Lesson Three: The Basics

So here it is. The ground rules for all of magic. It’s really not that complicated. You don’t have to make offerings to Hecate or dance naked in the woods (which you can get arrested for, by the way, so don’t try it).

There are two important tools in magic, no matter what your skill: your mind, and energy. Hopefully you’ve got a pretty good handle on your mind. So what you really need to understand is the energy.

Energy is recognized in many cultures and so has many names. Prana, mana, ki, chi, life force, psi… just to name a few.

So what is it? No one really knows. As far as I can tell, life force is really an applicable name for it. You can find it in sunlight, and in living things, and floating in the air. It’s in you right now, and it’s what powers most magic. You just need your  mind to tell it what to do.

Telling energy what to do is called programming. For ages programming made me nervous. It sounded so complicated. But then I realized, it’s really not. Rituals, symbols, and the like are all forms of channeling and directing energy. But for simple things, all you have to do is think out what you want. It’s best to do it visually or tactily – see or feel the desired result occur. It’s just that easy.

But first you have to find this energy. For something that’s everywhere, it can be remarkably elusive. Spend some time meditating, searching inside yourself for that warm spot (or cold, sometimes) that is your center, the place that gives you life. Visualize yourself filled with light. Stir it around – get it moving. This probably sounds like crazy New Age stuff, I know. But trust me – it will get easier. Eventually, waking your inner energy will be easy, like moving an arm.

For more energy information, check my other article An Introduction to Energy Manipulation. It covers this in a lot more detail, as well as good energy sensing techniques.

Once you become aware of your own energy, you can learn to use it. Most people have a variety of different skills that they’re best at, often concentrated in a certain area. I’m nature, the Mediator is perception. In the next lesson, I’ll outline some of the common skills. Once you see one that seems to fit, explore this site or the rest of the internet to start learning. It’s a big world, and there’s lots to learn.