Becoming Aware exercise                                                Energy Balance exercise
Projection exercise (two parts)                                         Sensing Energy exercise
Ball of Light Cleansing and Protection exercise                 Energy as Tool exercise
Energy Play, by Scott Cunningham

You are centred when:

•  you are balanced and stable.
•  you are breathing deeply from your solar plexus.
•  you are relaxed, calm, and focused.
•  you are aware, internally and externally.
•  you are feeling your emotions - and learning from them without letting
•  them control you.
•  you are compassionate and connected to others and to your environment.
•  you are appreciative of yourself and others.
•  you are able to receive and give sincere acknowledgment.
•  you are energized by purpose.
•  you are greater than your challenges.
•  you are unattached to the outcome of a situation.
•  you are having fun and laughing often.

Becoming Aware

For this exercise, you will need a piece of white sketch paper, a dark lead
pencil, some soft meditation music, a candle and a secure, private room.

Light the candle and extinguish all electric lights.  Play some soft
meditation music and settle into a comfortable, upright, sitting position.
Close your eyes and begin to breathe slowly and deeply.  Use every
inhalation as a chance to check your posture; your spine should be
perpendicular to the floor, with your neck and head erect/  Inhaling deeply
from the diaphragm, between the navel and sternum, will help your spinal posture.

Exhale completely, pushing out your breath from the diaphragm.  As the air
escapes your lungs, imagine that tensions melt away with it.   A few
repetitions of this deep breathing will begin to put you into the proper
relaxed, yet alert state.

Once your posture is aligned and your body relaxed, concentrate on slowing
and evening your breath.  Inhale while slowly counting to four.  Pause,
comfortably holding your breath for another count of four.  If this is
uncomfortable at first, aim for the count of two, slowly increasing the
count on subsequent breaths.  As your body relaxes further, this becomes easier.

Now exhale for the count of four, waiting for another four counts before
inhaling again.  After a few repetitions, your body will begin this rhythm
without conscious commands:  you will find that during your pauses in
breathing, your mind becomes clear of thoughts, as it should be.

Now, light the candle and begin staring into its flame.  Allow critical
thinking processes to end; if thoughts arise in your mind, let the, quietly
float away.  Become aware of the candle flame and the shadows it casts
about the room.  Breathe slowly and deeply, allowing yourself to see only
the patterns of light and shadow.

Still staring at the candle flame., begin to sketch the interplay of the
light and shadows you can see without casing to gaze at the flame.  Don't
bout your artistic ability; just sketch the patterns of light and shadow
present in your immediate visual field.  Once you have finished, look at
what you have drawn.  Take a few moments before extinguishing the candle,e
and returning to normal awareness.

In becoming aware of the overall patterns and not the individual pieces, we
realize that all life is an interconnected whole.  There is no dividing
line between the ground we stand upon, the bird that we see soaring through
the skies, or the plants growing in our gardens.  Nature forms a symbiotic
relationship in which everything feeds, grows, and depends upon everything else.

Imagine being truly disconnected from the environment of earth, air, water
and fire.  In spirit, perhaps one could survive under such conditions,
Physical form, however, must follow physical law.  The Earth below us
provides stability and the foundation for all other elements to exist;
within Her framework an ecosystem of vast proportions has developed.  Some
elements may be dispense with and cause no immediate harm; but over long
periods of time no one really knows the implications of destroying a
subspecies of blind shrimp found in a marine cave off the coast of Bermuda.
 Nature forms relationships which support and build upon each other; to
take away from the pattern is risking destruction of the whole.

Our greatest limitation as humans is that we often fail to perceive the
overall pattern, the big picture, of all things.  Once we have truly become
aware of patterns, not just individual threads, we are still limited by our
inability to take in more than one part of the pattern.  To illustrate this
point, repeat the Becoming Aware exercise in a different part of the same
room, preferably the area that was originally behind your back.  Once
completed, compare the two patterns.  The center of the sketch where the
candle was remains the same; it will be a large area of light.  The
remaining shadows, shades and area of darkness will take on different forms
and shapes.

