In the interest of being of greater assistance to a wider audience, I've elected to offer a special on financial blessings for the next month.

​For the cost of 25$, I'll be blessing your finances to bring greater abundance and success. My hope is to use this good juju & cheer to help bring about a greater, more enjoyable holiday season for everyone.  This year's been a mess, and we could all use the break.

If you're interested, please click the "Buy Now" link below.

Be well folks,
​SE

Good morning folks, and welcome to a new week. I hope this post finds you well. I spent a fair deal of time meditating and working with the eclipse last night, so I'm feeling invigorated despite not having had my coffee. ;)

A commentator brought up some interesting points in my other threads on the subject of energy work, and that's prompted me to write a bit more here. This post could very well be categorized as being a bit random, but its (hopefully) useful information nonetheless.

Flexibility, in magic, can be something of a double-edged sword.  For a neophyte, its intimidating, and that's probably for the best, seeing as how you could either generate success for yourself or shoot yourself in the foot, depending on your level of focus.  Its freeing, but freedom is one of those things that can actually be a determinent to those who require direction from an external source.

Energy work is like a ritual, only the safeties are off. You've got no sigils to direct focus, no spirits to help you shape your energy, and the visions you have are intensely personal.  Its easy to get lost in the noise and find yourself unable to proceed in a meaningful way. Its also relatively easy to come up head-to-head with psychic projections from within yourself that don't seek to benefit you.

Thus, if you want to get started and be effective, meditation really is key. You need to know yourself inside and out if you want to avoid further issues. If you can't face the bad things that happened to you in the past and/or you're afraid of yourself, this is not the path for you.

Don't let a helpful, useful tool end up hurting you further. If you aren't able to get over yourself and whatever scars you have, this may not be the path for you.

Regards,
​SE

As mentioned previously in my post about Timing, astrological happenings can have a major impact on everyone.  How much of an impact and what sort of impact any heavenly changes and transits have upon an individual depends largely upon their personal natal chart, so some folks are bound to be more heavily swayed by an event than others.

Before I proceed further, its worth acknowledging the facts that by & large, astrology is a divisive concept: some love it and swear by it, others hate it and call it silly nonsense. Some fall right in between, and are admittedly rather agnostic where such concepts are concerned. Let there be no mistake: astrology and the associated changes are crucial to understand.  Like it or not, you're at the butt end of a giant cosmic joke where the aforementioned are concerned, and you can either acknowledge and use it or simply be used by those changes. You're never going to free yourself from their influence entirely, as its going to mess with you even if you don't want it to.

Modern science may well say its junk "science", but the reality is that Police Stations staff more officers during the full moon because they've seen this in action. Same goes for Emergency Rooms. If you think this is nonsense, pull up a lunar calendar and watch just how nuts people go during the Full and New moons. Observation trumps "science", in my experience, as there are plenty of things that we simply do not understand at this juncture. Give it another 30 years and we may then have a bead on why these events effect us so.

Having called as much into the limelight, the reason for my post today is that we are currently undergoing a Mercury retrograde. It started as of September 17th and will end on October 9th. Between now and about two weeks from the end date on the 9th of October, you're going to be dealing with the effects thereof.

We're also dealing with a Pluto, Uranus, Chiron, and Neptune retrogrades at this time. That's why things have been uniquely unhinged for the past while.

What that means is relatively simple: when a planet goes retrograde the darker side of its influence comes out to play and the positives get put on the backburner.  The Universe is in a constant balance of woeful and wealful influences, so right now we're dealing with the wealful influences of Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. We're dealing with the woeful influences of Mercury, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto and Chiron. 

Taking a break from the recent discussions on energy work, it feels appropriate to discuss timing from a magical perspective. It seems its a subject of little discussion.

All things in life have their rhythms, and each of them is cyclical.  Sometimes observing those rotations is crucial to being successful, and others its not all that useful.

In martial arts, one frequently performs drills to get in the habit of observing how another person moves and reacts. One such drill I've used in the past involves staying in contact with a sparring partner as he moves his arms and attempts to attack using short movements. A simple version of this can be found in this video below:

It might look a bit silly, but the purpose of the drill is to get into a flow that speeds up or slows down according to the movements of your training partner. This is one of many such drills, as I've seen the same sort of thing used in Tai Chi, Kenpo, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Kali, and several other arts.

On a spiritual level, it works the same way. One can learn to observe how others flow in order to better help them, for example.  When healing a target, understanding when they sleep, how long they sleep, when they eat, how they respond to those things, and how their internal clocks tick can be used to time work more effectively. Setting a healing rite to occur at the same moment a person eats a tonic-filled meal can be an incredibly potent practice that takes a great deal of work out of the arrangement long-term.

The same concept can be applied to the external rhythms seen in nature through astrology. Understanding lunar phases, the movement of the Behenian Stars, and the transits of the planets can be incredibly potent when applied to workings.  On a simple level, the Moon's status can be used to cause an effect to grow (while the Moon is waxing) or to decrease (when the Moon is waning). This logic applies to any and all states within the Universe so long as they effect what you are attempting to work with.

