Shamanism – How to Create Sacred Space

Remember the old TV commercial with the frazzled mom at the end of the day pouring bath salts into the tub and exclaiming, "Calgon, take me away"? She probably didn't define it that way, but she was seeking her own sacred space. Sacred space is something we all need especially these days when we are constantly bombarded with noise, stress and fast-paced living. Magical practitioners and shamans also create sacred space before performing many of their rituals and practices. According to which traditions or magical practices you follow, there are numerous ways to create sacred space. Here are a few simple ones that anyone can do.

1. Sun Yellow Candle - Take a Sun Yellow candle (a bright yellow candle that has no orange overtones) and paper or wooden matches. To create sacred space with the Sun Candle, you will need to "charge" it, or program it to do so. To charge the candle:
- Stand or sit in the South facing North with the Sun Candle in front of you
- Light the candle using wooden or paper matches (do NOT use a lighter)
- Wait until the candle flame is steady and tall
- Hold your hands up to and around the flame, focusing your attention on the candle and flame.
- Say the charge verse below in a voice of command (a strong, powerful voice)
Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish My Spirit,
And Protect My Aim!
If there are other people in the room with you, you can change the "My" to "Our" and make the words "Spirit" and "Aim" plural. Leave the candle burning in the room for at least 30 minutes (be sure the candle is on a protected surface such as a plate and is not a fire hazard). At the end of 30 minutes or when you feel ready, blow out the flame (don't snuff it).

2. Sacred Place – Sit in a quiet, comfortable location and close your eyes. See yourself walking somewhere that is pleasing to you. See all the details, smell the smells around you, hear the sounds around you, feel the weather conditions. Start to see a place ahead of you that you are going to. See what it looks like in as much detail as you can. It might be an opening in a wooded area, or a gazebo by a lake or anywhere that you find pleasing and relaxing. Keep walking until you arrive at the place. Breathe deeply in your sacred place and decide what you will put here. You might want to put an altar of some kind or your magic books or special artifacts or magical tools. Feel yourself being in this place you have created and spend as much time as you can there. When you are done, retrace the steps you took to get there and return to where you started. You can then return again and again to this same place anytime you wish or need a getaway. I find sometimes in the middle of a particularly stressful day that just seeing the place in my mind and anticipating the next time I can go there helps to calm things down for me.

3. Sacred Circle – Find a place either inside or outside that is at least 3 feet in diameter. Burn sage in a firebowl, smudge stick, or incense burner. Starting in the east direction, carry your firebowl or smudge stick and walk towards the south creating a circle using the smoke until you return to the east. You can also use a chalice (tool of the magical element of water) with spring water in it and a pinch of sea salt (representing magical element of earth) and go over the circle you created with your smoke, sprinkling the water. Then starting in the east direction invite each of the Winds into your circle in this order, Winds of the East, Winds of the South, Winds of the West, Winds of the North and finally invite Sky Father and Earth Mother into your circle. You can use this space you have now created to meditate, perform a ceremony of some type, drum, chant or just sit with the higher powers you have invited in. When you are done, remember to thank each of these higher powers for being there and bid them farewell starting with the Winds of the East, then south, west, north, Sky Father and Earth Mother.

Creating Sacred space gives us a way to experience peace, serenity and a connection with the higher. It is necessary for anyone following a spiritual path of any kind and allows us access to third force and our inner voice or spirit. Spending time in your sacred space is healing for body, mind and spirit. So give it a try, "Sacred Space, take me away".

You can get all your ritual supplies in the webstore at the Esoteric School.

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Daily Magic Rituals – Asking for a Sign

So, say you have been doing your daily magical rituals, hiring angels and asking for certain manifestations to appear in your life. How do you know they are working. Some things you can do to question the Universe are:

• Just ask for a sign. Say to the Universe, "Please show me a positive sign today that I can easily understand that shows me my manifestation is coming." Then be sure to stay alert and watch for the sign. There are many, many ways it could come. It will be something that is meaningful and pleasant to you usually. For example, after asking this question of the Universe at one time, I went outside on my porch and found myself surrounded by about 20 hummingbirds. They left the feeder, came from the trees and literally formed a circle around me for a few brief moments before flitting off again. I love hummingbirds and they symbolize "joy" as a totem animal, so I knew I had my sign.
• Do a question circle with the Winds. Communicating with the beings of the 4 directions is a good way to get information. Go outside and designate a space of around 5 feet in diameter and have a pen and paper with you. Sit in the south of your designated circle facing north and light a Sun Yellow candle in front of you. Then go sit in the center of the circle facing east and write down your question or questions. Sit quietly for a few minutes thinking about your question, but just the question itself; don't think about any answers to it. Take your candle to the edge of your circle in the east direction and ask the question aloud. Then start writing everything that comes to you until no more information comes. Repeat this process then to the South, the West, and the North in that order. When you are done give thanks to the beings for their insight and blow out your candle.
• Do a Tarot reading. Tarot readings can show you many things about your magical work. A 12-card reading will show you a past line that you can see where you have come from, then a present line (that may have the Magician card in it which shows your magic is working) and a future line that can show possible ways your manifestation will present itself. You can also ask a question about what you are trying to manifest and do a reading strictly on that question.
• Ask for a sign when doing Day Greetings and Day Endings. When you go out in the morning to do the Navajo Beauty Way or other greetings to the four directions or Winds, to Sky Father and Earth Mother, ask them after greeting them to provide you with a sign sometime during the day. Then be sure and watch for the sign.
• Work with Owl. The totem animal of Owl sees and knows the truth. Owl has wisdom and can see through the darkness. Ask for Owl totem to appear to you or show you a sign that your magic is working. Then be sure to look for the sign. It could be you overhear a conversation about owls, you find an owl keyring, an owl flies very near to you, or come in a multitude of similar ways.

