Beginner is All About Practice, Practice, Practice!

Updated 11/19/2014

I got to thinking about the beginners with interest in the occult.  The beginner needs the right instruction - in either the form of books, journals or on-line blogs.  Hopefully, this blog can show the beginner the right types of books to purchase or secure from a library to learn the field.  The intermediate person, who has studied more, needs to perform the right actions in order to accomplish goals.  Studying isn’t as important as applying the knowledge to real life.   Lastly, the master should be applying the right thinking so as to design rituals himself or herself to train others with his/her knowledge.   Many beginners can benefit from the right teacher.   Everyone is different.  I do believe that students benefit from a teacher that is similar to their thought processes.   Teachers, with a birth sign of Scorpio, may get the message out more efficiently to those students who are also under the sign of Scorpio.  I have a different sign than my wife and I can see our differences in our thinking.
 
I meant to make this entry in an earlier part of this blog.  I have always debated on the best way to get better in my exercises.  Practice exercises are boring and slow going; I am not one to stick with things too long.  I think it is best to stick with practice by doing.   Instead of sticking to exercises to improve visualization use real images for your goal in mind.  That will make it fun and a person will stick with the exercises longer.  Make it a practice, but also make it a real exercise.   I noticed I always could stick with my real magical Avatar Power rituals years ago.  My procrastination was committing to a practice of daily visualization.  Now, when I can't sleep I use this as time to practice visualization even if it is at  3 AM.  It is up to you to find what really works for you.   I use a lot of hindsight these days and admit I wish I had better powers of visualization. Start today to practice something!  If you can start working with Tarot cards, magic, or exercising with Astral Projection - do it.  It comes with a commitment to start.  Don't plan too much each day.  If it is too overwhelming you won't start an exercise.  I have started thinking that I might be able to deal with my own procrastination with some magical work.   When I started I worked with Shakti Gawain's book on visualization, and Silva Mind Control.  Later I started with the I Ching to practice divination.  Whatever you can start today and if you stay interested you can stick with it.  Make it fun.

For example, if you have an interest in the I Ching for divination do it.  Just like an hobby don't burn yourself out.  Do a little bit each day.  Read the books about it, explore the internet for the subject and practice the I Ching.  Find out what you should or shouldn't be doing in life.  Even if you don't completely believe in it, it can steer you in a different path in life.  Many of us have made the wrong decisions in life and this can be a fresh new start.  If you are into visualization and can't make time for it - don't do it.  If you have an interest in magic try out a magical system such as Wicca and work your visualization as part of the Wicca rituals.  You may find you keep up a habit of performing the rituals, also increasing your powers of visualization at the same time as well as accomplishing your goals.

I started with Silva Mind Control and found a real interest in the power of the mind.  Later, I joined a philosophical organization that taught me more about the powers of mind and telepathy.   Now, I design my own experiments of mind control - cloud busting.  I try to use mind control to break clouds up in the sky when the opportunity presents itself.  As a security officer, I can spend large amounts of time looking out entrance doors with nothing to do.  I can use this new exercise to increase my mental mind power. 

Mind Doesn't Just Work Over the Body - It Works Over the World Too

Updated 6-2-2015

My Story and My Views: In the late 1970's, the craze was pyramid power or kirlian photography. Pyramid power was demonstrated with little plastic pyramids that would supposedly keep razor blades from rusting. Pyschic energy and mind control were hot topics. The 2 most significant books that changed me during my teen years was Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain, Silva Mind Control by Jose Silva and a book about TM. I don't recall the name of the book about TM. It mostly involved chanting Aum Mane Padme Aum over and over at bedtime. I felt the effects of that meditation even though I would find that I was saying the mantra wrong years later. I pronounced it "Oh-mm main pad-me oh-mm" and it seemed to work to bring a meditative state. Shakti Gawain states that "visualization is the technique to create what you want in your life."1 As a teenager, my biggest problem was to focus on 1 goal and stick to it. Creative visualization was a great idea, but one has to have the will to stick with it. I felt praying every night to God wasn't working. God didn't answer prayer and I had to find something that worked. Teachings from the Lutheran church didn't seem to be the truth to me. If it was the truth why didn't it work? I had developed the power to dissolve all my headaches by focusing or visualizing white light in my head where the brain is located. I found I could make pain go away. (review Silva Mind control here to give credits to Jose where needed). I begun to test or experiment on my own to see the truth of questions I had raised from the books I was reading. I remember one summer day my brother was scheduled for a big tennis match. The whole family went to the courts to give support. I decided to test whether the white light could focused outside my body on other people. I was not sure of the effects. Up to that point I had only used it on parts of my own body to dissolve pain. I started focusing white light on my brother with all my will. I tried to picture his body surrounded by an aura of white light. He started hitting the net on his serves and loosing points. I thought that this was detrimental to his play. I immediately changed to focusing white light on his opponent and his opponent began hitting the net on his serves and my brother started coming back. I kept it up till the remainder of the game. Both my brother and his opponent were well matched, but I think I did have a serious effect in his winning of that match. I'm not saying everyone can do this. You should always test and experiment for yourself. You may find that you can make headaches go away by focusing white light in your head just like I did. I tried astral projection, but had one experience out of the body. I would never have another experience out of the body. Astral projection is the sensation that your senses are outside your physical body. It is almost as though you were seeing things as a ghost that can roam the entire world. There are some great books out there such Robert Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body, Leaving the Body by D Scott Rogo and Projection of the Astral Body by Sylvan Joseph Muldoon. My one experience in the astral body was a very sickening experience not of my own will. Fate magazine advertised a witch that gave an astral projection course for 45 dollars to be paid over 3 months of 15 dollar installments. I missed getting my last payment to her and she neglected in sending me the lesson. She must have guaranteed results because I had my first and last experience of being outside my body. It was a very nauseating unpleasant experience. Watch contracting with any witch. You might get what you want regretfully! I have talked to others that have successfully perfected astral projection. Some can do it willfully.

1 Gawain, Shakti. Creative Visualization. New York: Bantam Books, 1982.

Please take time to read one or more of the following books that were in my collection. Shakti Gawain's book is now published with a newly revised edition.
Reed, Scott. The Miracle of Psycho-Command Power: The New Way to Riches, Love, and Happiness. Englewood Cliffs: Parker Publishing Co, 1976.
Murphy, Joseph. The Power of Your Subconcious Mind. New York: Bantam Books, 1982.