Keeping this in mind, becoming aware of how those transits and changes affect you is very important as well.  I can't tell you how many times a client has done something harmful as a result of being impacted by a retrograde they didn't know about. Less frequently, sometimes folks get crazy lucky as a result of making a business decision at the right moment, and it catapults them ahead.

Just like watching the stock market, using those energy fields appropriately is a matter of observation and wisdom, so I suggest you start paying attention.

So too, when performing magical work for yourself, this can be useful. If you know what's coming around the mountain in a social situation, you can use it to your advantage. Let's say, for example, a woman you're interested in is going to be at a party and you know you're going to try to ask her out later on in the evening. Blessing her day and then glamouring yourself such that she's more inclined to lower her guard around you can be just enough to make her more likely to pay attention to you and want to make her day even better by acquiescing to your request for a date. Someone's going to be more likely to say yes when the opportunity is seen as positive and they've been having a good day.

Likewise, doing things before their time can sometimes be harmful.  Doing work to get a promotion when none exists, for example, can get you a bunch of attention from your superiors during a financial pinch point. If you get that attention and then don't rise to the occasion, you could well find your job in jeapardy.  

Just some musings to consider.

Be well folks,
SE

Since I've been asked a number of times about vampirism and its application, etc., I thought I'd talk about it here. I've discussed it some on StudioArcanis in the past, and it seems that its brought up a fair deal of interest.

For those who are unaware of what vampirism is, it is essentially the practice of feeding off of the energy of others.  What one does with that energy is a matter of personal choice and one's needs. 

Traditionally, one stricken with vampirism requires the energy to survive.  The use of another's life force is a means of prolonging their own existence. Most folks don't work that way, but there's exceptions to any ruke.

Vampires can be born, made, or the traits can be adopted.  Those are listed in order of respective rarity, with those who are born into it being the most rare.

Those who are born into it, either with some defect or simply some internal need to feed for the sake of internal growth, work differently than those who have been made or who've simply adopted the practice. Their bodies function differently, both on a physical and spiritual level. The energy they're required/programmed to siphon works as an internal mechanism that can automatically cause their bodies to heal more quickly, or can be funneled towards spirital or emotional growth. Its an automatic process that can be changed through will. Usually, those born into it become aware of their tendecies and can choose to modify them in a way that works for them.

Made vampires are usually turned into a sort of parasite through trauma.  Sexual assualt, severe bodily harm, or emotional breakdowns can cause such a thing to occur. They are generally broken individuals who have immense difficulty getting by, so instead of functioning in a normal or healthy way, they intentionally or unintentionally cause harm to others as a means of illicting a negative response. The energy of that negative response is siphoned from and then used to make the offending party feel better for a short while. These folks are often literal drains on society, be it financially, emotionally, or spiritually.  These guys are like the Westboro Baptist Church of the vampire world. They're basically trolls (no offense to the land spirit) who get off on being jerks.

My experiences with those sort of folks has been nothing other than unpleasant.

The third kind are those who make themselves into vamps.  Most techniques for it involve willfully siphoning energy from other targets, as if it were some sort of predatory game.  It can be used to help and heal others or hurt them, depending on the psychological needs and desires of the the vamp in question.

Moralizing aside, each of the three sorts can be harmful or helpful depending on their level of training, their skillsets, and the intentions they decide to adopt. Any of the above can learn to take the pain from others, for example, and then that energy can be transmuted such that it inspires healing and recuperation from whatever damage they've suffered from.

On the flip side, its possible to simply drain a target of their life force. Done long enough by someone with enough skill, one could potentially kill a target.

There are benefits and drawbacks to those who choose to utilize such practices.  While the siphoned energy can be used for personal growth, healing, glamours, protections, and other forms of magic,  there are quite a few risks.  The biggest potential sources of trouble manifest in the form of spiritual diseases. If you were to choose to siphon from the wrong person, you could take on their illnesses - for example, working on a cancer patient could cause you to wind up getting cancer. The same could be said for STDs, chakra issues, emotional problems, spiritual damage, and so on and so forth.

Its an incredibly risky set of practices, especially if you don't know what you're doing. It highlights the need for self control, as most vamps who come to me for help do so because in the process of draining others they've hurt themselves. When things get to that point, they can't heal on their own.

That risk is the reason why I don't teach others how to use such techniques.  The cost is frequently too high for them in the end.

Regards,
SE

Yesterday, I discussed some of the potential uses of energy work. Went over its flexibility and a few applications. I also alluded to the fact that there are some risks. I intend to discuss those here.

When mulling over the particulars of any sort of magic, it's always wise to consider the pros and cons. By factoring in both sides of the coin and weighing the benefits and the drawbacks, you can come to a decision worth acting on (or, potentially, discarding a plan of action should the risks prove to be too great).

Bearing this in mind, as any form of magic has its benefits, energy work, too, has its potential drawbacks.

