Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

Visualization is an important part of magick that has been adapted to other parts of life. Ironically it has been enveloped into the self-motivational field as a powerful tool for change. For example, sports stars use visualization to prepare for their activities. What these people don’t know if that they are using a magickal practice! Wouldn’t they be surprised!

There are many purposes for using visualization. The practice goes hand in hand with learning to concentrate, creating self-discipline, meditation, focus, astral projection and dream work —which in and of themselves are important facets of developing magickal abilities. Visualization is the creation and holding of a picture in your mind while projecting it.

When you learn to properly visualize, you will find that your ritual work will be enhanced and more effective (and who doesn’t want that!). Here’s how it works in practice. Let’s say you are doing a healing ritual and want to produce energy to release that will heal someone that you know. You produce more energy for your rite by visualizing their afflicted area as healthy than just directing energy toward this area. You can utilize the direction of the healing energy and the visualization of the area as healthy. This will promote faster and more efficient healing in your friend. This can be applied to all kind of workings. Instead of sending energy toward getting a job, visualize yourself as having the job. Visualize yourself in a happy and healthy relationship instead of trying to cast a spell to “catch” a mate.

Visualization is an essential tool, and it’s worth it to take the time to be able to visualize at will. The effort is worth it because your rituals will become more enhanced, your magickal practice will become more focused and your spells will be much more effective. Be prepared to take time developing this skill. You will expend both energy and time in allowing your natural visualization abilities to manifest themselves. You should set aside a time that you devote to the practice your visualization skills and where you can experiment with this process. Ideally, this will be done every day at a quiet time in your day when you can be alone and focus.

Remember, you have already had experience with visualization, you just might not know it. Have you ever been fantasizing or day dreaming and totally immersed yourself in the fantasy? This is exactly what visualization is.

Your daily practice can be totally personal, but here are few simple guidelines to follow. First, began to think about a subject that is dear to you – you may focus on a particular dream that you have (like a dream car or a dream house), or something you want to come into your life (wealth, a relationship etc). Close your eyes and immerse yourself in the visualization. Become aware that you are visualizing. If the image wavers, re-grasp it in your mind and hold it there as long as you are able to.

After you’ve been able to consistently visualize the scene of your choice everyday for a week, you are ready to move on to the next step. Find a quiet place in your home to sit and let yourself relax. Decide on an object that is in the room and in sight. Look at it very carefully, and keep all of your thoughts on it. Take note of every detail of the object, and then sit back and close your eyes. Try to bring the image of your chosen object into your minds eye. Hold the image there as long as you can. Experiment with this exercise everyday until you can hold the image there for at least five minutes. After a week of successful practice, move onto the next exercise.

Continue to use the same object from your home in this phase, but make sure the actual object is out of site. Hold the image in your mind’s eye, and then open your eyes and visualize the object in from of you. This is best done when you are facing a blank wall. Practice this exercise for a week.

Finally you’ll add another layer to your visualization practice. For the next week when you visualize the object against the way try to change its color and then change it back again. Then try to raise and lower the object as you see it in front of you. Rotate it, play around with the direction and then return it to the original place.

Remember, this practice does take time but it will improve your rituals and your magickal practices. Make visualization a part of your walk on this path today.

Brightest Blessing,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring "Resident Witch In Charge"

Dear Friends,

Most instructions for spell work and ritual include a mention of creating sacred space or casting a circle. If you’ve felt confused about this process and why it is necessary, you will hopefully gain better understanding by the end of today’s message. Creating sacred space is one of those things that older Pagans assume is natural to those first coming to the craft. Its such a part of everyday life that it comes naturally to them, and they forget the days where they did not know why and how to cast a circle.

Creating sacred space or casting a circle means that you are affecting the energy that is present in a room. You are changing it to remove any unnecessary vibrations and make the energy neutral. Casting a circle contains and intensifies the energies that you will raise during your ritual. By clearing and sealing a space for your magickal workings, the energy can be contained and built up in the proper way.

The practice of creating sacred space can be a simple or as complex as you want it to be. There are a few basic components that are part of the process, but the rest is up to you or the tradition that you are following. You need to lay out the size of your space, mark the perimeters, cleanse the inside of the area and take down and release the energies at the end of the working.

Before beginning a ritual, you will need to decide whether your working will be external or internal. That is, is this a ritual that will focus on your subconscious energies or on affecting the world around you? Here are some examples: internal rituals include past life work and riding yourself from bad habits. External rituals would be prosperity spells, love spells and spells to find the perfect home.

For internal workings, you’ll want to direct the energies in a counter-clockwise motion (called widdershins), which will help draw the energies of magick inward. The external rituals require that you direct the energies clockwise (deosil) to spread them out into the world.

Before you begin, if you are working indoors, clear the room as best you can. Remove any furniture that will obstruct your movements as you create your circle. Also take out any visual distractions. This is a good reason to keep your ritual area uncluttered and free from the messes of your day-to-day life. If you are working outdoors, remove any rocks or sticks that will be in your path. Also, try to use an area that is relatively flat to make walking easy.

Make sure to have all of your ritual elements on your altar and ready to be used. Your tools should be consecrated and you should have all of the necessary items. To begin your ritual, light one large white candle in the center of your altar with the rest of the items balanced around it. In each of the four directions, place an unlit candle at the edge of what will become your circle to represent the four Quarters.

Begin by facing the northern candle and raise your ritual knife into the air. Begin filling it with energy from the God and Goddess above you, and then drop your arm to point the knife to the ground. Feel the energy flowing from your knife to the ground, and going along the perimeter of the circle as you walk from the Northern direction, to the West, then South, then East. If you choose not to use a ritual knife, you can substitute your own hand for this process.

Follow this by tracing the perimeter again, this time sprinkling each of the Quarters with saltwater. The salt and the water combined represent both the element of Earth and the element of Water. You’ll follow by tracing the perimeter with incense, a symbol for Fire and Air.

Feel the energy building around you as you create the sacred space with all four elements. Next you’ll formally invite them in by calling the Quarters. Approach each of the Quarters and invite the direction into your circle. You can verbally or mentally thank the powers of that element for being at your ritual, and then light the candle.

While this is a very formal way to create sacred space, you can certainly adapt it for your own needs. I hope it gives you some inspiration for your rituals and some new insight into this important aspect of the craft.

Love And Light,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”