The X Factor in Magickal Healing

If you have tried your hand at magickal healing, you have probably discovered that sometimes the healing works, and other times it doesn't. Or sometimes the person is healed for a period of time, and then "relapses" back into the same illness or discomfort. When faced with a mix of success, failure, and partial success, any magickal healer can become somewhat confused, and even discouraged.

Not to worry. One way to get around this problem is to understand the X Factor of Magickal Healing.

The X Factor in Magickal Healing
What is the X Factor in Magickal Healing that can explain why a healing session (or even a series of healing sessions) produces total success, while at other times the same techniques end up in relapses, partial relief, or even total failure (that is, no change in the person's health condition).

What could you be doing wrong that would cause these kinds of mixed results? NOTHING. If you have done a magickal healing to the best of your ability and with the utmost concentration and sincerity, then you have done nothing that would cause poor results.

Many factors play into the success or failure of a magickal healing. For instance:

• the recipient of the healing may not actually want to be healed
• the magickal healing resolved the symptoms but was not able to address the cause, leading to relapses
• the recipient has history in this or past lives that could interfere with your healing
• the recipient of your healing "needs" their illness to learn some lesson this lifetime

The list could go on forever as to the factors that affect the success of a magickal healing. So what is a healer to do? After all, seeing mixed results all the time can cause a healer to question whether their skills at magickal healing are "up to snuff."

The one way to escape the burden of success or failure is to understand the X Factor of magickal healing. The X Factor was explained to us by a wonderful and talented dowser named Harold McCoy. Harold started the Ozark Research Institute, and while he is no longer with us, his teachings live on. The most important thing that Harold taught us was the X Factor, although he never called it the X Factor. He said:

"As healers, we do what we do, and what happens happens."

That's it. If we follow this doctrine in our magickal healings, then we are relieved of the burden of responsibility when it comes to success or failure. We acknowledge that we have done the best we can. We acknowledge that we are not privy to all the factors in a person's life--both this lifetime and past lifetimes. We acknowledge that the person is ill so that he or she can learn some valuable spiritual lesson. In other words, we acknowledge that we are not omniscient or omnipotent. We simply apply the healing tools and techniques as we see fit, and then release ourselves from the result. To have offered a healing to someone is a form of giving. What the recipient chooses to do with that healing energy is up to him or her. We are not responsible. We are only responsible for doing the best we can with the greatest sincerity and compassion we can offer.

If you are able to abide by the X Factor of magickal healing, then you will find yourself much more light hearted as you apply your healing to others. As a result, your healing forces will become much more focused and powerful because you are no longer concerned about whether the person will receive a complete healing or not. You will know only that you have done the best you could, and that is a gift that is sufficient unto itself. We can no more bind people in healing than we can bind others with any magickal work. We simply offer what we have, and allow people to take what they like. In this way, each gets what they need and want. We call that a magickal win-win situation!

If you are looking for a wide range of healing techniques to add to your magic toolbox, our Energy Healing for Self and Others ebook can help you either get started on a healing path or add to the techniques you already have.

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Discover the Meaning of Your Dreams

Dreams are funny things because they can either be messages of great importance or simply the conscious mind's way of dumping the trash. If you remember your dreams, you'll probably discover that your dreams can range from truly meaningful to highly absurd. But what can you do if you feel a dream is very meaningful but can't seem to decipher what it means?

You could, of course, look up the generic meaning of certain dream symbols in dream dictionaries. But we have discovered that a person's dreams, especially those that are meant to be messages from Spirit, are highly personal and not likely to be interpreted using the generic definitions offered in dream dictionaries.

What other magickal methods might be available? There are many. One of the more comprehensive ways to learn the meaning of your dreams is to use a cup of cold coffee. Yup, cold coffee.

Using Cold Coffee for Divination
What does cold coffee have to do with dreams and magick? Cold coffee possesses one main attribute that makes it an excellent receptor for divination: a flat dark surface. By looking at the surface of a cold cup of coffee, you will be able to "divine" the meaning of your dreams.

We used to like to sit in truck stop diners and use cold coffee to do divinations for ourselves or others. Once we learned to tune out the noise of the diner, we found that cold coffee made for excellent divination.

To divine the meaning of your dreams with cold coffee (this process is also called scrying), pour yourself a cup of cold coffee. Sit down at a table and place the cup of cold coffee in front of you. Wait until the surface is completely calm and quiet.

Now become very curious about the dream in question. Allow the images from the dream to play across the coffee's surface, much as they would if projected onto a screen. Do not think about this process, just do it. Thinking interferes with this process so keep your mind as quiet as possible. Allow the images to appear in whichever sequence that occurs. Become very curious about any and all images from that dream.

As you are observing the surface of the coffee and the images playing, ask this question in your mind: "What is the message for me in this dream?" Choose a similar question if you like. Allow this question to become a mantra in your mind as you watch the images float across the surface.

