Читать книгу The Real Witches’ Craft: Magical Techniques and Guidance for a Full Year of Practising the Craft - Kate West - Страница 35

Think back to an occasion when you were in the grip of very strong feelings. It is important that you choose an occasion sufficiently in the past for you to be able to distance yourself from the feeling, whilst at the same time being able to revisit it.

Think through all the circumstances of that occasion until you can actually ‘feel’ the emotion in question. While you are doing this, try to separate the emotion from the energy that is building within you. This is not easy and you may need to experiment with several memories and feelings. For some people, anger is often the easiest to work with as, whilst we can recall it, it is easier to distance ourselves from the actual emotion. But another feeling which can be accessed is fear: if you think back to a really scary moment in a film, you can often recall the energy-surge you felt, whilst being unaffected by the fear, which you now know to have been generated by the skills of the movie makers.

Once you have identified the feeling of energy rising within you, see if you can take hold of that and bring it into being by thought alone. For most people this will need a lot of practice, but if you persevere you will be able to summon energy at will.

As you practise techniques for raising energy you will soon learn which are most effective for you. You will also find that you can easily tell the difference between effective energy raising and the occasions when it does not come readily. You can use this knowledge to help you to determine when you are in a position to work effective magic. For we all have times when it is better not to try to work our spells. This may be because we are tired or ill. But it can also be because our elements are unbalanced, so if you feel sure that you are well and sufficiently rested you might try to revisit some of the exercises from the preceding chapter before trying again. Of course, there will also be some occasions when magic does not work for reasons which are not easy to identify; in this case it is better to put it aside and perhaps try again the following day.

Having the ability to raise energy is not enough on its own; we need to contain it, which is why we cast the Circle before starting our magic. The Circle has two functions: one is to contain the energy we have raised, otherwise it would simply dissipate rather than building up. The second function is that of protection; for once we open up our inner mind to allow the release of energy, we also open ourselves to energy from outside, and not all energies may be positive. The negative thoughts and feelings of those around us can also influence us and the magic we work, and the Circle protects us from these. Another way we can protect both ourselves and our magic, as well as build the maximum amount of energy, is by keeping silent about our magic. When we tell others about our magical intentions, there is firstly the possibility that someone may find out who could disapprove of the spell. This person may actively, or subconsciously, send negative energy in our direction, which could influence either us or the spell itself. This is why, when you work magic with others, everyone has to agree with the nature of the magic, for even passive disapproval will influence it. Not only that, but the more we discuss our intention, the more we reduce the actual energy we can put into it. Think of it this way: when you are upset by someone or something, you tell others and gradually the telling reduces your strong feelings. Likewise in magic, the more you talk about your intention, the more you dissipate the energy you could have directed towards it.