| CONCENTRATION and VISUALIZATION Concentration
While in a trance state, what you are thinking is very important. In meditation and divination it is okay to let your mind wander...hehe and most of us have no problem with that...but when performing magick it is very important to be focused. The tighter the focus the better the spell.
The key to learning focus is what I call "thought null". At any given point in time, you have hundred different thoughts bouncing around your head, even when you are mainly concentrating on a single subject you still get the odd random thought from left field. Magick is all about one single pure thought, free from the ordinary clutter and jumble, focused and then projected. A good metaphor for this is a laser. Ordinary thought patterns are like a light bulb, light energy projected on a broad range of wavelengths, while it serves wonderfully to illuminate, you can't cut steel with a light bulb, or perform microsurgery, or accurately measure the distance from the earth to the moon or any of the other "miracles" that can be performed with a laser. A laser being a SINGLE wavelength of light amplified, and focused. To learn how to have one thought and one thought only, you must first learn how to have NO thoughts...to stop thinking.
This is probably the single hardest thing to learn in all of magick, but once you have done so, everything else comes easily. If you do not master it, everything else will remain difficult.
A Null thought technique:
Sit yourself down in a comfortable chair and close your eyes. Then picture a void..a black endless field with absolutely nothing in it. If you start thinking something (and you will) picture it as a bright flash. Whenever a "flash" occurs have the void absorb it, cut it off , try to cut it off as quickly as possible. This idea can be compared to when as a child your mom told you to be quiet but you still wanted to talk. Everytime you started to say something she would cut you off with a SHH. "but I...," "Shh", "can I..." "Shh". Course now is when it gets tricky...cause in my case at least I find myself thinking about not thinking...also a no no. It takes a LOT of practice before you can just sit and BE.
After 20 years of practice I still do not have null thought completely perfected, I can't hold it for more than about 15 minutes so don't get discouraged.
Once you can achieve null thought for even a couple of minutes, having just a single thought becomes that much easier. Now you have something to fill the void and you are much better at eliminating random distracting thoughts.
When you combine a trance state with a single thought, you have almost all the basic requirements for a successful spell.
Visualization:
Visualization is the process by which you choose, craft, and project your single thought. Visualization also requires practice, so that the mental picture you are making is as clear, detailed and sharp in your mind as a photograph or the real thing would be.
To begin practicing your visualization skills, start by visualizing simple common objects: an apple, a pencil, a photograph. Look at the object, studying it closely, then close your eyes and recreate it in your mind. Open your eyes again, and compare the real thing with your visualization...alternate between the two, ever seeking to make your mental picture more solid and detailed. It is good to practice this for about 15 minutes every day and keep records of your success and failures in your book of Shadows.
After you become proficient at simple objects, move on to more complex and detailed objects. At this stage it is wise to avoid visualizing other people (when all you are doing is visualization practice), as this can set up a psychic link between you and the person.( An accurate and detailed visualization of a person, by the way, is the key to performing a healing spell.) It is a good idea though to practice visualizing yourself: this can be done with the aid of a mirror using the same compare technique you used on simple objects, this will help you master astral projection later on.
After trance,pure focus, and visualization only one thing is left for a successful spell...energy generation and direction.
Next Lecture Centering and Grounding
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Copyright Anne-Marie Krone 2000. All Rights Reserved
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This page last modified 4/17/00