What if you don't understand the sign or don't get a sign? It could be the sign was there and you missed it. Ask again. This time ask specifically for a sign that you will be sure to understand. It could be how you phrased the question that is the problem. Maybe your manifestation isn't materializing and you need to change the question to find out why it isn't. Like all magical work, think through your questions before continuing and make adjustments according to the responses you see. The Universe has all the answers we need, we just have to ask the right questions.


Want to find out more about Daily Rituals or doing Tarot Readings. Check out the ebook "Daily Rituals for Getting What You Want in Life" and the Tarot Homestudy Course in the Esoteric School store.

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Shamanic Journey – The Way of the Shaman

I still remember many years ago both the excitement and the trepidation I had upon enrolling in the Beginning Shamanism class at the Esoteric School. I had completed all the magic classes offered and was a bit scared of my perception of shamanism. I couldn't resist going down this path after all the life changing discoveries I experienced in the magic classes, but I admit now that I was somewhat intimidated and a bit skeptical that I could perform such shamanistic feats as going out of body, conversing with spirits and exploring other realms. It all sounded so mysterious.

I look back now and see that this class was a beginning, a Shamanic journey that started me on the road to following the way of the shaman. I did learn the lessons and techniques, but that class was the springboard for a lifestyle change. A shaman is an original researcher working in the Sciences of Religion and Magic. The shaman has meaningful direct communication with higher beings (and possibly lower level entities) to advance man's knowledge. The information obtained can be used just to increase the body of knowledge, for healing, divination, and many other things. Following the way of the shaman means that information is obtained from all sorts of physical and non-physical beings.

By learning techniques to interview and communicate with a wide spectrum of beings and expanding my spirit perceptics way beyond the 5 senses most of us use, I have found new meaning in Metaquiason (we are all one). Following the way of the shaman is a pathway of developing spiritually and embarking on personal inner growth. It also leads us to developing our inborn abilities, perceptic powers and seek power and help from all that is around us. In these present times where we are surrounded by electromagnetic fields of white noise and ruled by technology, many of us don't have a sense of the spiritual insights, powers and abilities that we were born with. The way of the shaman takes us back to a time when the abilities and powers we had were understood and not seen as something extraordinary, something to be feared or something that society shunned. It also leads us to discover who we really are, develop an awareness of how we are connected to everything and everyone else and find our places in the Universe.

If all this sounds intriguing, following the way of the shaman may be for you too. Developing your spirit perceptics is a place you can start exploring. Through the spirit perceptics shamans are able to gather much more information than is available to the 5 senses of the physical body. It takes time to develop these senses so don't be discouraged if you don't get the results you want in the beginning. Just keep practicing. An easy way to start is to learn to expand on a sense that you are already familiar with and use like hearing.

Exercise:

• Sit in a comfortable, quiet location
• Close your eyes and relax (maybe do some deep breathing)
• Draw an imaginary circle about a foot in diameter around you
• Listen to the sounds you hear within this circle and identify each
• Start with the common sounds, ie – children laughing, leaves rustling, someone walking by. Then move on to more obscure sounds that we usually wouldn't notice, ie – the wind blowing softly, an ant walking
• Then you can move on to widening your circle and doing the same thing.
• See how big your circle can become. A block, 5 blocks, a mile?

The more you practice, the more you will stop listening with your physical ears and start listening with your spirit ears. This could be your first step on your shamanic journey, the path to following the way of the shaman.

If you find this is a path for you, check out the Basic Shamanism Homestudy course at the Esoteric School.

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Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaman2477/2717869545/

Magic Online – Psychic Exercises

Everyone has psychic abilities. There are some that have a natural talent for using these abilities. The rest of us can develop our psychic abilities through practice. We need to learn how to expand our awareness to higher levels. Here are some exercises you can use to practice:

1. Quiet your mind, relax your body. Pick a person you know and try to visualize what that person is doing. Note the time and check with that person later to see how accurate you were.

2. Sit quietly in a public place and pick out an area 10 to 20 feet in diameter surrounding you. Close your eyes and relax. Tell yourself to notice when someone enters the area. When you 'feel' someone enter your area, open your eyes to check your accuracy.