They do, however, both exist, the two patterns are different parts of the
same whole.  If we "had eyes in the back of our heads," we would be able to
perceive the larger pattern they share.  In this exercise, the candle
represents our focus, our path, our point of concern, while the varying
shade represent how the remainder of the environment falls into place
around our focal point.  Considering this, one may see how different
opinions on one subject exist; different ideals, religions, governments and
political views flourish and crumble side by side in the same world.  Are
any right or wrong?  Not necessarily, as they are all viewing their part of
the whole pattern and interpreting it according to their own biases.
Perhaps if our world leaders could learn to use this point of view ...

To take in and understand more of the patterns of existence we must use
more than our sight; all five physical sense must blend into one another
and be operative together before the sixth sense, our psychic awareness,
opens up.  By experiencing the present with all our physical senses, we
learn to balance our experience and process material on a more intuitive
level.  Call it intuition, ESP, or "the sight" this inner processing of
experience moves us toward the subtle realms where the big picture, or
overall pattern of things, may be experienced on a broader level.

Part Two

Use this exercise to become aware of the interplay of the five senses - the
five separate ways one may perceive physical reality.   For this exercise,
we need the materials from the first exercise, plus an aromatic fruit such
as an orange or grapefruit.

Repeat the first exercise.  Once you have slipped into the consciousness of
patterns, pick up the fruit in your hands.  Try to feel the texture as you
gaze at the orange, as opposed to rationalizing it with your mind.  See the
fruit and allow the awareness of its reality to transcend either the sight
or the texture; feel the two modes of awareness becoming one.

Peel the fruit, listening to the subtle sounds this makes.  Add this to the
whole experience.

As you peel, the soft citrus aroma will permeate the area around you.  Four
senses are now involved in the experience:  sight, sound, touch, and smell.
Integrate these experiences into one.

To complete this exercise, eat the orange slowly, one piece at a time.  Feel
the stickiness the juices create on your fingers.  Smell the aroma.  See the
naked flesh of the fruit.  Feel the silky softness of the flesh.  Finally,
taste it.  Internalize these sensations into one until you can arrive at a
complete, here and now experience of the orange.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THESE EXERCISES?

Once we perceive the BIG PICTURE, once we can temporarily alchemizwe our
experiences into one pattern, we have found the frame of mind needed to cast
our circle and slip between the worlds of reality.  Leaving our separatist,
divide-and-conquer frame of mind behind in a trance state that embraces
patterns, not individual pieces, we move into a state where we may work
powerful magicks.

Our magick may appear to give us the perfect freedom to do what we wish at
first, but we quickly realize that by removing or changing one thread in our
material designs, the others change to compensate,.  Throw a rock into a
pool of water, and ripples spread out from the point of impact, disturbing
the stillness of the water.  The mass of the rock itself causes a slight
rise in the water level' the larger the rock, the larger the disturbance.
Ripples cease, but until the added mass is removed, the water level remains
the same.  In removing the rock, we again disturb the stillness of the
water's surface.  This is true of the Law of Karma - anything we do will
influence everything in the area.  There is no good or evil considered in
it; only cause and effect.  Sometimes even the best intentions have
devastating effects.  Patterns once altered, are never truly the same again.

This defining of space and creation of a spiritual body of sorts is
comparable to the choices we make before birth; those of parentage and
general life circumstance.  Before we create our vortex, we are limited in
our working space; a room or portion of a room is used,  Likewise, those of
us here on earth are here because we have to be here (unlike an avatar);
however, each of us chooses our parentage and general life circumstance.
Choosing the magickal vehicle (body) while working within a temple (earthy)
is a decision left up to each of us before stepping into the world  We each
come with a goal and a purpose.

Likewise, before stepping (incarnating) into the magickal circle (body), we
enter with a specific goal in mind, whether it be to worship, share, or work
magick.  The space becomes a magickal body for us to use during our
operations.  While operating within the sphere, our attention turns inward
to the center of the circle, an act that symbol,ically represents us turning
inward to ourselves.

