Bookcraft

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by Nathaniel

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 Bookcraft

Indie publishing, 2014

A State of Mind
http://astateofmind.eu

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 by Nathaniel

Practical Magick for Beginners: Tips, Advice and Best Practices © 2014 by
Nathaniel.

FIRST EDITION
Indie publishing, 2014

ISBN: 978-83-64699-02-3

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles and reviews, no
part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written
permission from the author.

Self-published under the A State of Mind brand, an official website of the

author.
Website: http://astateofmind.eu
Email: nathan@astateofmind.eu
Wegierska Gorka, 2014

facebook.com/astateofmindblog

Support Indie publishing by sharing your reviews of this work on Amazon.com

and Goodreads.com. The author appreciates your support.

Additional Credit:
Primary font for A State of Mind's Logo: Fertigo, by Exljbri. Title's font: Droid
Serif.

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Table of Contents

Beginning Magick...................................................................9
Why Do You Want to Learn Magick? 9
Learning Magick 15
Living with Magick..............................................................23
Energies and Entities in the Life of a Magick Practitioner 39
Talking to Spirits – On Magical Communication With Entities 47
Crafting and Using Magical Items........................................57
Crafted or Bought – Which One to Choose? 57
Crafting Amulets 62
Creating an Altar 65
Rituals and Spellcasting........................................................71
Magical Safety – Sort Of... 79
Tips for Defense Against Malicious Magick 85
Afterword..............................................................................95

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by Nathaniel

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Foreword
This book is not a how-to manual to any specific system of
magick. There are many types of such systems: Enochian magick,
different schools of Ceremonial magick, different traditions of
pagan magick, Wicca, elemental magick. Too many types to even
mention. But this book is not about any specific system at all. It's
about my personal perspective upon magick – my practices,
techniques, methods, mixed with both theoretical and practical
advices and tips.
In this book, I teach you how talismans and amulets can be
crafted; why magick comes with a price and what kind of a price it
may be; how to communicate with spirits and magical beings; how
new knowledge can be gained; how a room or entire building can
be magically cleansed; how your magical sensitivity and intuition
can be developed; how the energies and beings can be sensed;
what kind of dangers you should look out for; how to protect
yourself against malicious magick; what kind of magical books
should be read; how an altar can be created or how to craft your
own incenses.
I will not teach you how to attract love, money or cast a curse or
charm on some other person. On the contrary, I will explain why
practical magick is never about casting curses or casting magical
love spells. But even without it, this book, as I hope, will be very
useful to every reader.
I hope that this book, along with The Essentials of Magick, will
help you safely kickstart your magical practice without too many
mistakes during first few years. Let's begin!

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by Nathaniel

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Beginning Magick

It's ten o'clock in the morning, and I'm sitting by my desk, trying
to begin the first chapter of this book. The question that I wish to
answer is: why do people want to learn magick and how do they
start this process of learning. At first, I thought the answer to this
question is simple – but I was mistaken.

Why Do You Want to Learn Magick?

I have fallen into the interest of magick all by myself – no one
ignited this interest in my mind nor heart. I was a young boy who
started to read paranormal books and magazines about mysteries,
ghosts and ancient civilizations. For this day, I remember the first
time I read the book of Erich von Daniken on his “ancient
astronauts” theories. Throughout the next few years, until I was
about 15 or 16 years old, I was just enjoying some random
“mysterious” read. Later on, because of a computer game, I
became interested in psychic abilities. For the next few years, I
was trying to develop these psychic abilities myself. I just believed
that psychic stuff is real.

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I was reading articles about telepathy and telekinesis, and I was

trying to develop these abilities myself (I succeeded, by the way).
Before I reached the age of 18, I was already interested in magick
– Norse runes, rituals, ceremonial magick, demonology and
exorcisms – these were the subjects that interested me. All of this
seemed so real for me – I know that magick is real, so why not
learn how to use it? Because I used to read all these websites about
psychic development, it wasn't difficult to find articles about a
different approach that is: magick. So I began to read and learn
over time. Quite soon I began to consider myself and expert in the
field – oh, how young and naïve I was back then. Suffice it to say,
I was a real amateur back then!
Thinking of yourself as an expert too soon is a dangerous thing –
learning magick requires a lot of knowledge and experience, and it
takes many years to gain these. A few months are not enough; you
need to spend a lot of years learning the basics. Even then, you're
no expert. I'm not an expert, either – because I don't know
everything there is to know about magick. Fortunately, I know my
way around energies, if you know what I mean.
Years ago, I was creating websites and managing an on-line
discussion board about psychic abilities and magick. This way I
was able to talk to people with similar interests. I felt good about
it, because I had little friends at the time –, I was quite
misunderstood in school and the neighborhood. I was “different”
and I felt “different”. Learning magick was enforcing this feeling
of “being different”. I felt good because I know something these
mere mortals didn't think is possible – that was my thinking
process back then, which, as I understand today, was not a proper
thinking.
And the interest in magick evolved further and further over time.
On my 23rd birthday, I became a Reiki practitioner, and I also
became interested in spiritual development for good. Since then, I
was already exploring the world of magick and spirituality with a
serious approach. In the past years, I have recognized so many
thinking patterns and things which are quite common in the world
of “popular magick” these days.