3. Make a plan to attract an event into your life. Choose a word, topic or phrase. Focus on attracting the word or phrase. You can ask the Universe or higher powers to help you attract it. Then stay observant during the day and watch for it to show up. It could appear in a song you hear, a conversation you overhear, be on a billboard or turn up in hundreds of different ways, so stay alert and watch for it.

4. Take a notebook and pencil or pen with you to a public place where you can sit down, for example a park. Sitting on the park bench, select a person nearby. Begin writing whatever comes to you about that person. Are they happy or sad, do they have children or pets, what type personality do they have, etc... Relax and just absorb what you feel from the energy around the person. This is just a practice exercise and does not need to be validated. You don't have to approach the person to ask how your results compare to their lives. Just give yourself the practice of observing the energies of various people.

5. The doorbell rings, the phone rings, someone at work is walking in the hallway towards your office. Relax your mind and body. Close your eyes and picture the person on the other side of the door, in the hallway or on the phone. Then open your eyes, answer the phone or look for the person and see how close you were.

Don't get discouraged if you don't immediately get the results you want. Keep practicing and over time you will find your abilities improve. The main thing is to enjoy the process and the exercises. Don't concentrate as much on the results as on what you are doing to achieve them. The more fun you have with it, the more relaxed you will be and the more your unconscious channels will open. And don't forget to practice, practice, practice!

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Online Magic School – What Can You Learn?

Magic is the science of first understanding and then using to our benefit the principles that govern this Universe. Everything in this Universe is comprised of a mixture of the four elements air, fire, water and earth. The study of magic is the study of these elements - their characteristics, their behaviors, the parts of the Universe that they govern, and their interaction with each other. Understanding and directly working with these elements allows us to understand anything in the Universe. When we understand something at such a precise level, we can create it. In short, Magic teaches us to understand and create anything we choose in this Universe.

When people ask, "Can I really learn magic through an online magic school?", we are able to answer yes because of the way magic is taught at the Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic as a precision science. The techniques taught in our school are verifiable, repeatable and precise. There are many different disciplines of magic throughout the world and many practices are best learned through a mentor or physical teacher in order to learn the traditions and practices. The techniques we teach through the Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic can absolutely be taught through online magic courses with the use of class notes, videos and audio file instruction since they are taught as a precise study that allows their duplication again and again.

Specifically, what will you learn in the classes at the Esoteric School? Our beginner-level course is called Basic Magic. In Basic Magic, students learn to work with the four elements of air, fire, water and earth directly (with our hands) and with tools (wand, athame, chalice and plate). Students also learn to use the elements sonically, or with sound. In each of these practices, they learn to use the four elements to:

•Balance their own energies
•Balance the energies of others
•Permanently change their beliefs
•Self-defense
•Healing self and others
•Divination (finding hidden information or seeing possible futures)
•Psychic communication
•Create sacred space
•Finding lost objects or people

Towards the end of the Basic Magic course, students also learn how to read the tarot and create and use safe, effective spells. Spells can be used to attract money, manifest jobs, deepen relationships, or achieve any number of aims or goals. We use the tarot to find out whether a spell is needed and appropriate, and whether a proposed spell will be effective.

As you can see there is a lot to learn from an online magic school and this is just the Beginning Magic Course. We also have advanced studies in magic and Shamanism classes. You can get answers to more questions you might have about magic and how the magic classes at the Esoteric School work on our FAQs page. There is even a link you can follow from there to see what the class notes, audios and videos are like.

When we decided years ago to start this school, we chose the format we use so that we could offer these teachings to people regardless of geographic area. If we held classes in just one physical location, we would have missed the great students we have had over the years from all over the U.S. and many other countries as well. Online classes, ebooks and homestudy options allow us to spread the magic around and insure these ancient teachings survive.

Basic Magic Homestudy Special For August 2011
We are pleased to be able to offer the complete 30 week Basic Magic Homestudy Course at a 25% discount for the month of August. You can see all the details of this course and place your order in our school store.

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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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The Power of Pause

Recently I encountered a situation with a friend that I could tell almost immediately involved an archetype of his I know well. I have run against this personality before and have learned that it is single minded in its focus, determined to have its way and unreasonable. We had planned a weekend of yard work, but when I saw snow falling from the sky with temperatures in the 20s, I felt sure those plans would be altered. My friend in his archetypal state saw it differently. This is what he planned to do, was set to do and was going to do regardless of the weather. My usual response when faced with this particular archetype is to try to reason with my friend, present objections and get him to see that he is wrong. I in turn then become angry and defensive as I find I cannot sway him. This is how most of us humans usually react in our mechanical ways. This time however I truly understood the value of the Cortothalamic Pause.

I felt myself go very calm and immediately shut my mouth. I just sat there and watched as my friend argued his case that yard work is what we planned and yard work is what he must now do. When he finally wound down and ran out of words, I sat quietly for a few seconds and then was able to calmly state that I would not be doing yard work in a snow storm in 20 degree weather and that I hoped he would reconsider his plan, but if not then I understood that we each have to choose for ourselves what we thinks is best. I was then able to walk away with no anger, no guilt and no judgment.

