Ritual Magic

Woo, woo?

I’m a big fan of adding a little bit of magic into my life now and again, just to give it that splash of spice. I’m not talking about card tricks, producing birds out of top hats or sawing a beautiful assistant in half, nothing like that. I’m talking about the type of sorcery that allows us to connect to all things.

How we approach the mystical workings really depends on our personal disposition and character. Some approach the process with ardent dedication and seriousness. They have an almost clinical slant towards getting to where they want to go. They perhaps formulate twenty or so steps that must be performed in a certain order to get the desired outcome. Others approach it as something fun and an exercise in creativity and use their intuition. I’m more about the exploration of consciousness than bending reality to my will, however, that’s not always the case when I’m performing land healing rituals: attempting to raise the frequency of a particular area in the outside world.

Those that are sensitives will know when a place is overburdened by negative energy. We’ll be able to feel it as a shadowy zone; it’ll effectively give us the heebie-jeebies. Many people don’t recognise this consciously, and this is often where issues arise, as these areas have a certain propensity for attracting trouble. I’m talking specifically about things like pubs, clubs, bars and places of ill-repute. Don’t get me wrong, there are some establishments that have a much brighter energetic signature about them but many of these places listed have an energetic smog permeating right through them. This is intensified if there have been drunken arguments, fights or other malicious activities in the locale. In fact, we can feel when this has happened, as there will be a sort of tension in the air. Another example of this is the atmosphere around a sports ground when our team loses; it’s dense and depressing.

This isn’t just reserved for places where alcohol is consumed; there are many areas that attract this crud-like build-up. I feel this most strongly around war memorials and obelisks that have been strategical placed on Ley lines in most towns in the UK. Sometimes, they will have a cross on top, to intensify the energetic miasma that is being produced. The purpose of these is to feed negative energy into Earth’s Crystalline Grid and to poison the surrounding areas. They’re also syphoning points to collect energy. One of the ways that they do this is to remind us of something atrocious: a war, for example, is a great way of making us feel a sense of loss and anger. The memory of Jesus being tortured is another way of bringing us down. It also serves as a stark warning to those people that wish to rebel.

When detecting that a place is bogged-down, normally I’ll sense a darkening of mood or ominous feeling of dread. Usually, this is around places where suffering has been present or is currently going on. I’ve felt this around farms that don’t put an emphasis on animal welfare, quarries where the land is being damaged, forest areas where trees have been felled, locations in towns and cities where there aren’t any green spaces, places where pollution is present and zones where hunting of game is prevalent. Along with the obelisks, war memorials and places where alcohol is consumed, there are a multitude of places that can be affected by negative energy. This can even happen in your own home if conflict is present. As you may be aware, some people like to burn sage or incense in their homes regularly in order to freshen them up. Another method of clearing can be to open the windows to allow positive energy to flow through the house removing any stagnancy.

Land healing using Light Language incantations is an excellent way of clearing negative energy but it can also be performed where positive energy is detected. This increases the effectiveness of the region and boosts the energetic output. There are several areas of outstanding natural beauty where I live and I’ve been guided to these places to perform ceremonies. Sometimes it’s as simple as drawing Light Language symbols in the air. These are a close cousin to the symbols used in Reiki, except they are intuitive rather than preset. It’s quite amusing to watch someone waving their arms in the air like they’re at a rave. It seems that my clubbing days are now being put to good use. I even do this whilst listening to music, so not much has changed. This can be performed surreptitiously whilst walking around, in fact some people do this without even trying to hide what they are doing. This is with the intention of forming a grid of energetic nodes, raising the frequency of the entire region. I’m not the only one performing this operation, as there are others that have their own versions of sacred magical rites in order to effect positive change where they reside all across the UK.

There are also more structured rituals that can be performed. Usually, these are done on auspicious dates: the full moon, equinoxes and solstices, and calendar dates where there are repeating number sequences known as gateways and portals. My own ceremonies don’t use a predetermined script, I let my creativity unfold naturally. It has a sense of the dramatic but rather than being a solemn and sober affair, it has an element of playfulness that is absent from the religious rites. The joy of not having to go anywhere and effectively turning my living room into a temple is simply an act of consecrating my home as a space to interface with the divine without having to go through an intermediary. Why should I need a third party to be the one that can speak on the Infinite’s behalf? Am I not worthy enough to be the magician in my own household? Should I prostrate myself and go down on bended knee to worship the creator or should I meet it eye-to-third-eye? I prefer the latter, as true communion with the divine demands that we see ourselves as equal to it and not subservient to a master.

