The Real Witches’ Craft: Magical Techniques and Guidance for a Full Year of Practising the Craft. Kate West

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СКАЧАТЬ Search out some Pagan and Wiccan chants; the Witchcraft Museum at Boscastle produces a CD and my own Coven has also released one of their own. Look for chants which are simple to learn, and repetitive. Learn a couple of these and practise them with, and without, drumming or clapping. Start slowly and gradually increase the pace until you are chanting as fast as you can. The advantage of producing your own music is that you can vary the pace to build the energy you develop.

      In the Craft we tend to use a sequence of three or four chants, each repeated several times, and often ending with a repeat of the first. To give you some idea of this, the following is a sequence we might use, each of the chants being repeated four times before moving on to the next:

      

       ‘Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna.’

       ‘Lady of the Moon, Lady of the Moon. Come to us, be with us, Lady of the Moon.’

       ‘Power of the music, Power of the song, Power of the magic, Pass the magic on.’

       ‘Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna.’

      If you have worked through the above exercises you will know how it feels when energy has been raised and should also be aware of the effect it can have on your magic.

      WORKING WITH EMOTIONS

      There are also ways of raising energy which do not require physical activity, but these are, for most people, much harder to achieve and control. One of these techniques is evoking and focusing very strong feelings. The problem with this is, as mentioned above, that it is quite difficult to focus and direct energies when we are personally involved. However, it is worth working on this, as for some people it can be very effective.

      PRACTICAL WORK 4

       Think back to an occasion when you were in the grip of very strong feelings. It is important that you choose an occasion sufficiently in the past for you to be able to distance yourself from the feeling, whilst at the same time being able to revisit it.

      Think through all the circumstances of that occasion until you can actually ‘feel’ the emotion in question. While you are doing this, try to separate the emotion from the energy that is building within you. This is not easy and you may need to experiment with several memories and feelings. For some people, anger is often the easiest to work with as, whilst we can recall it, it is easier to distance ourselves from the actual emotion. But another feeling which can be accessed is fear: if you think back to a really scary moment in a film, you can often recall the energy-surge you felt, whilst being unaffected by the fear, which you now know to have been generated by the skills of the movie makers.

      

      Once you have identified the feeling of energy rising within you, see if you can take hold of that and bring it into being by thought alone. For most people this will need a lot of practice, but if you persevere you will be able to summon energy at will.

      As you practise techniques for raising energy you will soon learn which are most effective for you. You will also find that you can easily tell the difference between effective energy raising and the occasions when it does not come readily. You can use this knowledge to help you to determine when you are in a position to work effective magic. For we all have times when it is better not to try to work our spells. This may be because we are tired or ill. But it can also be because our elements are unbalanced, so if you feel sure that you are well and sufficiently rested you might try to revisit some of the exercises from the preceding chapter before trying again. Of course, there will also be some occasions when magic does not work for reasons which are not easy to identify; in this case it is better to put it aside and perhaps try again the following day.

      

      Having the ability to raise energy is not enough on its own; we need to contain it, which is why we cast the Circle before starting our magic. The Circle has two functions: one is to contain the energy we have raised, otherwise it would simply dissipate rather than building up. The second function is that of protection; for once we open up our inner mind to allow the release of energy, we also open ourselves to energy from outside, and not all energies may be positive. The negative thoughts and feelings of those around us can also influence us and the magic we work, and the Circle protects us from these. Another way we can protect both ourselves and our magic, as well as build the maximum amount of energy, is by keeping silent about our magic. When we tell others about our magical intentions, there is firstly the possibility that someone may find out who could disapprove of the spell. This person may actively, or subconsciously, send negative energy in our direction, which could influence either us or the spell itself. This is why, when you work magic with others, everyone has to agree with the nature of the magic, for even passive disapproval will influence it. Not only that, but the more we discuss our intention, the more we reduce the actual energy we can put into it. Think of it this way: when you are upset by someone or something, you tell others and gradually the telling reduces your strong feelings. Likewise in magic, the more you talk about your intention, the more you dissipate the energy you could have directed towards it.

      GIVING FORM TO ENERGY

      For many Witches it is not enough simply to think about raising energy, it helps to give that energy a form. One of these forms is called the Cone of Power. In this, the energy is raised in a circular manner into an upward-pointed cone, which rises above the centre of the Circle. The energy is built up, layer by layer, using the base of the Circle as its starting point, and rising high above. It is usually visualized as a white, or electric-blue light, which can be focused into a powerful beam. Once the Cone comes to a point, and it is felt that no more energy can be added, it is released towards its intended destination. The Cone of Power can also be used as a sort of beacon, especially in magic which is intended to draw something or someone towards you, as when seeking a teacher or mentor in the Craft, or when looking for a Coven.

      

      Another form is that of the Earth Dragon. This is most usually used in earth healing magics. This huge dragon is visualized as being coiled up within the planet. It can help to visualize the Earth as seen from space, and it is woken by the raising of energy, before being directed towards the needs of the planet or nature.

      PRACTICAL WORK 5

      Find a picture or photograph of the Earth as seen from space; if you can find a selection of views you may find it helpful. Next find an image of a dragon; one which looks powerful, but is also attractive to you. If you can, make the dragon picture very nearly as large as the Earth image. Then superimpose the dragon over the image of the Earth. Place this composite picture somewhere you can see it and spend a few minutes each day contemplating it. As you do so, try to visualize the dragon actually blending into the planet.

      

      Once you can do this, then move on to visualizing the dragon uncoiling from the Earth and flying, deosil, around the planet. Practise these visualizations, without trying to work any magic with them, until you feel that you can really see the dragon in your mind’s eye. At this point you may find that the dragon in your mind is not the same as the one in the picture, but this is quite usual. Many of us find that the visualized Earth Dragon becomes quite ‘real’ to us with practice, and takes on a life of its own. As with other exercises, make a point of noting down your thoughts and feelings after each session, and this way you СКАЧАТЬ