The Witches' Grimoire - BOS

Meditation

The largest part of practicing magick is simply believing in it. The mind is a very powerful organ, more so than anybody really knows. It can make anything possible if you believe in it enough. But you must have your mind balanced and conditioned properly first. If it's not balanced, your magickal work will be unbalanced as well. If your mind is not conditioned properly, your magickal workings may have unwanted results. Meditation is the key to conditioning and balancing your mind. Meditation can also enhance your personal power, which will then enhance your spellwork. It's also a way to find access into your sixth sense, the third eye, the intuitive part of yourself. On top of all these benefits, meditation also helps relieve stress and focus the mind. Thus, meditation becomes almost a requirement for any practicing witch.

Raymond Buckland in his Complete Book of Witchcraft describes meditation as listening..."listening to the higher self, or if you prefer, the inner self, the creative force, the higher consciousness; even the gods themselves."

To kind of understand how meditation works, you should understand the three levels of consciousness that exist in our minds. First, is the conscious, which is where we are when we are awake. Second, is the subconscious. It handles all of our involuntary body functions and bridges the way to the third state of consciousness, the superconscious. The superconscious is your higher-self, your spirit self. This is where your spiritual well-being is controlled. When you meditate, you enter your superconscious. By entering the superconscious, you can control your mind, your higher-self.

Getting to the superconscious is a lot harder than it sounds. Your conscious self is always demanding attention, and ignoring it can be very difficult. To help control it a little bit, here are some basic tips to follow when meditating:

1. Always meditate in a quiet, peaceful place. Make sure you won't be interrupted.
2. Some people like to listen to soft, peaceful music.
3. Low lighting can help.
4. Practicing deep breathing excerises is always a must. Breathe in to the count of 10, then breathe out to the count of 10 a few times before meditating.

The actual technique used to meditate varies from person to person, however, there are some basics everybody should follow: You can either sit with your hands on your knees, open palms facing upward or you can lie on your back with your hands at your side, open palms facing upward. Whatever position is most comfortable to you. In both positions you must be sure your spine is perfectly straight and you don't have any limbs, fingers, or toes crossing. It makes the circulation of oxygen and blood slower. As you meditate, you should always breathe deeply.

The very best method for meditation is one I found, again, in Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. It is this:

1. Allow the head to fall forward on the chest. Breathe deeply in an out three times. Return to the upright position.

2. Allow the head to tip fully backward. Breathe deeply in and out three times. Return to the upright position.

3. Tip the head as far as possible to the left. Breathe deeply in and out three times. Return to the upright position.

4. Tip the head as far as possible to the right. Breathe deeply in and out three times. Return to the upright position.

5. Allow the head to fall forward, then move it in a circle, counterclockwise, three times.

6. Repeat the last exercise, moving the head clockwise three times. Return to the upright position.

7. Breathe in, through the nose, with a number of short, sharp intakes until the lungs are full. Hold it a moment, then suddenly exhale through [the] mouth with a "hah!" sound. Do this three times.

8. Breathe in slowly and fully, through the right nostril (hold the left one closed if necessary), feeling the stomach balloon out as you do so. Hold it a moment, then exhale slowly through the mouth, flattening the stomach as you do so. This exercise moves all the stale air from the bottom of the lungs. Do this three times.

9. Repeat the last exercise, this time breathing in through the left nostril and out through the right nostril. Do this three times.

Now, with your body relaxing and breathing normally but deeply, concentrate your thoughts until you can imagine your whole body encased in a globe of white light. Feel the luminous energy charging your whole body.

Focus your attention on your toes. Command them to relax. Let the tension and tiredness melt away from them. Repeat the process with the balls of the feet, the arches, the heels, the ankles, and so on. Completely relax the entire body, section by section. Calves, knees, thighs, groin, buttocks, spine, stomach and chest cavity, shoulders, upper and lower arms, wrists, hands, neck, throat, chin, jaw (let the jaw sag and hang slightly open if you a feel a tendency for it to do so), eyes, cranial area, and scalp. Relax every muscle, vein, nerve and fiber as you move up your body. Finish your relaxation technique at the forehead. Then you need only to focus inward to your third eye.

