Meditation
and Relaxation
Meditation is the foundation of all psychic ability and, in my personal opinion, all acts of magick. By investing in the practice of meditation, you are investing in your psychic and magickal ability. By learning to relax and by doing breath work we can quickly shift our brainwave state and level of consciousness, which puts us in an altered state that allows us to receive psychic information and perceive energies more readily. Why? Meditation teaches us about how our minds work, how to focus, and how to direct our awareness and therefore our will. Meditation is the greatest tool to enhancing your psychic ability and your magickal practice.
It’s through meditation that we begin to know ourselves and our minds. Our minds are always filled with excess noise and imagery. Sometimes that noise and imagery is our creation, other times it’s programming developed from a bombardment of information. By meditating, we learn how to silence our mind. Think of your mind as if it were a pond. If the pond is murky, we can’t see anything beyond its surface. Through meditation, we clear this pond. When the pond is crystal clear, we can see both the bottom of the pond and anything that is reflecting upon the water’s surface. We can then differentiate between what is being reflected in it and what is deep within it. The pond reflects without judgment or bias when completely clear. It is through this clarity that we can accurately begin receiving psychic impressions with the least amount of interference.
Meditation is a straightforward practice, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. I often hear people complaining about meditation or stating that they cannot do it. This is because meditation requires concentration, and genuinely concentrating on something with our full undivided attention can prove much more difficult than it sounds. The unfocused mind is often compared to a monkey, and in meditative practices, it is sometimes referred to as “monkey mind.” Think of a monkey who cannot sit still and is swiftly moving through a jungle, swinging from one tree branch of thought to another tree branch. Through meditation, we learn to tame that monkey mind so that it can sit still and focus.
The biggest pitfalls in meditation involve making excuses not to meditate, treating it as a burden, giving in to the monkey mind, or feeling you’re doing it wrong. If you treat meditation like a burdensome chore you have to do, you most likely will feel resistance toward it and begin making excuses not to do it. However, if you can treat meditation as a method of rest and rejuvenation of your mind, body, and spirit, it won’t feel like a burden and you will instead begin welcoming it.
The key to meditation is becoming aware of your focus and concentration. When we sit for meditation, and we fall into monkey mind, we begin thinking about everything our mind can conjure rather than focus. When this occurs, we acknowledge that this has happened, release the thought we were caught up in, and return our minds to the point of focus. Many people will begin judging themselves that they’re doing it wrong or cannot meditate because of monkey mind. On the contrary! By acknowledging and being conscious of monkey mind and returning our focus, we are on the right track for meditation. We are training ourselves to focus, and we aren’t going to be masters of meditation right away.
An Open-Minded Attitude
The most significant key that you will ever have to unlock meditation, psychic ability, magick, or energy work is your attitude. More specifically it is an attitude often referred to as a “beginner’s mind.” The truth is, there is no such thing as mastery of these fields, if by “mastery” we mean “learning everything there is and having nothing further to learn, gain, or experience.” These areas are lifelong practices and studies. When someone falsely believes they know everything there is to know about these subjects, they’ve made an unconscious decision to stop their development and growth. The beginner’s mind is an attitude of enthusiasm and openness, and an ability to learn more about something as if they are entirely new to these fields. This also prevents these practices from growing old, becoming boring, or having any development go dormant. Think again of children when they’re learning something new that excites and fascinates them. This is beginner’s mind.
German occultist Jan Fries states that “real magick is not merely an assortment of skills and techniques. It’s more like an open-minded attitude, a blend of interest and dedication, which allows each honest mage to observe, to learn, to adapt, and to invent unique ways of changing identity and reality from within.” 7
With any spiritual or metaphysical practice, you reap what you sow. In other words, the more time, energy, and dedication that you invest in developing and maintaining these practices, the greater your results will be. In this way, think of it like working out. The more regularly you work out, the better your health and fitness will be. Eventually, you’ll be able to advance to heavier weights, longer and faster runs, etc. However, if you begin to slack off for a period or become overconfident about what you can do when you approach these things again, you can burn yourself out or even hurt yourself. By keeping a beginner’s mind and attitude, you can prevent yourself from falling out of a disciplined routine or burning out.
