by Estara, originally appeared in Guardian's Grimoire #1
The following practices are essential to all other work. To master them is to have a solid foundation in place for learning any specialization, and to have the means to protect oneself in the meantime. The practices are presented in the following manner: first, an explanation is given of what the practice is and why it is important. Second are details on one straightforward method for the practice. Third, some possible variations are given, to show how the practice can be altered or personalized.
Keep the following balance in mind.
1. Learn the simple method first. This gives you the "feel" for the practice and what it is intended to do. It also gives you a version to teach to others in need.
2. Learn at least one variation. After you have mastered the simple version, doing at least one variation will give you a sense of what is possible, and encourage you to experiment to find the best methods for you.
3. Study other variations. Getting a sense of how other traditions approach the practice will help you understand what is happening should you come into contact with members of those traditions. The more systems of magic and religion you study, the better you will understand what others are doing and how best to respond.
Also remember that READING IS NOT ENOUGH. These skills must be practiced on a regular basis to be mastered and used effectively.
Meditation.
This skill involves moving from your normal waking state into a state of focus and calm. The ability to reach this state is needed in every other magical or spiritual endeavor. It is also beneficial to your mundane life, as its calming influence relieves stress and improves concentration.
Simple Method:
The most common method of meditation taught is the "clear-mind" meditation. Sit comfortably, take a few deep, relaxing breaths, and whisper to yourself, "Clear." Try to completely empty your mind of all thoughts. If you catch yourself thinking, take another deep breath and repeat to yourself, "Clear." It will take quite a bit of practice to be able to completely clear your mind for any length of time, but you should begin to notice improvement after only a few sessions.
If you find the clear-mind meditation maddening rather than helpful, try a single-focus meditation. Sit comfortably, take a few deep, relaxing breaths, and this time, focus on a chosen word, phrase, or image. Use this "mantra" to focus your mind and clear it of other concerns. Thoughts pertaining to the "mantra" are acceptable, but these to should fade as you practice more.
If neither of these appeals, try an action-oriented meditation. This is similar to a single-focus meditation, except that the focus is an activity rather than a word or image. You can use tai chi, yoga, a martial arts kata, spinning thread, or any relatively simple activity to clear and focus your mind. A friend of mine meditates while doing embroidery.
Variations:
Any studied form of standard meditation is acceptable. Only remember that clearing and focusing is not the same thing as zoning out: going into mild trance in front of the television is not meditating.
Awakening the Other Senses.
These activities are meant to train your astral senses, which (unless you have already reawoken them) may be atrophied and inactive in your physical life. These senses are crucial in detecting and performing magic, and in communicating with nonphysical beings.
Simple Method:
Begin by choosing a simple focus object for the sense you want to train. For example, you might select a candleholder for sight, or the chime of a particular bell for hearing, a favorite perfume for smell, a piece of fruit for taste, a feather or a piece of textured fabric for touch.
Study the actual object first, paying close attention to its details. Then, remove the object and try to recreate it in your mind as accurately as you can. For example, look closely at the candleholder, then close your eyes and try to "see" it in your mind.
Variations:
As you become good at this, start to choose more complex objects as the focus. Then, try to focus on more than one sense at a time: for example, try to recapture both the sound and the appearance of the bell. Ultimately, you want to be able to sense an object as clearly in your mind as if it were actually in front of you.
You will find that your other senses also improve as you practice other exercises in which they are used.
Centering.
Centering is simply concentrating all of your focus and energy into your physical body. (You are literally Contemplating Your Navel.) This is a preliminary step in self-cleansing and grounding, and the practice helps the ability to focus on the individual chakras to balance them--all skills coming up later. Centering also collects your energy for you, which may be scattered by activity or lack of focus. Centering is related to meditation, and each skill helps the other.
Simple Method:
Take a few deep, relaxing breaths, and begin to imagine that you are following your own breath inside your body. Each breath carries you deeper into yourself, deeper and deeper, until you find yourself within your center, behind your navel.
Variations:
As this skill improves, it is possible to center using fewer breaths. While in your center, you may imagine that you are surrounded by a vast pool of liquid light. (Such experiences will become more vivid as your other senses awaken.) Take note of the color of this light: it is a personal power color for you, and may be used to help you project and control energy.
Grounding.
This connects your energy to the energy of the Earth. This has obvious benefits for followers of an Earth-honoring religion, but it has additional uses as well. One, it serves as an anchor, making you more difficult to move by outside forces. Two, it serves as a source of additional energy in order to conserve or augment your own. Three, it provides a channel with which to send away excess or unwanted energies.
