To a many
witches/magick users, ritual and spells which are long and drawn out
are not necessary, you can cause magickal influences by force of will
and knowledge of the energies around you. All energies are different
and thus you must learn about these energies separately.
We must
become one with our environment and our body to fully utilize elemental
energy within and around us. there are many types of energies in all environment, elemental energies, human energies, spiritual energies
and the straight magickal energy. Now to use these energies you must
recognize that they are a part of you and you are a part of them. You
can look within and feel them, hear them, and see them. They all flow
on a stream and you can control where in that stream you want to be. To
visualize the energies which are around you there are several simple
thing you can do.
1) Close your eyes. Take several deep breaths
trying to inhale that which is around. See what colors and images you
see as you do this.
2) Hold your hands about 5 inches apart
from each other. Force energy through your body, down your arms and
into a ball between your hands. Feel what kind of energy it is and how
it reacts with what is around you.
3) Hold your arms in front
of you, palms facing up. Spread your fingers out and stand with you
feet about a foot apart. Face the sky and draw energies into you third
eye. Feel the divine voice and understand through that voice what
energies are around you.
4) Ground yourself (if you don't know
how to do this I'll explain it later if you want). Sit on the ground in
the mountain position (on your knees with your feet under you bottom).
Place your hands on your thighs and allow energies to enter your heart.
Push these energies back out and try to see how your body has effected
them. Balance yourself out with the energies around you and the
energies within you.
5) Meditate on the energy stream which is around you and your place in it.
Now
we must also understand what kinds of energy there are and how to
identify them. Probably the easiest type of energy to identify (and
thus the most often called upon) is elemental energy. I believe that
every element has an opposite and a consort. (One it clashes with and
can control it, and one it works well with and amplifies it) I also
believe that the traditional five elements of the pentagram is out of
balance and thus I have added a sixth one to the group to balance it
out.
Air
This elemental energy is associated with the
East. It is considered to have the power of movement,intelligence,and
purification. It is said to represent the power of mind over matter.
This element helps focus thought, clarify the mind, and divination. The
element of air is the force which is felt, yet not seen. It is silent
and also a fuel for speed and power.
Earth
This elemental
energy is associated with the North. It is said to have the ability to
help with fertility, motherhood, stabilization, and life. Everything is dependent upon this element. It is said that this element helps bring
us back to our roots, our primal form. This element is said to bring
prosperity and wealth to an area. It also is used in binding and knot
spells.
Fire
This elemental energy is associated with
the South. This element can be both good and bad, symbolizing creation
and destruction. It creates heat, but while it does it must destroy
something. It is often used as a symbol of rebirth, focusing,
cleansing, and transformation. It also helps to create self control.It
is most commonly used in Candle magick.
Water
Water is
associated with the West. It is the elemental energy of cleansing,
love, and healing. All life is dependent upon water and thus it is a
symbol of life. People who are dominated by water energies tend to be
dreamers, poets, and abstract or whimsical thinkers. It is used as a
tool for healing, purification, new beginnings,and peace. It is said to develop psychic awareness, bless unions, and create peaceful dreams.
Spirit
Spirit
is related to all directions. It is the element of the divine and the
purity of the soul. This element brings us closer to the divine voice
which resides within us all. It is said to open us up to the hidden
potentials of all humanity and magick energy which flows around us.
This is the energy which guides our destiny and makes us individuals as
well.
Chaos
Chaos is related to no direction. It is the
movement which bring everything together into the center of being and
beyond. This element bring us closer to the chance of life and inner
emotion and raw power. It is said to open up your mind, heart, soul,
and body to all the energy which surround it. It is related to all the
knowledge of the past, future and present and brings us into harmony
with them all.
The Elemental Opposites
Fire<--->Water
Earth<---->Air
Spirit<--->Chaos
The Elemental Consorts
Fire<--->Air
Earth<--->Spirit
Chaos<--->Water
Now,
to control these energies, you must be able to control their consort
and their opposite as well. Their consort to fuel them and their
opposite to control them. You can control elemental energies many ways,
some are easier than others and some are more useful than others. You
can control them through spells, rituals and other assorted types of
magick (stone magick, rune magick, herbal magick, candle magick etc)
but I am not going to focus on those methods.
The easiest way
to use elemental energies (outside of tools and ritual) is to use your
body as a channel for the energies around you. This can be difficult
for some people, as some people are very closed off to outside energies
and have a hard time letting other things flow through them. There are
several ways to practice allowing elemental energies to flow through
you. The best way to practice allowing other energies in it to connect
yourself with one element at a time.
To connect with Earth
practice grounding. Also sit in mountain position and place on hand on
top of the other (face up) and press the tip of your thumbs together.
Place your hand close to your torso on your thighs. Close your eyes and
relax. The earth energies should easily flow around you.
To
connect with the Air elemental energies you should (sitting in the same
position) make the 'OK' gesture with your hand and then place the tips
of your middle finger together. Your palms should be facing up. Now
breath in and bring your hand level with your chest as you do so.
Breath out and turn your hands over and bring them above your head.
Breath in again and pull your hands back down to your chest. Turn your
hands over and breath out as you pull your hands down to your thighs.
Repeat this as necessary.
To connect with the elemental energy
of Fire you should (sitting in the same position) bend your arms to
about a 90 degree angle. Make the "OK" gesture with your hands. Put
your arms in front of you like you are trying to make a basket, do not
let your finger touch. Breath in and push energy from your right side,
around your right arm, to your left arm and back to your heart. Repeat
this.
To connect with the water elements make your hands into
a 'W' shape with your thumbs touching each other. Sitting in the same
position as before, place your hands in the 'W' position on your knees.
As your breath in move your hands fluidly upward to about the level of
your chest. As you breath out fluidly move your hands back down to your
knees. Repeat.
Now, connecting with the Spirit elements is
much much easier. Place your elbows by you side, bend your arms to a 90
degree angle with your palms facing up. Tilt your head toward the sky.
Close your eyes and slowly lift your hands above your head. Slowly
bring your hand back down being careful to keep your palm facing
upward.
To connect with the elementals of chaos is probably
the hardest to do.Most people do not accept chaos as something useful
or powerful, so they deny it into their body and lives. Now to connect
with the elements of chaos you should sit with the bottoms of your feet
touching each other and your arms in the same position as that for
fire. Slowly straighten your arms out in front of you as you breath out
and bring them into your chest as you breath in. Return to the original
position holding your breath.
Now, once you are familiar with
these elemental energies, how they feel, what they do, how they react
with your personal energies; you can try summoning them to you without
using these exercises.
To do this, begin by trying to make
'balls' of elemental energy. The easiest way to accomplish this is to
place your hands in front of you, palms facing each other and about four
inches apart. Focus the energy between your hands. You should feel the
same type of energy you were feeling when you did the exercises
depending on what type you are calling. If you want to control the
specific element more, call up the elements opposite as well. If you
want to expand the energy, call it's consort.
OK. Now that you
can channel these energies how can you use them? This is simple. Once
you have learned to channel the energies easily, you can simple call
upon them at any time and use their properties to aid you. You use the
force of your will to make things happen. For example, instead of
casting a long intricate rain spell, you simply channel the elemental
energy of water and will it to rain. It is the same as casting a spell,
but simpler and less time consuming. You can do this on the fly as
well. You can call upon these energies to protect you, harm others,
change weather, summon spirits etc.