In spite of what one may have read or been taught, there are three necessary
steps in casting the circle:  dedication, purification, and invokation.  In
dedicating our circle, we begin by announcing the space as sacred, giving
our subconscious  a call to attention.  Physical boundaries are delineated;
we realize that the astral forms follow the physical designs, and thought
begins the process by which we open our space.  Critical and analytical
functions are set aside; disbelief is suspended for a time.  We also realize
that the outer forms are not important.  In casting the circle, it is what
happens within us, on the inner realms of consciousness, that creates our
vortex.  As we do will, so mote it be!

Next comes the purification of the space.  Moving in a deosil (clockwise)
progression, we further enforce the circle's boundaries as we continue to
cleanse it of negativity.  Becoming our magickal body for a time, as the
circle is cleansed, so are we.  Water, incense, earth,  and fire are carried
about to purify the space with the four elements.  We release negative
thought forms and energies from ourselves.  Vibratory rates are raised, and
the general area is cleansed.

Finally, having prepared and strengthened our vortex, we call the Mighty
Ones into the circle.  We proceed with the four elements, and finally call
the God/dess.  This gives us the chance to call on aspects of ourselves
specific to the work that we are doing.  Our operations are done with the
higher parts of our beings, not just the purely human part.  Magickal
operations done only with the human part require more effort and often fail.
Operations done under divine guidance are rapid; they become true art forms,
apt to succeed.  We invoke the powers and they resonate within, awakening
aspects of ourselves that normally remain hidden from everyday
consciousness.  The circle becomes a living mandala and we are finally
centered within the self.

To begin casting the circle, we must first develop the new awareness that
accompanies it, a sort of twilight vision where we can see the holistic
pattern and reality behind all things, not just the individual identities.
For within the circle we stretch our consciousness to become one with the
powers around us; the traditional separateness we feel in everyday life must
be suspended for a moment so we may transcend that reality.  Once we attain
that awareness, we must begin to channel that new consciousness, the energy
that lies within the pattern, into the form called the magick circle.
~Lady Mystara

Projection Exercise

The final part of a successful magickal working is the ability to project the energies  ... releasing them to go and do their work.  This is quite easy for some, but difficult for others.  This exercise will help you learn how to master this skill.

In this exercise, you are going to visualize yourself at the seashore,
picking up a  heavy rock;  now inhale, and see yourself throwing the rock
as far out into the waves as possible as you exhale.  Watch it splash into
the sea just above the horizon.

Now, look up again and imagine another horizon that is twice as far away!
Pick up a rock twice as large as the first.  Again, take a deep breath, and
as you exhale, throw the rock with all your might.  See it splash into the
waves in the far horizon!

Repeat this exercise again a third time ... each time, increasing the size
of the rock, and mentally throwing if harder and further than the time before.

Keep practicing this exercise until you can "feel" the release of power
that goes out with the rock.

You will experience this same sensation during magickal work when you
release  (project) the energies you've raised to do their work.

This is a physical work out ... you should feel tired when it is over ...but exhilarated.
~Lady Mystara

Ball of Light Cleansing and Protection
by Emer

I've found that, no matter how well you shield your home, the astral
nasties can still gain entrance.  They may be invited in by children
and pets, or subconsciously by adult family members.  Negative
thinking can invite and even create unwanted energies.  Never
underestimate the power of the mind.

This sphere of light saturates an area and eliminates the *space* for
the negativity to exist.  It is good for cleansing and protecting
anything - house, car, object, your aura, yourself.

How to:
Imagine a ball of sparkling white light somewhere in the center of
your home.  See energy pouring into this ball until it becomes
blindingly bright and powerful.  Now allow it to slowly grow, filling
your home with white light.  Know that this light is cleansing and
banishing all negative energy it touches.  See it grow until it
spreads through the walls to the outside, completely encompassing and
saturating your home with white light.  See it form a permanent, yet
*solid* sphere of protection around and throughout your home.