A common thing that happens with people when they begin meditation is that they’ll start to fall asleep, no matter how hard they try to stay awake, and this has happened to me as well. About ten years ago, when I would take on these advanced courses on energy work and psychic ability, this would happen to me. You would have thought someone had drugged me. I was so enthusiastic and slightly arrogant about what I could do if I pushed myself. About five minutes into each session I would begin falling into a deep sleep and would wake up right as the exercise was ending. However, I would never fall asleep when the meditations were much more straightforward, even though the duration of the training was the same. One theory I heard that I resonate with is that this occurs when people are taking on more psychic activity or energy than they can handle and process. So to cope with it, the mind tells itself to fall asleep and to disregard what it is doing in an act of self-preservation.
It’s beneficial to be in an environment where you’re entirely undisturbed and feel completely relaxed. If you choose to meditate inside, you will want to ensure that all your electronic devices and distractions such as phones are turned off or not in the environment at all. A cluttered or messy room will make it harder to feel relaxed and at peace. You also want a place with a bit of natural lighting and a fresh flow of air. Creating an atmosphere that feels psychologically peaceful is also beneficial. You may want to listen to soothing instrumental music, or light incense. Alternatively, you may find music and incense distracting. Everyone is a bit different in what calms them. If you choose to meditate outside, it’s best to pick a place where you are all alone and where you won’t be distracted by other people, devices, or sounds.
You will also want to ensure that you’re physically comfortable. Make sure that you aren’t wearing any clothing that feels restricting, binding, or uncomfortable. It’s best to sit down with your feet on the ground or, if you prefer, you may want to sit on the ground with your legs crossed under you. Regardless of how you sit, you want to ensure that your spine is straight and that your head and shoulders aren’t slumping.
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Learning to Focus with Basic Meditation
Begin by sitting in a comfortable position somewhere that you won’t be disturbed. Make sure that your legs and arms aren’t crossed unless you’re intentionally sitting on the floor in a cross-legged position. Set a timer for five minutes. Close your eyes and breathe. Don’t try to force your breath or to control it. Just breathe in a way that feels natural to you. Bring your awareness to your breathing. Follow it with your intention as the air flows in and out of your body. Notice how your body responds to breath. Trace its path inside of your body with every inhalation. Focus on nothing except your breath. If you start to think about other things, your mind begins to wander, and that monkey brain tries acting up, just return to your breathing without scolding or criticizing yourself.
Try meditating like this at least once a day. Slowly build up to ten minutes, then twenty, then half an hour. It may feel like a struggle at first, and there will be days when you really feel resistant to meditating at all, but it’s important to keep with the practice of daily meditation to build your ability to focus. Your mind will wander many times. This isn’t inherently a good or bad thing. It’s part of the process of understanding how your mind works and how to override what it wants to do undisciplined. Whenever your mind wanders don’t see it as failing, see it as succeeding in meditation. If this meditation were a workout, your wandering thoughts would be the weight you’re lifting. You don’t scold yourself for the weight being heavy. You lift it. You don’t berate yourself for having wandering thoughts, you acknowledge them and bring your focus back to your breath, breathing naturally.
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Treasure Chest for Stress
The treasure chest for stress is a technique I developed based on a method I learned for Tibetan Dream Yoga. This technique relaxes you and can be used not only to help with psychic ability before a session, but can also be used before bed as you fall asleep to help promote lucid dreaming and astral projection. The best part of this technique is that it’s made to assist with problem-solving on a deep subconscious level to help remove more stress from your life.