There's a phrase I've heard time & time again when learning from spirits: "what can harm can also heal". Logically, what can heal can also harm, so the equivocation goes both ways. This night not seem terribly important, but not considering this fact is a good way to get yourself in hot water.

When dealing with any magic, you're channeling forces that potentially may be outside of your control or aptitude. As with anything you eat, anything you draw through yourself changes you all the same. That's why those exercises I wrote about previously are so damned crucial.

Knowing this, consider what you're doing when you cultivate ill-intentioned energy.  If you are what you eat or channel, the reality is tha tyou're basically putting liquid decay in your spiritual, emotional, and physical bodies.  That malice will wear on you, and most folks aren't able to sort themselves out very easily after working with such things. That's why demonic magic, vampirism, blood magic, or other sorts of baneful work tends to cause problems on both ends of the equation.

To make matters worse, its addictive.  If you're emotionally invested in doing the deed, you're going to obsess, focus on, and bathe in that muck.  As Buddha once said, holding on to anger to hurt another is like carrying a hot coal for the same reason.  Bear this in mind, as it will mess with you.

How much will depend on how good you are at letting go and cleansing.  Some things will never wash out of your soul - that may sound melodramatic, but its true nonetheless. Keep it up long enough and you'll require the services of a sin eater like myself to begin to feel better. Sometimes its worth it, sometimes its not - up to you to make the decision. Remember, this isn't an ethical decision, so much as one that has everything to do with your well-being and long-term survival.

I've seen plenty go from magically predating upon others to harming themselves. Many develop psych issues that seriously hamper their ability to be happy or "normal".

Regards,
Chris

Continuing the topic at hand over the past several days, herein we'll delve deeper into the actual uses of energy work. There are many, and the methods for getting these sorts of thing done will more or less depend on you.

As so many folks are fond of saying, there's no one true way.  Instead, this is an area of magical experimentation wherein you'll need to find your own way & your own personal flair. Don't try to simply copy others, as you won't get where you want to go that way.

One of the most common & well-known uses of energy work is Reiki. In effect, reiki is energy work used to heal or modify the body in an auspicious way.  One can use it to speed healing on muscles, ligaments, or bone, reinforce tissue to minimize damage, to fix damage to one's spirit or emotional selves, and other such things.

I've successfully used reiki to hamper the spread of tumors, keep folks from needing surgery, to speed up recovery from surgery, to bring illness to a quicker end, to help people lose weight or gain muscle, and to calm down antsy animals.

The same can be accomplished in the reverse, provided you know which areas of the body to affect and what sort of intentions to use.

This segues us into another use: glamours and protections, which are really the same kind of magic used in different ways. Both create a bubble of a kind that change the way others interact with you.  Where a shield often changes the appearance of weakness one has, a glamour changes the way one is perceived.  Essentially, its the same thing, though you don't use a shield to make someone believe you're a good deal more attractive or compatible than you are.

Shielding magic can be used defensively or aggressively. I grew up in a rough town, so I learned to use such tactics to change the way my shape and mindset were perceived by others.  Sometimes, simply the outward suggestion that a person is considerably more aggressive and dangerous than they actually are can be enough to keep them from being attacked.  I've used similar workings to cause criminals to more easily comply with police officers - in one such case, a man drew a gun, pointed it at an officer who was a client, and promptly dropped the weapon because "[he] realized that he'd get shot if he didn't surrender immediately." According to the officer in question, this was the first time the suspect hadn't shot at officers in his criminal career.

Likewise, glamour magics can be used to create a sphere of influence to make one seem more charismatic, easier to trust, better looking, more influential, more powerful, or otherwise more appealing. When used in tandem, a glamorized bit of shielding could be used to sway your superiors at work towards your cause all the while putting pressure on those who would otherwise compete with you.

The above mention brings us to an important point: energy work is a form of magical practice.  One uses it to cause change in the environment, only instead of calling on a deity or spirit, one is using their own spiritual juices to make it happen...

As you can see, at that, work like this can be something of a gray area. It can be used to help or harm, just as a knife can be used to open a package or a person.  How you choose to use your newfound skills is up to you, but be aware that it will shape the way others perceive you. If you're particulary predatory about it, it can lead to you developing some right nasty emotional, physical, or spiritual issues.

Regards,
SE

A natural question to be asked when presented with new exercises to perform, be they calisthenics or means of working towards spiritual growth, is "why would I want to do these?" These questions become all the more common when they are difficult, as everyone wants to know that they won't be wasting their time. We all like guarantees, after all.

The reality is that there is no guarantee that you'll get a heck of a lot better at magic or introspection or being psychic by doing things like meditating, creating energy spheres, conjuring spirits and so forth. There's no way to be absolutely sure that you will get to where you want to go by following those paths. There is, however, a tendency to develop the necessary skills by doing work like the exercises provided previously.

They're a means to an end, to be sure, but they're also just the baby steps out onto the path of working with energy to cause changes. These exercises are a means of facing yourself so that you can do this sort of thing effectively.

Just something to consider as you ponder and develop your skills.

Regards,
SE

Enjoy!