The Witching Hour

by Silver RavenWolf

For a week, practice awakening your ability to direct energy with your hands. Look at them like they are a marvelous magickal tool. Several times a day gaze at your hands; turn them over and pay attention to both sides, remembering the power they promise. Experience the amazing feeling that you have when you whisper several times, “I awaken the power within myself!” As you breathe in, imagine that you are taking in the glittering energy of the sea of potential. Let that energy run through your body like a river of enlightenment. As you breathe out, push that power into your hands. They may just tingle or become amazingly warm. Rather than letting the energy go to waste while you practice, hold your hands over your heart and say, “I heal my body, mind, and soul. So be it.”

  Every human being has the ability to access and use their own incredible power, which can be directed through their hands. You may wish to “set” your hands right before you work. The choice of how you do this is entirely up to you. The following is only an example:

  Close your eyes and breathe at least three times deeply. Focus your thoughts that your intent is to gather power and prepare your hands for working magick (or Reiki or even fixing a broken toy). Wash your hands with water or a mixture of water and salt, repeating, “Only the good remains.” Dry them off with a clean towel. Again, close your eyes and breathe at least three times deeply, then whisper the following: “I awaken the power within myself. I awaken my hands as amazing tools for magick!” Breathe deeply and connect with the sea of potential, running the energy into your hands. Then, when you feel energized, say, “No matter what I lay my hands upon, my desire will be so!” Go about your magickal activity (or fixing that broken toy).

  Once you practice this exercise for several months, all you will have to say is “I set my hands” and it will be so because you have trained yourself to awaken the power within yourself to access and direct what you need at any given time.

  I Need a Miracle

  Miracles really do happen. We’ve all been there—a time when we desperately need assistance, and we call out and say something like, “If I ever needed a miracle, it would be now!” Perhaps the need is fueled by fear, and you vibrate the air around you with your request for assistance. When you ask the universe for a miracle, you are activating the field and drawing the required energy to you with a super boost of wave-like energy. You are pushing the thought out beyond yourself to touch “whatever” that can help; at the same time, you are expecting a return (belief), actually widening that pipeline so that energy can flow out, which coalesces into a pattern, which is pulled back because you are expecting it.

  When you ask for a miracle, you aren’t micromanaging energy, you are setting an extremely firm intent, often driven by a heightened state of emotion, that feeling of great need. You don’t require sex or drugs to get to that point of possible manifestation. You need help, and you need it now! And the universe responds. Relax and think for a moment; recall when you have called out for assistance without trying to micromanage the outcome, and then everything fell into place, not perhaps the way you thought it would, but it works out usually for the best just the same. Many people attribute miracles to a god/goddess form, and I am not debating this; what I am saying is that you are quite capable of accessing that assistance anytime for anything.

  The Balance of Magick

  The sea of potential technique discussed earlier works on the premise of as above, so below; as within, so without. When you do magick or visualization techniques, an imbalance is created; the manifestation of what you desire is the balance. Think of it as a seesaw. You put out the energy dictating what you want and one end of the seesaw goes down. As everything works on the premise of balance, to create an even surface once again, the desire manifests on the other end of the seesaw, and the end that went down comes up and levels so that the board is parallel, thus creating a leveled existence. This rule of magick, action equals reaction/polarity, is a Hermetic teaching. Magickal powders, incense, room sprays, perfumes, oil blends, and herbal blends are highly effective in creating an aromatic trigger within yourself that can assist you to create positive thoughts or the thoughts that will lead to the manifestation you desire. These positive thoughts, in turn, help to bring the balance, what you desire. This is one reason why correspondences in magick are so important. By gathering things together that are of the same thought or emotional vibration, we are helping our minds stay focused. By practicing that gathering process in a spiritual way, we widen the road for better success, clearing the pathway to our dreams and goals.

  The problem with using the word imbalance is that people generally see the word with a negative connotation. “What do you mean I’m creating an imbalance when I think? Isn’t that bad?” Think of the sacred double spiral. One spiral represents your thoughts going out into the universe; the other spiral shows those same thoughts coalescing into form in the universe. The spirals are connected, showing a one-dimensional representation of how your thoughts affect the universe and how the universe changes your thoughts. When you see a spiral design, you don’t see good or bad; you just see the symbol of what is.

  Sacred Double Spiral

  As an experiment, try using this symbol on your work surface. As you grind herbs or do a particular spell, the spiral is a reminder that what you put out, you receive. Try inscribing the symbol on a candle the next time you do candle burning magick. How does that work for you?

