As a Witch, how do I know I'm ready?

I shared a book I found to be excellent, Plant Magic for the Beginner Witch by Ally Sands. I want to add Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal magic by Scott Cunningham. Scott's book has excellent correspondences regarding elemental rulers, which works well with books regarding herbalism. Each plant has a correspondence to a planet/element, Fire, Air, Water and Earth.
We draw our knowledge from books. We experiment, and we record in our Book of Shadows. Did this operation work better with X plant versus Y?
Books are guides only. They trigger our subconscious, our psychic selves. This is why your experiences are written down.
Taking hold of one's ceremonial path can be daunting. Our society trains us to have someone else (Priest, Rabbi) to lead us. Someone ordained, licensed. So taking hold of one's path is a powerful step.
You eventually have to trust your inner voice. Obviously knowledge is very important-if herbalism is your thing you have to know what is dangerous. You also have to know that people can have allergic reactions. You have to know about some physiology. There is a lot to know.
Many things work together. Plants work with crystals, the earth. For example why is the tobacco from Kentucky US the best in the world? Because of the limestone in the soil. I learned that from a soil scientist.
Soil has an impact on plants, so knowledge of soil, earth, is important. You see how many things are connected.