Regular Practice Options

Here we have representatives of different disciplines. I primarily practice Qigong, or at least I do Qigong exercises daily. Other members may have another form of practice, be it some form of meditation, making offerings, the Middle Pillar, LBRP, etc. It requires self discipline and motivation to begin or to maintain. There are armchair magicians of course, but this is considered somewhat insulting to be called an armchair magician. Practicing regularly and building up practical experience is a key part of developing as a master or adept. Yes, some people are naturally gifted but it only takes you so far, sorry. You still have to practice. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dumbells.gif)


What I was thinking is that we post some tips about what works for you. Tell us how you began a regular practice (if you do so), and how you manage to maintain it. You might want to post something that inspired you to continue or to start. I am hoping that there will be some constructive suggestions that will be useful to others. I will add my two cents, but I thought I would let someone start off; how do you do it? What works for you?

In sorcery I was taught meditation is key to controlling the mind, and by extension magickal prowess. The first thing I leaned was single point awareness and even now I can focus for hours. It started simply, just a few moments when ever I had a chance, in some months it was minutes, then latter hours. Much more difficult is letting all thoughts go allowing them to play out to the end. I still have trouble with this. The mind collects a lot of junk as you live and it takes maintenance to keep it under control. So part of my daily practice is to let a single thought play out until completion. This has the rather practical result of me worrying less.

I'd like to learn more about what sort of meditation you do, and also:

I had for some time been practicing esoteric Taoism for the gross manifestation it offered

What sort of manifestation do you refer to here?

I used to set aside specific times for practice, for ritual, etc., but now I do this far less often. For me, most practice is entirely integrated into daily life in some way. I do japa usually three times a day - on the way to work, right before eating lunch, and on my way home - and I chant constantly in my mind while doing any kind of session. Each session is an energy work exercise of both awareness and directing energy. I do this while counting out repetitions to 108 using visualization of numbers. This amounts to around 6-8 hours of concentration practice five days a week.

Throughout the course of any day, I take time at least a dozen times a day to clear my mind and make conscious contact with the flow of energy on a more cosmic scale, recognize and honor the universal flow of energy as it manifests into our experience. Sometimes only for a few moments in my immediate surroundings, sometimes on a grander scale for several minutes. That is, I might recognize the combination of immediate factors in my experience and follow them one or two steps 'up' the causal chain, or I might sit down, breathe, and attempt to capture the breadth of existence as a causal fluctuation from the beginning of time and space to the end. For me, these moments keep my energy up and continually remind me to maintain a proper perspective on myself, my work, and the people I interact with.

Because of this ongoing process of attempting to maintain constant awareness and concentration on the flow of energy, I rarely ever do any kind of banishing or ritual work unless its for something specific, these days usually on behalf of someone else. I have abundance, health, love, respect, physical capability, relatively good looks, and basically everything I could practically want - I want very little, granted. I am always happy, although I do have a solemn moment now and again. It was not always this way, but gradually became this way since I began to try and retain my focus and awareness all of the time. Before then, with periodic practice and segmented ritual traditions, etc., even after several years I did not feel or have what I do now, and it is difficult to say if I would have gotten to the same place with that mode of practice.

I also notice that now more so than ever before, my instincts are more keen to guide me to the places I need to be, to the things I am looking for, and to the opportunities that I desire, usually without my having to do anything by wait and be aware, and act on my instincts when I feel them. I no longer really question that instinct, unless I am getting conflicting feelings - and there is usually a reason for that. As a result, I don't really have to 'do magic' for anything. I do still perform cleansing and protection magic for new homes, as I did for the house I just moved into, and I do intend to execute the lesser key experiment now that I have the space and all but two requisites, and there's no telling how that will change my practice. But, if I had to give up my current situation and practice for the promise of demons and powers, etc., I do not think I would.

Although we all work differently, I can say that in my opinion, once a practice, wether a daily specific regimen or a general practice that you carry with you in your daily life, becomes habitual and you have been doing it with ease for some month or two, one of the best ways to advance and grow is to increase that practice in some way. Originally I simply took out time every day as often as I could to open myself up to the flow of energy. Then I tried to maintain it for minutes and then hours. Then i incorporated japa - repetition of mantram, in my case done in conjunction with an active awareness of the flow - and then began to do these things while performing another activity, in my case massage and energy work sessions, and now I am working on do the same thing, but essentially on a constant basis throughout the day. Ultimately my own ideal is to be in a state of constant concentration and meditative awareness regardless of what I am engaged in. So, in my opinion, start simple and add on.

Peace