#withcraft 101

[blindwyrm]

Basics of Energy Work - Part One

Expanding Awareness Energy work is a subtle art, a foundational building block to successful magic. Almost all magical practices involve some form of energy work - and there are countless forms - but how it will function from individual to individual will differ greatly. To put it simply, energy work is the practice of manipulating unseen energies. Everything - people, places, animals, inanimate objects, even our thoughts - vibrates at a specific energetic frequency and emits energy. By learning how to identify and tune into these energies, we can use them to direct our magic and spell work. Chances are, you have worked your own personal energy before. More often than not, your own energy will be the easiest for you to tap into. To do this, we need to learn how to expand our awareness. Meditation Meditation is a good practice to have when pursuing any kind of magical endeavor; there are many ways to meditate and there is much to achieve through it. The overall key to meditation is, generally, focus. You are training your mind to simply observe with non judgement; not to simply clear your mind of any thought at all, which is the common misconception. There is not just one way to meditate - if sitting cross legged in a room bathed with incense as you engage breathing exercises works for you, great! Some people meditate through dance, yoga, exercise, crafts, etc. Anything where your mind can drift, “tune out” so to speak, as your body instinctively goes through the motions. There are also several forms of guided meditations that you can use for specific goals, such as attentiveness, visualization, improving memory, empowerment, etc. Elemental meditation is popular among the witchcraft community. What’s great about guided meditation is it extremely accessible through apps and things like youtube (favorites of mine are the fire meditation and the water meditation from magickians!) and makes the whole process of learning to meditate a lot less intimidating.  As meditation relates to energy work, it will sharpen your ability for visualization, increase your focus, have you more in touch with your physical and inner self as both the same and separate entities, and increase your awareness of changes in and around you - all of this working towards an enhanced ability to sense energy and its movement.  What is this mystical “energy?”  If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the idea of the elusive and all encompassing vaguery of “energy”, don’t worry. The idea may seem intimidating, but they are not inaccessible. If you are struggling, it only indicates that you are human. This will take practice and it will require you to understand the concepts on a physical level. Luckily, these are steps that nearly every magical practitioner, old and new, has and will continue to work on for the rest of their spiritual journey. Every question you have has likely already been answered. Some may just take a bit of research to find! However, I’m going to try and provide at least some cursory information here. To get a real idea of what “energy” feels like, set aside some quiet time for youself. Close the door, dim the lights, turn off your phone. Light your candles and make sure you will be left alone. Sit down on the floor and make yourself comfortable - not too comfortable! You don’t want to fall asleep. Draw in some deep breaths and clear your mind, as you did in your meditation. Continue until you feel your breathing regulated and yourself relaxed. Now, close your eyes and rub your palms together, like you’re trying to warm them up, then pull them an inch or two apart. You should feel a charged sensation tingling between your hands, maybe even like a ball, vibrating and pulsating in your hands. If you concentrate, you may even be able to feel a sort of magnetic resistance if you attempt to push it back together. That’s energy. It’s really that simple. If you don’t feel it at first, just try again. The more you do this, the easier it will become to identify your own and different types of energy all around you through a technique called centering, which will be discussed below.  Grounding The term grounding, sometimes called Earthing, means to recalibrate your energy. Essentially, the purpose of grounding is to shake off “excess” energy and ground yourself back in reality, into the rhythm of the plane on which we exist. And while grounding does restore balance and connectedness, there are greater implications to explore when it comes to grounding. Everything on this earth is shaped by forces and presence of the Earth and cosmos, and as such, “this connection is deeply inherent to a sustainable state of well being. The Earth, as an organic and inorganic system, is constantly bathing all life on the planet with its highly ordered and coherent electromagnetic field. The natural tendency of an organism is to couple with the Earth’s energy field and come to a mutual state of cooperation and harmony within its environment, finding its niche and proper place within a system. What we need to understand is that all systems strive to achieve, return to and/or maintain a state of coherence. Whether one is aware of it or not, we are always taking part in a constant process within our universe, coupling with other energy fields and finding some sort of balance within this space. This happens everywhere within the context of an ecosystem, whenever two forces interact for any reason. The more organized or coherent these fields are, the more effectively and efficiently energy can be [manipulated.]”  