Three questions concerning the use of magick

Religious Conflict

The first question concerning the use of magick: What is your religion?  Is it compatible with magick? Do you wish to change religions to a magickal one or simply merge what you have? There is much debate on this topic, but here is my opinion: Most religions ban magick as evil and have severe penalties, either now, in the eternal, or both for practitioners of any form of magick.

More than likely, your current religion will not mix with magick. Many practitioners have to break from their current belief system and form/join a comfortable hybrid religion. Also, the option of simply abandoning what you currently know as religion and radically changing your belief system is open. It rarely works, due to moral and emotional conflicts, but it is still an option.

Your Nature

The second question concerning the use of magick: What is my nature?  This question spawns many different answers. Some like aggressive magick to attack an adversary (or a friend's adversary). Many use protective magick to shield themselves and their friends from the stormy blast of other magick. Many people abandon the idea of combative magick all together and opt for enchantments to ease the burdens of life on everybody, such as blessings and prosperity spells. Here are most of the major classes of witchcraft (as far as I can tell, all spells can be accounted for within these castes):

Classes of Witchcraft

• Witch - Expert at Psychic and Mental Control, and Spells of Willpower.
• Elementalist - Expert with the collection and use of elemental energy.
• White Mage/Wizard - Expert of Protective and Defensive Spells.
• Black Mage/Sorcerer - Expert of Destructive Spells and Black Magick.
• Druid - Masters of Nature and Natural Forces.
• Diviner - Experts of Future and Fortune telling.
• Healer - Expert with spells of healing and health.

After deciding what you want (or, more accurately, what you are able to do), it is time to confront the third, and most difficult question concerning the use of magick. What do you want? This is by far the most difficult. At this point the  witch must decide how to shape their universe. Do you want money? Design a prosperity spell. Do you want power? Create a node. Do you want knowledge? Learn demon conjuration (or scrying for the white mage). Once you have the power, you must figure out how to use it. Wow! Enjoy figuring out the intrinsics of how to use abilities on your own.

Find Your Fundamental Ability

Now, keeping in mind the basic list of caster types given previously, choose your type (or should I say, let it choose you.). You will, as a rule, fall under one of these categories. If you do not, you do not know your talent. Find your magickal niche and exploit it. If I could offer one bit of advice, which I can, it would be this: Take Your Time! The decision process is long and hard. You can not just sit down one night, ponder your brains out and emerge with the answer. Try diligently to find out what you can do, and then determine what you can do with it.