Dear Amberskyfire,
  I am pretty new to witchcraft, and I had a question I wanted to ask you. This summer I am going to a girls sleep-away camp, where everyone is really good friends, and you have just about zero privacy. However, I would like to keep practicing magic while I am there. It is also very important to me to be able to use candles; however, I would be staying in a wooden cabin with no electricity or plumbing. Do you have any suggestions on how I could go about doing magic without a fire hazard or the interferrance of my cabinmates?
Thanks,
AmberDragon

If you cannot burn candles, try writing your spells without them. Instead of candles at the four quarters (or watchtowers), use the actual item that the candle would represent. For example: a stone at the north, a bowl of water or a seashell at the west, a candle or a picture of fire, lightning, the sun, or a bowl of oil at the south, and some perfume or incense at the east.

I'm sorry if I couldn't give you my e-mailaddress, but I really need your help. I too know that you will be away from your computer, but please take the time to answer this before it's to late. I know that this craft takes years to know of it's matter, or maybe not. But I plan to at least cast one spell by I'm 18. And I'm 13 right now. I'll be 14 in one month from now. And I haven't cast one yet. And I know I have magic in me because it runs in my family. I just can't let it out somehow. But I have made things happen that is unexplainable. If you read this you may think I don't know enough to understand. But mind you I know quite enough. I'm going to get a real magic wand soon, and I don't even have tools to do rituals, so I need to know if there is such a thing as spells just cast by words. NO TOOLS. Almost like Harry Potter. And if there is a spell to make oneself immortal. I've read what you said to one person about what witches believe after death. And by hearing that, it almost sounds like their immortal. Because death is like life for them. But what about a spell for immortalness when living? I'm not afraid to die, I just need to know for a great reason that depends on my life. For me time is wasting, I could be doing some spells right now but I can't as you see. No tools at all. That's why I ask if there is any spells that just happen just by saying words in English or not. And anther problem. My parents hardly let me go any where to buy my supplies. What should I do? If you don't help me, there may be more evil creatures roaming upon this world or others worlds without me to battle them. I know. I know things before they even happen. You may say I can see the future. Maybe someday, if you don't understand now, will know what I mean. So please help me!!!!!!!
P.S. I truly am sorry if I didn't send my e-mail. I will be getting one real soon. Oh! I almost forgot. Is there any magic schools I can attend to? If so, how may I get in. If you help me, I may tell you what I mean.
-White AngelWitch

Dear White AngelWitch,
You don't need to worry about whether or not there is magic or are other witches in your family. It has nothing to do with anything. Everyone has magic in them. It is something we are all born capable of. Anyone who tells you that witchcraft is in your family is probably only saying it because they want to impress you. Actual witches do not care if they impress anyone or not, so don't worry about it.
Real magic is nothing like what you read about in Harry Potter. Harry Potter is completely fictional and was written by a woman who does not practice magic or really even know anything about it. Just completely discount anything you read about in a fictional book. It is just that - fiction. Some other wonderful things to COMPLETELY IGNORE are Buffy, The Craft, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Charmed.
You do not need a wand to practice magic. A wand is simply used to direct your own energy. You can just as easily use your finger for this purpose. The wand is just a decorative tool. It is not necessary. Most magical tools are this way.
There are a few little spells you can do just by saying a little verse. These short incantations are usually little poems and they don't do much. Most just bring you luck or help lift your spirits if you are sad.
No, there is nothing in the world that will make you immortal. If you are truly a witch, you understand that there cannot possibly be such thing. A witch's power comes from their knowledge of the workings of the universe. Life cannot be life if it does not end. That is just the way it is. Once  you find acceptance for the way things are, you will understand. Witches do not seek to change this. We know better. Death and rebirth are part of the magic that keeps the universe flowing. If it were to stop, there would be nothing.
You do not need tools to practice witchcraft. There is an article here in the teen section on how to acquire your own tools or go without. There are no schools which teach witchcraft. There never were. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. (You will find a lot of people who claim to be witches that do a lot of lying :)  )
Blessings and light,
-Amber

Hi i'm 12 and i want to start out small so i can eventually get better as i get older with witchcraft.Should i start witchcraft this young or should i wait?
-Bridget

Many teens like to start out early because they find witchcraft so interesting. Many adult witches would tell you to wait until you are older to begin practicing. This is because many young people come into the craft thinking it is like what they have seen on television. I, however, believe that anyone of any age can be a pagan. The important thing is to look inside yourself and ask yourself the reasons you want to begin practicing witchcraft. It cannot hurt to learn now and practice when you are older, either.