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That's a short story of my beginning.

Whats Your Story?
Know that it is not that rare –, such “plot” as described above is
quite common, especially among young people. The interest is
ignited somehow – because of a book, a movie, a computer game,
or a meeting with someone who is a mage, a shaman or a spiritual
walker. In my case, books of ancient civilizations, printed
magazines about ghosts and paranormal phenomena and computer
games portraying psychic abilities and magick caused my interest
in magick.
The common theme is as follow: a young person feels
“different”. This person may show Anti-social behavior to some
degree or may experience problems with socialization, especially
with other kids or teens at school. The person lacks friends and
social bonds. Because of this, a person seeks a hobby or a subject,
in which he or she may become an expert only to seek social
acceptance or people similar to him or her. So far, it's quite normal
– so if you feel like I describing you, know that we all seek
acceptance. We, not as magicians, but as ordinary people, rarely
find it around, and usually we have to go for our journey of self-
realization to find our true purpose, friends and family. There's
nothing magical about that.
But when a person seeks an interest in magick because of the
social problems, this is when it gets interesting. Because two
things may be going on. Either the person is making a dangerous
mistake by taking interest in something not mean for him or her or
the person is guided by the spiritual forces. Well, we all seek
spiritual guidance, but not all of us seek to learn magical abilities.
So when an interest in this is slowly growing within your heart and
mind, this is the time when you have to ask yourself some serious
questions. One of these questions is important: do I wish to learn
magick to feel good about myself or because I'm guided by the
spiritual forces?
Answering this question may not be easy for a beginner. Which
is why the first question to ask yourself is: do I want to learn

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magick because I feel like not belonging anywhere, or because I

don't have any friends and I just want to feel better about myself?
If the answer is positive, here's the thing – don't study magick. If
your intention is to feel better about yourself, or feel better about
others, or if you wish to learn magick so you can have your
revenge, or just feel better than others or more mysterious or more
powerful, or because you want to cast love or sexual spells, well –
these are wrong intentions. The source of all these intentions is a
sick soul. Sick, because you feel like nobody likes you, or like
you're not worth anything, or like you're not good at anything (and
no one will go on a date with you). These problems can be solved
not with magick, but through healing. By improving your self-
esteem and self-confidence.
You may need to read some motivation books or books on
positive thinking. Or you may need to find a true friend who will
support you. Or maybe you need to heal relations with your family.
Or maybe you just need a few sessions with a psychotherapist. In
any way, there are many ways to improve your self-esteem and
self-confidence, and you don't have to learn magick to do so. When
self-esteem and self-confidence are high, the interest in magick
may disappear. If this happens, congratulations! You're a free
person, go and have fun with your life!
If the interest does not disappear, then we may consider other
possibilities; reasons why you are interested in magick.
Karma and Stuff
One of the possible reasons why you are interested in learning
magick is your karma – this term has a lot of meanings in the
modern world. In this book, I mean that you may have been
practicing magick in one of the past life times (past incarnations),
and now this interest and practice is re-awakened. Here's a trap – a
lot of people seek meaning in their life, and they often feel good
about the possibility of continuity. No matter what, they prefer this
option of past life practices, they want it to be real at all cost. But
in reality, the “karma reason” is very rare, and it's quite possible
that you never practiced magick before in any of your past lives.

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But if this happens to be true, and the interest in magick is

coming from your past life, you can either follow it or find a way
to get rid of this interest. Because no one said that practicing
magick is all right. You may not want this, but you are blinded by
your past experiences, you may not be conscious of the fact that
magick is bad for you. And now, the realization is an opportunity
for you to find ways of spiritual healing and breaking the karmic
cord. Giving up magick, because perhaps the Universe (God) have
something better for you for this particular lifetime.
You don't have to do anything! You have a free will.
Another reason for an ignited interest in magick is related to
otherkin. An otherkin is a term used for non-human souls that are
incarnated into a human body. Angels, fairies, nature spirits,
demons and other spirits may incarnate into a human body. Some
people say that the human body is the only physical body which is
capable of achieving enlightenment – that's why some spirits
incarnate, because they seek enlightenment. Other spirits incarnate
because they have been sent here to heal our civilization, too.
There is a different problem which may occur here – I call it a
“Messiah syndrome”. This happens when a person wishes to learn
magick to help others at all cost – don't force a belief that you have
been sent to this world in order to help others. Just flow with your
life, don't try to save everyone (it is NOT possible, trust me) and if
you feel like you have a destiny to help others, give up this right
now! Maybe you want to help others, but don't try to explain it
with some spiritual stuff – just live your life. If you get into this
Messiah syndrome too far, you may lose your sanity and find
yourself in a mental hospital, or at least destroy your life for good.
In any way, the otherkin feels a natural attraction to magick –
because an otherkin, before incarnation, uses magick as energy
manipulation, naturally. It's logical for an otherkin to try to use
magick naturally as a human being, and that's how an interest in
magick is ignited, as well. But don't think of yourself as some
otherkin, please. Often, people who feel bad about themselves, try
to explain why they feel different through this otherkin theory. But
in reality, it's just an excuse for avoiding healing themselves, and