  Mirror Technique

  If you are still trying to wrap your brain around the concept of balance/imbalance, think of a mirror. What you do in front of a mirror is always reflected back to you. Shine a light in the mirror, it bounces off the surface and back to you. That is exactly what the universe is like. If things are really crappy for you right now, create a mirror backdrop. No kidding. Pick a mirror in your home and stand it so that it faces a wall. On the wall, put pictures and other items of what you want your life to be like. Each day stand in front of that mirror, with your dream life as the backdrop, and imagine yourself living the life you desire. The key is not to look at yourself and pick out the flaws; the idea is to look at yourself smiling and happy in the new life you wish to create.

  You can also create a bulletin board that is filled with things you desire, so that every time you look at it, you are encouraging yourself to think the thoughts that will bring you what you want. The mirror technique is more active, as you can move, smile, even create mythical conversations. If you feel that creating a backdrop is too time-consuming, you can paste photos around the edges of the mirror so that your reflection is ringed by what you desire to unfold in your life.

  Remember, the sea of potential is always around you. It never goes away. Sometimes the hardest challenge of all is to keep in mind that it is even there!

  Acceptance or Denial

  Let’s consider the meaning of the words off and on and visualize a light fixture switch plate. When something is considered “on,” it is a go thing—power flowing—a yes, yes, yes feeling. When we think of “off,” such words come to mind as “stop,” “I don’t want that,” or “stillness.” Very basic analogies would be:

  off/on

  yes/no

  accept/resist

  want/don’t want

  When you accept or want something, the feeling is usually positive. When you resist or don’t want something, feelings are often negative (at most) or unsettled at least.

  All magick is either on or off, yes or no, accept or resist.

  Ever watch a kid play with a light switch? On/off, on/off, on/off—drives you nuts, doesn’t it? The universe thinks the same way when you broadcast your feelings on a subject where clarity is nowhere to be found. You do? You don’t? What the heck is it? Make up your mind! Constantly flipping that switch in your field and in the sea of potential around you leads to defeat or dissatisfaction.

  For at least one week, with everything you do, with everything you think, either push the mental button on or
off, depending upon your needs. No extraneous thinking.

  When you push the mental button on, run energy as given under the setting hands topic above.

  When you push the mental button off, block the negativity energy.

  In life, it really is that simple. On or off? Choose.

  Link, Sync, and Sink Magickal Technique

  Quite some time ago I created the link, sync, and sink technique, a mental method to effect change, to help me when working on healing magicks for people and animals. It works for in-person and long-distance healing applications and is an incredibly simple visualization.

  Say the individual’s name aloud three times. Breathe deeply several times and close your eyes. In your mind, blend with nature and Spirit. Use the sea of potential technique to set your intent, then repeat the individual’s name three times again if they are not present (you can skip this if they are with you).

  Link: If the person is with you, lay your hand on the top of their head. If it is an animal, put your hand where you can without the animal minding. If the person is not present, see that individual in your mind. If they are present, the linking process has already begun. If, however, they are not present, link yourself to them using some type of connecting visualization that makes you comfortable: a silver cord, a wave of energy, something that you can “see” well. I find it easier to link at the third eye, but you can choose another part of the body.

  Sync: This is where you blend the intention energy (healing, joy, happiness) with their life force, which is often represented by how you feel about that individual coupled with their image in your mind. When you think of any being (person, animal, and even plants) you have a “feeling” about them; this is part of the totality of their signature on this plane and how it vibrates as you observe it. Often, we ignore this feeling because we are so busy processing a billion things at once. When we slow down, relax, and breathe deeply, we can access any individual signature. Granted, some people shield themselves well. However, part of being on this planet is having our own vibratory address (for a time). It is best that you are in agreement with the person on the change required (joy, happiness, healing, love) as this will speed the process. For long distance, visualize that you are breathing together. If they are present, ask the person to breathe in tune with you (or you them, doesn’t matter). Whether they are with you or long distance, I now close my eyes and use a spinning light visualization where my light of intention spins together with their light. To me, this light is multicolored and turns to white when the sync has taken hold.

  Sink: Visualize the energy slowly sinking into the top of their head and traveling down into all their chakras. Because I practice Braucherei whisper magick, where chants are a part of the process, I begin chanting something that matches the intent. Try to hold the visualization of spinning energy as long as possible. Once you have gone through their chakras, you can concentrate on where the pain or difficulty might be within the body. When you lose the light or the visualization, the work is done. Seal with an equal-armed cross over the individual if they are there or in the air if they are not present. The work is done. Let it go. Wash your hands in running water or rub your hands with salt to break the connection you have made. Some practitioners prefer to use holy water or Florida Water.

  To make the linking process easier in long-distance applications, you may wish to hold a photograph, an unwashed article of clothing they have worn, jewelry that belongs to them, a pet collar the animal has used, etc. There are some people who shield all the time, so it can be difficult to affect them even though you have their permission to work the healing; when this occurs, think about any in-person association you have had with them, particularly if you have touched them. Think of that moment or a conversation, when you shook hands, when they may have hugged you, etc. Think about what you know of them: favorite colors, flowers, animals, hobbies, etc., to help you make the connection. Make what is familiar to them familiar to you by surrounding yourself with mental pictures that the individual typically holds for themselves (although they may not be yours). For family members and close friends, the key to opening access to their astral body is love. This energy is honest and pure, and it can easily slip through the shield, particularly if the love is shared between yourself and that individual.