Hi. I am a teen witch and I don't know whether it is because I have started to practice magic or not, but there is some kind of energy in my house-I
sometimes see things and hear knocks and weird noises. It has just started, but it only happens to me so my mum dosen't believe me. I feel like I'm being watched all the time, though there is no one there-what should I do?
-DarkStar

Many people find that after they attune themselves to practicing magic and feeling energies, they start noticing different energies around them. Often, these energies were there to begin with, they just did not notice them. Other times, spirits can be drawn to you because you give off energy while practicing spellwork. These energies can be good, but are very often evil. Always remember to cast a protective circle around yourself whenever you practice any type of magic. Also remember to stay away from Ouija boards, since they offer evil spirits the chance to take control of your body. It may look neat in the movies, but the reality of Ouija boards is not so fun and you will find that you will not be able to get a malevolent spirit out of your house once it has decided to target you.

Dear Amber,
I have this friend who seems to be mimicking everything I do (that's mostly from a religious stand point).  She actually became Wiccan with out even studying it, all because I slipped up when I was talking.  From then on she's followed every religious move I've made!  That is pretty annoying and I find it insulting since it breaks all my religious codes.  Now she's changed her magical name so that it's waaay similar to mine.  She's claiming that she has the same spirit animal as me and she knows how I'm feeling!  We are two totally different people and she does not know how I, Wolfclaw Dragonwatcher, feels!  I feel like she's encroaching on my territory  and I am ready to defend it!  Maybe I'm second guessing but either way I'm pretty annoyed.  This friend has a VERY quick temper and I don't want to have any bad vibes going between us (she isn't all that responsible with her use of magick!) so I'm a little nervous about talking to her.  I feel really insulted and I know I have to do SOMETHING about it, but should I talk to her?  Please
help!
Sincerely,
wolfclaw Dragonwatcher (otherwise known as evil [or angry] elf)

Don't feel angry. She isn't doing it because she hates you. On the contrary, she does it because she looks up to you. I mean, the poor girl practically worships you!
She wants to try this new thing out that you are doing, but she's nervous. She doesn't really know how to do it on her own and she looks to you as a guide, following you and doing what you do because she wants to be like you. Give it a little time. She will find her own way and won't seek to lean on you anymore. In the meantime, let her know of (or borrow) some really good books so she can get the gist of the whole thing on her own. If she keeps irritating you you can try to tell her, politely, that you feel uncomfortable with what she is doing. Don't hurt her feelings, just let her know that she needs to follow her own path.

I have been interested in witchcraft and the religion of Wicca for about 5 yrs. I am 15 now and I told my mother that I want to start practicing the religion and she kicked me out of her house. I am back at home with her now and practicing in secret, but I have a problem. There are a few stores around here that are specific to selling witchcraft related things like books and candles and such, but they do not allow anyone under 18 to purchase from them without an adult or a call of adult consent. I attempted to get my aunt to come with me to purchase some things, but she freaked out and told my mother. This made my mom very upset and now I don't know what to do. I have taken to learning all I can through the internet and I plan on moving out of my mother's house next summer. But until then what can I do to make her stop giving me evil glares and taunting me? Also... Do you have any suggestions on how I can get books or supplies? I would just go to a normal book or candle store, but I live in the city and I have no way to get to any stores that would sell such items, without having to take at least 4 buses, which can take about 2 hours and I don't have the time to spend 4 hours on a bus to buy only a few items. I would order them from the internet, but... As I am only 15, I do not have a credit card and I cannot borrow my mothers and pay her back, as she doesn't have one either. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated. Thank you!
-Sandi

I know how you feel. My parents also thought that I was the devil. With time, they come to realize that you are a good person, not evil. My mother has even all but changed her religion to Paganism. She has learned over the years that I am a good person who means well. It takes time, but eventually they understand.
When I was first starting I could also not get the books and supplies I needed. You can get a cashier's check (they sell these at 7-11) and send one to companies on the internet that accept them. You could also make your own tools. This always works better than buying them as they have your own power in them. Find stones around your home or at the park. Create a wand from a tree branch that feels right to you. You can even paint it or wrap wire around it for decoration. The wand can be a substitute for an athame in all rituals. A chalice can be any bowl and incense in easy to find. If you need specific types of herbs you can get seeds from a local store and grow your own. Every tool can be substituted with something else. Every grocery store sells candles. If you are not allowed to use candles, you can use pictures or items to represent the elements. A bowl of water or a seashell for west, a red stone (or other symbol of fire) for south, a feather for east, and a stone or bit of dirt for north. Anything can be substituted and it will not decrease the power of your ritual at all. You can also use circles of colored paper or place pictures of animals from all of the directions around your room. One idea is to make little decorated areas around the room. When I was living with my mother, I could not cast the circle in my room so I just cast it around the entire perimeter of the room, encasing everything inside. It was a small space to work in, but everything worked out allright. The best thing to do is just get as much information from the internet as you can. Most people will not help teens get into witchcraft because of the legal implications involved. Parents can and have sued adults for aiding teens in learing about witchcraft. Always be careful who you talk to and remember to be a good person and someday it will pay off.