Grounding allows us to cultivate a relationship with the earth and facilitate a healthier, more coherent state of being. It allows us to align our energy for more accurate working. Like meditation, there are many ways to ground; a list of some of my personal favorite methods can be found (here.) Shielding and Centering Shielding is important for magical workings as it provides a protective barrier to maintain our center. To do this, you’ll want to get a feel for your personal energy first. A good way to do is something called centering. Throughout the day, you naturally will pick up on all kinds of external energy; some good, some bad, most of it probably neither of the two - either way, it is energy that is not yours. Meditation and shadow work will be useful in identifying what feels distinctly you, but you should be able to know when you’re not feeling entirely you. If you’ve been feeling particularly out of sorts, a good tip to get back in touch with yourself before centering or shielding is to spend some time in self care. Turn off your phone and go to your room or a friendly space in nature, a library, a favorite haunt and engage in a creative project, put on your favorite music, eat your favorite food. Be mindful of your physical space, your body, sensations your are experiencing. Be attentive to you and only you; your wants, needs, feelings, comforts, etc. Take a bath and allow yourself to relax. Your only responsibility right now is you have no responsibilities - if even for just a short while. Just do what you can to access some “me time” to do something you love to do and observe yourself. Take note of what you choose to do that brings you joy, why those things make you feel happy and fulfilled, how exactly these feelings and activities resonate with you. Record this in your Book of Shadows, as it is useful information to getting to yourself on a more intimate level. Learn to recognize this energy and get familiar with what it means to feel yourself. It can be easy to get lost. Centering can get you back, especially when you make these feelings more accessible to yourself.  To center, we’re going to go back to the exercise in the beginning; in a quiet place, meditate and rub your palms together - build up that energy between them again. When you pull your hands apart, you want to visualize this sensation. What color is it? What does it feel like? Is it light? Heavy? Is it vibrating? Focus on the pulsation and how it pushes against you. Allow it to move and grow. Picture it contracting and growing until you no longer can. Pull it in close to you, somewhere you can focus on it - many people use their solar plexus or heart chakras. This is the same energy you’re going to use to shield yourself. Instead of centering this energy, however, you’re going to push it out to envelope you. Visualization in your meditation and centering exercises should help with this; visualizing energy usually makes it easier for people to push it outward. Again, knowing what specifically makes this your protective energy will be useful - what color is it? Texture? Is it elemental? Perhaps your energy doesn’t feel like light, but water or air. Maybe white is a protective color to you or maybe green is, for Earth. Maybe your energy shield is a network of stars in the shape of your zodiac constellation. Maybe the outside is reflective, to reflect any negativity directed your way. Maybe its a shield of smoke, to conceal yourself. No matter what it looks like to you, just make sure it is yours. Don’t feel pressured to commit to something either - your idea of what these concepts look like will grow and change as much as you do.  Push this energy outward and around you, as if you are creating a protective bubble for yourself. To enhance the intensity of desired outcome, surround yourself with corresponding elements. Light white candles or wear black tourmaline. I personally like to use dragon’s blood incense or oils. There are many things you can do in tandem with any of these practices, so long as they make sense for you and are helping you to achieve your desired results. This shield will become stronger the more you do this and keep you protected from psychic attacks, curses and hexes, negative energy, and bad intent.  These exercises are all building blocks to unlocking great power within oneself, but they are also a great power on their own as well. Taking the time and patience to hone these skills will aid you in all your magical endeavors, whether through sharper focus, strong visual associations, enforced protective barriers, and/or knowing your true self above all else. Once you have established your abilities, you will be able to do them any time, anywhere and begin to play more with energy, both internal and external. In the follow up, I will focus on charging and programming. 

