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Magic and Meditation

To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.pagan.magick,alt.consciousness.mysticism,alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic
From: nagasiva 
Subject: Magic and Meditation
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 12:57:15 GMT

50030729 viii om

t3dy@aol.comingle (sned the bold):
# here are a few foolproof rituals:
# 	eat a healthy diet.
# 	exercise regularly.
# 	maintain good hygiene.
# 	find something to occupy your time 
#		that doesn't involve thinking about 
#		what [you're] obsessed with

while admirable, none of these is magical.

uncited:
#># ...Are the mechanics of magic (in wicca) as important as 
#># the meditation part. Those candles, flowers, perfumes
#># have much meaning?

importance of implements varies with the mage. meaning is
secondary to the operation. magicians operating at the
behest of another more powerful entity or those who are
enacting intuitive operations may understand nothing
of what they do, sometimes only discovering its meaning
at a later time.

# if you go to a bunch of different bars, you will find that 
# they mix "named" drinks differently. there are as many 
# different "martinis" as there are different bartenders. 
# sometimes an amaretto sour has club soda in it, 
# sometimes just the liquor and the sweet and sour mix.
#
# same goes for rituals. you only have to follow a cookbook 
# until you find a formula that works for you. if candles 
# have meaning for you, then they will be good for doing 
# rituals. 

where religious rituals are concerned, this may be true.
the particulars of magical practice require some kind 
of apprehension of its methods. formulae will be fairly
meaningless until those methods are apprehended. this
applies whether we're talking about what is called 'Low'
or 'High' magical aims (i.e. conventional or mystical).

# trying to follow a really complicated ritual by some 
# joker like say aleister crowley will only bog you 
# down and confuse you.

I'm not sure this is always true. depends on the person
and the circumstance, I'd guess.

# most people have the right idea with simple rituals 
# that consist of saying [say?] burning incense and 
# lighting a candle in bath. 

that depends on what one is attempting to achieve. some
kind of orientation and peaceful internal state would
probably be achieved by such an activity, yes. if one's
interests extend much beyond this, then that will only
constitute a beginning or foundation.

# or cleaning up their house while listening to loud 
# music. 

banishing?

# or masturbating to pornography.

or to one's god. again, these aren't magic per se,
but they are rituals if repeated or achieving something
one identifies as a 'ritual state of consciousness'
(often trance-induction).

# as for meditation, that word means a lot of different 
# things to a lot of people. try not to get tied down to 
# one definition of it. if you get frustrated by sitting 
# down and trying to avoid thinking, try doing a mantra, 
# or going for a jog, or just encouraging your brain to 
# think about whatever it wants to think about. you can 
# learn a lot that way, so long as you have a good heart 
# and you pay attention. best of luck and positive vibes.

good advice with respect to meditation. the generally-
supportable meaning for the term is intentional single-
pointed attention attempted over a predesignated period 
of time. the focus of attention is a variable. those who
focus on restraining the thinking process may unwittingly
be complicating or making more difficult the activity.

the mind naturally smooths and clarifies around sustained
single focal points, and this may be more easily achieved 
where that focus is apparently beyond oneself and mind.

nagasiva

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