Cortothalamic. The second part of this word comes from thalamus which is part of the forebrain. The thalamus deals with sensory and motor functions. Responses coming from a feeling level are usually immediate or mechanical reactions. Neurons take the sensory information and send it to the cortex. Cortex is where the first part of the word comes from. The cerebrum or cortex is the largest part of the brain and deals with higher functions such as reasoning and conscious thinking. The Cortothalamic Pause creates a bridge between these two levels allowing us to move from reaction to reason. At the thalamic level you can check your reaction to see how you feel about a situation or interaction, but then take that information to the cortex level to reason out the best response.

This of course is not something I just instinctively knew to do. It has taken a lot of training and practice for it to become natural. The Cortothalamic Pause is a way of stretching time, which is very useful in shamanic practice for healing, research and time travel. Once you become proficient at using "The Pause", you actually feel separated from physical time. So how do you go about learning this useful tool?

1. Practice several times a day starting with small things that are not something you have a passion for. Don't start with something you know is a pet peeve or "touchy" subject for you.

2. When someone asks you a question or asks you to do something – STOP. Do not immediately respond. Clamp your mouth shut and calm everything inside you as much as you can. This part takes practice too.

3. Wait 2-3 seconds and don't let your mind race ahead thinking of all the things you could say in response. Just absorb the question and stay quiet.

4. Take a deep breath and now respond to the question.

You will be surprised at how different your response is after giving yourself the time for both the cortex and thalamus to absorb the information. The Power is in the Pause.

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What Else Can You Teach Me?

This is what we are often asked after people read our "Is Magic Real?" article and send for the cloud exercise. After experiencing for themselves the joy of magic through working with clouds they are eager for more. The answer to the question is – LOTS!!

First, for those of you just having a little fun with magic or those who are new to magic and not quite ready to take the full plunge, we have a rich library of articles in our Resources section. This is where you will find the article "Is Magic Real?" that includes how to send for the cloud exercise mentioned above. There are also articles covering a variety of magical topics including Spells, Divination, Healing and Health, Guidance and Help and several others. Check out the entire library.

There are many other offerings in our Resources section we hope you will explore. And they are all FREE! Over the years, we have conducted many free teleconferences and short email courses. These are archived as audio files or text in the Resource section. You can listen to audios of guest speakers on topics such as Dowsing, Animal Communication, and Feng Shui, to mention a few. And don't miss the archive of "Magic in Your Mailbox" that offers some good beginning magical exercises.

Are you ready to get more serious about magical studies? For you, we have 2 free audio files on our website that will let you get a taste of the classes and types of material in them. There is an audio file for Introduction to Basic Magic and one for the sample "Athame" class . We also have complete homestudy courses on multi-media cd for Basic Magic, Basic Shamanism, Magical Self Defense and Tarot.

If you are looking at taking your magical studies in smaller bites, we have Short Courses on each of the 4 Elements and on Four Element Balancing and a variety of ebooks.

Whatever level you are at, we hope you will join us at our blog and share your magical experiences with us as we share ours with you. Blessings to you on your magical journey.

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Magically Erase the Monday Morning Blues

I'm not sure why it's called the Monday Morning Blues, as really the blues can set in for any morning. The weekend is over or the relaxing evening before, we find ourselves not able to get going or rushing around, trying to get wherever we have to be that day, thinking ahead to all the things on our "To Do" list. We let the habitual morning routine take over and go through our tasks in a rote manner. But morning is the time to set the tone for your day. Part of that is moving out of rote behavior so that we move to a level of conscious choice. Magical practitioners have learned that there are techniques to avoid these "blues" that keep us stuck in lower levels. They avoid setting themselves up for a chaotic and stress filled day and raise their emotional level to a place where the day flows smoothly and they can operate from a position of power rather than things just happening to them. Here are some tips for quick and simple ways to start your Monday morning or any morning off magically.

1. Burn a Sun Yellow Candle – Sun Yellow is the color of the fire element that represents the spiritual level. Sun Yellow is the color of life force and nourishes spirit. Make sure it is pure sun yellow with no oranges mixed in. Certain fire energies, such as Sun Yellow, are useful for overcoming sluggish emotional states because some of the characteristics of fire energy are that it is non-mutable, a motivator and radiative. Sun Yellow is a very safe fire element color to use.

2. Morning Reading – pick a positive type reading everyday from whatever discipline you subscribe to or a variety of them. These readings can be as complex as pages from Gurdjieff Commentaries to the more simple such as a chapter from The Four Agreements or Deepak Chopra's 7 Spiritual Laws for Success. The reading you pick may just be a single line from the many inspirational or devotional books that are available. Whatever it is, take the message you have read and keep it with you throughout the day looking for ways you can apply it in your life or observing ways others are using it. Use the message to create an aim for yourself for that day. When things start to get routine, sluggish or stressful throughout the day, remember the message from your reading to remind yourself what your aim for the day is and anchor yourself again.

3. Morning Sit - Take at least 5 minutes (more if you have the time) – to sit quietly and just be with yourself. Reflect upon your morning reading or your day greeting or just be quiet and breathe deeply and slowly. Meditate on the daily aim you have set for yourself and invite higher beings and powers to guide you through your day.

