Quickie Rituals

You have probably heard the magical principle, "As Above, So Below". One way to apply this principle to your life is by working on your inner self which brings about growth and prosperity of all kinds in your outer life. Magical rituals are a good way to work on your inner self. There are of course rituals you can establish in your life that take some time each day to perform and some that take days or weeks or maybe even longer to accomplish. But there are also some simple, quick rituals you can do every day. Here are a few:

1. Exit Ritual – Each time you go outside during the day (or as many times as you can), raise your arms reaching towards the sky and say, "Sky beings above", then lower your arms reaching towards the Earth and say, "And Earth beings below, I greet you". This establishes a connection between you and many higher beings that can guide you. If you have a particular concern, problem or are in need of special guidance you can state that after the greeting.

2. 5 Minute Sit – Take 5 minutes in the morning to set the tone for your day and quiet your inner self. Sit in whatever position is comfortable for you and close your eyes. Pay attention to breathing deeply and evenly and quiet your mind. If you find your mind going to all the things you have to do today or what you did last night or anywhere else, stop and try quieting your mind again. The longer you can do this sit the better, but even just 5 minutes will make a difference in your day.

3. Moving Meditation – Establish a routine of doing this once everyday at around the same time each day. Decide what distance you will walk, for example around your neighborhood block. Divide that distance in half. The first half talk to higher beings and powers about anything you want to – how your day went, special concerns you have, challenges at work or with a relationship, a particular problem you are trying to solve. The second half of the distance, stop talking and use your other senses. Feel, listen, look at what is around you. Pay attention to any messages or thoughts that come to you, look for signs or totem animals that may appear.

4. Chalice Blessing – This is a good one to do with someone else or several others. You can do it by yourself or with your pets if no one else is available. Take a goblet or chalice with a stem (the element water tool), fill it half way with spring water and sprinkle a pinch of non-iodized salt in the water. Sit in the south facing the north and swirl the water clockwise while saying the following verse.

"Water and Earth where you are cast, Let no spell nor adverse purpose last, Not in accord with me. Bless these people (or this person, or this animal) and bless their space, Far from here send baneful trace. Thus my will, so it be."

Holding the chalice in your left hand, use your right index finger to dip into the water. Then draw a vertical line on the other person's forehead with your wet finger. Next draw a horizontal line from left to right intersecting with the vertical line (so that you have made a cross). Finally put your finger at the right end of the horizontal line you drew and move it clockwise around their forehead in a circle touching all the ends of the lines you drew. As you draw the circle say, "For the peace of your mind." Repeat this same procedure over the person's heart saying, "For the joy of your heart", then finally have them take a sip of the water from the chalice and say, "And for the health of your body." They can then do the ritual to you or if you have several people, you can sit in a circle and go around the circle doing it to the person next to you.

Using daily rituals such as these increases your connection with the Universe, establishes connections with higher beings and powers; thus allowing you to attract those things you want to attract in life. Do the ritual with as much consistency as possible. Make an appointment to "hang out" with your higher self for just a bit each day and watch how magical your life can become.

If you are interested in learning more about rituals, check out our ebook – "Daily Rituals For Getting What You Want in Life" in our school store.

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Top 10 Reasons People Don't Do Magic

For those of us who have practiced and studied magic for years and live within magical realms, it is hard to believe that not everyone desires magical knowledge or a magical lifestyle. Here are some of the reasons we've found that people don't do magic.

1. Don't understand what it really is
2. Contempt prior to investigation
3. Confused by media representation
4. Fear of the unknown
5. It challenges Western societal traditions and beliefs we have been raised with about spirituality and religion
6. Fear of change
7. Too busy
8. It's easier to live mechanically in the mundane world than to work on increasing the level of one's being
9. Other people will think they are weird
10. Belief that magic is evil

Most magical practitioners probably had one or more of these beliefs at one time before discovering their path into the world of magic. Each person must decide for himself or herself what paths to take in life. Those called to a magical way of life will be drawn to it, as it is drawn to them. Then the choice is yours. Will you follow the calling of magical ways or succumb to the biggest fear of all that It Just Might Work?

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Do Love Spells Work?

This is a question we get quite often at the Esoteric School and the answer is yes, love spells do work.

Hold on though before you go rushing off to secure your dream mate. There are some things to consider. Most often people who send this question in have a specific person in mind already and want to have that particular person fall in love with him or her. Casting a love spell on a particular person can have very serious repercussions. The main reason this type of spell is not recommended is it breaks the rule of magical practice, "Don't bind another unless you are willing to be likewise bound". Would you want someone you didn't love to bind you to them in that way? A spell of this sort may increase their attention to you for a while, but it is difficult to know what type of karmic reactions could result for you.