That’s when the real magic happens, when we approach the numinous realms with curiosity and wonder rather than with guilt and submissiveness. I’ve found it much better to feel like I’m part of a great exploration of undulating consciousness rather than following something that is set in stone, obeying a certain script or doctrine. I’m not a fan of dogma; maybe that’s down to my cat-like nature and aversion to being told what to do and what to think.

This does mean that my rituals conform to a more anarchic process. It doesn’t particularly matter if I include or exclude elements, as the results will always vary depending on my own internal state. I do include some semblance of structure, however, along with an intuitive flow. For example, I may start the ceremony with the sound of a chime. I found this wonderfully quirky old-fashioned crystal-glass dinner bell in a charity shop and I use it, with great humour, to commence the proceedings. I then might go on to light incense and candles, play a singing bowl and set up a crystal grid on the floor. I like to throw in a bit of chanting just to elevate my consciousness and innervate my magical spiritual life force energy, the healing power that permeates the universe.

At this point, I’ll settle myself down, either sitting in an upright position or lying comfortably. I’ll then start to meditate, calling in whichever divinity I want to work with. Usually, I’ll bring in an Archangel to assist me in my travels. Each has a different quality and purpose; this is explained in my previous book, “42 – A Puppet Show For Angels”. It’s not essential to know this, however, as you may have a particular Angel helping you that can act as a guide on your journey.

There’s nothing special about ‘calling in’ something, anyone can do it, all that’s required is the intention for it to happen and it will be so. Sensations, particularly energetic shifts to a higher octave, can be felt while conducting this step. There may be changes in temperature, goosebumps, chills, sensations of warmth, emotions rising to the surface, feelings of peace, serenity and comfort and so on. There can be tears of joy or sorrow, howls of laughter, slight chuckles or just a sense of balance and focus. It’s so varied, that it’s difficult to pin down precisely what might occur.

For those that have access to their imagination, it’s likely that some form of vision will appear. This will be just what you need, delivered to you at exactly right time. It should provide you with some form of inspiration or open your mind to realities that you may have thought previously didn’t exist.

Sometimes, I’ll be taken to another planet to explore what it’s like to exist on another frequency band. I may be shown pieces of technology or presented with gifts. There will be occasions where I’ll take on a different form to understand more about that creature. There are even opportunities to construct planets, build structures and create life. This is the realm of imagination, something that is extremely powerful yet woefully underrated in our current materialistic scientific paradigm. For is it not true that any invention has to be imagined first before bringing it into the world? This is one of the main reasons why people are drawn to the shamanistic traditions to imbibe plant medicine. Usually, it’s because they’ve lost access to their imagination and taking this approach blows it wide open again. There are gentler ways of doing this and I’ve found that ceremonial magic is a subtler tactic, whereas consuming something to put you into an altered state can be like using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. Bits go everywhere, in other words. I’m not against this far from it, it’s just that, from experience, the ride is more intense.

The great thing about the meditation process is that we can end the journey at any time just by opening our eyes. I tend to make sure that I’m fully back in the body before doing so. This simply means retracting our astral form back into our physical vessel. All we have to do is imagine this happening.

Usually, I like to give something back during the ceremony and I conduct a brief land healing. This involves speaking a few Light Language invocations. I like to throw this in either before or after the vision quest. A simple version of this without the invocations is to lay your hands on the floor, bringing your attention to your heart and the love that you have for the planet and intend to funnel cosmic energy through your body into the ground. Visualise this in any way that you want. Note that this will work even if you live in an apartment on the top floor.

Ceremonial magic and ritual is something that I do for fun. This light-hearted approach may not be appropriate for all dispositions, as some people are more serious by character. Robes, wands, swords, pentacles, chalices and other props may be required. We can make our own processes in any way that we choose; they can be flamboyant or austere, solemn or playful, rigid or intuitive, repeatable or unique. Magic is simply an ontological experiment, an exploration into the heart of nature, our essence and being. Its expression is a thing of beauty and to embark on this voyage of discovery is really a recapturing of youth. That is to say, it puts us in touch with an element of ourselves that has been lost through materialistic, scientific and religious indoctrination, our imagination. The Magi are right in the centre of that word. We’re a nation of magicians that have forgotten our powers. We’re starting to remember though, the magic is being rekindled.

From the book From Darkness Into The Light by J.J. Flanagan

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