4. Day Greeting – Starting off the day with a Day Greeting puts you in contact with Sky Father and Earth Mother (and winds of the 4 directions if you include them). It gives you access to the guidance of higher powers and beings. You can include asking these higher powers to be with you through out the day for help on a specific situation you know you will be facing or just to be with you in general for guidance and to share their wisdom. To do the Day Greeting you can do the simple version of facing to the east, raising your arms and hands to towards the sky and saying "Sky Father, I bid you good morning" then lowering your arms and hands towards the ground and saying "And Earth Mother, I bid you good morning". Or you can use the longer version and address all four of the directions too by holding your arms out towards the direction you are facing:
East – "Winds of Knowledge (or Winds of the East), I bid you good morning"
South – "Winds of Power (or Winds of the South), I bid you good morning"
West – "Winds of Feeling" (or Winds of the West), I bid you good morning"
North – "Winds of Strength" (or Winds of the North), I bid you good morning"
Then do as above with Sky Father and Earth Mother.


5. Pick a higher thought – Sometimes when we are stuck in negative patterns or really low we can break the negative cycle or feelings by picking the next higher thought. For example, you don't have enough money to go out to lunch with your colleagues at work today and have to brown bag it and it's got you down in the dumps with nothing to look forward to in the day. Your mind is cycling messages like, "There's never enough money", "I hate my job and will never make enough money at it", "Everyone else always seems to have more money than I do", "My life really stinks", etc.... Whoa! Are these the messages you want to be sending out to the Universe?? Only if these are the things you want to attract to yourself. It's hard to break this type of cycle once it has started and come up with something totally positive. But you can stop it by coming up with a statement that is just a little step higher towards positive. "Well at least I'll be having lunch and not going without even if it is just a ham sandwich", can lead to "And there is that leftover piece of cheesecake my friend made, I suppose I could take that too" which can lead to "I sure do have some good friends in my life", and then "Maybe I'll surprise my friend by baking her some brownies tonight, that will be fun", "I really am blessed with good friends and good things in my life". You get the idea.

6. Wear bright red – Bright red is the fire element color corresponding to the physical or mundane level. It represents metabolism and body temperature. Wearing something bright red can give your physical body a lift much like a brisk physical workout would do. If you find yourself really on edge, nervous about something coming up in your day or jittery, you might want to try wearing pink instead. The color pink is fire with a lot of air, which is a sedative and relaxing.

7. Do the Shower Litany – At the end of taking your morning shower, see all the tension and stress of hurrying to get ready to leave for work flowing down your body like the water is and down the drain as the water drains out. You can also flow out any aches and pains leftover from yard work or sports activities over the weekend. As you are doing this say out loud:
"All the tension, all the strain,
All the pain with excess flame,
Flow with water down the drain."

At this point you might be saying, I don't have time in the mornings to do these things. It's all I can do to get dressed, grab breakfast to go, get the kids ready and off to school and lots of other time related excuses. Give it a try though, even if just for one morning using just one of the above tips. I find that when I take the time to allow magic into my life, physical time is not an issue. Not only does the entire day go better, there is plenty of time to get everything done in the morning. It works just like, well.... Magic!

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"Spell"check – When a Spell Isn't Working

First let's be clear on what is a spell. A spell is a psychic or magical operation that is programmed or uses combinations of the 4 elements to create a result over a period of time. It is a formalized intention. That would include chants, litanies, sonics and prayers.

A spell in an energy matrix that is programmed in certain ways towards a specific goal. Spells follow the path of least resistance and therefore you need to have directors and limiters included in the creation to make sure you do not bind other persons or cause harm to any other beings in order for your goal or aim to be reached.

Here are some things to check when you think your spell isn't working:

• Did you include a time frame? If not, you may just need to be patient and know that the magic is working and the spell is still in progress.
• Are you anxious, worried, angry, depressed or putting some other negative emotional charge on the situation? These can slow the magic down and cause delays. Avoid negative situations and environments so that these are not influencing your focus on your intention.
• What is the level of your being right now? We know that the level of your being attracts the level of your life; therefore it could be the Universe is trying to deliver your desire, but you are unable to receive it presently. You can increase the level of your being by concentrating on consciously performing even simple daily acts instead of going through your day by habit or rote.
• Could others be attempting to manifest something opposite of your goal that is causing interference? You may need to cut psychic lines from these people so that their desires and energies are not influencing you.
• Is what you are trying to manifest now contrary to an earlier aim? It could be that you were on an entirely different path and need to take that matrix down before you are able to create what you now want.
• Are your directors and limiters not specific enough or possibly too restrictive? You have to have a balance in place that makes it very clear and specific what you are creating without being too restrictive in how the creation is to be manifested.
• Are you allowing interference from others or yourself? Is someone around you planting doubts in your mind or are your own archetypes or beliefs causing you to stand in the way?
• How is your inner landscape? It may be that you are over anxious and need to create some quiet space inside yourself. Meditation is good for this.
• Are you following the Prime Directive? The Prime Directive is that other beings can't interfere in your life. If you doubt magic will cause a change in your life, that becomes the dominant intention. Turn your doubts over to a higher being or power, take your mind off it by doing something to relax or occupy your time and get out of your own way so the magic can work.