Now let's turn to the brighter side of love spells. Instead of you dictating a specific person to attract, spells that define a type of person work much better. The first step is to write directors and limiters for your spell. Directors are the things you want the spell to do or include and Limiters are the things you don't want the spell to do or include. Here are some examples of items that could be used in both categories:
Directors –
Age range of person
Maximum distance the person lives from you
Range of income from legal source
Same hobbies or interests as you (list specifically which ones)
Type of personality (ie – extremely clean, animal lover, etc...)
Has time outside of work for family and friends

Limiters –
Does not have substance abuse problems
Does not have health issues
Does not have tendencies towards violence
Does not have issues with being controlling
Does not have racial prejudices

Stick with those attributes that are most important to you. Consider leaving enough "wiggle" room for the spell to work instead of you trying to control it's direction. If you are too specific or obviously defining that one certain person that we have already talked about, there can be back lash. You might want to start with a more generalized list and once potential mates start showing up, re-define the list to get more specific. Remember that humans have more limited knowledge and resources, so letting the Universe do some scouting for you can bring people into your life that you never knew existed.

After you have your list of Directors and Limiters written out, it is time to launch the spell. One of the safest types of spells to cast is a candle spell. Here are directions for a simple type of candle spell:
•Get a Sun yellow candle (encased in glass works well), a plate and your list
•Place the list of directors and limiters on the plate
•Put the candle on top of the list
•Stand in the south facing north with the plate, candle and list in front of you
•Light the candle with a wooden or paper match
•Let it burn for 30 minutes
•Do this each day until you start seeing results

This process takes the energetic qualities that you have defined and sends it out to the Universe to put your desires into action; much like an energy matrix prayer. Then stand by and wait for your prayer to be answered.

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What's In a Color?

A lot more than you might think! Each of the 4 elements, Air, Water, Fire and Earth, has different colors associated with them and these various colors represent different characteristics of these elements. For example, sky blue is an air color, but so is white. Sky blue is the color for spiritual air whereas white is the color for mental air. So if you are studying for a big test and need to be mentally focused and alert, white would be the color to surround yourself with. You can dress in white, study in a room with white walls or have a vase of white daisies on your white desk.

Here are some other examples of how you can use colors:
• Surround yourself with sky blue for spiritual awareness.
• Dress in the fire element color red to increase your metabolism and burn off weight.
• Use orange to attract attention or be the "life of the party".
• Use the Earth colors of brown or green to stay grounded or increase stability in your life.
• Sun yellow can give you an energy boost or lift up your mood.
• A medium blue color can increase your emotional awareness (stay away from too much really dark blue though as it can sometimes lead to depressive emotions).

Magical practitioners learn to use the energies from these 4 element colors for healing, sending psychic messages, self defense, balancing energies and a variety of other techniques. If you'd like to learn more about the 4 elements and how to use the colors associated with them, check out the 4 element courses offered by the Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic. Or email info@shamanschool.com and ask about doing the 4 Element courses with our free offer!
You might just find the "pot of gold" for your life by following the magical rainbow!

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For Big Magical Changes, Start Small

Are you familiar with the spellwork principle that says 'A Small Change in the Present will Create a Larger Change in the Future'? It is part of the Universal Law of Divination.

That principle recently came to mind with an experience shared by my friend Anna. Anna had been over a year without a job. She had become very depressed at her lack of funds, lack of productivity and lack of direction. She was constantly complaining of all that she did not have in her life at present.

I suggested to her one day that by concentrating on her lack, she was attracting more of the same to herself and that maybe it was time to try making a change. She didn't need to make a huge, revolutionary change, just something small to realign her energies, raise her energetic tone, and attract a more positive flow into her life.

Anna decided to give it a try. She couldn't do much about her due bills or increase her bank balance, but she decided she could get out from in front of the TV and find something useful she could do. Anna ended up volunteering at a local homeless shelter. She started out serving meals and reading to children and soon advance to teaching adult skill classes. As she became more invested in her volunteer work, she became less invested in her own depression and on all that she lacked in her life.

The director of the center noticed Anna had a gift for the work and after several months offered her a paid staff position. She later was given the opportunity to receive grant monies to pursue a degree in Social Work while continuing to work at the center.

Anna graduated last Spring with her degree and this year was offered a position as the director of a new homeless shelter being built. When I received a letter from Anna sharing her story, I reflected on how that small change she made that day did indeed create larger changes for her in the future.

She increased her energy tone up just a notch which opened up all new fields of energy bands to her. Also by making a small change rather than a large one, she didn't run into the resistance that often accompanies larger changes.

You too can use this principle to create changes that can transform your life. Pick a goal and then pick one very small change you can make towards it. When you accomplish the first step, take another, then another, until you reach your goal. Taking those small steps, making small changes, allows for the magic to work in your life.

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