What Magick is

Most people who are interested in Wicca first come to it because of an interest in Magick. Many Wiccans would say Magick is only a small part of the Wiccan Religion. If you’re speaking of spell craft, that is true.
In a broader sense Everything about Wicca is magick. Wicca is about transformation, creation and spiritual growth, the same thing that magick is all about.
What exactly is Magick? How does it work?

The Universe is composed of energy, as is everything around us.
We, to, are composed of energy. Thosands of years before our modern scientists began to teach this we already knew it. The Vedic sages Of India, The druids And then the witches taught us this fact.


“As above, So below”

Just as we live in this vast universe, So too do we hold whole universes within us, universes of a different nature, within the our microscopic make up.

The energy which holds the microscopic particle of our existence is called by many names but for this thread we will simply call it energy. It is not static or inanimate. Only by working with it can you come to understand it.

The shape this energy assume creates the pattern of the physical world around us. We interact with this energy every second of our lives. It renews us, transforms us or changes its shape within us constantly.

This constant change is driven by our unconscious thoughts and emotions, and we remain mostly unaware. It takes its shape from us.It is as automatic as it is unconscious. It is when we bring our conscious mind and will to bear on this process that it becomes a precise and deliberate skill. Which lies directly in our hands.
This Is Magick.

To be Continued…...
CM

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Magick---The art of conciously focusing and controlling the all-pervasive energy of the universe. It is thru our focussed will and effort that we use the universal energy to effect the things around us.Energy reacts to thought and emotion, so they can be used to control or influence it.

It isn't from the ordinary level of our concious minds that we do this. It would be a lot easier to teach if it were.

There are many ways we can perform magick. All have the same basic goal, to focus and direct energy from a higher state of conciousness. Visualization, trance, spellcraft( using external tools, candles,cords, etc.)rituals, chanting and toning, all these and many other techniques are used to create the necessary
shift in conciousness needed to create magick.

The best way depends on the individual. What works for one person may not work for another. Everyone is different.this is why it is important to study and try as many different techniques as you can. Only experience will tell you what will work best for you. Your growth depend upon your willingness to experiment and put to gether the techniques which will work best for you.

Magick is worked from the Higher Self. What ever helps you to connect to your higher self helps your magick.Regular meditaion and psychic exercises are valuable tools to strengthen that connection. The connection is like a muscle, growing stronger with use. The more you use it, even if you do not see success at first, the better you will become and the easier it will be.
Persistence is important.

In the beginning, the most important thing about magick is to concentrate and focus as much energy as you can into what you are doing. It is a lot like wishing very, very, hard. This level of concentration is always an aspect of magick, but after a while it will become automatic and won't take so much effort.

If you are visualizing, try to see what you are visualizing as clearly as possible. Make the image as concrete and three dementional as possible. Visualization is a strong aid to concentration.

Whatever magickal working you are attempting, what ever method you are using, try your best to put your whole being into it. The more of yourself you place into your Working, the more energy you can focus into it, the greater effect it will have.
CM

To Be Continued.....

A person performing Magick accesses a higher part of themselves, a change in consciousness which shows even in our very brain waves. Only at this level are we fully conscious.
It is not hard to reach this level - but it is hard to learn to do it at will. This is called SHIFTING CONSCIOUSNESS, and an experienced witch can do it easily, with no external effort or trappings. The novice witch, however should expect to put out some effort to effect this change in consciousness, and may have to work hard to master it.

A number of things may be used to help effect this change -specific words, ritual patterns, or items such as stones or artifacts which have power in themselves or which serve to put the person “in the right frame of mind” for example. These are KEYS which help us effect the shift in consciousness to access our higher self. They work on a symbolic level, bypassing conscious and unconscious limitations to act directly upon the higher self.

Through magic we influence or control the things around us. Magick is a great power, and can be a great responsibility, and you do well to use it wisely.
CM
Next: PSYCHIC HYGIENE

Thank you for posting this. A little vague at some parts, but very thoughtful. Looking forward to the next essay!

Excellent, Crone. I have found it amazing that it only took the scientists a couple thousand years to realize what the ancient mystics already knew.

I posted this because Of all the people asking me about shielding and this leads up to that. With all the problems I've had with my EVIL puter, I thot I'd put it on here. Has to be kinda vague, in places due to time, space limitations, etc. Sorry. lol.
CM

PSYCHIC HYGIENE
One of the most important aspects of magical working, which is equally important in every magical act you ever perform, is psychic hygiene. Psychic hygiene prevents energy from becoming blocked in your body, which can make it difficult to use energy properly.