As always with spellwork, remember to think it through. The safest spells are those you create yourself as you know where they have come from and that there is nothing hidden in them and make sure you create a good set of directors and limiters. Magic always works. Just be sure not to get your own way and let it happen. When you do feel the urge just run it through the above "spell"check.

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Forecast Your Own Weather!

Oh bother, rain again! Boy, my lawn could sure use some rain. The kids will sure be disappointed, but we'll have to call off the fishing trip with all this rain. Any of these sound familiar? You don't have to arrange your life around the weather. There are things you can do magically to work with the weather.

There are many ways of working with weather and different disciplines use different techniques. Here are a few basics in preparation and some techniques one can use without a lot of specialized training.



1. Check with higher powers, especially Grandmother, the spirit of the Earth. There may be plans in the works or reasons of which we are unaware for a particular type of weather.

2. Ask weather beings for help. There are many higher beings or spirits that are helpful when weather working. Different disciplines and traditions have their favorites or call them by various names. We find the Winds of each direction, Sky Father, weather angels, storm spirits, sylphs and of course Grandmother appropriate beings to consult. Asking these beings for help creates a safer way to achieve the results you desire since these beings exist on a higher level than we do and have access to higher levels of information. They are privy to a larger scale picture concerning what we are asking and will know how to help us without interfering in a bigger plan or inconveniencing another.

3. Think through what you want. As with all magical procedures, you need to thoroughly think through what you want and are asking for. For example if you say, "I want rain." The results of this could range from thinking you have failed to disastrous. A statement of this kind doesn't include where you want it to rain, or how much, or how hard. Be as specific as you can in defining what you are asking for.

4. Focus your intention. Now that you have defined exactly what you desire and have the help you need, see a picture of this in your mind. Focus your intention on this ideal picture and lay this picture over what you see outside. Put enough energy into the picture that you feel it coming alive. Focus on what you do want, not what you don't want. People love to talk and complain about the weather. Don't let yourself get sucked into this energy. The "As Above, So Below" principle defines that the weather conditions will match the conditions of the land and people below it. Feeding this negative energy will delay or negate your intention.

5. Keep your emotions in check. Whereas you need some emotional energy to push into your picture, be careful of too much or the type of energy you are flowing. Feelings of anxiousness, being distraught, scared, over-excitement, nervousness or other strong emotions can flow energies that will negatively affect your results.

6. Look for small changes you can make. Take a look at the current weather outside from the perspective of what one thing could you change that would lead to other changes. It takes less energy and less work to create one small change. Also remember that a small change in the present can lead to a large change in the future. For example, you might move those dark clouds over and send them in a direction away from you. This could cause other like clouds to follow it and allow the sunshine to come through. Now it is clear enough and dry enough to take that fishing trip. Or maybe there are clouds that you can darken and add moisture to so your lawn gets that needed rain.

Try experimenting with different weather conditions and record your techniques and results so you know which work best for you. Following the above safety tips, you can have fun seeing your results improve as you practice.

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Unemployed Angels – Will Work for Gratitude!

The news is full of stories on the increased unemployment rate in the United States. Predictions of how long until recovery, people filing bankruptcy, unemployment benefit reform, Americans unable to make mortgage payments and losing their homes, the Department of Labor still reporting an unemployment rate of over 9% nationwide. In these difficult times for the human race, there is another group of unemployed who go unnoticed by the news media. Angels. Angels are also finding themselves hanging around in unemployment lines as fewer and fewer people are employing them for help.

It is so easy for humans to get caught up in their busy lives, their woes, stresses and problems and completely forget, if indeed they ever knew, that these valuable resources are available virtually free of charge. There are angels whose expertise range in everything from travel to communication to health. So many things that are everyday irritants can be turned over to angels.

Running late for an appointment and want to make sure you have a parking place waiting for you? Ask an angel to go ahead and save one for you. Taking a driving trip and want to make sure you arrive safely and on time? Hire a Travel Angel. Dreading talking to your spouse or boss over a misunderstanding? Hire a Communications Angel to pave the way and accompany you. Not sleeping well? Hire a Sleep Angel specialist. Taken on too heavy of a workload and don't know how you can possibly get it all done in time? Hire a Work Angel.

Angels have so many more resources than humans and it is really a lot of fun to see how they go about solving our problems and making our lives easier. Help may come in the form of a person who shows up offering to do just what we need done. It may be in the form of new ideas that suddenly come to us on how to re-prioritize a busy schedule. It could be in the form of discovering a new tea or herbal substance that relaxes one before going to bed. It may be that we won't know the form, only the results that caused one person to leave the parking spot in front of the doctor's office just as we pulled in or why our surly boss was suddenly open and truly able to listen to our explanations.

