***Courtesy of Nuksa***
Introduction
Basics are, quite simply, the basics of magic. A basic is a building block, a foundation for the building you are about to build. In this case, the building you are building is a life path, it is a way of living your life such that you grow internally, and as a result further yourself in life.
Magic isn't simply about gaining power over another person, or over your situations in life. Yes, it can be used to these ends, but that doesn't mean that that is all there is. Yes, dabbling in magic and the occult is what a lot of people like to do, and usually, it ends poorly, possibly stinging the person, and causing them to fear it. There is actually nothing to fear either from magic or the occult if you treat it with the proper respect.
The basics that you will see included here are not the same basics that everyone lists, nor are they the same basics that I list. Here I use the basics most commonly given, and while I will give the correspondences the western meanings they normally hold, I will also give an explanation on each of them individually, giving my own personal flair on the topic at hand. Feel free to ask questions as you wish, whether that be here, in chat, or within mail, and if anyone would like to add comments or ways of doing things, please feel free to do so.
Meditation
Meditation is used to bring about a different state of mind within a person, whether that be angry or calm. Yes, I know, I know, meditation is usually used relax a person into a state where they are at peace with their mind. However, a person can be brought to a certain point where they realize that magic isn't just about being calm and within their element. At this point, they come to realize that they are within their element even when angry, if that anger is within a person's full self, if that anger coincidences with the person's true will, then it is within their element.
Meditation is about being brought to a state where one can perform the working they wish to occur. For instance, if one were doing a curse, where all it required was carving and burning a candle, then what they may do is meditate on the person, why they are doing this curse, and what they want to happen. Then, while in an angered state, they will care out the candle as they wish, seeing what will happen to the person within their mind. In another instance, a person would meditate to calm their inner self in order to curse someone. They say revenge is best served cold after all.
Meditation is something that many people find it difficult to achieve. There are actually several ways to meditate. You can do so laying down, standing up, sitting up, in the lotus position, etc. As I have said before, you can do so in any way you so wish to do so, it doesn't matter how or why.
First, sit or lay down in a comfortable position where if you are sitting for any given length of time you will remain comfortable, yet awake. Now, close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly.
As you do so, if your objective is to bring yourself into a calmed state, then do so by feeling each part of your body separately and relaxing all of your muscles while doing so. Start with your feet. Relax the toes, then the foot, the leg, then begin with the other leg. Move through the body. Once you do this, relax your mind. Let your thoughts pitter off until they are nothing until you are left with a calmed mind.
If your objective is to get angry, you work towards things that make you angry. You can start off in the relaxed state, and slowly, one by one introduce these things, or you can work your anger up from what you already feel.
If you have difficulties slowing down your mind, you can do a sort of chaotic meditation, where you follow your thoughts until they come to a point where you stop it.
However, you choose to meditate doesn't matter, nor does how long you choose to meditate. You will know when to stop when you reach your stopping point.
Visualization
Visualization is the act of giving rise to our imagination. It sounds very strange to put it to terms like that, however, I will explain. When we visualize, we allow our imagination to take over, showing us the image, the picture that we wish to see. Yes, you'll say that's all well and good, but imagination is not real. Wrong, imagination is as real or you and I, imagination created the civilization around us, and it created the gods as we see them today (as opposed to how they actually are).
When you work with visuals, you place images in your mind that you want to see occur, or you place images in your mind to bring you to a certain place or state of being. For instance, you visualize a goal you want to reach, like winning that brand new car or an award; you visualize when angry your happy place and you can visualize different scenery to relax the self during meditation.
Visualization is simply about seeing things within your own mind using your imagination. In meditation, this can go further steps by bringing in spirit guides and higher selves, who yes, are indeed really there, however that is something to discuss at another time. Visualization is as real and helpful to you as you make it.
An easy way for practicing visualization is to take an apple (or an other object), sit in front of you, study the apple for a few minutes, then close your eyes and put yourself into a meditative state. Within this state, recall all the details of the apple that you can, both 2-D and 3-D, until you reach a point where you cannot recall anymore. Open your eyes and compare the visual image of the apple with its true image. This will allow you to discover how lifelike your visuals are/can be.
If you have issues with this, never fear, some people are simply less visually inclined than others. You can either practice until you come to a point where such visualizations become easy for you, or you can abandon it to other procedures.
Centering:
Centering is bringing oneself to your center. Technically speaking, what I described in the first practice of feeling your energy is centering. The reason behind this is that for me, many of the parts of magic are inseparable. Your center or core is what is you at the basis of you, it is what you have left when you throw off superficiality and all the rest. It is your being.
To center, sit down and meditate. Feel the core of yourself, it is like a central column of pure self, whether it be like fire or ice for you, whatever it is, is at the center of your body. Feel it, and spread this core throughout your body, until every inch of you is one whole of yourself.
