Okay, so you're ready to start practicing magick and now you want to know what tools you'll need to get started. Every magickal tradition has their own set of tools that they use for ritual work, but is any of it necessary to do magick? 

One of the biggest questions I see asked by people just starting out working with Guides and Allies is how to do offerings. What do I use? Do I have to do it a certain way? Will they get mad if I don't? When you're first starting, it can be really stressful and anxiety inducing, because you don't want to do anything "wrong". Everyone has their own opinions on how to do offerings. Some traditions are very specific on what you should use and how you should present them. 

Allies are beings/intelligence's/entities/your preferred descriptor here that exist along side of us, can interact with us, and if you're not a dick, can actually be extremely helpful in a variety of ways if they like you. They aren't guides, in that it isn't their job to assist you in your walk. That said, many of them have long memories, and they can be relationships that last beyond this life that are invaluable.

This is a big, diverse world with thousands of years of history. There are a lot of labels that have passed down in mythology, religion, and folklore. I've spoken to entities that have been called gods. I've spoken to angels. I've spoken to demons. I've spoken to all kinds of beings that would generally be labeled as fairies or fey, planetary intelligences, elementals, and even aliens. There is a LOT out there, and I know I've barely scratched the surface. I'm going to discuss what I've learned about each, but to help make it digestible I've broken them down into three major categories: Guides, Allies, and Aliens. This week, we’ll talk about guides. Please note that the following information is based solely on my own personal experiences thus far. It’s not an all-inclusive definitive list.

These are the top 5 books I’d recommend for people just starting to learn about magick and the occult.

I've had a lot of pent up anger towards Christianity, for the last decade in particular, though it started much earlier when I was still serving as a full time minister. I think a lot of people coming from Christianity tend to feel similar. Why is that?

Some of my earliest memories are of me having conversations with my imaginary friends. I guess I was around four or so, because my little sister hadn't been born yet. A child talking to their imaginary friend isn't exactly an abnormal experience, but in my case I actually heard them. They were one hundred percent real and not in my imagination. They would talk to me about many things, mostly just conversational, as you do with friends; but other times it was about who I was and the things that I would do when I got older. This happened daily, pretty much off and on all day, until I was about twelve. Who they are and why they were talking to me we'll discuss in detail later. Right now, we're going to talk a little bit about the how…

Before I delve into my past and experiences, I feel like it's important to set a foundational understanding of a few occult concepts that many of you are going to scoff at. I'm not here to convince or convert anyone. All I ask is that you have an open mind and maybe look into things for yourself if you're interested. I'm far from an expert, and the following is just a quick and dirty summation of various concepts that are relevant and necessary for what we will discuss later. I have a Resources section that has a list of books, websites, and YouTube channels where you can find great sources of information about all of the esoteric topics I'm about to discuss from people much more knowledgeable and experienced than myself…

Studying and practicing magick probably isn't what you're expecting. It certainly wasn't for me. I approached it with reverence and more than a little cautious fear. What most people "know" about magick and the occult comes mostly from entertainment or religion in one way or another. That is to say, what most people "know" is complete horseshit. The occult in general isn't "evil" or about Satanic worship. Hell, most Satanists don't even worship Satan. It's not even mostly about casting spells or communing with spirits (though that's certainly part of it, depending on what you're trying to accomplish and how you choose to do so)…