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,

A lot of people ask me if it is possible to be a solitary Wiccan. For whatever reason, they have limited access to local pagan groups and covens and wish to follow the path on their own. While there are no hard and fast rules for solitary witchcraft, in my opinion you can have a rich and full practice without having to be part of a coven.

Don’t get me wrong. Covens definitely have power and have their place. Wicca was created in the early 1950s by Gerald Gardener, and in its original form, coven membership was definitely required. This was because joining a coven was the only way to learn about Wicca. Today, many traditionalists feel that this is still the only way to learn about Wicca. They argue that this is how the religion is designed and that it needs to continue to be that way. They feel that a coven is a part of what defines the religion. It would be like practicing Catholicism without the church. The two are not mutually exclusive.

At least, that is one side of the argument. My opinion lies somewhere in between. While I feel that there is a lot of traditional Wicca that must be (and needs to be) practiced within the confines of a coven, solitary Wiccan practice is definitely possible. It is, in absolute definition, not technically Wicca. But it is personal witchcraft with heavily Wiccan elements.

Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner have probably best popularized the idea of a solitary practice of Wicca. These books, along with similar titles from other authors, have encouraged individuals to explore a different form of Wicca than available with covens.

If you choose to become a solitary Wiccan, I encourage you to research as much as possible. Since you will be without the benefit of learning from a coven, you ll want to take the time to educate yourself with books and reputable websites. You may want to start with the Cunningham books as a guide. Raymond Buckland s Wicca for One is also a good choice. Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft is also an essential book for solitary practitioners and coven members alike.

There are some differences between the traditional Wiccan and the solitary Wiccan. For example, much of the interplay between the male and female sides of the spirit that is shown through the High Priest and High Priestess of a coven is lost when you are a solitary practitioner. Also, as a solitary you are responsible for building up the energy in your ritual instead of relying on the power of the rest of the group. Some would argue that your spellcasting would, therefore, have less power. But I feel that the advantage of solitaries is that they are able to tailor their spells and rituals to their specific needs, wishes and feelings. This makes the whole experience very personal which can help add power to the spellcasting.
Another question associated with being a solitary Wiccan is one of initiation. If there is no coven, Priest or Priestess, how does one become initiated into Wicca? There are many self-initiation rituals that you can take part in where you personally dedicate yourself to the God and Goddess. These rituals allow you to state your intentions toward the deities and pledge yourself to them.

Just because you are a solitary Wiccan does not mean you have to be alone on your path. There are some online covens that work very well across distances, and provide the camaraderie, support and education of a traditional coven. You can also benefit from communicating with other Wiccans in a less formal way in online message boards and chat groups.

So don’t despair if you are drawn to Wicca and live in the Bible belt. There is still room for you and your personal practice within the framework of Wicca. Just educate yourself and take the time to learn what you need. The God and Goddess call is heard by those who are meant to be on this path, no matter what form their path takes.

Brightest Blessings,

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