Simple Method:
Sit down and center yourself. Then move further down into yourself until you at the very tip of your spine. From here, imagine that a large tap root is growing down out of you and into the earth. Each breath pushes the root further down into the earth, plunging all the way in time to the very center of the Earth, her molten core. Feel the root reach into the heart of this core, flooded by warm, golden, healing energy. Now, use your breath to pull this energy up towards you. As it reaches you, breathe it up through your spine and let it radiate out into the rest of your body until you are entirely filled with the light of the Earth’s core. At this time, if needed, you may send unwanted energies back down the root to be recycled by the Earth (see self cleansing, below).
Variations:
Numerous different effects are possible in grounding. You can actually journey astrally into the center of the earth, by which you will gain other things than energy; you can send down a pillar instead of a root, which emphasizes the anchoring effect; you can send down roots from a standing position, and become a tree with flowers of energy blooming from your arms; you can elongate your astral legs until they touch the core of the earth, which frankly feels odd but is sometimes done. Once you master one method, feel free to experiment with others.
Self cleansing.
This is another skill that improves your personal energy and focus when you are preparing to do serious work. It also clears out pockets of negative energy that may be attached to you, whether due to your own mindset or health or to outside influences. Self cleansing is also a preliminary step to some of the later exercises.
Simple Method:
Center and ground yourself. Place your hands on the earth. As you do, breathe deeply and imagine that all sickness and negativity inside you is gathering into a ball in your chest. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale see that collected negativity cascade down your arms into the earth. Release it all into the ground, and imagine that the earth takes the energy into herself and cleanses it for her own use elsewhere.
Variations:
The release can be done through your feet if kneeling and touching the ground is too conspicuous for you; it can be flicked out the hands (be sure not to hit anyone!), released into a smoky quartz you keep for this purpose, stomped into the ground, or released by a catch phrase you save for releasing negative energy harmlessly. With practice, a variation can be developed in which you envision another person being cleansed--be sure to have the person’s permission.
If only (or additionally) an external cleansing is required, the body can be smudged (purified by exposure to incense smoke--sage is the most often used for this), or a rattle can be used to break up energy around the body. If you are experienced with moving energy through your hands, you can also sweep energy off of another person with your hands (be sure to cleanse yourself afterward). For these methods, be sure to move smoothly over the body so as not to leave anything behind. You might, for example, make a habit of going up the front of the body and down the back, or of starting at the head and moving consistently toward the feet.
Shielding.
For a Guardian, the art of shielding is crucial, and its benefits hopefully are obvious. Depending on the strength and intent of the shield used, it can range from a buffer against irritating coworkers to armor against a magical onslaught.
Simple Method:
Center and cleanse yourself. In your center, see the pool of colored light that represents your personal energy. Imagine that a mist of that color rises within your body, filling you completely. It continues to expand, out your pores, your nose and mouth, until it takes the shape of an egg around your entire body. This egg of light develops a hard shell that keeps out all unwanted energy.
Variations:
Most decent books will give at least one or two methods of shielding--sometimes they will be presented as "quick" forms of circle casting. Books by Scott Cunningham and Silver RavenWolf are suggested as starting places for experimentation. Shields can be created ahead of time and triggered by catch phrases, stored in objects, molded into different shapes, decorated with symbols. Individual chakras, parts of the body, or objects can have their own shields, as can entire areas. Here, more than in any of the other fundamental skills, there is room for individual experiment. In any case, you should cleanse yourself or your object before shielding, to prevent accidentally sealing in negative energies (though this opens up interesting possibilities for combative magic, which is outside the scope of this article).
Chakra balance.
The chakras are energy centers located down the spinal cord. Each is believed to govern different functions, encompassing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Making sure these centers are balanced with each other and filled with clean energy allows everything else to run more smoothly.
Simple Method:
Center yourself, then move down to the base of the spine. From here, you will move into each chakra, measuring the size and brightness of each chakra. They may be envisioned as spheres or wheels. If any are too large or small (racquetball size is good), take note of this and imagine it growing or shrinking to the desired size. Likewise, if any are very dim or murky, imagine them becoming clearer and brighter. It is helpful to use energy obtained by grounding to feed small, dim, or murky chakras.
Base chakra: the tip of the spine. This governs the impulse for physical survival. It is usually seen as red (the colors are commonly used, but are only suggestions).
Sacral chakra: the sexual organs (lower abdomen). This governs sex, obviously, but also basic empathy and "gut reactions." Orange.
Solar plexus: just that, above the navel but below the chest. This is the seat of the Will. Yellow.
Heart chakra: the heart. It governs compassion and is the balance point of the chakra system. Green (pink if you prefer).
Throat chakra: the base of the throat. It governs intellect and communication. Blue.
Third eye: the forehead, between the brows. It controls the astral senses. Indigo.
Crown: at the top of the head. It is the link to the spiritual realms and their wisdom. Violet.
