What is Magick? - Part 4

This is Part 4 of What is Magick. Each Part in this series is an edited version of the entire article found at What is Magick? at Controverscial.com. This article was written and compiled by George Knowles, of whom we are very appreciative. I have divided the original article into sections because of length. You can visit Controverscial.com , a source of good information.

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The Mind

Magick begins within us, its already there, an intuitive knowledge and instinctive ability passed down to us through aeons of regenerated reincarnations, it sits there deep in the back of the mind waiting to be used. The mind needs to be trained in the techniques of meditation, visualisation, concentration and imagination if once again we desire to use these forgotten abilities.

Meditation:

Given the pace of life in society today and the stresses and worries that go with it, it’s difficult for most of us to gain relief and let go of our cares and woes. Meditation is one way to induce total relaxation and normally precedes any act of magick or ritual. Let’s face it; we cannot begin to work with magick, which requires our full concentration, if we are worried about mundane everyday things. Meditation is also the quiet time in which we release our hold on the conscious mind and confront our inner-self, or through our psychic awareness communicate with the deities.

Choose your time and place with care, ideally somewhere peaceful and quiet, and where you won’t be disturbed. Perhaps the last thing at night after all has gone to bed, or early in the morning before the household arises. Light a candle in a darkened room (White or blue symbolises spirituality and meditation, see Candles.), and burn appropriate incense if you wish (Lotus, Myrrh or Passionflower may help but use what feels right for you, see Incense). Sit comfortably in a chair and take a moment to savour your surroundings, the lighted candle glowing softly in the darkness, the scent of the incense stimulating the senses, feel and listen to the peace and quiet.

Relax as much as you can, empty the mind and think of nothing, breathe deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth, gradually your breathing rate will slow down. For those who haven’t tried this exercise before, care needs to be taken at this stage in case you fall asleep. If you feel sleep coming on, snap out of it and start again. As your breathing rate slows down and while inhaling, use your imagination to visualise incoming peace and tranquillity, while exhaling, visualise your hate, anger, tensions and worries leaving the body and dispersing. Feel yourself relaxing more into the chair.

Now we can open up the conscious mind allowing it to become receptive and alert. Your psychic mind will also open and awareness will grow each time you practice. Call out to the Gods and talk with them, discus your troubles and ask for advice, or look into yourself and see what you can find. Once you have finished meditating, it might be a good idea to record your findings, the thoughts, images and sensations you experienced, so you can pick up on it again the next time you practice.