Once you have chanted the above mantra for a few minutes, you may see other images appearing on the scrying surface. Allow these images to appear as they may be images from life events (this life or others) that are related to the message in your dream. You may also receive information as a gut feeling or simply a "knowing." Once you receive a substantive message from your scrying, stop chanting the mantra. Allow the images playing across the coffee's surface to dwindle and dim, until all you see is the black surface.

Piecing Together the Meaning
Jot down any impressions, gut feelings, and information you received from this scrying session. Again, do not think. Simply write. Thinking interferes with recall so keep your mind as quiet as possible except for recall.

You may not immediately understand the meanings you gained from the scrying session. However, if you are thorough in your recall, you will eventually be able to piece together the message. The message may become more clear as your day unfolds. If you still want other information, consider calling on the Spirit of Owl for help, or using a Question Circle. You can also repeat your scrying session for a few days to see if more information becomes available. The good news is that you can do this type of scrying almost anywhere that coffee is available. To learn more about the fascinating magical topic of divination and other methods of divination, check out our Psychic Development ebook and learn many different ways to get all the information you want and need.


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The Power of Magickal Tools

If you have watched any television shows or movies about magick, then no doubt you have seen characters do all kinds of wild and wonderful things with Wands, potions, herbs, Athames (magickal knives), Chalices, and more. But since these tools are being used in a fictional setting, you may wonder what magickal tools really can and cannot do.

For instance, you may wonder:

• Can you really throw a lightning bolt with a Wand? (Nope)
• Do magickal potions really exist and do they work effectively? (Yes, if created correctly)
• Can you ride a broomstick to the moon? (Nope)
• Does telekinesis, the ability to move things with the mind, really exist? (Absolutely)
• Is it really possible to read someone's mind? (Yup)

Magickal tools do have immense power if formed and used correctly. In fact, most magickal tools are simply extensions of the self. For instance, any well-trained magickal practitioner can throw lightning bolts using only his or her bare hands. However, if you add an Athame, or magickal knife, into the mix, a practitioner can throw a lightning bolt much further and with greater power than by using only bare hands. The same with the Chalice, a tool that allows a practitioner to see into the future or the past.

But for magickal tools to have power, they must: 

1. Be correctly formed or "keyed"
2. Be used properly

While many magickal tools could serve double duty as ordinary objects -- such as a Chalice that resembles a wine glass or an Athame that looks like a hunting knife -- the difference between an ordinary household object and a magickal tool is the process of "keying."

Keying a tool so it becomes a magickal tool accomplishes three tasks: 

1. Cleans the tool of any junky or unwanted energies
2. Aligns the energy of the tool correctly so it can be used magickally
3. Personalizes the tool to your specific energies so others cannot use your magickal tools without your consent

Once a magickal tool has been keyed, it is ready for use. To maximize its power, the practitioner has to use it as it was intended and "keyed." For instance, although Harry Potters sends lightning bolts through his Wand with no trouble, in the real world sending Fire energies such as lightning bolts through a Wand would cause the Wand to catch on fire or explode. Wands are meant to handle Air energies, which are associated with communication, planning, breathing, seeing, enlightenment, and understanding to name a few. If you want to throw lightning bolts, then you need to use an Athame, the metal of which is designed to handle Fire energies without catching on fire. So choosing the right magickal tool to do a specific ritual or spell is as important as properly keying a tool.

Here's a sneak peek at what magickal tools can do: 

• Firebowl: Send a message to higher beings and Spirit guides by burning your written request and letting your wish ride the currents of smoke upward until they reach the higher beings

• Wand: Create communication between two people who refuse to speak to each other by using the Wand to create a "communications link" (the Wand uses Air energies, which govern communication)

• Athame: Banish any unfriendly beings from your sacred space in five minutes or less

• Chalice: See into the future or past by putting a dark liquid into your Chalice, giving the Chalice a command, such as "Show me .." and then watching the show play out on the surface (this technique is also called scrying)

• Pantacle (plate): Heal broken bones or soft-tissue injuries far ahead of any doctor's predictions by focusing and gathering the power of the Earth element into a cone of energy projected by the Pantacle

• Pendulum: Got trouble? Swing your pendulum counter-clockwise to "undo" your troubles

These are just a few of the things that a properly keyed magickal tool can do when used in an appropriate manner. If you want to learn more about magickal tools, delve into our tools ebooks. Read more about those ebooks HERE.

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Have No Fear of Fear

"Fear is the emotion that comes forth when you are choosing a thought that is not up to speed with the desire that you hold. You're going to feel it and you're going to feel it stronger. It is the reason that the word "terror" or "terrorist", or "terrorizing" is such an appropriate word. It is not only in the action that you witness, or that you hear about, it is in the speculation that begins to run rampant. The power of the terrorists is much greater in things that never come to be than it ever is in the things that do come to be."