Helping humans is the work of angels. It is their purpose. Here's the catch though. They have to be asked. They will not interfere and go where they are not bid. You must ask them for help and tell them exactly what you want help with. Then there is the payment. Angels work for gratitude. You must thank them and I find it is best to do so in advance. That shows not only your gratitude, but also your faith and belief that they will do a good job for you. It also prevents your forgetting to thank them later, when the job is finished and you go on your way.

So how do you ask an Angel for help? Decide what you need and in a strong voice say, "I'd like to hire an angel." If you know the specialty you need, include that. Then describe what you need. Don't describe what you don't need, put it in terms of what you do need. "I need to get to my doctor's appointment on time, safely and with serenity and I would like a parking space close to the front office door." Don't get caught up in details of how to make this happen, that's the angel's job and really if you could do it yourself then you wouldn't need to be asking for help. Don't set too many parameters on your request either. Give the angel room to have fun and creativity with their assignment and to use their judgment on the best way to accomplish your request. They can see a larger picture and know the best way to serve you without inconveniencing others.

There are thousands of these highly skilled entities just waiting for you to ask them for help. Give it a try and I think you will be pleased and possibly amazed at the results. All it will cost you is some gratitude – it's a deal you can't beat. So give an angel a break and hire one today.

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Magic and Monkey Business

"Monkey see, monkey do." Have you ever heard that phrase. Probably. And you've probably heard of that phrase because it works as a formula for learning, whether you want to learn music, mule-busting, or magic.

That's why this year the Esoteric School blog is going to use the "monkey see, monkey do" approach to spread the magic. You see, we have tons of magical material (and when we say tons, we literally mean tons -- we know we because we hauled it all the way over from CO to CA). We weighed the stuff. We have tons, for real.

But us having tons of magical know-how doesn't help you or anyone else in the world who wants to learn, use, and apply magic in everyday life. Hence the "monkey see, monkey do" approach.


What is "Monkey See, Monkey Do"?
So what does all of this blather mean to you, the reader of the Esoteric School blog? It means that we are going to be offering a limited number of magical exercises that you can easily learn, practice, do, and use in everyday life. Most of these exercises will be total freebies, and some of them will require you to download some inexpensive instructions manuals (just to be up front with you 'cause most things on the internet are free, but not everything … and you mostly get what you pay for).

Once you put out the instructions for a particular exercise, we're going to do the exercise ourselves. Then we'll report back on the results, and we hope you'll report back, too. You can best do that by posting comments on the blog so that others can read about your experiences, questions, and comments. Chances are that you are not the only one with questions and comments, and sharing publicly helps the magical community as a whole.

Sound good? Sounds peachy to us.

Getting Started
So if you are into this whole "monkey see, monkey do" practical magic approach to life, then let's get started. We've got a lot of ideas up our sleeves about magical exercises, but this isn't about us. It's about you. So what do you want to learn about? What magical topics are bugging you? What magical procedures do you really want to learn?

Post your ideas in the comment section of the blog and we'll pick the most popular and go with those. If your idea doesn't get picked, don't get offended. We get slammed with hundreds of emails everyday so there's no way that we can answer every single person's questions or concerns, but we'll hit the high spots for as many magical problems as possible.

Good to go? Good … then let's go!

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Don't Know How to Get What You Want? Just Engage!

One of our favorite lines from the sci-fi show "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is Captain Jean-Luc Picard saying,

"Engage!"

While Captain Picard uses the term to send his ship into to explore new dimensions, we spiritual travelers can use the term to explore new dimensions of consciousness and life.

Here's a simple way you can borrow Captain Picard's command to make your own life easier: the next time you don't know how to do something, just tell yourself, "Engage!" In other words, just start engaging with the process in any way you can. Don't worry about whether you know what you're doing. Just do something!

Most of have been taught by society to decide what we want, figure out to achieve it, and then start the process. But according to most ancient creation sequences this three step process is somewhat backward. To create anything, from a cake to a business, the process really looks like this:

1. We want something.
2. We engage with the process and find out more about it.
3. We decide whether we really want it.
4. We figure out how to create it.

In other words, figuring out how to "make it happen" comes after we decide that we really want it. The key to creation sequence is to do just enough poking around (or engaging) to decide whether you really want it, then making a conscious decision that you want it. The "how" never enters the picture until you have made the conscious decision to pursue it.

So the next time you want to achieve or create something, don't worry about how you will do it. First engage with the process and do some research. Figure out if you really want to pursue the project. If so, the answers will come to you. Your desire must and always will bring you exactly what you need to achieve what you desire.

Your job in the creation sequence is to engage with the process, stay open to what comes to you, and most of all to enjoy the engagement with the Universe. We're all on this planet for a certain period of time-it's more fun if we enjoy it!

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Curiosity is the Key to Finding What You Seek

We've all heard the biblical phrase, "Seek and ye shall find." It always sounds very positive and rewarding. But how many of us are so frustrated with seeking and not finding that we'd like to have a serious chat with the author of that phrase (St. Matthew)?

