Start with all your busses and faders at zero on your mixer. Have a flat EQ, meaning do not adjust the EQ knobs. Keep them straight up. This will give you the raw recording as the microphones picked it up. From there you will be able to make the song you are mixing sound the way you want it to, and you always know where to go back to if you want to reset the sound of the track you are working on.
Make sure all your tracks are labeled with the appropriate instrument or sound you have recorded. Set your levels by using the faders. It may be comfortable for you to start with drums, if there are drums, or low-end sounds. Remember that low-end frequency can sometimes only be felt when the frequency is low enough. If your speakers don't have sub frequencies, you may have to remix with that in mind. The low end gives warmth to a recording. Next, you can bring up mid-range instruments. This gives depth and sets the tone for the higher frequencies. Finally, bring up your high-end sounds, such as vocals. Situate all the sounds the way you like them. Play with it, experiment, and try this initial mix on different speakers. You can have a spare set with your audio equipment, or you can burn a CD and take it for a ride in your car, or play it on a boom box. This will give you a comparison and help you get to know your monitors better.
Effects are fun, no doubt about that. You can now add reverb, which gives the feel of the instrument being in a large room, delay, or an echo, and many other types of effects depending on the type of gear you are using. These can give your song character and depth. Play around with them to see what you like, or for a harder, punchier sound, you can leave your recording "dry," or without effects.
Last, EQ your tracks to make each stand out on its own, cleaning up muddier sounds that can populate the mid-range frequencies. Most instruments and vocals have a natural pitch that stands out, and some audio engineers like to emphasize that. You may need to cut out some of your low end to make the song less bass-driven. Experiment until your ears tell you it's how you want it, then burn your CD and listen to it everywhere new you can. Remember you can always go back and change your song.
The point of mixing music is to make your song sound how you want it to. A raw recording won't have proper levels and microphones don't always EQ the way you'd like your music to sound. To mix your music, you'll need a mixer, either analog or a computer program with digital files, a set of speakers you trust, and all of your tracks recorded in the medium you are mixing in.