---Abraham

Fear comes in all shapes and sizes, just as people come in all shapes and sizes. We all have fear, although many of us are unwilling to face our fears, or even admit that we have fears. Most people consider fear to be a sign of weakness, a vulnerability to be covered up as much as possible. But you have probably noticed that fear is one of those emotions that you can run from... yet you can never truly hide from fear.

Fear shows up in those pre-dawn hours as nightmares. Fear shows up in specific phobias. Fear is the driving force whenever we avoid anything in our lives, whether we avoid social situations or the entanglements of certain types of relationships.

The good news is that fear is a useful sort of beacon in our lives. Fear shows us where we are "stuck" in our lives and gives us a chance to face the factors that keep us from moving forward to the next phase of our lives.

Magickally, fear can be faced, addressed, and released in many different ways. One of the best and most satisfying methods is to use the "Big Burn" ritual. The Big Burn ritual is great for literally "burning away" anything unwanted, including negativity, fear, and other factors in life that are no longer useful. Here's what you will need to do this ritual, along with how to conduct the ritual.

The Firebowl
A Firebowl is just what it sounds like--a large bowl made of a sturdy material. Brass, cast iron, and ceramic are best. Hardwood, like iron wood, also works. Although Firebowls can vary in size, the most convenient size seems to be 4-6 inches wide and 4-6 inches deep. This size can easily be carried from place to place as you do this ritual. One important consideration is to choose a Firebowl that has a slight curve inward at the top, and then a slight outward flare above that. This shape allows the smoke from the Firebowl to rise upwards in a nice column. In addition to your Firebowl, you will also need:

• Self-starting charcoal discs (can be found in many religious or New Age stores)
• Wood chips to insulate the charcoal from resin or incense and facilitate burning
• Pine resin
• Unscented kitty litter or gravel or fire clay
• Finely ground or rubbed sage
• Sun Candle (any candle of bright yellow will do)
• Pen and plenty of blank paper
• Optional: set of prongs to hold the charcoal discs during lighting (prongs used in ice buckets are ideal)

 Preparing for the Ritual
Once you have gathered all of your materials, find a quiet place in your house to do this ritual. You will need to sit in the South facing North with all of your materials in front of you. If you don't know which direction is South, you may need to use a compass to locate that direction. Use your compass outside for best results and least interference from electrical and other power-related sources inside your house.

Once you are comfortably seated in the South facing North, sit down and write a list of all the fears you are ready to release from your life. You can write a comprehensive list and do this ritual once, or you can write a shorter list first to see what happens. You can always repeat this ritual at any time, so don't worry if you leave anything off the list. In addition, we often recommend that people do this ritual multiple times even with a complete list. Fears take many years to settle into our lives, so it may take some repetition to truly remove those fears from their entrenched places.

Once your list is complete, your next step is to prepare your firebowl by putting the kitty litter (or gravel or fire clay) at the bottom of the firebowl. Add at least two inches to prevent the Firebowl from getting too hot at the bottom.

Next, use paper or wooden matches to light and charge your Sun Candle with the following verse:

"Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish My Spirit,
And Protect My Aim!"

Charging the Sun Candle is the equivalent of telling the Sun Candle what you want it to do for you.

The Big Burn Ritual
The following directions will take you through the rest of the Big Burn ritual.
1. Wait for the Sun Candle flame to settle into a nice tall "working flame". A "working flame" is tall, steady, and strong.

2. Use a wooden or paper match to light the charcoal, using the flame of the charged Sun Candle. Alternately, you can also hold the charcoal in a set of prongs and light the charcoal directly from the Sun Candle flame. The charcoal should begin sparking and growing warm immediately.

3. Once you are sure the charcoal is lit, place it in the center of the Firebowl. Blow Sun Yellow energy pulled from the Sun Candle onto the disc until the charcoal is burning strongly. Don't think about "how" to pull energy from the Sun Candle and blow it at the disc. Your body and higher self already know how to do this. Simply feel the energy radiating from the Sun Candle, allow it enter your body, and then feel the same energy going out with each breath as you breathe Sun Yellow onto the charcoal.

4. Once the charcoal is burning well (you will see areas of orange and yellow), add wood shavings to the charcoal. Once the wood shavings have started to burn, add the pine resin and the rubbed or powdered sage until the Firebowl is producing a strong column of smoke.

5. Use the verse below to charge the Firebowl (to program the Firebowl for a specific purpose). Blow Sun Yellow energy from the Sun Candle into the Firebowl before and after each verse:

"Fire and Air where you are cast,
Let no spell nor adverse purpose last,
Not in accord with me!
Clear from my life these unwanted matters,
Send far from my life these negative factors!
Thus my will, so it be!"