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they're completely human. Unless you're an advanced practitioner

of magick, don't worry about this otherkin stuff.
Finally, there is a third reason the interest in magick is ignited –
“the call”. It's when some spirits of a specific type decide that
you're perfect to serve some spiritual purpose, like a shaman do –
it's just an example. First, avoid the Messiah syndrome and don't
try to find answers if there are none. And if you are called by the
spirits, don't worry – they will guide you.
Innate Abilities
There is a different beginning which may be part of your own
experience – an innate ability. This is related to karmic past or
otherkin theory. Some people simply begin to see spirits, or hear
voices, or feel the energies and can do magick naturally, even if
they're very, very young. In their case, such innate abilities may
result in different storyline. The parents, or a grandma, or the aunt,
they may be aware enough to recognize what is happening to the
child and the ability to use magick (and, for example, see the
spirits) may be supported in its development. This often happens in
case of magical tradition which runs throughout the family.
More often, the natural abilities are being suppressed by the
family – only to awake, for some reason, when the person is 20, 30
or 50 years old. Because no magical ability can be suppressed
forever. Finally, the ability may be suppressed by the person itself
when this person experiences something strange or scary enough
to suppress the magical abilities automatically. In such case, these
abilities may re-awake again many years later, either on its own or
because of an intensive magical training.
Getting Into a Group
Another reason you may be interested in magick is that when
you wish to join, or already have joined, some a group, for
example, a magick circle or a pagan group. First, a magick circle is
pointless. To be honest, I would be careful about magick circles
that are organized around the magical practice itself – they may not
be trustworthy, or their members may be dangerous. There's a

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simple logic here – if there is a group of friends who just want to

talk about magick and stuff, that's OK. But if there is an organized
group of people who wish to practice magick together for no other
reason than learning and using magick, then something smells bad
here – beware!
Often, magick is a part of specific cult – a religious cult of some
sort. This happens in the case of paganism quite often these days –
but it is not limited to paganism.
Often, when you join a pagan group, for example because you
feel attracted to some deities or local, old traditions, then some
people in this group may be practicing magick. Magick in its many
forms is an integral part of pagan worship. Thus, by seeing how
some people use magick, you may be interested in this, as well.
But know that in pagan circles, usually there's a specific person
doing magick – let's say a kind of a pagan priest or a shaman, etc.
Those people are usually called by the spirits to serve their
community – that is why they learn and use magick.
As a standard pagan, a member of a bigger movement, you won't
have to practice magick other than one related to ceremonies or
personal rituals of worship.
Again, think why do you wish to join a specific magical or
spiritual group. Is it to develop spiritually, or to find people who
think alike and practice stuff you want to practice, or is it because
you want to feel better. That last intention is a problematic one – it
may blind you enough that you won't notice if you're entering a
dangerous cult. Please, be very careful!

Learning Magick
If you're a person who wants to start practicing magick right
away, then know you're not the only one. A lot of people would
like to do this, forgetting about the importance of learning theory,
first. A famous philosopher and thinker, Kung Fu Tse, said that if I
tell you something, you will forget. If I show you something, you
will wonder. And if I let you do something, you will learn. So yes,
learning by doing magick is the best way to learn magick, actually.

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But as much as I agree with this, I must state: theory is very, very
important. And everything starts with gaining more theoretical
knowledge, because you must know what to do before you do
something.
Knowlege Comes From Reading
Learning magick requires a lot of reading. A lot of knowledge
has been written down and today it is available in a form of books,
articles, but also (to slightly ignore the title of this subchapter)
from listening to recorded lectures (or simply audiobooks). And
there are hundreds of thousands of books that you may wish to
read in order to learn magick. But in order to do so, you have to
learn how to recognize what kind of books (and articles and
recordings) is useful for you.
When I began to study magick, I did so by reading books about
magick, obviously – something about practical witchcraft or Chaos
Magick, or the works of Aleister Crowley. I read books on ghost
hunting, paranormal experiences and hauntings, and about
exorcisms. I read books about rituals to attract money and girls
(fortunately, later on I have learned how naive and pointless that
was). All of these books were focused on practical aspects such as
rituals or spell casting, or about banishing spirits, or casting Tarot
cards or summoning spirits.
In reality, these are not the best books to start with – I know that
now. I think that beginning with practical books that try to provide
spells like some forms of safe recipes for food is not a good idea.
What a beginner should start with are the books that cover the
theory – teach about the laws of magick. If you're truly interested
in magick, don't start with any type of book that titles are similar to
“30 spells to attract love, money and unlimited power”. You should
start with anything that goes into “introduction to magick”, as my
own The Essentials of Magick. Then read a few books about
magical self-defense and protection, because some basic
understanding and safety goes first, always.
There's one more type of books you should read – like books
about folk legends and myths and old culture, to learn the different

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types of folk magick and magical beliefs throughout the world.