With your attention focused at the third eye, let your eyes roll up, if you can. Go deeper and ever deeper into the third eye. Abandon the unreal material world; the ego self. It is only when the materialistic ego self is transcended that you can find the door to the inner kingdom and your higher self. Give yourself into it...yield to the magnetic pull from above. You do not need to pray or visualize to make anything happen. Just relax and let yourself flow inward and upward toward the higher power. Whatever sensation, inner light, or sound comes your way, move into it and through to the source from which it comes. Do not become fascinated or frightened by the phenomena. Do not become deluded into thinking you are "becoming psychic." Whatever you see, give yourself to it and move ever upward, ever inward, into and through.

You may have a difficult time keeping the conscious mind still at first. Your consciousness is like a spoild child, constantly demanding attention. Once it begins to become disciplined you will begin to notice a deepening of intuition. You will begin to "know" things that you have not known before. This is proof that your meditation is working.

When you first begin to meditate, you will find it difficult to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. Your mind wants to wander, your body wants to fidget, and it may even develop a great itch demanding to be scratched! It will take a little time, but you will discover that you are the master of your body and mind. Ignore the itch. Tell your conscious mind to sit down and shut up! You are very busy with more important business. The itch will go away and your conscious mind will become disciplined to sit quietly aside as you attune to your higher nature...if you remain persistent. Remember, you let your mind and your emotions run your affairs all of your life. Now your mind and emotions must learn that they work for you. It may take a few lessons, but they will learn. Stay with it. You are embarking on the greatest voyage of your life.

For your physical well-being it is important that you end each meditation period with a reawakening of the physical and conscious selves. This should be done in the reverse order to the method of relaxation. As your consciousness begins to pull away from the third eye, direct it to expand up the forehead to the top of the head. Then, step by step, proceed down through the body: cranial area, eyes, back of the head, face, jaw, tongue, neck, throat, etc. Command each in succession to awaken refreshed, vibrant, and healthy. Shoulders, upper and lower arms, wrists, hands, upper back, chest, chest cavity, stomach, sides, lower back, groin, awaken refreshed, relaxed, with life. Buttocks, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, heels, arches, balls of the feet, toes. Go through all the parts of the body. Command each and every muscle, vein, fiber, and nerve to awaken healthy, refreshed, and vibrant. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much better you will begin to feel after your meditation. You will feel immediate inner satisfaction and tremendous peace of mind. Through meditation you will discover that not only is your spiritual consciousness awakening, but you are also revitalizing the physical self, as you begin to tap the great cosmic forces that are your birthright.

That is a very simple and easy technique to get you started. Once you become more adept at meditating, you may develop your own techniques. Part of my own technique actually evolved from this one. Instead of imagining myself in a great white light, I picture a tiny light inside of me. It travels through my body removing any physical sensation by sucking it up. Once it gets to my head, I imagine it sucking in all my thoughts and feelings, and then it finally escapes out through my fingertips and dissipates around me. Then I visualize a red seven, an orange six, a yellow five, a green four, a blue three, and indigo two, and a violet one slowly. I see it like a countdown into another plane, into my superconscious. When I come back out, I imagine the numbers starting with one and going to seven. Finally, the white light reappears slowly above me and puts my thoughts, my memories, and my physical sensation back into my body. Voila! I awaken refreshed and peaceful.

Truly, whatever technique you use is fine, so long as you're relaxed and actually reaching your superconscious. It does take time, but it will happen if you just keep trying.

Finally, in conclusion, I would like to mention that meditating before doing any kind of spellwork is highly recommended! This way you can clear your mind, and focus more easily on your task. While your meditating, instead of just reaching inward, reach toward the goal you hope to accomplish with your spellwork. That will make your focus on the spell that much better! I promise!