Now you are ready for the Big Burn part of the ritual. Place your Firebowl in front of you (be sure your Firebowl is large enough to accommodate the burning of the paper on which you have written your list – if not, move the entire operation to the sink or some other place that is safe for burning).

6. Hold the list of fears you want to release in both hands. Take a moment to focus on the list, and focus on the fact that you are ready to release these fears. To assist you in this process, feel free to call upon angels, spirit guides, or any other spiritual helpers who might assist you in releasing your fears. Once you feel your intent is clear, and you have asked for any assistance you feel may be helpful, you are ready to move to the next step.

7. Light your list from the flame of the Sun Candle. If you have more than one sheet, start with the first sheet and burn only one sheet at a time. Once the sheet has caught flame, put the burning list in the Firebowl and watch it burn. Say a mantra if it feels right to you, or just visualize your fears going up in smoke. Repeat the process for each page of your list of fears.

If the fears on your list have been in your life for a long time, or if you simply feel right in doing so, repeat this ritual for 40 days in a row. You can write a new daily list of fears or you can burn the same list for 40 days in a row. The act of repeatedly releasing fears through this process for 40 days is based on the fact that 40 is a spiritual number, and we have witnessed the power of repeating a ritual for 40 days in a row.

The next time you find yourself "stuck" in life, held in place by fears, simply do a Big Burn and magickally clear those fears out of your life. You may want to keep a journal to track the appearance of disappearance of those fears from your life. Many people find the Big Burn to be a very satisfying magickal way of releasing anything that is no longer needed in their lives. The Big Burn is a great magickal ritual to use any time you are ready to move into the next phase of your life and need to release the old.

For more great rituals using magickal tools check out our Kindle book - Learn How to Do Witchcraft Rituals and Spells with Magical Tools.

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Self Defense: Do Banishments Affect Friendly Spirits?

This is a great question, and one that we get a lot. Like many self-defense techniques, the "area banishment" is a great technique to use if you want to clear your property of unfriendly spirits, ghosts. thought forms, and other unseen beings. Banishments can even be used to clear out astral projections from other people who might want to invade your space. One of the best benefits of a banishment is that it is particularly effective if you can't pinpoint the specific location of the being or beings you want to cleanse the area of.

But what about spirit guides, animal totems, angels, and other helpful friendly spirits? Do they get swept away by the electric blue fiery force of a banishment? The good news is that they don't. The majority of friendly spirits know when you are going to do a banishment, and tend to leave the area before you use this magical technique. How do these friendly spirits have such knowledge? Because these beings usually reside at a higher level on the hierarchy of beings than humans, so they tend to "know" more and see more than we do. Thus they know ahead of time when a person is even thinking of doing a banishment, and are likely to make themselves scarce far in advance of the actual banishment.

Here is a great story from one of our students that proves that friendly spirits are "in the know":

"I had been communicating with a spirit guide for about a year when my friends and family started questioning whether this being was friendly. After all, every time I spoke to this being directly (he would incarnate for short periods of time), I would be unable to speak afterward for a period of time, lasting from a few hours to a day. In addition, this spirit guided me to forgive certain people that my family and friends found "unforgivable." There were also other pieces of advice and guidance that my "tribe" questioned. There wasn't really any way that I could explain to them that I KNEW this being was friendly. Luckily, at the time I was taking the Basic Magic Class from the Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic, and I was able to ask my teacher about this. He said, 'Just do a banishment. Follow up by either putting up psychic teflon on your house, or putting up an omnil (energy shield) around your whole property. Then see if the being is still around.' So I followed those instructions, using my athame to do a banishment, followed by putting up an electric blue omnil around my entire property. Guess what? The spirit guide reappeared right after I had finished putting up the last circle of my omnil. He was grinning from ear to ear and said, 'You didn't think you could get rid of me THAT easily did you?' He thought the whole thing was hilarious and we picked up right where we left off in terms of the spiritual lessons he was giving me. I was half-relieved that my spirit guide hadn't left, and half-bummed that he was still around because the spiritual lessons he was giving me were difficult at best. Nevertheless, I am glad that he stuck around despite the banishment. I am also delighted that this technique only banishes the unfriendly beings on the property, and that the helpful spirits come right back once the banishment is done!"

As you can see from this student's story, banishments will not affect friendly or helpful beings and spirits. So feel free to banish and put up omnils and shield your house with psychic teflon if need be. The friendly beings won't be in the least bit offended, and your area will be clear of nasty beings who are less than helpful. To learn more about how to use these techniques, along with the specific rules of psychic self-defense, please check out our Self-Defense online course. This course will guide you through the ins and outs of defending yourself magically on multiple planes and against multiple types of beings. It's knowledge worth having for any magical practitioner.

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