Read scientific papers and books about magick throughout the
years, and old religions – pagan, animistic or pre-Christianity,
these are the time periods you should be interested in. Read myths
and stories of different cultures, because they are full of magical
elements. A lot of knowledge is stored within such sources.
Only later, you may refer yourself to more modern books. But
these are still far from practical magick. I recommend reading
about magical practices in tribal cultures, or in the ancient world,
and reading anthropological works on shamans, medicine mans,
healers and witches of the both old and modern days. This can
teach you a lot.
Only after learning about history, culture, common elements of
magick, and magical safety, you can move on and look for more
practical books about things which interest you: specific spirits or
beliefs (Asatru, Wicca, psychic growth), Tarot cards, runes and so
on, so on. This way, you build up a theoretical foundation for more
advanced or simply more focused knowledge.
In addition, I have to say this: the market is full of books that
aren't very safe when it comes to practical magick. Some books are
very fluffy, very “New Age”, written only to bring money to the
author. Always look through the reviews and opinions of other
readers, and always trust your own logical and rational thinking.
Still, it is very useful to read these “new age” books, too, because
this way you can learn what may go wrong, and what should not
be done. In addition, you can learn what mistakes other people can
make and thus, how to help them in the future – if this is what you
wish to do one day. Also, let's say that you prefer something
known as “white magick” - this is magick, which does no harm.
It's still worthwhile to read the books on black magick or magical
attacks. This way you can learn how such attacks are performed
and, in result, what to expect and how to defend against such.
A final tip for learning the theory of magick may surprise you.
Terry Pratchett has explained a lot of magical rules, principles and
laws in his book of the Discworld series. If you're interested in
magick from any perspective, you should read Pratchett's books on

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witches – Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax. In these books, you

can find a lot of practical tips for using magick, and learn the laws
of magick, as well. Believe it or not, but what Pratchett writes
about magick is very, very true. Don't forget about the Rincewind
series, too!
Basic Practices and Techniques
Sooner or later, you may wish to begin the actual practice. What
should you start with? Everything starts with your mind. The mind
must be peaceful, steady, focused and able to concentrate right
away when it's needed. A mind free of worries, concerns and fears,
a mind able to focus and remain calm and steady at any time will
not only be more powerful in magickal work, but it will be more
difficult to break by malicious magick or spirits.
My first steps were focused on that which related to psychic
development. I've started working with Silva's method of mind
self-control, and with the recordings of Robert Monroe, called
“The Gateway Experience.” Both methods used in the form of
simple meditations, some guided by audio recordings, helped me
learn focus and basic techniques of concentration and mind
control. Over the next years, these techniques helped me in
researching my mind, healing bad memories, beliefs and
experiences. Healing of these is very important on the path of
spiritual growth, as it puts the mind in peace, creating a feeling of
serenity. But it's also important on the path of magick – a quiet,
calm and peaceful mind (and soul) controls energies easier, and it's
far more protected against malicious magick.
Both Silva's method and the Gateway Experience (based on
Hemi-Sync technology) recordings helped me learn how to put
myself in the Alpha state. Alpha state is a famous altered state of
consciousness, which is far calmer and relaxed. This is the state in
which a lot of magick stuff takes place, so it's useful to learn how
to put yourself in such state easily. It may sound a bit scientific, but
it's simple – magick requires focus and relaxation at the same time,
your mind must be calm and focused, and your body relaxed. This
can be done through various techniques, but once it's done, you're

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in a state of mind defined by the Alpha waves of your brain. Quite

simple.
There are two techniques to start with which I may recommend
to some of you. And here's a tip: there is a lot of techniques that
help you improve your mind. Some techniques work for some
people; other techniques work for other people. What has worked
for me may not necessary for you, and it works the other way
around, too. Explore different techniques and practice that which
gives you better results.
The first technique is a technique of focusing on a single object.
Just pick up an object of any sort, place it in front of you and begin
to stare at it. Try to stare at it for as long as possible without
getting distracted. You may use a stopwatch to see how long you
can remain focus. As soon as you get distracted by something from
your environment (sound, image, movement), stop – this is your
base time. The next day, try to remain focused a bit longer, and
longer and longer. Continue this practice for a few weeks until you
can remain focused for 15 minutes at least. This is just the
beginning, but it should be enough for every beginner.
The point of this practice is to teach your mind not to get
distracted by unnecessary things, and help you improve your
concentration on that which you intend to focus upon.
Another technique that you may use is a technique of calming
down your mind and putting it into the Alpha State. Sit down – you
may choose an armchair as long as you do not fall asleep. Close
your eyes, relax your body and begin to count down. For the first
week, count down from 100 to 1 – speak the digits in your mind.
Count each digit every second or two, and take your time. Again, if
you get distracted, this time start again. So if you reach 10, and
you get distracted, you should start with 100 all again. It may be
difficult at first, but after a few weeks, your mind will get better at
this.
Count down from 100 to 1 for the first week. On the second
week, count down from 90 to 1. On the third week, count down
from 80 to 1 and so on, until you reach the time when you can
count down from 10 to 1. The point of this practice is as follows:

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after reaching one without any distraction or movement of your

physical body, your mind should be already in the Alpha State. As
you make the starting number lower and lower, you finally learn to
enter the Alpha State in seconds, by counting down from 10 to 1.
And this will be very useful in the future, when you need to focus
and relax your body and mind for the magical practice of ANY
sort.
The above techniques are very simple ways to train and
discipline your mind, yet they may take a few months to master.
It's worth it, because in the future, you will benefit greatly from
these simple practices. In addition, the techniques may look like
very non-magical – and you're right. Because they are here simply
to train your mind. They may also teach you that you should
always start small and slow – it's a safety tip for magick, too.
With a focused mind that is capable of relaxing and calming
down easily, you won't have any problems with making magical
offerings, casting cards, practicing divination, creating magical
shields, or performing any form of magical ritual, whether it's big
or small.
Starting a Magick Journal
When I started learning magick, I started to write my “magick
journal”. In it, I used to write down anything new that I've learned
from books. I made notes on beliefs, practices, techniques, books
that I've read, people I've met and thoughts I came up with. Over
time, this became a very useful thing. Not because it's a how-to
manual to magick, but because it's a collection of beliefs and
experiences that, as I realized at some point, were false and
required a lot of healing.
It's because we have a tendency to learn things that are not
necessary right or safe. Over time, as we gather more experience
and knowledge, we learn what kind of unpleasant practices we've
tried in the past. With new knowledge, we know what requires
healing: what false beliefs must be changed into correct beliefs;
what kind of energetic cords must be cut off; what kind of open
gates in our mind must be closed so that malicious spirits cannot

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enter our mind. All of this can be found in your journal. So when
you start learning magick, start a magical notebook, as well. Write
down your knowledge, experiences, tips, advices, write down
anything you experience, learn or read.
After some time – months or years – go back to your notebook
and read it. Some things will be up-to-date; some things will be
useful, but some things will be subjects to healing. That's very
useful on your path. When I got back to my notebook after five
years of studying magick, I've found a lot of things to heal. I've
healed all the sigils which I've implanted into my mind; I've healed
all the runic formulas I've written down into my aura; I've closed a
lot of holes in my soul – created by false beliefs and dangerous
practices, or practices that, as it turned out, were not my tradition -
and all of that have strengthened my magical defenses.
Vows and Initiations at the Beginning of Your Journey
At the beginning of your practice, you may be strongly interested
in different practices, which require you to be initiated into them,
or in different paths that include worship of deities. What I truly
suggest is that you should not agree to any forms of initiation or
worship and that you should not listen to what most spirits say.
Stick to this policy for the first year or two of your intensive
magical studies, especially when you're young or when you just
started the search for your individual path.
I say so, because I know how people change their beliefs and
opinions - you may be interested in Wicca today, just to become
interested in Asatru tomorrow, and become a Buddhist in the end.
It's normal when you still search. And as you search for something
that suits you, you may be tempted to initiate yourself into
different practices, or make promises to spirits or deities and such.
This is something that is very difficult to get out later. Don't make
any vows to anything or anyone, because if you change your mind,
then changing the vow, or getting rid of initiation to a specific
practice may be very difficult.
Also, try NOT to implant any sigils or symbols with your aura
(like energy field), body or mind. Don't make magical tattoos at all

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and think this way: "Am I going to stick to this path for the rest of
my life?" If the answer is "no", then avoid initiations, vows and
such unless you become sure.
If you did take some kind of vow, or you've been initiated to
some practice, or implanted a symbol in your mind or energy field,
then don't worry too much – all of these can be taken out and
recalled. Vows are often released by taking them back after you
become aware of the vows. Initiations can be taken off by spirits,
or experienced shamans, healers or mages. Symbols can be taken
out through becoming aware of them and using visualization or
help from the spirits to burn them, or take them off and cast them
into the fire, for example. If in doubt, consult someone more
experienced.

***

After gaining some theoretical knowledge, it can be tested through

personal experiences. As you learn and then practice, you will
notice what things works for you and what things do not work. You
will notice what effects you get with your practices, what improves
the effects and what makes them weaker. Pay attention to your
experiences, feelings, emotions, results, events and everything that
happens to you after you begin your magical practice.

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Living with Magick

Once you begin to practice magick, you must realize that a true
mage is not a person that lives a normal life (well, this is a bit more
complex to explain later), and performs a ritual from time to time
like some kind of a hobby. Magick is no hobby at all. A true mage
lives with magick all the time. It doesn't mean that a true mage use
magick all the time – rather, a true mage is aware of magick all
around him. This makes him aware that encounters with spirits or
energy interaction can happen all the time. And this makes the
mage take care of his energies and the energies of his home, and
taking care of the thoughts and emotions he carries in his mind and
heart. That's what I will discuss now.
Usually, people assume that magick is all about spells and
rituals, and sometimes about magical wands or amulets. But in a
lot of cases, magick is more about self-improvement, practice of
self-discipline and personal healing. The mind of a magick
practitioner must be disciplined and calm, because often this is
what makes magick quite safe and controllable. That's why in my
practice, I rarely perform things that are actual rituals. Instead, I
focus on improving my mind and heart through meditation and

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different forms of spiritual healing.