Exercise to Balance Your Own Energy

The following exercise will assist you in balancing your own energy.

Wear loose fitting clothes or be skyclad. Wear no jewelry. Sit in a comfy
position with your spine straight. Keep still and clear your mind of all
thoughts.

Place the palms of your hands on your thighs in a comfy manner, without
applying pressure to either thigh. Breathe in deeply and imagine a ray of
white light entering the top of your head. Breathe out slowly.

See this white light now surrounding your entire body and a second ray of
white light emanating from your heart region. This 2nd ray of light merges
with your aura and completely surrounds your body and the room in
which you are located.

Accept the presence of this white light. Try not to think of it, just focus
on your breathing and the presence of this light.

Say to yourself or out loud, "I am completely protected and balanced by this
white light. Only my Masters and Guides, Higher Self, and living beings can
influence me now."

As you breathe in say, “The light and the positivity of the universe becomes
a part of my consciousness."

As you exhale say, “I am merging with my Higher Self and my soul's energy is
perfectly balanced."

Now imagine the white light changing colors as it moves throughout your
body. See it become red, green, blue, orange, yellow, indigo, and violet.
Let this image stay with you."

This procedure should be practiced for 15 minutes. The best way to do this
is by making a tape of this exercise and playing it with new age music in
the background.

Sensing Energy
~author unknown

Set in front of you a plant, a crystal and a low vibration
stone...such as one from a creek bed.  Sit in a quiet room calming
your mind.  Allow your mind to flow freely, clearing itself.  Rub your
hands together, hold them about 5 inches apart.  Feel the energy
flowing down your arms being held between your hands.  Practice
"pushing" the energy to about 1 in, then making it "grow"...see how
far you can bring your hands away from each other before you can no
longer feel the energy.  Play with this for a few minutes.  Notice how
you sense the energy.  Cold or hot?  Tingling or pin pricks?  A
humming or throbbing?  Whatever your sensation...allow your mind to
become accustomed to the feeling.

When you are ready place your hands around the plant, about 1 inch
from it.  Some use only their receptive hand (the non writing hand)
while others use both.  It is best to use both in the beginning to see
which is actually the receptive hand.  Some are energy ambidextrous,
using both hands equally to sense energy.

Place your hands around the plant first...letting the energy flow from
it to your hands.  Notice the feeling from it.  Don't be upset if you
feel nothing.  This exercise may take several attempts.  It's is best
to close your eyes while doing this.  Shutting down your visual
perception aids opening of the others.  Give yourself a few minutes to
feel the plant.

When you have done this, break contact with the plant gently.  Plants
get used to the energy we give them...and you are giving it energy as
well as sensing it's energy...It is shocking to immediately break the
flow of energy, whether it is person, plant or animal.  Shake your
hands to clear them...visualizing the energy of the plant shaking off
of your hands like water.

Then place the crystal in the palm of your hand, with the other hand
over it, not quite touching it.  Do the same as you did with the
plant.  Notice the energy flowing from the crystal.  Especially notice
the DIFFERENCE of energy between them.  When you have done this for a
few minutes, place the crystal down.  Shake your hands again as with
the plant.

Then pick up the low vibration stone.  Do the same as with the
crystal...Again pay attention to the DIFFERENCE of the energy.
Crystals are very high vibration...a stone form a creek bed etc is
low...Some cannot feel anything at all from low vibration stones
especially in the beginning.  When you have done this...again shake
your hands to rid them of the energy.

When you have finished...wash your hands in salt and cold water.  The
salt is cleansing.  The cold water desensitizes them.  Some people
have a very hard time "turning off" the flow of energy.  If you cannot
make your hands "shut down"...repeat the salt and cold water...making
sure you visualize the energy turning off"...closing your hands into
fists.

***Note from Jae:  You can also, simply ground the energy to the
Earth, as in, "plant it" as one of our young ones taught me <smile> or
"space it" as other young people have been saying to denote sending it
out to the Universe.

