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

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      Because the energies of the Elements are the key to working magic then it is important that we really understand our internal Elemental balance. Any imbalance will have to be addressed before we can work magic, otherwise the results may not be what we intended. Working magic when Air is dominant can result in spending all your energy on going over the problem but little personal involvement. Of course, if Air is absent, then the spell will not be thought through or may be misdirected. If Fire is dominant then there is the risk that a spell may be fired off in anger, and regretted later! If Fire is absent then you are unlikely to have the strength of feeling to actually put the magic into action. Where emotions are high, and Water is dominant, it is hard to focus on anything and your spell will almost certainly come to nothing, if indeed you actually complete it. Where the emotions are not involved then there will be no feeling. When Earth is over-emphasized then there is a tendency to expend all your energy on the physical bits and bobs which come with magic, like the tools, candles, etc rather than actually making the magic work. Without Earth then it is unlikely you will even get around to doing anything. This understanding of the way we really feel would be a lot easier if we were all truly in touch with ourselves all of the time. However, once we leave early childhood we are all taught to reign in our feelings, not to show anger or weep open tears. We even learn to suppress some of our physical needs; not eating because it is not the ‘right’ time, concealing discomfort to wear fashionable or ‘correct’ clothing, etc. For these reasons it is important to spend time learning how to get to know our inner feelings as they really are, rather than the way we hope they are.

      PRACTICAL WORK 2

       During parts of the following exercises you may access some fairly strong feelings, so before you begin it is a good idea to make sure you are prepared to deal with these and are able to bring yourself back to ‘normal’. In the Craft we sometimes call this returning to ourselves ‘grounding’ or ‘earthing’, and it is something which should take place after any kind of meditation, as well as any form of magical working. Probably the best way to ground yourself is to have a warm drink and something to eat, preferably sweet, to replenish your physical energy as well. Alternatives include briskly rubbing your arms and legs with your hands, or fairly strenuous but tedious physical activity such as doing the vacuuming!

      Dealing with strong emotions can be somewhat harder, and often it is best to allow them to work themselves through; if you feel like crying then do so, if you feel anger then go and pummel a pillow or cushion, and so on. Because these exercises can arouse strong feelings you may want to ensure that you will have privacy both during and afterwards. Part of the object is to learn how to handle your feelings, so please don’t try to suppress them. On the other hand, many people find that they have no residual effects after the experiences, and this, too, is perfectly normal. As with the preceding exercises only try to deal with one Element on any one day and write it up as soon as you can.

      

      Air – In some respects, deliberately bringing the Element of Air, and thought, to the fore is the hardest to achieve; as it is hard to think, and think about how you are thinking, at the same time. Because of this here is a selection of exercises you can choose from:

       Imagine you are going away for a few days. Try to choose somewhere particular but which you have not visited before. Take a pen and paper and make a list of everything you think you might need to take with you. Plan for every situation, event and weather you can sensibly imagine happening. Be as detailed and thorough as you possibly can. When your list is finished, make a second list, this time assuming you can only take one very small bag. When both are complete, compare the way you felt whilst compiling each.

       In your head, calculate the number of seconds in a year or, if you find this easy, the number of seconds you have been alive.

       Imagine a conversation with someone you know fairly well, but make it about a subject neither of you knows a lot about. Try to imagine what each of you will say, and make it last for at least ten minutes.

      Afterwards, consider how it felt to be strictly focused on mental activity: were you at all aware of your body, or other aspects of yourself?

      

      Fire – If you have a real fire then this is best, otherwise place several candles in front of a mirror so that you can see lots of flames. Do make sure that they are in secure holders and not likely to set the room on fire! Now recall a time when you were really very angry – anger is often the easiest passion to recall. Think through the whole situation from the first things that upset you until you can really feel the anger rising up inside of you. Once you are truly angry, stop for a moment and think about how your whole body and mind feel. You may find that you are shaking, sweating or have other physical symptoms. If another person was the cause of this anger, ask yourself how you would feel about working a healing spell for that person right now. Once you have explored the sensations, either work through the feeling or let it subside naturally. Make notes on the build-up of feelings, how you felt when they were at their most powerful and how you felt as they were released or subsided.

      Water – To explore your emotions do both parts of this exercise: In the first part run yourself a deep, pleasantly warm bath. Make sure that you have a specially warm and fluffy towel to hand for afterwards, and a box of tissues within reach just in case. Once you are in the water think back to an event which was particularly sad; perhaps the loss of a pet, or the break-up of a relationship. Again, allow yourself to really experience the feelings that made up the emotion. Write this up fully as before.

      Do the second part on a separate occasion: Choose a humorous book to read or film to watch, making sure it is something which will really make you laugh out loud; often this will be something you are already familiar with. Alternatively, recall a really funny situation that happened to you, or which you have heard about. Allow the humour to build, and afterwards give thought to how you felt. When you write this up, compare it with experiencing sadness and see what, if anything, you feel the build-up of the two emotions have in common, and what is different about each. Also compare the way they leave you feeling once they have subsided.

      

      Earth – This exercise is one which may take several attempts to complete, as lots of people fall asleep when first trying. It is, however, something you might like to repeat many times as it is very relaxing. Prepare for bed in the usual way: if you are in a relationship you may need to have an early night when your partner will join you later. Lie on your back with no pillows under your head. Try to ensure you are lying

      straight with your feet slightly apart and your arms beside you but not touching your sides. Focus on your breath until you are breathing slowly and evenly in through your nose and out through your mouth. Now, starting with one foot, move one toe at a time, then stretch and flex the foot. Do the same with the other foot. If you can’t actually move your toes one at a time, do your best. Now flex the ankles one at a time, then rotate them. Going slowly up your body, bend and flex each muscle group or joint as best you can. Continue right up to moving your neck, chin, mouth, eyes, eyelids and eyebrows. If you are still awake, repeat the process in reverse. When you have finished, your whole body should feel completely relaxed. Lie there for a few moments and think about how each part of your body felt before, during and after you moved it. Imagine your mind travelling through all the parts and try to see them in your imagination. Ask yourself how they really feel: are there any aches, pains or discomforts? Which parts feel good, which don’t? The following day, and only after you have written up the first part, stand naked in front of a mirror and make a point of looking at all the parts of your body. Compare how you feel about the way each looks, with how they actually felt in the movement exercise.

      

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