Begin by sitting down, getting comfortable and closing your eyes. Perform the Preliminary Focus (Exercise 1). Take a deep breath. As you exhale, feel your breath drawing out any stress or tension that you may be holding on to at the moment. Pretend that time is beginning to slow down. As time slows down, you become more aware of your inner being. As you become more aware of your spiritual nature, your surroundings begin to drift away and out of focus.
Imagine that there’s a golden treasure chest in front of you that unlocks and opens. Out of the chest emerges a small whirlwind. Take a moment and quickly go through your day, as if it were on fast-forward from when you woke up until right now. As you go through the day, if there’s anything that has stressed you out or that has upset you, focus on it. Take a deep breath and as you exhale imagine that situation leaving your body through your breath like a cloud.
Feel this cloud carrying all of your stress, anxiety, thoughts, and emotions about the situation as it floats over the chest. Visualize those feelings and thoughts as they’re sucked into the whirlwind and into the treasure chest. Consciously acknowledge that you are letting it go for now. Repeat this technique until you’ve released all the stress from the day.
When you are finished, you may choose to open the chest. All the stress that you had put into the chest has been transformed into solutions. These solutions beam out of the treasure chest like a rainbow arching up in the air and falling all around you. Take a moment to feel a calmness and an inner strength to take on the challenges of life. Know that the treasure chest has infused the circumstances with solutions that will allow you to solve them soon from a relaxed state. See the treasure chest close and lock.
Focused Flow, Not Force
Learning to relax deeply enhances our quality of life in such a stressful world. Learning to relax is the first step when you want to begin engaging in meditation or energy work. After calming the body one then eases the mind to start tapping into a focused state of consciousness, eliminating any mental background noise. Clarity of the body is crucial for clarity of the mind, emotions, and will.
Relaxation is an integral part of any psychic work. Relaxation puts us in a state of non-attachment where we aren’t holding on to things that will hinder our telepathic reception. By relaxing our body and mind, we are releasing emotional, mental, and physical distractions. Being in a state of relaxation allows for receptivity and clarity, which opens us to a state of mindfulness. Mindfulness promotes awareness, and awareness is the key to wisdom.
One of the biggest pitfalls I find when someone begins pursuing psychic development is that they try entirely too hard. I don’t mean that they’re putting too much effort into the development itself. What I mean is they tend to try to force the unfolding of psychic ability by pushing themselves too hard with the exercises, techniques, and meditations. Psychic ability relies on a mentally relaxed state of detachment. A flower doesn’t bloom through being pried open by force; likewise, psychic receptivity cannot be achieved through strain. Psychic receptivity comes with a state of mental passivity while simultaneously staying focused and open. We open ourselves up through relaxation. We want a focused flow, not force.
By relaxing, we remove our own internal distraction and become much better at discerning what we are receiving and what is coming from ourselves. By regularly relaxing and meditating we begin to fall into a regular state of relaxation and mindfulness even under the most chaotic circumstances. But while learning to relax and meditate we want to ensure that our environment is also supportive of this state of mind. Here are two different relaxation exercises to experiment with. You may find one works better for you than another.
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Cocoon of Relaxation
Take a moment to stretch and then find a comfortable position—you may lie down if you feel drawn to. Focus on your breath. Breathe deeply, slowly, and rhythmically. Don’t struggle. Find a pace that is comfortable for you.
With each inhalation, visualize yourself drawing in a calming energy of peace. With each exhalation imagine yourself blowing any stress or tension out of your body. The stress begins to fly away like dandelion seeds in the wind, floating away and bringing you more and more clarity.
Visualize an orb of light at your feet. The sphere is a very calm white and light mint color. It has a quality to it which is airy, icy, hot, and tingly. It is deeply soothing and healing. Anywhere it touches completely relaxes with your will.
Begin moving the orb upward to your shoulders, relaxing every muscle that it touches—front and back. When it gets to your shoulders, move the globe down each arm and hand—relaxing every muscle that it reaches. Draw the orb up your neck to your face—resting your eyes, your jaw, your facial muscles.