Do this exercise every night until you feel the difference of the
stones and plants.  Keep notes from the first exercise to document
your awareness level over time.

Energy as a Tool
~from Lady Ma'at's Book of Shadows

Energy is everywhere. It surrounds us daily. And yet, many of us don't
even think about the energy we use in our lives daily, in magical
workings and in simple, mundane tasks. When you settle in to do a ritual
or to work a spell, do you simply say the words and expect something to
happen? I hope not. More than likely you concentrate on the words you
are saying and you envision the desired result of your working, all the
while pouring energy into the spell. It is that energy that the magic is
made of.  Without that energy your words have no direction, no power
behind them, so to speak. Everything you do, magically intended or
not, is full of energy. Just the simple act of moving requires energy.
 When you speak about something you love passionately, then there is
an amazing amount of energy behind those words.  The same goes for
when you are discussing something that makes you angry. It's a lot
like the saying, "You could cut the tension with a knife."  That
tension is energy from the situation that people put out, knowingly and
otherwise.

This energy that we expend daily is something that we can tune into and
use. You can take that energy you feel inside you and gather it up and
push it through you into whatever you are trying to do.  Whether that
be putting the energy into a spell, healing someone or giving the energy
to another person.

The best way, I feel, to start off when you are going to do energy work,
is to ground and center yourself. Relax, take deep breaths.  It is a
much easier process when you can fully focus on the task at hand, rather
than carrying the days stress into the situation with you.  The way I
gather energy for something is usually by sitting (or standing, if you
like) and concentrating on the energies around and under and in me. Try
to get of sense of where the energies are and how they feel to you.
 Then I draw energy from around and above me, then from below me, then
(sometimes, depending on the task) from inside me. Before you begin to
take the energy from outside yourself, always, always ASK whatever you
are taking the energy from if it is okay. Always be respectful.  The
energy is much easier to work with when it is given freely.  Then I
channel all the different energies into one large ball, often in my
hands, sometimes in my center. Then I take that energy and expand it
while concentrating on what I wish to do or what I want. Then I send the
energy into the wish (kind of pushing it in the direction I want) or
into the spell and concentrate on it until all the energy is expended.
Then I relax and thank the dieties of my choice and ask my dragon if he
thinks it went well. Sometimes I ground and center again, because
working with so much energy can disrupt your system a bit.  I know it
sounds long and involved, but after practicing and working with it, it
will come to you much faster and will be a second nature.
Everyone, especially those who work with energy on a frequent basis, is
often more prone to other people's energy attaching it them. Everyone,
whether they realize it or not, radiates some kind of energy. Some
people give off very positive energy. Others give off more depressing or
depressing energy. People are very susceptible to picking up another's
energy and having it effect they way that they feel or the things that
they do.

There is a way to prevent the rubbing off of energy and to keep your
energy from leaking to another. This process is called
shielding. Shielding is a very simple technique that is used by many
people. The most simple way of shielding is to take your channeled
energy, from either inside yourself or from around you, and form an
airtight sphere of light around you. This light can be any color.
 Also, instead of using light, some people use plain energy, or
picture steel surrounding them, or any other variation you feel you
need.  The sphere surrounding you should stop all other energy from
hitting you, while at the same time keeping your energy from leaking to others.

Remember, energy is a very powerful force and isn't something you should
take lightly or use carelessly. If you don't use it correctly, you could
actually wind up hurting yourself or someone else.

Energy Play:
From: Wicca A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner By: Scott Cunningham

The energy and magical powers at work in Wicca are real.  They aren't
of some astral plane.  They're within the Earth and our selves.  They
maintain life.  We daily deplete our store of energy and replenish it
through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the powers that
stream down from the Sun and Moon.

Know that this power is physical.  Yes, it's mysterious, but only
because so few investigate it in magical ways.  Following are some
exercises to help you do just that.

