The Modern Guide to Witchcraft by Skye Alexander Read Free Book Online

stone or plant. Run your hands around the object without touching it physically, trying to feel the energy it possesses. What do you sense? Can you feel warmth, coolness, or any other sensation coming from the object? Do you get any impressions or thoughts? Don’t discount them, even if they seem weird.
Ask a friend to do this exercise with you. Sit with your eyes closed, while your friend stands behind you. Slowly, your friend moves her hand toward your head, without ever actually touching you. When you sense the energy from her hand, say so. Then switch places and try the exercise again.
    Write down what you experienced in what will become your “grimoire” or “book of shadows,” a journal of your magick spells and experiences. These notes will help you as you continue working with different energies, and as you grow more aware of how your own energies fluctuate with your mood, your health, and your circumstances.
THE COSMIC INFORMATION REPOSITORY
    Like the Worldwide Web, the cosmic web teems with information. All ideas, words, actions, and emotions—going all the way back to the beginning of time—are stored in this energetic matrix. Anyone who knows the password can access this vast storehouse of knowledge.
    Maybe you’ve heard of a psychic named Edgar Cayce, sometimes called the “Sleeping Prophet.” Although he had little formal education or medical training, Cayce could go into a trance and discover cures for the thousands of sick people who sought his aid. How did he do it? He psychically “downloaded” wisdom that great minds before him had “blogged” into the cosmic web.
    Not only psychics can access information in this way—lots of people do. They just don’t realize it. Inventors, artists, musicians, and other creative people often claim to get insights without really knowing where they came from. Mozart didn’t plan, structure, or analyze his compositions—he just listened to the music playing in his head and then wrote it down. Van Gogh said, “I dream of painting, and then I paint my dream.” Scientific people, too, report having epiphanies that lead to new discoveries in technology, medicine, and other areas. All these people are connecting to the cosmic web and drawing knowledge from it.
Meditate to Quiet Your Mind
    You, too, can tap into this awesome repository of information. Being able to key into the wisdom of the ages is a terrific asset to a witch. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have the great wizard Merlin guiding you as you cast a spell?
    First, you’ll need to learn to quiet your mind. Most of us have minds that race like a hamster in a treadmill. In the world of magick, that’s counterproductive. You can’t “hear” the masters’ advice if you’re thinking about a zillion other things. One of the best ways to still the inner chatter is to meditate. If you’ve never meditated, you may think you have to sit in lotus position and chant “Oooommm” for hours. Not true. You can take a walk outside, listen to soothing music (without lyrics), watch the sunset, weed your garden, take a relaxing bath, or fold laundry. The point is to put all your attention on whatever you’re doing, without letting distractions interfere. (My book
The Best Meditations on the Planet
includes 100 different meditations—something for everyone.)
    Meditation enables you to clear the clutter from your mind and focus your thinking. It also opens the channels of communication between you and the cosmos. Because the mind is the force behind magick, it stands to reason that the more mastery you gain over your thoughts, the more effective your spells will be.
Trust Your Intuition
    Whether you call it ESP, a hunch, a gut reaction, an inner knowing, or psychic power, everyone has intuition. It may raise hairs on the back of your neck, cause a twinge in your solar plexus, or make you feel lightheaded. It may speak to you in moments of crisis or utter calm, in the middle of a city traffic jam or while you’re