"Steal This Book of Shadows" ver 2.0
by Azzerac
~PAGES~
Prev    HOME    Next

Page 3
The Basics

 Let's get to it:

    There are Five "Internal Mechanisms" involved in Making Magic:

• 1) Visualization

• 2) Concentration

• 3) Emotion

• 4) Will

• 5) Faith

                (One might add "Secrecy" to this list, but that pertains to Other's Mechanisms. I'll explain in depth elsewhere.)

We will strengthen these for greater effectiveness

    There are only really Four "Manifestations" types:

• A) Auric_Field_Modification

• B) Extra-Sensory_Perception

• C) Probability Modification

• D) Psycho-kinetics

We will be combining these for Magical Results.

You'll notice that one set is numbered and the other lettered. Well, that's because, at the end of the book, you'll find exercises broken down into all the things they add to. A list of numbers & letters will follow each exercise, in the "Exercise Appendix", listing the abilities each one improves & strengthens. (Still working on finding all my notes. I'll have those by August 1st)

    Shall we address them in Order?

      1) VISUALIZATION- Face it; like any artist, if you can't imagine it, you can't create it. The more completely we conceptualize our desired end, the better we will know success. Alternately, it let's us know failure all too well, when things don't go as we imagined. If nothing else, it demonstrates directly our need for improvement.

        2) CONCENTRATION- Imagination is just one of 4 balls to juggle in your endeavors. Keeping your concentration on all these aspects is vital to success.

        3) EMOTION- Ah, that wonderful, right-brain melody that charges your Aura, and, in turn, powers your Spells and enchantments. Better get in touch with those feelings, boys! More importantly, one should be as a method actor; able to crank them on and shut them down at a moments notice. Find the right cues from you own life experiences, and you can move through a full spectrum of emotions in mere moments.

       4)  WILL: Admit it: if you don't think for a second that you deserve it, and you aren't convinced of your own value as a person, you'll give up before you've even begun. Don't quit Five Minute before the miracle!

        5) FAITH- This is where Thurgy & Thaumaturgy split! Thurgy is Worship, and beseeching a God/Intelligence/Elemental to do the job for you. As a Wizard, you learn to have faith in yourself (but either will get the job done). The theurgist even has it easier. They just set the ball in motion with the metaphysical equivalent of a phone call. A Wizard (or Source-erer, if you prefer) has to be and know the source of their own strengths (and weaknesses), and get the job done themselves! Theurgist, really, can rely purely on faith that the Called-Upon "Power" will do the job.`

    I have more respect for Wizards/Witches.

  NOTE: You will find me using certain term interchangeably, as a mater of habit. before this gets too convoluted, it's time to define these terms: Better skim the Lexicon, And Then come back...

 So where was I? Ah yes,...

    Now, these fore-mentioned mechanisms don't all need to be "cranked to 10" to get the job done. You can cast spells effectively, to a lesser degree, if you lack a bit of imagination, or your self-esteem isn't what it could be. 'More in One and less in others' can still get the ball rolling, but it won't make you the proverbial "Force To Be Reckoned With" that every true spell caster strives to be. There are little things we can do to bolster these abilities, and they in exercises with each attribute heading.

    Attend to the Exercises!

    Not only do they help you develop in the attribute they fall under, but the cross the gambit with other powers and mechanisms.

Now as to Powers,...

• A) Auric Field Modification

        This is the Bio-Magnetic field that surrounds all things: mostly living, but inanimate, to a smaller degree, as well. Normally perceived as an energy source and defense field, there are many other applications for this unique 'second skin'. This is responsible for Psychic self defense, astral projection, and many forms of Perception enhancing effects.

• B) Extra-Sensory Perception

        I like the Bonewitz phrase "Non-Local Space-Time Perception", but since his is still under copyright, we'll just call it "Perception", or "The Sight".
        Now "Perception" and "The Sight actually constitute Two different forms of seeing the metaphysical. They both utilize the temporal lobes for improved processing, but  "Perception"  depends entirely upon The T-Lobes, where "The Sight seems to Triangulate between T-Lobes & Eyes (The Temporal Lobes tell you something is there, and shifting your "hard & soft focus" to coordinate the two, lets you see it).

• C) Probability Modification

        The true source of manifestation for Classic Spell Casting, it's use is mostly "Perceive an end, and drag the universe, kicking and Screaming, to it"! Creative visualization, chanting, and many more, use only this ability as the entirety of their palette. You can call this so much "Positive Thinking with theatrics", as it applies to spell casting.

• D) Psycho-kinetics

        That whole "Mind-Over-Matter" thing. Varying levels of accomplishment, from stopping a human heart (it doesn't take much), to "stopping the sun in the sky".  There are a LOT of ways you can fool yourself on this one, and I will explore these in a Do's & Don'ts section.

Suggested Reading: "Mastering Witchcraft", by Paul Huson (Do not perform "Unshackling Ritual", as stated in the book (Page 20), Under ANY Circumstances! Reciting the 'Lords Prayer' backwards is a definitively satanic act, and ...'calls things'. It is not the kind of attention you want. Trust Me on this one! (You Can't Un-Ring That Bell!)

~PAGES~
Prev    HOME    Next

Copyright Lodestone and Lady's Mantle 2005-2009

All rights reserved

(Back to Articles Index)

"Why We're Here"
About the Owners