Re: Practice Suggestions By: Misanthropy Moderator / Adept
Post # 2 Nov 10, 2022
Well, what specifically are you interested in when it comes to magical practice? Do you have any specific areas that you would like to work with or gain more insight on?
I really like to do a daily spread for tarot practice. It helps me get to know the cards better and what they mean in context with each other and what I'm asking. You can find some pretty simple ones just by googling "daily tarot spread" or in the articles section of this site if you look up tarot.
For healing, I usually start with general energy work. I meditate for a bit, focus on creating a psi ball, and then I'll use lotion and kind of visualize the energy spreading into it and places on my skin or in my muscles that I feel could use it. For me, I like to use a scented lotion because it helps me relax too. Candles are nice sometimes too.
Lastly, I'm still kind of just getting into herbalism myself, but I ordered some different herbs and spices as well as tea bags that I could fill myself, to experiment with different blends and uses. There are other uses for herbalism of course, but this one has been my favorite so far. It's a very simple little thing and doesn't require a lot of ritual, so it's good for frequent use and getting to know how different herbs work together and the effects they can have.
I think instead of spreading your attention over a vast array of Topics, you should concentrate your energies on one or two and work to at least become Proficient in them, if not Mastering them, before moving on to other aspects.
It is also useful to note that both your Time and your Energy are very limited Resources, so it is best to focus them on a limited number of aspects so you can produce the Results you desire.
For any Novice, I strongly recommend beginning with three Fundamentals of Magick; Grounding, Defense/Warding, and Divination. Becoming proficient in Grounding gives you a base to access more Energy than you could draw on upon your own, becoming proficient in Defense/Warding will set up your defenses so you are less prone to Magickal misfires and mishaps--some of which could harm you Spiritually or Mentally, and becoming proficient in Divination will help you to gain an extra source of Guidance when progressing on your Magickal Journey.
After that, you should move on to a Topic that you are more innately attuned to. Do not worry if you don't know what that is, yet. The three Practices I outline above will aid you in realizing the answer to this on your own, if you don't already have some idea.
As an example, before I began studying Magick, I was already aware that I had high Proficiency in Divination. It is something that has always come quite naturally to me. But this Gift means nothing without the Guidance and Grounding to use it. It's somewhat like flipping a coin and seeing half the outcome with more clarity, whereas if I had been more established in Magickal Practice, and especially the three Fundamentals mentioned above, it would have been a far sharper, more precise clarity than what is offered to one uninitiated in the Disciplines of Magick. It is much like one who is a 'natural' Brawler; upon learning Martial Arts, those wayward but powerful strikes become more clean, precise, and even more powerful for the Experience gained from training one's body to refine one's Gifts into a systematized, disciplined approach. So too, must the Mind and Spirit be subjected to such disciplined Refinement to produce the best, most optimal, results.
Before every spell you do I would start by casting a circle because it can get rid of all negative energies and keep them out if you need to learn how to cast a circle read the following:
You can use a finger, a wand, or anything that can direct energies. Then you point it at the ground and walk in a circle while visualizing yourself in third-person and a beam coming out of the thing you're using and hitting the ground (Like a laser burning the ground and leaving a glowing trail behind) but don't visualize it burning the ground though, and once you complete one full circle stop, visualize a force field coming out from the marks on the ground and going all the way to the roof if you have one, but if not cover it with a top.
There you go that's how you cast a circle and it even works for people who don't believe in magick, because it made people do it, andat the time they didn't believe in magick but now they do because I showed them heaps of spells!
