208 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
tation, given as an example. But
please realize that this is not the
only way to meditate—some
meditations are done with eyes
open, some with eyes shut;
some with counting, some
with a mantra (chant); and
some in silence. Some ac-
cept whatever thoughts
come to mind; others at-
tempt to block them out.
Some teachers advocate ab-
solute stillness, and some en-
courage movement. Most
Asian mediation techniques
were originally designed to
be practiced by initiates under
the guidance of a teacher, who “seeded” the media-
tions by his presence, so the initiates were digesting
that energy.
Stillness does not suit everyone; some people me-
diate better in flowing movement. If you are a person
who says, “I just can’t seem to get into meditation” or
can’t stay focused on your meditation, a working medi-
tation might be able to get you started. Find a task to
do that is repetitive and does not involve active think-
ing. Raking leaves, kneading bread dough, washing a
wall with repetitive strokes, and pulling weeds are all
activities that can help you move your mind into a medi-
tative state. The act of keeping your body engaged
while releasing your mind is often a good starting place.
Soon, you will be more easily able to practice a seated
meditation. There are many wonderful tapes and CDs
available to aid in meditation, and once you have done
a few sessions and are getting the hang of meditation,
I recommend that you check out specialty bookstores
and Websites and places like Amazon.com to find them.Lesson 3: Autosuggestion
The subconscious is most accessible in the minutes
just before you drop of to sleep or upon waking. For
this reason, try to be in as relaxed and peaceful state
as possible when you go to bed. Set your worries and
concerns aside—and especially, never go to bed an-
gry! Take a few minutes at bedtime to center yourself
and enter into meditation—and then just let yourself
drift naturally into sleep and The Dreaming.
Autosuggestion is a technique by which you can re-
program your subconscious. It’s really just about cre-
ating a statement of intention and repeating it over
and over to yourself in a meditation state. And the
best time to do this is as you go to sleep. Here are a
few tips:- When you program the subconscious with an inten-
tion to break some bad habit, leave out all mention
of time and space. If you try and
tell it when and where the change
is to take place, your subconscious
will fight back and look for a loop-
hole. My late friend Leo Louis
Martello, who was a Sicilian
Strega (“Witch”), used to
say: “When you are doing
magick, never say ‘I wish’
or ‘I hope’ I might do some-
thing. Say ‘I will do this.’
Your words have power—use
them that way.” This is why
magickal charms and chants
so often conclude with “So It
Is” or “So Mote It Be!” Now
there’s power! Always express
your intention not as a request, but a command:
“That’s an order, soldier! Make it so!”- Prepare a knotted scarlet cord (see 4.I.5: “Cord and
Knot Magick”), with 27 or 36 knots in all. Or, even
better, make up your own Wizard’s rosary by using
colored beads of wood or glass, tying a knot be-
tween each bead (for a rosary, add a pentagram,
ankh, or other amulet, and tie the whole thing into a
circle). Just before you go to sleep, take your cord
or your rosary and repeat once for each knot or
bead the phrase of your magickal intention, such
as: “I am confident and capable, and growing more
so every day”—until you reach the end of the chain.
Repeat this if you get up at night, and again the first
thing upon awakening in the morning.
Lesson 4: Visualization
Once you have learned basic meditation and can clear
your mind fairly well, the next step is visualization.
Practically every kind of magickal working and spell
will include the instruction to visualize something. So
here’s how:
Place yourself in a meditative trance, close your
eyes, and clear your mind. Now imagine a golden tri-
angle floating in the darkness. When you can see it
clearly, imagine it becoming three-dimensional and
turning into a golden pyramid. When the pyramid seems
solid enough that you could reach out and touch it,
allow it to expand in your field of vision until you can
see that it’s made of individual blocks of stone. Then,
in your imagination, back away from the pyramid until
you can see that it’s resting on the desert sands. See
shifting dunes and date palms. See other pyramids on
either side. Visualize a camel walking by, and then a
whole caravan. See the starry sky above, with Orion’s
belt above the pyramids...
When you can see all this in your mind’s eye, you
will have completed this exercise. In future medita-- Spectrum 1.p65 208 1/15/2004, 9:15 AM