Every time you do a magical work you raise energy -that is you focus and direct energy. When you have finished you will still have excess energy left in your body, which must be released. You might think that retaining this excess energy would be good, but it is not - it clogs up and causes problems. Too much of this excess energy can cause serious problems. So always practice good psychic hygiene.


You can sometimes tell if you have excess energy after a ritual or magical working if you find yourself feeling lightheaded, or off balance, or disoriented. Sometimes also it will manifest as a feeling of hyperactivity, an inability to be still - literally a feeling of excess energy. But even if you feel nothing unusual, you may still have excess energy and make it a point to clear and release as a matter of course.

Another word for clearing and releasing excess energy is GROUNDING

Psychic hygiene is always important when you do magic or psychic work. You should cleanse and release both before you begin, and especially after you finish. But this is not the only time its important.

Many people on a magical path tend to pick up energy from others -usually emotional energy. Such a people may find themselves picking up another person’s emotions, mood, or tension level, without knowing it. The same techniques of psychic hygiene can be used to release such “pick-ups” as well.

Moreover, because we tend to pick up from others in this way, it is important to practice PSYCHIC SHIELDING. Psychic shielding basically strengthens your own boundaries, so that you do not pick up any energy you don’t want. Its good to practice psychic shielding regularly, even daily, as it helps to keep the AURA strong.

These Exercises will help to develop your psychic and magic skills. Again, psychism and magic are essentially the same thing, psychism being receptive of spiritual influences, magic using these same skills actively to achieve specific ends.


Psychic-magical ability is rather like a muscle, which grows stronger with use. The more you exercise your abilities, the more abilities you will develop.

If you feel your level of skill is already far beyond these exercises, then think of them as a review of the basics, or perhaps a new view on the basics.


If you are starting from scratch and have never worked with these techniques before, practice them as much as possible. You should practice every day, and if it is possible for you, at the same time each day. If you cannot practice at the same time each day, it is good to try to do in the same part of the day -every morning, for example. This builds consistency and -believe it or not- really does make a difference to your progress.


How much you progress, and even whether you
progressdepends on you. The time and effort you put in are what will determine your growth in magical ability. Like anything else, practice makes perfect.


These exercises rely heavily on VISUALIZATION. Visualization is a very important magical technique. In magic our goal is to focus our energy very strongly toward the thing we want to bring about. When you visualize something, you imagine it very strongly, picturing it very clearly.

When you first try visualizing, you may have to close your eyes and try very hard. It gets easier with practice, and later you will be able to do it with your eyes open. When you visualize something, try to see it as clearly and strongly as you possibly can, a 3-D image - just as if you were looking at a physical object.


This is because you are using the image, and
the focus and concentration that go into it, to shape energy. You are not idly imagining a pretty fantasy, but actually affecting the universe on an energetic level.


Some people find it difficult to visualize. If this is true for you, then try to imagine what the energy FEELS like, rather than just what it LOOKS like. But don’t stop trying to visualize, as your ability to do so will improve with time, and the skill is of great importance.
CM

To Be Continued

GOOD HABITS
It is best to practice every day, to build skill. If at all possible it is best to practice at the same time each day. When you first begin to learn magic, it is best to practice on an empty stomach.

You should wear loose, comfortable clothes, or even better no clothes at all, and you should select a comfortable position to work in. All of these things will help you to be psychically “open.”


It is good to light one or more candles before you do your exercise. The candles will act as “batteries”, giving you extra energy. When a flame burns, it gives off energy, which will aid you in your exercise. Quartz crystal also serves to amplify the energy in this way, so it can be good to have some nearby, or even hold it during the exercise.


Some people also like to use incense to help them shift their consciousness. Some good incenses to use are Sandalwood, or Frankincense, or Lavender.

You can also use an essential oil. If you use oil, apply it to your forehead and the palms of your hands, as well as anywhere else you would like.

The first exercises are two of the most important basic practices you should know. These are PSYCHIC SHIELDING and GROUNDING AND RELEASING. These two techniques are the cornerstone of good magical practice, and their importance cannot be stressed too much.

PSYCHIC SHIELDING

Psychic shielding is very important. Sometimes we “pick up” energy from other people, without knowing we are doing so. Their moods or emotions may “bleed over” onto us, leaving us feeling angry, sad, tired, depressed, or whatever they are feeling -and not knowing where this emotion came from.