There are two things that should be mentioned here:
1. A disciplined mind is capable of performing safer magical
doing than an undisciplined mind.
2. A healed mind requires fewer rituals and spells to achieve
what it wants.
When you take a closer look on the practices of the old magical
orders of any form, you may notice that a lot of introductory
practices were related to some form of meditation, or the
improvement of focus, or the healing of unwanted thoughts or
behaviours. This was done by multiple practices and guided by
other techniques, as well. For example, in the Order of the Golden
Dawn, a famous XIX century magical order, the Tarot cards were
used to guide the practitioner of magick through a long process of
magical learning.
A disciplined mind has less “holes” which can be used by
malicious energies and spirits to attack the mage. But also, a
disciplined mind focuses easier and makes the magical practice far
more effective than an undisciplined mind. That's why the first
things I mentioned in this book earlier were related to practicing
focus and peaceful states of mind.
Now, regarding that second point, that says: a healed mind
requires fewer rituals and spells to achieve what it wants. Indeed,
this is a fact. True practice of magicks makes your mind powerful
enough so that even rituals or spells or any other forms of focus
and metaphor aren't necessary. The mind, even subconsciously, can
achieve anything you need in an honest and safe enough way. A lot
of people begin magick in order to attract things they want. But
remember that magick comes at a price – if you use magick to gain
something, one of these days you're going to pay for it somehow.
That's why I rarely use magick for any kind of “gain”. Instead, I
heal my mind, and all which I need in my life comes to me when
the time is right.
Thus, whatever kind of magick you wish to practice, always look
for practices that heal and discipline your mind, first. This will
make your magical path a lot easier. Meditation and breathing

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techniques lead to releasing anything that you hold in your mind,

which is unpleasant – like traumas, bad memories or hate, etc.
Then you can use other techniques like affirmations, or forgiveness
or emotional (inner) dialogs with yourself, to heal your emotional
response to the things that were released from your subconscious
mind. Even psychotherapist can help here. People are often driven
by their emotions. The fewer emotions and memories control your
current life, the better practitioner of magick you become.
Lower and Higher Practices
Before we proceed further, here are some additional thoughts.
Nothing is static - it applies to your magical practice, as well. In
the past, I've been interested in hardcore occult, Chaos magick and
Norse Runes. But when I began to practice Reiki, a spiritual
healing method, and meditate and do a lot of spiritual stuff, the
interest in the mentioned practices of occult, runes and magick,
slowly faded away. It's because my new practices of Reiki and
spirituality were more "bright". By this, I mean something that
New Age practitioners call "higher vibrations." Some magical
practices have lower vibrations. It doesn't mean that such practices
are evil or negative - they just have lower vibrations. Other
practices have greater vibrations, and the thing is that if higher
vibrations overcome lower vibrations. That's why we use practices
of higher vibrations to deal with unwanted energies of lower
vibrations. Like we use sacred fire to cleanse negative energies or
we light with Reiki to get rid of energetic dust upon objects.
This affects the practitioner in general. If you've been practicing
some "low vibrational" things in the past, and you begin something
of "high vibrations", the past practices may become pointless in
your new perspective and you may give them up and focus on
something new, "higher". This may happen when you also practice
some things which aren't good for you, and you start to spend your
time among people or in places of high vibrations. Like people
who meditate for real, or in sacred temples or places of power.
This knowledge is useful for those who wish to free themselves
from destructive practices or pursuit spiritual growth, or protect

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themselves against unpleasant, malicious energies.

On the path of inner growth, evolution is a constant element.
Some people need to start with "lower things" in order to grow up.
It's all about karma and reincarnation. If you've been "good" in the
past lives, you are grown-up enough to start with some more
spiritual practices in this life. If you haven't been good enough in
the past, you may need to start with some lower practices which
will help you cleanse yourself and prepare yourself for some
higher practices. Please NOTICE: this is a huge simplification of
things. Saying that a practice is "lower" or "higher" doesn't mean
it's better, worse, nobler or more shameful. It just means that's a
perfect practice for a person on a specific level - and this practice
can truly benefit this person. I, too, started with some lower
magick practices and moved up over the period of ten years.
Establishing a Routine
Know this: the journey of self-improvement ends only with
personal enlightenment, and there's a long way to achieving this.
As you practice magick, you establish some form of routine. It's
not a daily routine in most cases. Instead, there are some things
that you work with from time to time, repeatedly. So you read
books on magick to gain knowledge; you cleanse the energies
around you in your home or workplace once a week; you cleanse
your own aura at least once a day; and you practice breathing
techniques from time to time to relax your body and release
subconscious emotions so that you know what requires healing in
order to become a better person.
Some people, if they prefer a more fancy-magical way of
learning about their “inner demons”, fears and worries, use Tarot
cards or Runes – they consider these as oracles, and they ask
questions. The cards or runes tell those people what kind of
problems they hide within their mind and heart. Once the problem
become conscious, it can be released and healed through
contemplation, psychoanalysis, meditation or working with
affirmations and forgiveness.
Also, another practices can be applied to this routine, like the

