire Lyte - The Dabblers Guide to Witchcraft: Seeking an Intentional Magical Path

Fire Lyte

The Dabblers Guide to Witchcraft

Seeking an Intentional Magical Path

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Copyright 2021 by Don Martin

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First Tiller Press trade paperback edition September 2021

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Interior design by Jennifer Chung

Cover design by Patrick Sullivan

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Lyte, Fire, author. Title: The dabblers guide to witchcraft : seeking an intentional magical path / by Fire Lyte. | Description: First Tiller Press trade paperback edition. | New York : Tiller Press, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references. | Identifiers: LCCN 2021023898 (print) | LCCN 2021023899 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982174347 | ISBN 9781982174361 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Witchcraft. | Magic. Classification: LCC BF1571 .L98 2021 (print) | LCC BF1571 (ebook) | DDC 133.4/3--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021023898

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021023899

ISBN 978-1-9821-7434-7

ISBN 978-1-9821-7436-1 (ebook)

Lets say you have a boyfriend. For the purposes of this exercise, well call him Todd. So, you meet Todd. You fall in love with Todd. The two of you move in together; you buy furniture and maybe even a ferretwhatever couples these days do to mark the fact that theyre, you know, a couple. Then the inevitable happens: Some friend or social acquaintance or person auditioning to be the evil character on a reality show sends you The Text. Its filled with screenshots of Todd on dating apps, Todd offering up his nudes as though they were business cards, and worst of all, Todd saying that the birthday cake you made himthe one he said he loved more than any other cake despite the frosting being a bit offwas trash.

Its enough to make someone reenact a Kelly Clarkson music video and tear his apartment to pieces. But then you remember that you also live there and if you rip up the pillows youll just have to buy new pillows. And, sure, pillows arent expensive, but these particular pillows were (theyre those really good latex pillows that stay cool) and purchasing pillows is not something you want to do during a breakup.

Thats when a helpful friend brings over some wine, some chocolate, a deck of interesting-looking cards, and suggests burning Todds things. It sounds like a good idea. You get a metal bucket, a lighter, that favorite T-shirt of his that you wear to bed, a few photographs from happier times, and a stack of sticky notes. You cry. You scream. You light things on fire. You write all the little ways he made you happy, one per sticky note, and burn those. You write all the little ways he hurt you, one per sticky note, and burn those, too. You drink wine. You dance. You realize that as the fires of Todd slowly burn themselves out, you feel better. You look around the apartment one last time, grab your ferret, and leave.

This is magic.

And this is how it starts. The intrigue, the curiosity, the interest in magic and spells and real-life witches. If youre reading this, theres a very solid chance that youve wandered into a bookstore after getting a taste of it. Perhaps his name wasnt Todd and maybe you werent burning all of his stuff after a bad breakup, but it could have been a friend who gave you a shiny rock to keep at your desk to keep your busybody coworker away. It could be an aunt who gave you a tarot reading during a warm summer night before a new school year started. Magic finds us in all sorts of innocuous places and points in our lives and afterwards leaves us wanting to learn more. It can provide a sense of strength in a moment when you feel weak, sway justice in your favor, fiddle about with the weather, or simply give you the confidence to captivate an audience during an important speech.

Im willing to bet thats how you came to hold this book: you caught a spark of magic and a little voice inside you is wondering whats next. There are a lot of books that can teach you the basics of magic or witchcraft, and even more that will educate you on spiritual traditions such as Wicca or Asatru or Hoodoo. The writers of those books by and large have spent many years studying their subject, honing their skills, and hope to share that knowledge with all who seek it. This book is not that.

This book is for people who, at this moment in their lives, might describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. Seekers who do not identify with any particular religious tradition but are nevertheless looking for what magic awaits them out in the world. Dabblers who feel a pull towards crafting a personal spiritual path but arent sure how to start, what the rules are, or whether any rules even apply. People who might be seeking community in addition to magic.

In thinking about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, I thought a lot about the tarot. Its said that the Major Arcanaall the cards you probably think of when you think of the tarotDeath, the Tower, the Lovers, et ceterais the story of the first card: the Fool. In most decks, the Fool is represented as a youth looking off into the sky in wonderment with a sack of goodies tied to a walking stick slung over their shoulder. Theyre bright-eyed, eager, and perhaps a bit naive. Theyve set off on a journey and are about to take their first step, except they dont realize theyre stepping off a steep cliff. Theres usually a dog barking a warning to the youth, who may or may not listen in time. The lesson of the Fool card is that life is a journey and you should look at it with a sense of wonder and excitement, but you should be mindful when taking those first steps. You should learn to look for warning signs, listen to those who came before you, perhaps do a bit more research, squeeze in time for self-reflection, and maybe take a quick break from looking at the majesty of your surroundings to check in as to whether youre about to walk off a cliff.

The complicated truth is that theres a lot of cool stuff to explore when it comes to magic, witchcraft, and learning about different spiritual practices and beliefs. However, every cool new thing you can learn comes with a long history of people misusing said cool thing in ways that might take advantage of a person whos in a vulnerable space of self-exploration and spiritual seeking. Especially in todays world, a spiritual journey should be deeply considered, and therefore this book is for those who are seeking a connection with magic and the wonder immanent in nature with respect for others, an appreciation of science, and without the urge to drop half your paycheck on supplies to get you started.