Advice to a Young Witch

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Advice to a Young Witch

Granny Gemma (translated by Debby Legner)

So, you want to be a witch. Look around you, girl. Witchcraft ain’t a real healthy profession in the Stormlands these days. Them necros is grabbin’ and torturin’ any witch they find, hoping to steal her secrets and power. Hah! As if a witch kept her power in her pocket and could just hand it over, nice as you please. The only power a witch has is that of the sweet earth through the blessing of Elethay. O’ course no necro can understand that so they goes on hunting and killing witches. Take my advice, girl, go home! Find yourself a nice bidable farmer and settle down and raise crops and fat babies.

Oh, you are a stubborn lass. Determined to be a witch are ye? Alright then, listen and heed my words. Witchcraft is subtle magic, quiet and practical. If you want showy stuff, fame and fortune - go be a wizard. The best witches come from the common folk, them that’s spent generations working the land. They have a deep-rooted connection to the earth that makes it easier to touch its magic.

It takes a special touch to do earth magic. Let’s see if it’s in you. Center yourself, let your mind sink into the earth beneath your feet. Feel the life there: small critters grubbin’ in the dirt, the spark of life in a seed, the young shoots striving for the light. Touch the weight of the land, the hardness of stone, the bright darkness of secret waters. Now, listen with your soul. Do you hear it? The harmony of spirit that connects all these tiny lives below and all the life above, this is the earth’s power. Draw it into you. Not too much! just a tiny thread. Let it fill your heart and create a quiet pool of it in your mind. Now you are ready to learn to be a witch. Do you see this drooping plant? Study it, feel its life, its need. Now, gently, give it strength - not so much - just enough to let it straighten up. There. Can you sense where the problem lies? Yes, there, where a cut has let fungus enter. First kill off the fungus spores. Easy, too much and you’ll kill the plant. Now heal up the cut. Good! You might just make a witch yet. Remember, a tiny bit of magic applied at the right spot will often do more than a big noisy splash of it. It’s also harder to detect if you’re a necro out witch hunting.

One other thing to remember, you’ll never get rich doin’ witchcraft. Find yourself another job to put food on the table. If you’re an herbalist or a healer, folks can come to you anytime without raisin’ suspicion or ruinin’ your reputation.

That’s it. The rest is mostly practice. Keep your eyes open and your spirit rooted in the good earth. Elethay bless and keep you. Now, get going! I has bread to bake.