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practice of learning to enter the Alpha State or the practice of

focusing on an object. Or even a practice of creating a ball of
magical energy, which, as fluffy as it may sound these days, is an
important basic skill to many magical paths.
And that's a routine – those are the things that most people
interested in magick do. Only then, once this routine is established
and becomes a part of the life of the mage, the rituals can be
performed. Like once a month, or even once a year, or simply for
each full moon, or for each sabbath and so on, depending on the
tradition the mage follows.
Taking Care of Energies Around You
As you work with your mind, trying to establish your magical
routine, another aspect of this routine becomes important – the
aspect of cleansing the energies that surround you.
So here's what my life looks like. To simplify things, I will use
the term “aura” in regard of the energy field that surrounds me or
you.
I wake up in the morning, and after the usual (breakfast and
such) I'm heading to my office. Once I reach it, I cleanse myself
with simple methods: white sage incense and Reiki symbols –
these two simple techniques cleanse my aura of unwanted,
“negative” energies like emotions or intentions of others. Usually, I
collect these as walk through my town into my office. Negative
emotions and intentions can be picked up everywhere: in the store,
on the street, or just while passing a person. Even when someone
dislikes the way you look, move or behave may cause negative
intentions of that person hit your aura.

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Some white sage

Another popular method of cleansing yourself is a technique of

visualizing a “waterfall” made of bright, light energies. Usually,
people visualize pure white energy they associate with a Higher
Power. To use this technique, you can simply relax (remember
Alpha State?) and visualize yourself standing under a waterfall of
white, pure and healing energy which cleanse your aura of
negative and unwanted energies. Feel like the light energy sweep
through your aura and clean the energies you want to be cleansed.
It's a very simple technique used by many.
White sage and easy use of Reiki symbols can cleanse basic
energies like emotions and intentions. As I go back home in the
afternoon, I repeat the cleansing process again, this time after the
return trip. This is sufficient.
Sometimes, I may get emotional in my office and my home. In
such cases, white sage and Reiki is used to cleanse the rooms of
unwanted emotions or intentions which I might have created.

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Because whenever you feel something or intend something, either

good or bad, the energies of these feelings and intentions fill the
room, as they are projected from you towards your environment.
At this time, these energies may influence everyone around you,
whether you like it or not. That's why they must be cleansed on a
regular basis.
Often, I'm asked to help someone through magick or some
energetic technique. In such case, I often enter the energy field of
that person. In this field, which we often call “aura”, we can find
this person's own emotions and intentions, along with a lot of pain,
suffering, sadness and such, as well as the emotions and intentions
that this person collected, for example, while walking on the street.
Thus, after each of such close contacts with someone spiritually, I
need to cleanse myself, as well.
Whenever I help someone on distance, or even perform a simple
art of clairvoyance to “see” the energies around someone, I collect
unwanted energies upon my aura. It's because energetically, I do
not simply connect with the person that is my “target”, but I also
take a trip to this person's place of residence. It's an “energetic”
trip. And I may collect unwanted energies on my aura from that
place, too.
After performing some kind of magical ritual which included
elemental energies, or “black magick” energies, like in case of
cutting an astral parasite cord, or cleansing someone after a curse
has been taken off, I have to use more powerful methods of
cleansing. Using a salt to take a cleansing bath, or taking a bath in
some magical herbs, like a thistle herb, both are great ideas that I
use when it's necessary. Of course, in all these situations, I am
supported by my magical shields and a collection of personally
crafted amulets that deal with some kinds of energies. I will
explain how you can create your amulets later in this book.
As we live our life, we visit different places. Each place has its
unique energetic signature, and each place is filled with different
energies. As we visit these places, we collect these energies upon
our aura. These energies may support us (like energies from a
place of power or a sacred temple) or spoil us (like places of

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murders, great hate or places of black magick power). The thing is

that unless you're an experienced person with strong magical
senses, you should cleanse your aura on a regular basis no matter
what. As you become more experienced, you begin to notice what
kind of energies cover your aura. If those are negative energies,
you cleanse them. If they're positive energies, like coming from a
place of great healing power, you learn to hold them on your aura
for as long as needed. And here's the thing. If you're not
experienced enough, cleanse the positive energies, too – because
too much of powerful, light energies of healing may cause a lot of
troubles. For example, they may force you to release so many
negative emotions from your unconscious mind that you won't be
able to heal them, and you may end up with emotional illness. An
experienced mage will be able to sense and define how much of
such positive energies he or she needs for now, and he or she will
get rid of the amount he or she doesn't need.
Sometimes, I'm asked to cleanse some place of unwanted
energies. To do so, I have to recognize what kind of energies I'm
dealing with. To do this, I use my magical senses and clairvoyance.
Sometimes, they're just energies of weak emotions and intentions.
In such case, white sage and some Reiki are enough to cleanse the
place. Sometimes, a malicious spirit may be present in the place,
and he must be sent away (“into the light”, as some people call it).
Sometimes, a portal to the world “beyond” is open in the place,
and it must be closed – otherwise, unwanted beings and energies
will come through it to mess around. Sometimes, I'm dealing with
very heavy and powerful energies of hate or black magick. In such
cases, stronger magical work is necessary – a lot of powerful light
energies must be channeled, a lot of powerful herbs and resins
must be burned, as well, to clean the place.
How do I recognize what is going on in case of a place that
needs cleansing, or in case of a person that needs some cleansing?
How do I know there's black magick energy in the room, or there's
a curse upon a person? I can see it and sense it as I've mentioned.
The ability of clairvoyance (or some other form of “clair”) and the
ability of sensitivity, both of them develop over time. To develop

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these, time, patience and practices are necessary. Magical

sensitivity develops with time as you progress in your skills of
magick. The more energy balls you create; the more offerings you
give; the more magical symbols you draw; the more rituals you
perform – the stronger your magical sensitivity becomes.

