Meditation & Magick
Updated: Oct 5, 2023
Occult author Jason Miller has declared numerous times that if he had to give up all but one part of his magickal practice, meditation is the one thing he would never sacrifice. Personally, I agree.
Meditation is a practice that I discovered long before I became a Pagan or started practicing witchcraft. I found it to be one of the most helpful tools in combating my anxiety. (This is not medical advice. If you couldn't tell, I'm not a doctor.) It's a practice we all know about and we all know we should be practicing, but many don't. Why? "I don't have time." "My mind won't stop wandering." "It's frustrating." "It's boooooring."
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard all the excuses. Just like eating a balanced diet and exercising (for which I have also heard all of the excuses as a previous personal trainer), meditation is a healthy lifestyle choice. Side note: I know a lot of people have valid reasons for having difficulty meditating, such as ADHD. I also have an article/video about that here.
Today, I want to cover the following topics:
Why meditation is good for you
Why it's good for your craft
How to begin
If you prefer video format, check it out below (this was the very first video I ever released on my channel. With that said, it is a little… well, sloppy, but the content is still valid.)
Mundane/Non-Magickal: Why it's important for you as a person
In recent years, several scientific studies have been published showing how beneficial meditation can be for both your physical and mental health. Skeptical? Here are just a few links with resources upon resources:
To be fair, the research has only just begun. Much of it has been conducted on small and/or very specific demographics (e.g., a 2019 analysis of 29 studies--totaling to 3,274 participants--that found mindfulness practices reduced fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, most of the participants were women with breast cancer: a very specific demographic.) So no, the studies haven't been what one would call "scientifically rigorous", but they are pointing in an optimistic direction. Not only that, but a whopping total of ZERO studies have shown meditation or mindfulness-based practices to have any negative side effects. So there's literally no harm in trying and judging by your own experience.
To summarize a lot of the above links, studies have shown that mindfulness practices can have a positive effect on the following: the immune system, fatigue, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, memory, symptoms of depression and anxiety, stress management skills, brain aging, maintaining focus, increasing self-awareness, improving imagination and patience, and more.
I want to focus on the mental aspects of this and less on the physical. Otherwise, we're going to start wandering into territories of the psychosomatic and how psychological well-being and hormones affect the physiological and physical, and as fun as that is for me to write about, that's not why you're here. (If you want to know more, all you have to do is Google "health issues related to stress" to get an idea.)
So let's look at the mind. Our minds love to wander. This can be a fun, positive experience in terms of daydreaming and letting your imagination soar, but it can also lead to negative impulsive and intrusive thoughts, self-doubt, dwelling on anything from past trauma to cringe-inducing memories like that time in the 7th grade when you gave an entire presentation with your zipper down (what, just me?), frequent loss of focus, worrying about hypothetical future events, or cooking up hypothetical arguments with people you're not fond of (okay, I know for sure that one isn't just me).
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) more than halves the relapse rate for people who have had depression in the past from 78% to 36%. -Dr. Craig Hassed MBBS, FRACGP, Mindfulness @ Monash
These are all things that practicing meditation and mindfulness can help you get a grip on.
How?
Many are under the impression that meditation is the practice of sitting down, clearing the mind, and not having a single thought for the entirety of the session. I blame Ron Swanson for that. This misconception leads many to believe that they are incapable of meditating, it leads to frustration and giving up because thoughts just keep. popping. up. But that is actually the entire point of meditation!
It's like this:
Clear mind/find a focus
Several seconds in, think to yourself, "Ah, this is nice. So relaxing. I'm doing it, I can't believe it. Hey, I'm getting good at this. Kind of reminds me of the time I napped on the beach in Grand Cayman. Man, that was relaxing too. I should plan another trip like that soon. Psh, if I can afford it. Flight prices are out of control right now—wait, no! I'm not supposed to be thinking things!"
Take a deep breath
Clear the mind/return to focus
Repeat
There is a reason meditation is called a "practice" and not a "talent" or "skill". You are practicing the skill of noticing when the mind wanders, and then dismissing the thought you aren't supposed to be having. If you practice this regularly, over time you will catch your runaway train of thought faster and dismiss it easier. The beauty of it is, this new skill doesn’t just come into play when you're meditating but in your day-to-day life as well.
This is why I said it was my number one tool for combating anxiety. I’m not saying I'm cured by any means, but meditation has given me better control over my mind and my thought process.