If you've been seeking for a long time but haven't found what you're looking for, don't fret!

If you haven't found what you're looking for, it may not be because you're not looking long or hard enough. It may because the quality or tone of the attention you give to the seeking process isn't quite right for finding what you want.

The tone or quality of your attention can actually be the difference between finding what you want and being in total frustration. It turns out that the best tone for finding what you want is curiosity. If you can maintain the innocent curiosity of a child when seeking anything in life, you will find and get everything you want.

Why is this? Because there is an inverse relationship between attachment to what we want and getting what we want. The more we are desperately attached to what we want (i.e., "I just gotta have it!"), the less we are likely to get it. But, if we can become very curious about what we want without attachment, then we will attract it into our lives.

For instance, let's say you want to bring a certain amount of income into your business. The first thing to do is to tell the Universe in a very clear and precise way. Write down exactly what you want and what you don't want (and by when). Then, adopt a posture of curiosity. It might sound something like, "Hmmm, I wonder how the Universe will bring this about..." As you encounter different people or events in your life, you might ask yourself, "I wonder if this is going to an avenue for what I want?" or "Isn't this interesting?"

The channeled teacher Abraham tells us that "genius is nothing more than continued attention on the same thing." In other words, the longer you direct your attention positively toward something, the more you're a genius in that area. The same thing is true about curiosity. The longer you can maintain a child like curiosity about what you want, the faster that which you want will come into your life.

So the phrase "Seek and ye shall find" is most definitely true, but only if you learn to seek as a child would seek-with wonder, delight, and joy in the process. Anytime you find yourself getting obsessed or frustrated with the process, just go back to that light hearted curiosity. The Universe will always bring you what you want, and that child like curiosity will keep the doors of your life open to receive it.

Enjoy the journey!

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Do You Have an Unwanted Spirit in Your House? What to Do

Do you keep losing your keys and other small objects? Hear cabinet doors slamming in the middle of the night? Is something causing your dogs to bark at nothing at all?

If so, then you may have one or more unwanted spirits in your home. This is not unusual, nor anything that you need to particularly fear. Many times spirits who have not "moved on" hang around a house, either because they are familiar with the house or simply because they like something about the house.

For instance, when we moved into our current house, we would often see a spirit sitting in an old barrel chair in our living room, particularly during our morning meditations. When we described this spirit, a very thin old man wearing jeans and a red checkered shirt, to one of our neighbors, we discovered that he used to live in our house. He simply "hung around" during meditations, liking the feel of the barrel chair. Eventually, though, he made my wife uncomfortable so we gave the very old chair to the pastor of a church. The spirit of the old man never returned.

What to Do if You Have a Spirit in Your Home
So what should you do if you have an unwanted spirit in your home? There are multiple options, none of which are difficult or scary. You might try one of the below options.

1. Learn to Live with the Spirit
Our neighbors live in a very old farmhouse, which is inhabited by a spirit who is mischievous rather than dangerous or harmful. He likes to slam kitchen cabinet doors at night, when the house is dark and quiet. What do our neighbors do? Nothing too drastic. When they hear him banging the doors, they just yell "Stop that!" or "Cut it out!" Oddly enough, that's all it takes to keep him quiet. Since he doesn't get up to any other kind of trouble, they leave him be the rest of the time. Most spirits don't like yelling or loud noises, so this often works when a spirit is up to naughty tricks.

2. Talk to the Spirit
Many spirits have no idea that they no longer have bodies and are "hanging around" where they are unwanted. If you can see, sense, or feel the spirit, then you can talk to him or her. You hold a conversation with a spirit just as you would with another person. There are two main differences. First, some spirits are quite "down tone" and may not respond to you right away. Don't worry. Just keep asking questions and talking to the spirit until you get a response. Second, the spirit's "answers" may sound like a voice in your head rather than an actual voice. This is perfectly normal since the spirit doesn't have a body, so can't speak out loud.

Once you engage the spirit in conversation, start asking questions about the last lifetime in which the spirit had a body. Ask for a name, the time period in which he or she lived, and other relevant details. Finally, bring the conversation around to the happiest time the spirit can remember in that lifetime. This memory of a happy time should bring the spirit up the tone scale, and allow him or her to move on. You may want to help the spirit by asking him or her to move on, or offer to help him or her find a new body (in a tree, cloud, or rock, for instance).

3. Banish the Spirit
This option is a last resort, and should only be used if the spirit in your home is really bothersome or harmful. While these kinds of spirits do exist, most spirits are relatively harmless. One way to discover whether a harmful spirit is inhabiting your space is to cut a clove of garlic in four equal sections, and place one section in each cardinal direction in your home. If the hearts of the garlic cloves turn dark within 24 hours, then you do indeed have a darker spirit cohabitating with you. At this point, you will need to either do a banishment or have someone do a banishment for you. Shamans, magicians, and other spiritual practitioners can do this using a keyed athame and electric blue energy.

Explore these three options if you have an unwanted spirit living with you. As discussed earlier, most of these spirits are fairly harmless, and will move on if you simply ask them to leave. Good luck!

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