Hello, I read all of your answers to everyone's questions. So I thought you could be very helpful. In my family we believe in God, I love God and believe in him too. But since I like fantasy stories and I also like to be a good witch. Since I'm Christian, would I be a Christian witch? But you know what, I'm also worried. Would a witch that's baptized and believes in God, would go to heaven? Please I need your answer. Can you tell me if Celtic magic is evil? What kind of magic will help to become a good witch? Or what kind of magic will have good spells that are not evil for me? Please give me your advice.
-Fantasy

Unfortunately, this person did not leave me their e-mail address, so I hope they read this here.
I cannot tell you if you will go to heaven or hell. I can only tell you that witches do not believe in Hell. We believe that we are punished here on earth for what we do wrong. We believe that eternal punishment does not teach you anything. You make mistakes in life and then get punished for them so that you can go on and not make the same mistake again. So what you believe is not for me to decide. You must do what you feel comfortable doing. No, Celtic magick is not evil. It is just another Pagan religion. If you want to be good, just be careful that you never perform a spell for greedy reasons. Asking to win the lottery, for example, is greedy. Instead, ask for prosperity. Other good spells are healing people and yourself. Just remember that you must NEVER EVER perform a spell on someone without their consent and never perform a spell that will take away a person's free will unless it is to protect yourself. Spells of protection are okay, too. If you feel uncomfortable doing magick because you are Christian, you can word your spells in the form of a prayer. It is the same thing.

im trying to get started with magic but i dont know how. i was wondering if u could send me a spell or somthing, i dont realy have any
special ingrediants or anything, im only curious. and im not interested in love  spells or hexes. i just want to start it as a hobbie, not as a full time thing, and i dont want  to were strange clothes or anything, i just want to cast a few spells for fun. thankyou 4 your time
-angee

I am very sorry. I am afraid it does not quite work that way. It is like learning karate. You don't just try it one time and have it work and then never do it again. You have to practice for years. You can't just learn karate to beat people up. It is a mastery of oneself and ones' body. Witchcraft is the same way. It is not "just add water." There are many years of service ahead of you if you wish to be able to do anything well enough.

All witches are called witches, males and females.
We do not do magick to impress others. We are not interested in getting new members. This is not the cult of Satan or some Christian faith where you get points for how many people you bring over to your side. This is our religion, not a game. We generally keep to ourselves. Wicca is a faith of heart and goodness. We do not care what others think of us. We are not trying to convert anyone. If someone does not believe, that does not bother us. We find belief in our own faith; in our own beliefs. We have found our peace and our understanding, so we do not look to impress others.
May you walk in goodness and light,
Amber

I feel you might be misinterpreting what magick is.
Our magick is that of nature and of life. Magick is in all things. It makes plants grow. It brings babies into the world. You are thinking of magick like you see on television, which does not exist. That is Hollywood magick. It is flashy and fake, made up by some special effects designer to make the movie more interesting and bring more money into the box office. We do not divine people's names. We do not levitate or fly on broomsticks, and we certainly cannot shoot lightning from our fingertips or light candles with a thought.
We know the secrets of the earth. We talk to animals. We experience out of body experiences. Our religion is based on faith, not movie tricks. You might just as soon ask a preacher to prove that God exists. He would point to everything around him. Everything is God. Everything contains magick. That is the nature of science. We work with that and with the unknown. We do not show off and we do not believe what we believe to impress others. A person should never come into the craft because they want to do magick they see on television. It blurs the true image of our faith.
I hope it makes a little more sense now.
Blessings and light,
Amber

He replied with:

One thing: why does your "walking the path" page (particulary lesson 11) contain ways to divine things out (using tarot or runes for example) if this
is impossible to achive? Also why does www.witch-crafted.com contain (don't look now but....) SPELLS(for example divination spells....) which according to your previoust statement are not supposed to work, as "this is not what magick is all about"?
-Stefan

I did not say that divination did not work. And no, that is not what magick is all about. It is not to be used by greedy people for their own purposes or to impress others. It is a religion. A faith. We hold it dear.
Blessings,
Amber

Hi
are u a real witch? I bet u get a lot of letters like this. Where people dont think u r what u r ! but r u really!
-AngelTiger

I am a real witch. Many people are witches. You probably know a few and don't even know it. It is a religion. It does not mean that I can fly or turn someone into a frog. You can be a witch right now if you wanted. Just as you could be a Christian or a Buddhist or anything else. It has absolutely nothing to do with witches on television and in movies. Those types of witches do not exist and are stereotypical.