Variations:
Stones or candles of the appropriate colors are often used to help balance the chakras. There are whole books devoted to the chakra system for those interested in further study.
Cord cutting.
This practice enables you to detach yourself from draining persons or situations. It is a good thing to try when you are feeling inexplicably drained or obsessed, or when you are conscious of wanting to "cut ties" with a particular person.
Simple Method:
Center yourself, then relax. Imagine that you are studying yourself, with eyes open or closed, whichever makes it easier for you to "see" astrally. Notice whether there are any colored strands of energy attached to your body. They will most commonly attach to chakras if they are present. Some strands may lead to friends rather than enemies, and these will look and feel benign. If you notice that any strands are unusually thick, dark-colored, or simply feel bad, you may decide to cut them. To do this, simply imagine yourself taking up a knife or a pair of scissors and severing the cord close to your body. Imagine the cut searing, making it impossible to reconnect. Your short end is reabsorbed into your body, and the long end fades away into nothing. Do this as unemotionally as you can, since a strong reaction only serves to reinforce the connection.
Variations:
With practice, this can also be done for other people. You can also learn to move your consciousness along a cord to see who or what is at the other end.
Clearing a Space.
This should be done before shielding an area (or casting a circle, which is after all only a variant of shielding), for the same reason that you should cleanse yourself before shielding yourself. A banishing (a gung-ho version of clearing space) is often sufficient in itself without a shielding, though it never hurts to put up a shield if you want negative energies to stay away.
Simple Methods:
Some of the same things work for space as for individuals: you may move around the area with a smudge stick or incense, or sprinkle consecrated water if you know how to make it, or shake a rattle or bang a drum. The general practice is to move clockwise as a general rule, but for banishing there is also a case to be made for moving counterclockwise. Experiment (at a non-crucial moment) to see which feels better.
Banishing:
Below is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, an essential of Ceremonialist practice. A CM (ceremonial magician) will tend to do this ritual at the least provocation, whereas Wiccans, when they know the practice at all, tend to save it for emergencies. Note that the standard CM version is Kabbalistic--in other words, it utilizes Judeo-Christian names for God and angels. For those who are not comfortable with this, there follows an explanation of what each part does and how it can be altered.
Preliminary notes: as you draw figures in the air, imagine that energy (of your personal color) is flowing down your arm, through your fingers or athame (knife), and actually creating the desired picture in the air.
The Banishing Pentagram mentioned is that of Earth. To draw it, start at the lower left corner of the star, move to the top point, and so on. Ceremonialism has a different Banishing Pentagram for each element, but this one will do for a start.
1. The Cabalistic Cross
Touching the forehead, say "Atoh."
Touching the chest, say "Malkuth."
Touching the right shoulder, say "Ve-Gedurah."
Touching the left shoulder, say "Ve-Geburah."
Clasp hands at the heart and say "Le-Olam. Amen."
2. The Pentagrams
Facing East, point with fingers or athame and draw the Banishing Pentagram. Thrust into the heart of it, saying, "Yod He Vau He!" Turn toward the South, continuing to draw a circle as you do.
Facing South, draw the Banishing Pentagram and thrust into it saying, "Adonai!" Turn toward the West, continuing to draw the circle.
Facing West, draw the Banishing Pentagram and thrust into it saying, "Eheieh!" (Eh-hey-yeh) Turn toward the North, continuing to draw the circle.
Facing North, draw the Banishing Pentagram and thrust into it saying, "Agla!" Turn toward the East, completing the circle.
3. The Archangels
Facing East, stand with your arms stretched outward in a T, and say:
Before me, Raphael!
Behind me, Gabriel!
At my right hand, Michael!
At my left hand, Auriel!
About me flames the Pentagram, and in the column shines the Six-Rayed Star.
4. Repeat the Cabalistic Cross
Explanation:
1. The Cabalistic Cross
This establishes your association with God and the center of the universe. In Cabalism, "Atoh" is the Crown, or God as total potential; "Malkuth" is the Kingdom, or the physical realm; "Gedurah" is the Pillar of Severity, "Gebulah" is the Pillar of Mercy, and "Le-Olam" is the center of harmony. (In Biblical terms, "Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, Forever.") If your path gives you some way of identifying yourself with Godhead or the center of the universe, it can be put here in the place of the Cross.
2. The Pentagrams
If you hate pentagrams, you can replace them with another symbol of protection (Thor’s hammer is the other popular choice). The Names of God (the words you say as you thrust) can be replaced with the names of deities that you associate with the directions or elements.
3. The Archangels
The Archangels serve as protectors. They can be replaced with other protective entities: some people use more gods here, but it seems more appropriate to use demigods, heroes, totems, or some other mid-level beings. The "About me flames..." statement is basically an affirmation that the banishing is successful.