Grounding:
Grounding is used to basically neutralize the energy of you. Through our lives, we tend to pick up all kinds of shit that isn't good for us. Through talking to different people (who are dealing with their own negative problems), being in places that tend to make people depressed, sad, or upset (hospitals, police stations, libraries, department stores, etc), or anything else really, we pick up the negative energies, often without realizing that we are doing so. We need to get rid of these negative energies every so often, by breaking down, running, or doing some activity that allows us to relax and put our stress away from ourselves. Working with the exercises below is just another way to do so. The second one works better for me because I've never been one to go with the easy route.
Sit down and meditate. When you are to a calm state, visualize roots growing out of your root chakra or out of your feet. As the roots grow, grow not only down, but spread out as well. Feel the energy of the earth, reach your roots towards the core of the earth. As you touch it, sink your roots into it. Through your roots, push the negative inside of you towards the ground, towards the center, with an intention of it changing to the energies of the earth. After doing this, use your roots like a tree does and pull some of the neutral energy of the earth into yourself. Feel it filling you up, then when you are full stop pulling the energy into you. Pull your roots out of the ground slowly, visualizing each root coming back the way it came. Then come out of this state.
Sit down and meditate. See the darkness around you, as you sit there, visualize a door before you. Reach for the doorway and open the door. As you go through the doorway, look around to find yourself within a scenery where you find a tree (the scenery doesn't matter but the easiest is a forest). This tree will be different from any tree you've seen in some way, it calls to you against any other trees or scenery within your visualization. Go to this tree and ask to sit under its branches. If the tree gives permission, sit and lean your back against it. Ask if this tree will help you along your journey to becoming a more balanced individual by helping to rid you of negative energy. If the tree responds yes, then relax into the bark and work with what the tree does.
If the tree doesn't give permission to sit under it, ask if it will help you out in general. If not, ask why and find out why. If it has some issue with you or something to ask of you in return for its help, then fix the issue and/or ensure you do what has been asked of you. No reason to get a helpful tree spirit upset over broken deals.
Energy Flow and Control:
Within energy flow and control I include basic lessons on it that you should try out when you get a chance to, shielding and circle casting, as well as my take on grounding and centering. The reason behind my order is simply this, it makes no sense to me to expect a person to use their energy if they do not know how to sense it and work with it.
Energy flow and control entails working with your own energy to cause something to occur; this is the basis of all magic workings, whether they be intentional or unintentional. At all times, in all moments, you are working with your own energy to cause a reaction in the world around you. Oftentimes this goes unnoticed until you bring yourself to a state of awareness about your being.
The importance of the energy flow portion is that you put the right amount of energy into something, whether it be something of small influence or large, whereas the control allows you to cause the result you desire, and not let the working go willy-nilly.
Practice some of the following to get into the rhythm of energy flow and control, or just as a general practice to keep from getting rusty. Don't worry if you don't get it in the first try. Keep trying or change it so you can do it better your way.
This practice is to feel your own energy:
Sit down and meditate (to calm yourself and focus). When you reach the state where you are at peace within yourself, since your heartbeat first. Focus on the energy around your heart, focus on the being of yourself. Follow the blood's flow through the body, feel how everything emanates outwards from your heart, feel the incorruptible part of yourself, the whole part of yourself, occupying your body. Move your hand slowly, and feel how you follow along with the body as if there are two yous occupying one space. Stay in this state as long as you desire, however when you are done, bring yourself out of the meditation slowly, and when you open your eyes, slowly move your body rather than jumping right up. (The reason behind this is because a few times I've nearly fallen over after meditating.)
This practice is to begin working with your energy. It is called a psi ball.
Sit down and meditate. Reach the state described above where you sense your own energy. Once you have, place your hands slightly together, in a cupped form around each other. Visualize a ball forming between your hands, this ball can be of any color you so choose. You may feel a sensation on your hands, or you may not. It really depends on the individual. After this ball is created, roll it back and forth between your hands, keeping the visual of it being a ball within your mind. Once you are grounded in this, toss the ball at the wall, see it bouncing off and back into your hands. It may or may not disappear when you bounce it off the wall. Work on that for a bit. After a time, do different things with the ball. Build tentacles or spikes on the ball and have it stick to the wall, have it bounce on the wall without you moving your hands. This is practice so nothing is right or wrong.
You can go further than these, building ropes, castles, pictures, etc. Anything can be made of energy, but remember that doesn't make it physical.
This practice is to feel the energy of others, the particular one in this example is the earth, however, this can be done with anything and anyone.
Sit down and meditate. As you bring yourself to a state of calm, since your own energy as in the practice above. Then, move out from yourself. Sense the earth below you, first with just the dirt, and the energy in it, then in the plants and trees. Move on to the center of the earth, sensing the energy that all of our world contains. Feel the differences and the similarities between your energy and the energy of the earth. When you are done with this, back off from the energy of the earth slowly, and return to yourself, then flow out of your meditative self