I seem to be having trouble visualising & gathering energy to fuel spells. I'm relatively new to the idea of paganism (a few months experience)I do meditate daily but find it hard to concentrate. Could this be the problem? Thank-you
Darker is right. This is something that takes time to learn and do. Even if you "know it all" which is next to impossible, we can all hit a bump in the road. Keep trying and if it continues, see if something in your life or own mind could be interfering with your progress.
Try doing some exercises to help your focus and visualization skills. This skill comes with practice, and practice comes with time. It may be a short while or a long while, but you'll definitively get it
I could have sworn you wrote this same topic in lower case just yesturday and I responded with "look up the term 'cone of power'". Everyone has their own ways of raising energy but that is the most basic concept.
Posting the same topic more than once is considered spamming. It's not polite and annoys people. Once a member posts a response that answers the question, others aren't going to continue adding on because their is nothing more to say.
Being pagan has nothing to do with magick. That is you religious views not your ability to practice magick. If you mean that you are new to witchcraft or some other form of magick, then your statement would make more sense.
As for being able to concentrate. Unless you have A.D.D. you have focused on something in your life for a long period of time. Ever watched a movie? Played a video game or board game? Read a book? Drew a picture? Performed a task without stopping? If you had no ability to concentrate, you wouldn't be able to succeed in any of these things. But I'm sure you do, which means you have no problem with focus and concentration.
Most people who feel they can't concentrate in meditation aren't having problems with concentration. They are trying too hard. Meditation isn't hard work! It is actually all about relaxing ! Just existing and enjoying it.
Have you ever just "zoned out" staring into space with not a thought in your mind? Then your friend waves their hand in front of your face saying "hello?!" That wind whistling through your brain at the moment is the "no thoughts" part of meditation. But when thoughts do come after reaching this point, we are to acknowledge them and let them go again, because now we have reached the subconscious thoughts we don't normally get to hear, this is also known as the "higher self".
Once we achieve the lack of conscious thought, and settle down our subconscious ones by going through them and acknowledging what they have to tell us, we get to a point where we can begin focusing on a single idea. For me it is "live in the present". I don't focus on words, I just feel the moment, become apart of it. To me it makes me feel as though time has stood still or doesn't exist at all. Nothing matters beside me and the moment.
When we practice magick, we must be living in that moment. We must have all of our focus and attention on what we are doing, our goals, our desires, our emotions pertaining to it--all of our being wanting one particular thing. We do not want our life's problems getting in the way. We cannot be thinking about how someone insulted us yesturday, we could get laid off from work soon, we can't pay that bill on time, our mother isn't well, we have to clean the house, there's an awesome party next week we are invited to....NO! These things can't be swimming around our heads while we doing a spell or ritual.
Meditation mentally prepares us for this, so we don't let our minds wander. It helps us to learn how to quickly reach the proper state of mind.
I've been meditating since I was 9 years old. I've already begun teaching my daughter at the age of 5. If children can do it, so can you, it just takes time and practice. It isn't rocket science.
Those who do have A.D.D. need to cut the technology out of their lives and pick up a hobby, such as art, crafts, stamp collecting, cooking, sewing, hiking, whatever! Evening the repetitive motion of ironing can slow down our minds. These things help to facilitate concentration and can actually reverse such tendencies. Technology with all its pretty colors and fast movement actually programs our minds to work faster and have decreased attention spans. And that's a fact!
practice. when i began, i repeated 'one' over and over in my head, all other sounds and thoughs melted away and all i heard was 'one'.
in regards to building energy, there are other ways, for instance, chanting or dancing will build your energy. personally i meditate, but if i need a little extra, i make a tea to increase my energy.
I am sorry if I have annoyed anyone by posting this question various times but my computer firewall decided to dis-allow me to look at the replies. sorry!