[theredribbon]

Witchcraft Series - Warding FAQ

What is Warding? 

Warding is considered an energetic field one creates through ritual and other means to protect themselves, their home, and their scared places. Warding is used to keep out negative and malicious intents or things specific to your intentions. 

Do I have to learn how to Ward as a baby or intermediate practitioner? 

You don’t have to learn anything you don’t want to. However, warding is a major staple of protection work. Learning how to protect yourself magically, I believe, is one of the first things someone should learn. I say this because you don’t know who might be unhappy with you and try to throw a curse your way or what malicious spirit might attach to you. Your wards will act as your first defense, as a wall between you whatever negative energy is trying to come to you. 

Do I have to Ward everything I own? 

No. Generally, one ward over your home can protect most within it and protect from things try to come in. However, warding is something that should be kept up with and maintained often. Energy dissipates and those who do not practice energy work often, might struggle with the long term up keep. 

Okay, I’m convinced I need Wards. What now? 

You start by grounding yourself and your magic. You always want to ground yourself before doing any kind of spell work. Next, you want to cleanse your space, self, or object that you want to protect. You don’t want to trap negative energy or anything you don’t want inside the wards. The next step is to figure out a method that works the best for you. Over time, I’ve taken bits and pieces from different methods and that is what has worked the best for me. This may not be the case for everyone so, please experiment and figure out what works the best for you. 

The method I first started with was Incense Warding. With this, however, I created a sigil that was specific to me and my cause for warding. I drew this sigil by doors, windows, and the main corners of my home to create a ward that would match the shape of my house. I put emphasis on there I needed the wards to be the strongest.  If you cannot use incense, you can use water and essential oils to spray VS walk the smoke around. 

Now, for a small object you’ll want to spray or hold over the smoke of the incense. Reach out and feel the object and try to connect with it. You’ll want to begin to imagine a field of energy incasing the object snugly, protectively. You’ll want to put your energy and intent to protect from XYZ into the ward. Be as specific as you can be - warding from negativity may not necessarily ward you from danger or from mischief. Repeat until you feel your message has gotten through the ward is staying put. 

The method for something larger stays about the same but you walk around and spray or walk the smoke around multiple parts. If you’re warding your home or something large, be sure to ward not only a wall barrier but create a floor and ceiling for it. Completely incase the object. 

Don’t be afraid to do layers! Layers are good and will provide more of a defense.

Does it matter what direction I go in when I Ward? 

Yes. As a preference, I start North, but no matter where you start you want to make sure you move around clock-wise; to the right. By doing this you’re essentially promoting progression and creating things. By going counter clock-wise, you are doing the opposite - destruction and reserval. 

Do I have to ward to keep everything  out?

No. You can ward out whatever you want. You can be as specific as you need or want to be.

What incense, herbs, or essential oils can I use? 

You want to use things that protective properties such as...

Bay leaves Cinnamon Black Pepper Mustard Seed Black Salt (non-ingestible) Vervain Mugwort  Rosemary 

Do my Wards last forever? 

Unfourtently, no they do not. Energy dissipates over time and your wards will begin to grow weak before completely going away. However, if someone or something in particular is trying to bring down your wards, this will also weaken them and cause your wards to fade. 

How do I keep my Wards from fading?

Keep an eye on them and do routine maintenance on them. 

All in all, wards are a practitioner’s best friend, next to cleansing and grounding of course. It’s one of the fundamentals everyone starting out should learn to some capacity. There are billions of ways to ward, you just have to begin experimenting with what works best for you! Not everybody’s practice will be the same; as it shouldn’t be. If anyone has any questions about warding or more, please send me an ask! 

Good vibes to all! ✨ ✨ ✨

[enby-witchbitch]

Sometimes spirit work is not seeing a spirit for a month and deciding that you were making it up the whole time. 

Sometimes spirit work is forgetting that your companion is there and then they jump scare you by knocking something over because they’re fed up with you.

Sometimes spirit work is meeting something so terrifying you don’t travel to the astral for weeks.

Sometimes spirit work is meeting a spirit who is an absolute sweet heart but looks terrifying and upsetting them because you immediately start screaming when you see them for the first time.

Sometimes spirit work is having your companion leave because they need their space and you get sad waiting for them to return.

Sometimes spirit work is scary.

Sometimes spirit work is awesome.

Sometimes it’s both.

[enby-witchbitch]

When the moon is full and Mercury in is Retrograde