Also, sometimes people will deliberately send negative energy to us -even though that is a very bad thing which one should never do. Such negative energies cannot harm you, as long as you don’t let them in -but in daily life this is an unconscious process.

To one skilled in magic and psychism however, this process under ones direct conscious control. With psychic shielding we set the boundaries which keep out unwanted energy from others, but simultaneously strengthen our own Aura, or energy, keeping it healthy.

This exercise should be done daily, either when you go to bed or when get up, or as part of your daily psychic exercises.
Put yourself into a comfortable position and begin by releasing all tension and anxiety.


Visualize a ball of white light floating above you. Focus on the energy of the ball -know that it is full of love and strength and peace. Try hard to FEEL these qualities in the energy of the ball.

Now let the energy from the ball of light begin to flow down into you. The energy is a beautiful, clear white light. No matter how much light comes into you, the ball will remain equally strong for its true origin is the Goddess and it is a source of boundless spiritual energy.

Let the energy from the ball pour into you and flow throughout your body. Let it move out into your arms and legs, down into your fingers and toes.

Now let that light expand beyond your body. At first see the light expand just an inch out from your body. Now let it expand a little more -two inches, four inches... Let the light expand to form an oval around your whole body --an oval filled with clear, beautiful, loving white light from Goddess.

Now let that oval of white light expand to form a perfect circle of energy around you, expanding until it is about six feet across.

Now, in your mind affirm this:

“There is one power in the Universe, and I am a perfect manifestation of that power. As such I will that the boundaries of my aura shall be strong and healthy, repelling all unwanted energy while remaining open to positive and healing energy. Safe within these boundaries nothing can harm me, for I am filled with the strength of the Goddess. By my will, so mote it be -and it is so.”


Now let the visual image of the light dissipate, but know that its protection and strength remain with you.
Now clear and release all excess energy.

CLEARING AND RELEASING

Clearing and releasing of excess energy is extremely important. Its important to do this before a magical working so that your energy will flow freely. Its important to do after a magical working so that the excess energy that may be left in your body doesn’t cause you difficulties.

There are many signs of excess energy. Dizziness, lack of balance, feeling giddy or disoriented. Excess energy may also be marked by hyperactivity, inability to rest or sleep after a magical working.

There are many ways that are used to clear and release excess energy.
The following is a good method of clearing energy, and the one recommended you start with.

Use this technique before a magical or psychic working to release any tension or anxiety that you may be holding from the events of the day, so that your energy will flow freely. Use it after the working to release excess energy.

Put yourself into a comfortable position -it doesn’t matter if its sitting, kneeling, or laying down, but it should not be standing, as you may tend to loose your balance until you become proficient in the technique.

Visualize -that is to say imagine very strongly- a bright white light pouring down from above the top of your head and passing through your whole body, exiting through the soles of your feet.

Release all tensions, anxieties, and stresses in your being, imagine them flowing out of you along with the white light. Let it all pour out of you. Imagine the excess energy as little bits of darkness being carried away with the light as it flows through you. When the last little bits of darkness are gone, let the light stop coming down, and let the last of it flow out of you.

Another version of this uses the image of water, rather than light. Some people find it easier, because the image is more familiar. So if you have difficulty using light, try this;

Again, find a comfortable position. Imagine yourself lying in a river, with the water flowing through you, entering through the top of your head, and exiting through the soles of your feet.

Imagine the excess energy as leaves and twigs and other detritus as might fall into a river. See the water carry these things away from you. Again, when the last is gone, you are clear.

There are many other ways to do this as well. Some people imagine themselves standing before a beautiful lake. They imagine themselves being very dirty. They walk into the lake, until the water completely covers their head. Then they see themselves walking back out of the water, completely clean.

Other techniques visualize wind blowing through the person, to blow away the excess energy, or fire burning it away.

One can also use physical objects to help release energy.
One of the simplest ways to do this is to put a bit of salt on the tip of your tongue, or run the tips your fingers through some salt. This will have a natural grounding effect, eliminating the excess energy

In each case the excess energy returns to the Mother Goddess when you release it. She will recycle it, putting it to good use elsewhere. Some people like to say an affirmation when they release such as “I clear and release all excess energy.” or “I release this energy to the Goddess, to be used elsewhere.” This sets a clear intent, and can sometimes help to focus the process. It is not necessary to say the affirmation out loud.

All of these techniques are good, the white light, or else the water, are preferable as well as releasing excess energy they also exercise important psychic muscles that you will need later. But as in all things, the most important aspect is that it works well for you.
CM