How does all of this apply to my craft?
Focus is imperative to magick. Whether you are charging a sigil, performing divination, dancing to raise energy, or evoking a goetic daemon, maintaining focus on your objective and intention is crucial. I would go so far as to argue that not having a regular meditation practice is the number one reason why spells don't work.
There is no energy exercise, physical action, ritual, incantation, spell, or mental effort of any kind that can replace your meditation. Period. - Jason Miller
Let's say you're working a ritual to ace a job interview. You're visualizing yourself walking in with confidence, the hiring manager laughing at a joke you made, them smiling knowingly while shaking your hand, an email from the hiring manager making an offer, etc. Then… you remember that email grandma sent last week that you never replied to. Or in the back of your mind, you're wondering what you should cook for dinner or reminding yourself you need to leave early for the interview tomorrow to put gas in the car.
All of those thoughts are invading on and mucking up the intention you are trying to will into manifestation!
Until you've learned to still your own mind and recognize where your own thoughts come from in your head, you will have a very difficult time differentiating between the Voices of the Spirits and your own meandering thoughts. The best way I know of to learn to do this is to practice meditation outside of ritual. - Frater R.O.
Soooo how do I start a meditation practice?
First, there are a couple of things I want you to keep in mind:
Remember what I mentioned earlier: Thoughts are supposed to pop into your head. Don’t get frustrated. Acknowledge that this is what meditation is and let them go.
Meditation builds a skill, and there is simply no way to rush or cheat the process. You just have to do the practice like you would to learn any other skill.
What I am about to suggest is seated meditation--laying down may make you drowsy. I will be touching on other forms in just a moment.
During this, you will not be attempting to alter your state of consciousness or achieve gnosis. Meditation is all about your natural state of consciousness. But if you don't like the sound of that, it will prepare you to reach altered states easier.
I would highly, HIGHLY recommend you start a daily practice. Yes, daily. It can be as little as five minutes a day to begin, but you have to make a regular habit of it.
Next, sit your butt down during a time and in a place when/where you won't be disturbed, and find a focus. Here are some of my personal favorites:
Image yourself standing or sitting on the beach or the shore of a large lake. As you inhale, the tide goes out and the waves build with your breath. When you exhale, the waves crash and then gently roll back in.
Picture a swinging pendulum. It swings in one direction on inhale, holds for a moment, and then descends in the other direction on your exhale.
Imagine your breath as a visible color or smoke that you can see being inhaled, traveling through your lungs, and then exhaled.
Attempt to keep the body completely still. You'd be surprised how much we adjust and move around without realizing it. This has the added benefit of getting you in tune with your physical body.
Count backwards from 100. Whenever you start to think of anything other than the number you're on, start back at the beginning. (I don't recommend this method for those who tend to get frustrated with themselves easily, but do keep in mind that it's okay if it takes many, many, many, sessions before you finally reach zero.)
These are just a few. There are dozens upon dozens of different ideas for focus and styles of meditation and I highly encourage you to seek them out, try different things, and find what works for you.
Now, if you are someone with an uncommonly busy mind, you've had an extra stressful day, or you have ADHD, you might want to begin with guided meditation or moving meditation. (I also have further information for meditating under these circumstances here.) Use this to begin building your skills, but I suggest you eventually move on to the good old fashioned seated form outlined above that requires relying on yourself as opposed to external stimuli.
Finally, in addition to finding a time of day to sit and just meditate, you should also find times throughout the day to practice mindfulness. But let me be clear: mindfulness should be in addition to seated meditation, not instead of. This requires nothing special and you don't even have to set time aside for it, you just need to tune into the present moment by checking in with your five senses.
I find these to be the two easiest times:
When you're eating – Focus on the flavor, the texture, the smell of the food. What is the color of the food you're eating? Can you hear each bite crunch or your fork scraping on the plate?
In the shower – What is the temperature and pressure of the water? Smell your soap and shampoo, see the water clinging to the shower wall, hear it raining against your skin. Can you still taste toothpaste from brushing your teeth?
I will remind you that this is only a small amount of info to get you started, but it's really all most people will ever need to create and foster a healthy and beneficial meditation and mindfulness practice. If you haven't started a regular meditation practice yet, I hope I have convinced you to do so.
Already a mindfulness master? Tell me your favorite focuses or styles of meditation in the comments below.
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