A Pentagram Amulet

Another way to develop sensitivity is a direct practice. A simple

way is to learn how to sense your magical energy ball – I will
teach you how to do so later on, along with the lesson on creating
magical shields. For now, you may pick up some magical symbols
like a pentagram (with only one tip facing upward – it's a
protective symbol), a circle or a celtic cross. You may also choose
some “brighter” symbols like the four symbols of Usui Shiki
Ryoho Reiki – you can find a link to them in the resources section
of this book, or below. Just remember – sensing energies is often
called “scanning.” Whenever you perform such scanning and
sensing of energies on a person or object or symbol, even if it's a
photo in a book, you should break an energetic cord which is
created between you and this object. It may be tricky. Just in case,

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if you're not experienced enough, then, for example, if you scan an

object from a photo, you should break a cord between you and the
object itself, and the cord between you and the photo of the object.
Again – just in case.

Three Reiki Symbols

Once you have a symbol in front of you, just focus on it and try
to define what feelings it gives you. What emotions you can feel
while looking at the symbol, what color would you associate with
this symbol. Pay attention to your thoughts and memories, even the
songs or films or TV shows and books which you recall while
focusing on the symbol. Sometimes, as you sense something
magically, our mind (or even guardian spirits) provide us with the
memories of things we've seen or experienced in the past. Things
that have the exactly same meaning as the thing you're sensing at
the moment. Practice this with the symbols mentioned earlier, as
it's a safe and simple practice to start with. After you're done
practicing, visualize an energy cord between you and the symbol,
and then imagine big scissors cutting this cord. Which is how you
break a magical connection with the symbol or a person, or an
object or entity.
And the intuition develops as you progress on the path of inner
growth – with meditations, breathing and healing the released
memories, worries and concerns, so there's not much to say about
it right now. Later on, you can learn to develop the ability of
clairvoyance – I've written an entire manual on that subject, “The

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Art of Seeing” which is available on Amazon. Just be aware that

it's a bit more advanced practice.
Once both the senses and intuition are developed, I can see
energies, curses and entities, and I can sense them: their types,
intentions, purposes. This way, I know what is it that I'm dealing
with. You may learn this too, with time.
Sometimes, in order to cleanse the place, incenses will suffice,
and in other cases, a banishing ritual is required. Generally, no
incense will banish a malicious spirit away, while on the other side
of the coin, there is no need to perform a banishing ritual when
you're dealing with some sad energies in the air.
Usually, I take great care of the places I work and live. I cleanse
them on a regular basis. Each day, I use Reiki and white sage to
deal with emotions and intentions. Each week I recharge the
magical shields which are placed around my office and flat. From
time to time, I use my drum, or some wind chimes (made of either
metal or bamboo), or a Native American flute to cleanse the area
by using special practices of using sound to perform magick.
Every three months or so, I perform a complex ritual of cleansing,
which includes sound, Reiki, magical symbols and a lot of
powerful incenses.
And most important of all – I try to remain positive and happy in
the places I live. Always try to remain calm, peaceful and happy in
your home. This will generate a lot of positive energies. You can
support this process by listening to meditative music, playing
sacred instruments (bamboo or Native American flutes, or other
tribal flutes, then some drums, or Tibetan bowls and similar) and
even meditation will help. The stronger the positive energies in the
place are, the better for you. If your home is a positive place, it
will counter any negative energies you may bring to your home
from outside or generate inside it by itself. Of course, only to a
degree, but it's a great support. Also, a positive place you call
home is more protected against malicious energies, magick and
spirits. Often, meditating and practicing spiritual techniques can
cleanse the area. When you truly meditate, or work with advanced
Reiki practices, or practice Buddhism or similar spiritual

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techniques, you generate a lot of “light” energies. They can cleanse

the energy of the room or even the entire house.
Here's a simple way to cleanse the place using some basic
magical tools.
Dealing with unwanted energies is simple. I start with cleansing.
I fire up some charcoal in a censer, and I start with some white
sage incense. Once the white sage burns out, I add some herbs, like
thistle or tansy. After the herbs, I burn some resins: myrrh and
olibanum for one, and then I finish everything with a large dose of
spruce resin, which is a powerful local resin used for a lot of
magical practice here in Poland. Spruce resin can be collected from
already-damaged spruce trees. It's advisable to offer the tree
something in return, like a small gift – just like you do on the altar.
Such resin does not require cleaning. You can cast it right onto a
charcoal.

Spruce Resin

After incensing, I cleanse the area with Reiki symbols

additionally – after years of practice, I have them working very

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well. Then, I place magical symbols of protection within all the

walls, the floors and the ceilings. The simple form of ritual is done
as the energy has been cleansed.
More work must be done when the place requires us to deal with
unwanted spirits that cannot be negotiated with, but that's a more
advanced subject, which I will skip for now.

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