Listen to your body—where is there any discomfort, tension, or pain? Bring the orb to this area and as you draw in your breath, visualize your breath filling this area. Affirm that your body relaxes with your intentions.
Bring the orb back to your feet where it becomes a blanket of energy. Begin pulling this blanket up and around your body in your Witch Eye—like a cocoon of relaxation. When you are completely covered in your relaxation cocoon, visualize it beginning to melt and soak into your skin, deep throughout your muscles, into your nerves, and into your bones—giving you an even broader sense of relaxation.
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Begin by sitting down, getting comfortable, and closing your eyes. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, feel your breath drawing out any stress or tension that you may be holding on to at the moment. Pretend that time is beginning to slow down. As time slows down, you become more aware of your inner being. As you become more aware of your spiritual nature, your surroundings begin to drift away and out of focus. Perform the Treasure Chest for Stress Technique (Exercise 5).
Once you are feeling mentally and emotionally relaxed, begin to visualize a white star above your head glowing and pulsating with luminescent prismatic rays of the rainbow. From the star, a liquid light begins to pour down that looks like a beautiful opal, white and refracting different prismatic hues.
The liquid light falls upon the crown of your head, and as if it were a calming warm honey or warm wax relaxing everything it touches, it begins to cover your head, face, and neck, completely easing any tension in these areas. The liquid light begins to pour down your shoulders, chest, and upper back, relaxing and releasing any discomfort or tension. It continues to pour down to your stomach and lower back, your arms and hands. It’s relaxing and releasing any stress you may feel.
Finally, the liquid light covers your lap, your legs, and your feet, bringing them into complete comfort. You’re now completely covered in this liquid light. As if it were Tiger Balm, it begins to lightly tingle and soothes any aches or pains you may be feeling.
As if rewinding the process, the liquid light begins reversing direction, moving back up your feet, legs, lap, hands, arms, lower back and stomach, upper back and chest, shoulders, neck, face, and head. It then flows back up into the star and entirely off of your body. Now take a deep breath and mentally scan your body, releasing any tension you might still be feeling within it.
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The Psychic Dimmer
One of the most challenging obstacles for the sensitive person is learning how to control the constant input of information and even mute it at times. Taking on the energy of others is draining and leaves us susceptible and vulnerable. Part of mastering the self and psychic senses is learning how to create boundaries and figuring out what is yours and what is from others. The following is a super handy technique used to take control of the situation energetically. This can also be used if the psychic information you’re receiving is too quiet and you want to increase it, or if you’re doing meditation, psychic work, or energy work and the external energy is too invasive or “loud” and you’re having trouble relaxing and concentrating. This is a technique that I learned from Irma Kaye Sawyer that I’ve adapted.8
Begin by taking a few deep relaxing breaths. Envision a light dimmer switch before you. This light dimmer switch increases or decreases psychic sight and volume. Just like a dimmer switch or a volume knob, if you turn the knob to the right, the information increases, and if you set the knob to the left, the information decreases. Affirm this mentally to yourself. Take a moment and discern whether you feel you perceive energy too much or too little. With intent, turn the knob in the appropriate direction, willing the energy bombardment to increase or decrease.
Another variation of this technique is to see a faucet above you filling your aura with psychic information. Just like the dimmer, see a faucet handle before you. Affirm to yourself that this faucet can increase or decrease the flow of psychic information filling your auric field. Take a moment to discern whether you feel you perceive too much or too little psychic information. With intent, turn the faucet handle in the appropriate direction, willing the energy bombardment to increase or decrease.
The Breath of Life
Breath is the bridge between the energies of the external world and the energies of your internal world. Breathing unites the internal and the external, creating a connection and circuit of energy flow. The word “spirit” comes from the Latin word for breath, which is spiritus, and was often used figuratively to refer to the spirit. The idea that breath itself is life force has parallels in various cultures, where it is known as prana, ruach, mana, telesma, chi, ki, numen, orgone, pneuma, od, and odic force.9 By working with our breath, we are working directly with life-force energy. Certain types of breathwork can cool down and relax the body and mind, while others can warm up and excite the body and mind, by changing the speed of the body’s rhythms.