Calm yourself.  Breathe deeply.  Rub your palms together for twenty
seconds.  Start slowly and rub faster and faster.  Feel your muscles
tense.  Feel your palms grow warm.  Then, suddenly, stop and hold your
palms about two inches from each other.  Feel them tingling: That's a
manifestation of power.  By rubbing your palms together and using the
muscles in your arms and shoulders you're raising energy - magical
power.  It's flowing out from your palms as you hold them apart.

If you don't feel anything, practice this once or twice a day until
you have success.  Remember, don't force yourself to feel the power.
Trying harder won't accomplish anything.  Relax and allow yourself to
feel what's been there all the time.

After you've actually sensed this energy, begin to fashion it into
shapes.  Use your visualization to do this.  Directly after rubbing
your hands, while they're still tingling, visualize jolts of energy -
perhaps electric blue or purple - passing from your right (projective)
palm to left (receptive) palm.  If you're left-handed, reverse the
directions.  *Note- Remember the science fiction and fantasy movies
you've seen wherein a magician sends power from his or her hands?
Remember what it looked like in cinematic form?  If you wish, use a
similar image to visualize personal power streaming from your palms.
Though that was just special effects this, of course, is real, and we
can use this picture to actually send out that power.

Now envision this energy slowly swirling in a clockwise direction
between your palms.  Form it into a ball of glowing, pulsating magical
energy.  See its dimensions, its colors.  Feel its force and heat in
your palms.  This is a bit of energy which you've released from your
body.  There's nothing supernatural about it.  Cup your hands around
the ball.  Make it grow or decrease in size through your
visualization.  Finally push it into your stomach and absorb it back
into your system.

This is not only great fun but is a valuable magical learning
experience.  When you've mastered the art of energy spheres, go on to
feel energy fields.

Sit or stand before any plant.  Herbs and plants in bloom seem to work
best.  In a pinch, cut flowers can be used as well.

Breathe deeply for a few moments and clear your thoughts.  Hold your
receptive (left) palm a few inches above the plant.  Pinpoint your
consciousness to your palm.  Do you feel a dull throbbing, a hum, a
wave of heat, or simply a shift in the energies within your palm?  Do
you feel the inner force of the plant?

If so, good - you've felt energy.  After you've felt energy.  After
you've accomplished this, try sensing the energies of stones and
crystals.  Place a quartz crystal, Stretch out with your feelings and
become aware of the non-visible but viable energies that pulsate
within the crystal.

All natural objects, remember, are manifestations of divine energy.
With practice we can feel the power that resides within them.

If you have difficulty feeling these powers, rub your palms lightly
together to sensitize them and try again.

This energy is the same power we're filled with when we're angry,
nervous, terrified, joyous or sexually aroused.  It's the energy used
in magic, whether we pull it from ourselves or channel it from the
Goddess and God, plants, stones and other objects.  It is the stuff of
creation which we utilize in magic.

Now that you've felt the power, use visualization to move it around.
You needn't rub your palms together to raise energy - you can do this
simply by concentrating on doing so.  One of the easiest methods is to
tighten up the muscles - tense your body.  This raises energy, which
is why we must relax in meditation.  Meditation lowers our energy and
allows us to drift from this world.

When you feel yourself bursting with power, hold out your right
(projective) hand and direct energy from your body, through your arm
and out your fingers.  Use your visualization.  Really see and feel it
streaming out.

For practice, stand in your home.  Build the power within you.  Direct
it into each room, visualizing it sinking into the cracks and walls
and around doors and windows.  You're not creating a psychic burglar
alarm but a magical protectant, so visualize the energy forming an
impenetrable barrier across which no negativity or intruders ca cross.

After "sealing" the house, halt the flow of energy.  You can do this
by visualizing it stopping and by shaking your hand.  Sense your
protective-powered energy resting within the walls.  A secure, safe
feeling should flood through you as you stand within your now guarded
home.

Yes, you've done this with your mind, but also with power.  Energy is
real, and your ability to manipulate energy determines the
effectiveness of your circle and rituals.

Work with feeling and directing the power daily.  Make this a sort of
magical play until you reach the point where you won't have to stop
and think, "Can I do it" Can I raise the power?"

You'll know you can.