Ask Alan: Why Use Magical Tools?

We just got an email that raises an interesting question. The author of the email says, "We don't need any sticks or wands or anything. We have the powers in are hands just as well in are head."

This raises an interesting question:

Why use magical tools?

This is a great question, and the author of the email is right. Everyone possesses and can channel magical energy using their hands, directing the energy with their intention (head). In fact, most magicians learn to handle the four elemental energies-Air, Fire, Water, and Earth-bare-handed, without the benefit of tools. It is best when you are first starting out in magic to handle these energies directly, with your hands, and throughout your body. We call this hand magic, or the direct handling of elements.

Magical Tools Give You More Reach
However, as you advance your skills, the use of magical tools is important. Magical tools extend our "reach," since they can handle more energies than we can handle with our hands. This greater level of energy means that we can reach further with the elemental energies to accomplish more.

For instance, you can easily to put up a personal magical shield around your body using your hands. It is simple to summon and direct enough energy through your hands. However, if you wanted to shield a house or a large property, you can do it much more easily with a tool, like a Wand. With the use of a properly made and keyed Wand, you can easily shield a property that includes many acres. It's possible to do the same using just your hands, but the level of force is much greater. The Wand saves you quite a bit of exertion.

Each of the four magical elements has its own corresponding tool, as follows:

Air element = Wand
Fire element = Athame
Water element = Chalice
Earth element = Plate

By using magical tools, experienced practitioners can affect situations on many levels, ranging from the personal level to the global level.

Learn more about Tools.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo credit: 4C7H0892

How Do You Know if Your Magical Healing Worked?

Magical healing is one area of magic and shamanic practice that can be truly tricky. Suppose you perform a magical healing ritual on someone or do a remote healing. The person gets better and you feel great.

But then the doubt creeps in. You begin wondering whether you were responsible for the healing or if the person was going to get better anyway. Or maybe your healing and the person's recovery were just coincidental-they just happened to occur at the same time. Or perhaps the person's angels and guides stepped in and performed the healing, and your magic had nothing to do with the person's recovery.

That kind of self-doubt most assuredly will drive you crazy and interfere with your ability to effectively practice magic. When it comes to practicing any kind of magic, here's one rule that will help you keep self-doubt out of the picture:

Never allow your magic to be tested.

People who don't believe in magic will commonly challenge magic practitioners to "prove" their magic by passing certain tests. This does nothing but introduce self-doubt into your practice. This rule applies to you as well. Don't try to "test" your own magical abilities or trying to figure out if you really healed someone.

The best position to take when it comes to magical healing is realize that you doing magic for your benefit and for the benefit of others, should they choose to make use of it. According to master dowser Harold McCoy, who has assisted in many miraculous healings, we are not and cannot be the sole instruments of remote healing. Healing is usually a combined effort between healer, client, and higher beings. If any part of this equation is missing, such as when the client refuses healing energy, healing will not occur. At the same time, when healing does occur, no single party in the equation is responsible. Instead, it's a group effort.

As Harold himself puts it, "I just do these things and the person gets better. I don't know that there is any connection, or what that may be, but it doesn't matter!" This is a failsafe position for magical healing. You know there is a connection between your magical act and the healing, but you don't have to know the exact nature of the connection. This lets you off the hook when it comes to self-doubt.

Need More Magical Healing Help?
Check out Harold's seven principles for magical healing work:

1. Never turn anyone down.
2. Be always 100% committed.
3. Always get permission.
4. Always invoke your guides and angels.
5. Don't charge, but accept donations.
6. There are no failures.
7. We don't diagnose nor cure.

What else would help you in your magical healing work?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

As Cold as a Witch's Tit -- Really Cold or Just a Myth?

Being involved in the practice of magic and shamanism, I'm always interested in the origin of symbols, rituals, words, and phrases. For instance, did you know that until Eliphas Levi came along, the word 'magick' was always spelled without the letter 'k'? Levi added the extra 'k' to differentiate religious and ceremonial magick from stage magic. Now it's spelled either way.

Another phrase that has always interested me is this one: "Cold as a witch's tit."

I've always wondered, are they really cold? Not as far as I can tell.

But in the interests of fun and humor, I checked it out. This link has an explanation that makes sense.

According to this source:

"Since a witch is in league with Satan, presumably she has no maternal feelings. Thus the medium by which she would suckle a child is, well, cold as a witch's tit."

More explanation follows on that website. Here's a link to some humor about witch's tits, too.

Enjoy the fun in magic!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo credit: Witches

Henbane Flower Essence: The Witch's Flower Essence

Supposedly part of the witch's 'flying broom' potion, henbane has long been part of the magical practitioner's apothecary. The plant itself is quite poisonous, containing scopolamine, atropine, and hyoscyamine, and is in the same family as other magical plants like deadly nightshade, mandrake, and datura. Many practitioners avoid henbane because of its deadly properties, but it can be a most useful plant when prepared and used correctly.

While the plant itself requires great caution for use, the flower essence made from henbane is an excellent tonic for shamans, witches, and other magical practitioners. The flower essence can be used without fear of poisoning, and is particularly good for vision quests and practitioners involved in exploring death. This can refer to physical death, or a more spiritual death, such as the death of personality or the ego. For those undergoing extreme life transitions, henbane can be supportive in helping avoid frustration and anger. It has a more extreme effect than other "transition" flower essences like Walnut or Bottlebrush.

Henbane is particularly useful for shamans investigating the half worlds through scrying, the black mirror, and other spiritual "windows." Henbane flower essence also helps those who want to connect with the spirits of the dead.

To learn more about flower essences, aromatherapy, and other healing techniques, check out our Energy Healing for Self and Others Ebook.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Photo credit: Henbane

Do It Yourself Magic

Need someone to wave a magic wand in your life? No magicians, witches, wizards, or Wiccans around when you need them? Harry Potter too busy?

No problem. Do it yourself (magic, that is!) in our upcoming Basic Magic Teleclass. Learn to cut, make, and use your own Wand in the upcoming Basic Magic teleclass. This 32-week comprehensive class will take you through all the skills needed to become a certified magical practitioner.

In Basic Magic you will learn to:
- Handle the elements Air, Fire, Water and Earth with your bare hands
- Heal yourself and others with basic magical techniques
- Scry and use divination to uncover and discover information
- Use magical tools like the Wand, Athame, Chalice, and Plate
- Do magical cleansings, blessings, and banishments
- Throw and interpret Tarot readings
- Create your own spells, simple and complex

What can you do with Basic Magic?
- Gain control of your life by using Universal laws
- Address life problems are chronic or repetitive
- Develop and use your personal power
- Get help from magical beings, including angels, animal spirits, and more

Want to know more? Get the scoop about Basic Magic, including a short class syllabus, by clicking the link below. We are now accepting a limited number of students for the class starting April 29.

Basic Magic Teleclass

Questions?
Feel free to email us at info@shamanschool.com or call us at
1-888-446-2442.

Photo credit: The Wizard