Conscious breathing can help cultivate a deep-rooted connection with and enjoyment of life. By working with our breath, we can achieve more advanced states of meditation and consciousness. Since breathing is something so subtle and usually automatic, by tuning in to it we can strengthen our mind’s ability for concentrating and perceiving things that are of a subtler nature.
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Elemental Square Breathing
Square breathing (sometimes called the four-fold breath in yoga practices) is an effortless technique. This type of breathing cultivates a sense of balance, centeredness, and stillness. For this reason, I also tap into the four elemental forces while performing this breathing technique. That way I’m placing myself even deeper into an inner and outer connective balance with the elemental powers that permeate all things.
Perform the Star Relaxation exercise. Inhale through your nose a long and steady breath to the count of four while mentally thinking the name of each element during each beat of a count:
“Earth, Air, Fire, Water.”
Hold the breath inside of your filled lungs for the count of four while mentally thinking the name of each element during each beat of a count:
“Earth, Air, Fire, Water.”
Exhale through your mouth a long and steady breath to the count of four while mentally thinking the name of each element during each beat of a count:
“Earth, Air, Fire, Water.”
Hold the breath outside of your empty lungs for the count of four while mentally thinking the name of each element during each beat of a count:
“Earth, Air, Fire, Water.”
Keep repeating until you feel a sense of calm, balance, and clarity.
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Solar Breathing
Solar Breathing is a variation of a breathing technique often referred to as “bellows breath” in yoga practices. Solar Breathing energizes and revitalizes your mind and promotes energy. This is a great technique to use if you’re trying to raise your vibration or increase your energy levels, or if you are feeling a bit mentally hazy or fatigued. If at any time you begin to feel dizzy or light-headed, stop the technique, take a break, and then retry it with a bit of a slower and less intense inhalation and exhalation.
Perform the Star Relaxation exercise. You want to inhale deeply and a bit forcefully through your nose, making sure that you’re expanding your stomach while inhaling to the count of one. As you inhale, you want to visualize the sun rising on the horizon quickly with the breath. Exhale deeply and a bit forcefully through your mouth, making sure that you’re pulling your stomach inward while exhaling to the count of one. As you exhale, you want to visualize that the sun is setting on the horizon quickly with the breath. Repeat this ten times. Take a break and rest for a moment until your breath returns to its average pace. This usually takes about thirty seconds. Do another set of ten breaths and then another rest. Repeat one more set of ten breaths to finish.
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Lunar Breathing
Lunar Breathing is a variation of the Elemental Square Breathing technique. Lunar Breathing helps to calm your body and mind deeply and slow down your mind. This is a great technique to use if you’re trying to lower your vibration, decrease your energy levels, and are looking to perform a method of psychic ability such as clairvoyance or mediumship. Instead of breathing on the count of four to the names of the elements, you’ll be visualizing the cycles of the moon to the count of six.
Perform the Star Relaxation exercise. Inhale through your nose a long and steady breath to the count of six. As you inhale, you want to visualize the moon in a state of waxing. That is you want to see it phase from a dark moon to a full moon. Hold the breath inside of your filled lungs for the count of six while visualizing a full moon. Exhale through your mouth a long and steady breath to the count of six while visualizing the moon in a state of waning. That is to say that you want to see it phase from full moon to dark moon. Hold the breath outside of your empty lungs for the count of six while visualizing the dark moon. Repeat six times.
7. Jan Fries, Visual Magick: A Manual of Freestyle Shamanism (Oxford, UK: Mandrake, 1992), 137.
8. Irma Kaye Sawyer, The Brightstar Empowerments: Compilation Edition (self-published, 2016), 28–29.
9. Christopher Penczak, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2013), 78–81.