Visualization

Visualization is the process of seeing that which you want to be. It is one of the single most important skills to develop if you wish to be able to perform magic. It is also taught in many self-help systems. By seeing what you want to happen, you are better able to direct energy toward that specific goal. Conversely, by seeing things you do not want to happen, you make undesirable outcomes more likely. In order to make your wishes become reality, you have to learn both how to see the positive and understand how to eliminate negative visions. Both take practice.

You can learn the basics of positive visualization from the exercises below. The secret to eliminating negative thoughts and visions is even simpler to explain, and much harder to do. First, become aware of your negative thoughts. Take a day (a week if you can), and write down every negative though that occurs to you in the course of your normal life. If a specific thought, or theme of thoughts, frequently occurs, tackle those first.

After you have recognized your negative thoughts, make a conscious effort to replace them with positive thoughts. Some negative thoughts can be fed by the argument "but it's true!" So what? Work on making it not true anymore! Maybe you ARE overweight (or have anxiety, or hypertension, or are depressed, or any huge number of other issues) - that doesn't mean you will always be overweight (or whatever), right? If negative thought are fed by negative actions, replace the negative actions with positive ones. Get up early rather than rushing in the morning. Plan a little farther in advance. Simply put, break any negative cycles. Replace them with positive ones.

The human mind is built in such a way that we can't truly think of something not happening. We can only think of something happening instead of what we don't want. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of books, websites, audio programs, seminars, and classes on the positivity and positive thinking. It survives because it works. But, it only works if you work at it. This is true of visualization, magic, and of almost anything worth having in life. Some examples from my life that I am working on NOW (as of February 2010):

Visualization Exercises

Visualization is used in almost every spell, from the simplest personal protection spells to the most complex and powerful of ceremonial magics.

Basic Exercise

• You will need a coin. This is the only tool you will use for this exercise.
• Clear your mind and your immediate area of any and all distractions
  • Turn off the TV and radio
  • Turn of your telephone ringer
  • If necessary, lock the door & put up signs
  • rig up some dead-fall traps for intruders (O.K., maybe that's a bit much, but do as much as you can to avoid any distractions popping up.)
• Sit with your spine as straight as possible, head held upright, shoulders and arms relaxed.
  • Don't tense or slouch: this interferes the flow of energy through your body.
  • It might be helpful at this point to use some breathing exercises to help focus your attention.
  • Side Note: this is the same position you should use when meditating
• When you are comfortable and ready, take out the coin and examine the front of it.
  • Look at every detail: the words, images, the condition of the coin, flaws, scratches, etc.
  • Study the coin until you feel you have memorized every detail.
• Now close your eyes. Picture a black, blank screen (like a sheet of black velvet) directly in front of your eyes.
• In your mind, place the coin in front of the screen. Let the coin float in midair.
  • See every detail of the coin, just as you did when you studied the real thing.
  • Add all the details you can recall.
  • As you recall each detail, add it to the coin in your mind.
  • Take your time and perfect your vision of the coin
• Now open your eyes and compare your mental image to the real thing.
  • Do you see something you forgot, or didn't notice the first time? This is perfectly normal. Close your eyes again and add the new information to what you have already pictured.
• Continue to go back and forth between your mind's image and the real coin until you feel you have created a truly clear mental image

Congratulations on your first successful visualization!

Advanced Exercise

After visualizing a simple object, try to visualize more complex objects and situations. Start by adding motion and dimension to your visualizations:

• You will need a coin. You can use the same coin as before.
• Clear your mind and your immediate area of any and all distractions (see above)
• As before, sit with your spine as straight as possible, head held upright, shoulders and arms relaxed.
  • Don't tense or slouch: this interferes the flow of energy through your body.
  • It might be helpful at this point to use some breathing exercises to help focus your attention.
• This time, study the entire coin.
  • Look at both the front and back of the coin.
  • Look closely at the edges.
  • Look at every detail: the words, images, the condition of the coin, flaws, scratches, etc.
  • Study the coin until you feel you have memorized every detail.
• Now close your eyes. Picture a black, blank screen (like a sheet of black velvet) directly in front of your eyes.
• In your mind, place the coin in front of the screen. Let the coin float in midair.
  • See every detail of the coin, just as you did when you studied the real thing.
  • Add all the details you can recall.
  • As you recall each detail, add it to the coin in your mind.
  • Take your time and perfect your vision of the coin
• Once you have a clear picture in your mind of the front, exhale gently to set the coin in motion.
  • See it shake and begin to spin slowly in mid air
  • Note the way the shape seems to alter as only the edge is exposed to you
  • notice the texture on the edge of the coin
  • See the gradual appearance of the opposite side
  • Take note of as many details as you can
  • See all the detail you noticed during your earlier study

Open your eyes and recheck the coin several times as you did in the previous exercise. Take as much time as you can. The clearer you can picture the coin slowly spinning before you, the more powerful your visualization skills will become.

This exercise can (and should) be performed with any object. Try it with flowers, pebbles, keys or anything else. You can also try foreign currency. This might be more difficult, since you are less familiar with it, but it will make noticing details easier, since you don't have preconceived notions of what is "right".

Now that you are able to visualize objects you have seen, you can move on to visualizing for a specific purpose. You can visualize for almost any purpose: positivity, energizing, protection, success, love, - anything. Remember that solid visualization is the basis for almost every spell or magical ritual you will perform. With proper visualization, magic simply works better.

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