The Modern Guide to Witchcraft

Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Tarot Suit: Cups/Chalices
Magickal Tools: Chalice, Cauldron
Colors: Blue, Aqua, Indigo, Purple
Stones: Translucent stones and gems such as pearls, opals, moonstones, and rose quartz

We’ve already talked a bit about the use of lunar energy and intuition in spellwork, and you’ll learn more as you go along. We’ll discuss the water element in later chapters, but for now make note of these correspondences that you’ll most likely use in your spellworking:

You’ll discover many more things that correspond to the fire element as you progress in your magickal studies. We’ll discuss more as we go along, but here are some that you’ll use often in your spellworking:

Zodiac Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Tarot Suit: Wands/Rods/Staves
Magickal Tools: Wand, Candles
Colors: Red, Orange
Stones: Stones that contain sparks of light or rutiles, such as fire opals, star sapphires, and red phantom quartz

As you continue your magickal studies, you’ll find many things correspond to the air element, such as the direction east as you learned in the previous chapter. We’ll discuss more as we go along, but here are some that you’ll most likely use in your spellworking:

Zodiac Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Tarot Suit: Swords/Daggers
Magickal Tools: Athame, Incense
Colors: Yellow, Pale Blue, White
Stones: Transparent Stones (such as aquamarine, diamond, and clear quartz)

Earth Correspondences
Lots and lots of things correspond to the earth element, such as the direction north as you learned in the previous chapter. We’ll discuss more as we go along, but here are some that you’ll most likely use in your spellworking:

Zodiac Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Tarot Suit: Pentacles/Coins/Discs
Magickal Tools: Pentagram, Salt, Stones
Colors: Brown, Green, Gray
Stones: Opaque Stones (such as hematite, onyx, and agate)

The Moon and Magick

Keep notes of what you experience, so you can refer back to them later. What you learn from strengthening your connection with the moon will be useful to you when you start casting spells and doing rituals.

Write down impressions and insights that you receive, even if they don’t make sense in the moment—they may turn out to mean something more in the future.

Write down what you experienced in what will become your “grimoire” or “book of shadows,” a journal of your magick spells and experiences. These notes will help you as you continue working with different energies, and as you grow more aware of how your own energies fluctuate with your mood, your health, and your circumstances.

noted figure of the time was Charles Godfrey Leland, a Pennsylvania scholar and writer who traveled widely studying the folklore of numerous cultures. His most famous book, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches became an important text that influenced the development of Neopaganism and modern-day witchcraft. Another was Madame Helena Blavatsky, a Russian-born medium and occultist who moved to New York and founded the Theosophical Society with Henry Steel Olcott. Theosophy, which means “divine wisdom,” combines ideas from the Greek mystery schools, the Gnostics, Hindus, and others.