“Wizards are real.” My client affirmed this to me in a recent spiritual counseling session. She was reflecting on a new romance with a man who shared her passion and belief in everything magical. Their love-making has brought her renewed energy, joy, and delight. I nodded, remembering fondly my early training as a teen with a teacher who taught me about shamanic witchcraft. Our small group spent a week together on her land, learning to raise Earth energy. I remember the liberating feeling I had one early morning shaking rattles and dancing around the forest chanting, “The earth is alive and magic is afoot!”
What is magic? Working magic is learning to access the universal life force that permeates the universe, which is present in all of creation, to affect change. Magical people—witches, wizards, medicine people, whatever they are known as in their specific culture—work with this power. They harness this energy to gain wisdom and use it for healing and connect to the elements and to non-human intelligences and spiritual beings. Through the use of magic, some are able to journey to realms beyond this plane, entering fields of non-ordinary consciousness. Some people are born with this knowledge – mystics, artists, poets, especially if they are born into cultures that validate a belief in the Spirit world.
Expanding our personal worldview to embrace this alternate reality can be beneficial in the sense that it may invite in new understanding, increasing our awareness and creativity. Considering the world around us, including what we would consider non-sentient beings like stones, crystals, mountains, or rivers as having a life force, can enlarge our lives, opening us to new realities. We may grow our consciousness beyond everyday life, entering into the world of the mystic.
This way of knowing is within the ability of everyone, but to access it, one needs to become like a child again. This often requires a leap of faith. Remember when you believed in fairies? To the magical-minded person, fairies are real, many are spirits of the plant kingdom and they will respond to us when we develop relationships with them. This can be as simple as connecting to a nearby forest or garden. Don’t be surprised if, reading this you encounter internal solid resistance. Western culture has dismissed this perception for centuries. It has worked hard to convince us to release the belief in magic as something scary, childish, or delusional. Yet unlearning this conditioning is essential if we are to step out on the magical path. Doing this requires practice.
An excellent way to begin is through a centering exercise with the land you live on. This may be in your own backyard if you have one, or in a nearby park if you are an urban dweller. This exercise utilizes intuition and imagination, two abilities that are vital to developing your magical sensibilities. Begin by identifying a natural spot within your area. This could be a clearing near a tree that appeals to you, or the banks of a stream, or a large boulder in a wooded area that is flat enough to sit on. Arriving at the spot, introduce yourself and make an offering. This could be pouring out a libation of water or burning tobacco, mugwort, rosemary or a sage wand to clear your own energy and offer the smoke. When you make this gesture of gratitude, you are opening yourself to connect to the spirit of that space in friendship.
While seated, breathe deeply, and visualize yourself as a small tree. Feel into the surface of the Earth or rock you are seated on and allow your roots to extend down. Let them seek out all the living beings that dwell there; animals and insects, and the network of mycelium branches out around the whole area. Feel if you can, any flowing water in the area. Connect your consciousness to this living network and see if you can draw energy up from this network into your being. Take note of whatever information or sensations come to you through this visualization.
Next, allow yourself to be in the area of your body which has become the trunk of your tree. Shift your consciousness out at this level around you now. As you continue to breathe, be aware of all of the living beings, plants, animals, fungi, insects, and humans, that surround your vicinity. Perhaps, you wish to boundary your vicinity, see a shining membrane wall around you and send your consciousness out into this bubble, greeting all beings found here and listening internally for any return greeting. Notice the sensations, thoughts, and feelings that arise from doing this.
Finally, extend your energy upward, allowing yourself to imagine branches growing up from your back and shoulders and out through your head. Allow these branches to extend and open to the airy heights above you, climbing as far as possible. Perhaps you can connect to the stars above you, sensing out for any beings that dwell here who may hold a personal message for you. Visualize yourself drawing energy from this heightened awareness, paying attention again to any new feelings, thoughts, and sensations that present themself. When you are complete, bring yourself back into your body by using the awareness of your breath. Allow yourself to come back slowly to ordinary consciousness. By repeating this exercise frequently, you may create a bond to this location, and it can serve as a personal power spot for you to recharge yourself when you are feeling scattered and depleted.
The benefits of being in Nature are well-documented in mental health. Being with Nature improves cognitive function, lifts our moods, and provides a sense of health and well-being. Adding to the mental and physical benefits of this spiritual practice of connecting to Earth energy, you can increase your creativity and expand your consciousness, which is the foundation for living a magical and joy-filled life.