  The link, sync, and sink technique also works with a variety of magickal techniques, from empowering powders and herbal blends to obtaining a new car. The process isn’t just used on living creatures; it also can be employed on inanimate objects for a variety of workings, such as warding a property, drawing money to you, syncing a poppet to your needs, etc. The more you practice the technique, both with people and objects, the easier it will become, and you will find the speed of manifestation a great blessing when you really need it most. When you are using it for attracting an inanimate object, such as a car, visualize the vehicle you want, and rather than breaking the connection at the end of the working, pull the car toward you and imagine your hands touching it. How would the surface of the car feel to you? Link that memory of physical touch to a feeling of joy.

  In this book we are blending with the energy of Spirit, the universe as a vehicle, plants, herbs, trees, and the elements to bring joy into our lives and into the lives of others. I realize that we often physically look to the sky when we release energy. That is one of the many meanings of the occult teaching “as above.” In working with the earth elements, I stumbled across the following technique, literally, which changed my perceptions on magick and energy flow. Perhaps it will be helpful to you as well.

  Blue Lightning Ground Exercise

  A quick search on the internet shows a fascinating grouping of articles about plant and tree communication through a variety of chemical processes, their root system, and fungal supporters. While some dismiss this as not being true, other scientists are forging ahead, continuing to gather documentation that networking among plants truly does exist. Most magickal people who wildcraft, garden, and work with herbs, plants, and trees agree that there truly is some type of communication, whether it be spiritual, chemical, or both. Just because we don’t understand it and haven’t been able to quantify it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And once you feel it, you won’t need convincing.

  In this exercise we consciously join the chain in communication by using the ground. For the first time, place your hands on the ground outside. Rather than thinking of Spirit up above, concentrate on sending your communication into the ground. We are using the ground as our conduit of linking to something somewhere else that is also on the ground—a person, an animal, an object. I like to use this technique for healing, where I follow the method of connecting given below and send healing information to an individual who has requested it. I literally whisper my chants into the ground. You choose who or what you wish to connect to.

  Begin by activating the sea of potential as shown earlier in this chapter. Sit quietly on the ground and place your hands out in front of you on the earth. Take several deep breaths and center yourself, then say, “I awaken Mother Nature” (or the earth or whatever words that you choose to link yourself with the communication network that roots in the ground).Choose wisely because you want to make the right connection for your perception. This is important.

  Then say, “I gather the healing energy of the universe to travel into the earth and heal her center.” This lets nature know that you come to her with gifts of love and healing, that you are looking to link into the communication network, and that you are not a threat. Link, sync, and sink with the earth. Close your eyes and fill the ground around you with feelings of love. Keep doing this until you lose the thought.

  Next, imagine that the information you wish to send is a net of connected blue lightning that will travel across the ground to the intended individual. It will reach them, travel up through the soles of their feet, and connect with their aura. You can then sync with the person and sink the energy into the physical body (or
you can just choose to connect with the astral body of the individual). Whisper your chants, prayers, charms, and words of healing, keeping your hands on the ground and thinking about the person. You can use a magickal powder or herbal blend, grinding the powder into the ground with your hands as you intone your words.

  When you are finished, say something like, “I am grateful for this change and embrace well-being for myself and for (the person’s name).” Break the earth connection. Make an equal-armed cross on the ground with your finger to seal the spell. Thank the earth for her assistance in this matter. Leave an earth-friendly offering of your choice such as birdseed, water, cornmeal, etc. This offering helps to connect the vibration of your intent from the sea of potential to the physical world. You are pulling what is needed from the astral plane to the physical plane. This offering “sets” or “anchors” your desire with love and gratitude—two energies that help to bring the target to form.

  I have used this technique for a variety of purposes, particularly long- distance workings where there is no way you could get there in time. Such instances have included protection for children, help to stranded travelers, healing for those in emergency surgery, catching a criminal, and for amber alerts.

  If you work magick with friends or family, you may wish to use this exercise to heal the area you live in on a weekly or monthly basis.

  I have created a small, private outdoor place with a circle of stones where I can sit and practice this. I cleanse the area after each magickal act with sacred herbal water of rosemary and lavender.

  Caution: If you use the process of link, sync, and sink or the blue lightning ground exercise to obtain something from another, such as stealing, the universe will ensure that you pay for the theft. Therefore, never link to a particular item that belongs to another person, like Grandpa’s coin collection. The caution of “misuse of power means the loss of it” is not an old adage for nothing. Your actions and your thoughts will always lead to balance.