Many teens nowdays are forming small groups of three or four people that study Wicca. Regrettably, the purpose of these groups seems often to be not the study of Wicca and magic, but to learn manipulative spells, similar to such movies as The Craft.

This is bad.

You may have spellbooks. That's not, in itself, a bad thing. What's bad is when you have spellbooks without the ethical and moral constraints of Wiccans and/or Witches.

If you're involved in one of these groups, I suggest you host a gathering at whichever house has the best Net access and take them to The Witches' Voice. Be sure to introduce them to the religious aspect of Wicca, as well as the alternatives of Christian Witchcraft. Don't go straight for the nearest online spellbook. That's not what the Net is for. You could also print out the best pages of information and haul them along the next time you get together with the others.

If you want something done right, do it yourself, I always say. Don't count on anyone else for your spiritual guidance and happiness. If you find, after studying Wicca or Witchcraft for a while, that the others in your group do not want to move on to higher-level studies, leave them behind. They're obviously not interesed in pursuing anything worthwile or lasting.

For some people, Wicca is a phase. They say they're Witches or Wiccans for a few years while they're teenagers and then drop it when they get bored with it. Get used to these people. Wicca isn't what they really want; they want power, and to them, Wicca looks like that perfect way to get it. Sooner or later they discover that it won't solve all their problems.

You may be one of these people. If you are, get over it and get on with your life. Wicca isn't for pissing off your parents, it's not for attracting boys just so that you can play the heartbreaker, it's not for getting laid. Don't mistake Wicca for the key to popularity.

If you are seriously interested in Wicca, and the rest of your group is, too, you're lucky. You're incredibly lucky. You've got not only a study group set up, but also a circle of people who know you for who you are--and accept you. Information can be shared, resources can be pooled, and you can cover for each other.

I know that studying can be a drag, but trust me, for the person who really wants to be Wiccan, it's worth it. Read. Watch videos if you have them. Read out loud to each other. Practice using herbs and crystals in spells. Quiz each other on the correspondences. If one person has a different view on the correspondences, listen to their reasons why, and accept their views as equally valid. Gather flowers and herbs together (use caution in this--it's easy to mistake one plant for another). Start a garden. Apartment dwellers can often set up a pot garden, on their balcony if they have one, on their windowsill if they don't.

Being a teenaged Pagan is going to be everything from a deeply fufilling experience to a royal pain in the ass. You'll get teasing. You'll get people who just want to use your powers for their gain. You'll discover just how many people really don't know what they're talking about.

But in the end, if Wicca is right for you, it'll all be worth it.