Visualisation is the technique used to be able to see, feel, taste, hear and touch with our inner senses. For example, can you see in your mind your best friend or most disliked colour? That's visualisation. We use visualisation in magick to see something that is presently non-existent, and to make that entity exist. We may see a healed friend, an empowered talisman, or a magick circle. In dreams, all five senses are vivid. With practice, most people can develop the ability to use the inner senses while awake. When these inner senses are fully awake, we may smell the blossoms of the Isle of Apples, taste ambrosia, and hear the songs of the gods.

Before visualisation, one should first ground and center themselves. One method of doing this is to imagine a cord extending from the base of your spine to the center of the earth. Breathe deeply from your abdomen, and as you do, feel the earth's energy flow up inside of you and fill you. This allows you to draw on the earth's vitality, rather than depleting your own.

Below are four techniques to help you sharpen your visualisation.

Exercise One Sit or lie comfortably with your eyes closed. Relax as your breathe deeply. Images will continue to pop into your mind. Pick one of these and stay with it. Let all thoughts and images revolve around the one you have chosen, not allowing any stray thoughts wander in. When you can maintain this image for around five minutes, move onto the next step.

Exercice Two Choose an object to hold within your mind. It might be something simple like a cube or another three dimensional shape, or it might be something a little more complex, like an image of the goddess or, in my preference, and apple. You might want to study it with your physical eyes before taking it within yourself. Notice its colour, texture, even a smell or taste, the way the light bounces off it. Now close your eyes and raise the image in your mind. Become aware of its characteristics; everything you would notice if your physical eyes were open. Use your powers of visualisation. When you can maintain the image perfectly for five minutes or so, move onto exercise three.

Exercise Three This exercise is more difficult and truly magickal in nature. Create an object that you have never seen before. For example, lets use a native Plutonian plant. It's spherical, pink, and is covered with a course fur. It's about a meter in diameter and is striped with blue. Now close your eyes and really see this plant. Make it real, create it with your magickal imagination, with visualisation. See and examine it from all angles and sides. This is only an example of course. When you can hold this self-created image in your mind for five minutes, go onto the next exercise.

Exercise Four This is the final and most difficult exercise in visualisation. Take your image from the previous exercise and hold it in your mind - with your eyes open. This may take a while, but keep at it, don't give up. Maybe look at the ground, or at a wall, or at the busy roads of the city, and see it there, make it visible, a real, tangible thing. Let it lie on the grass, or on a table, but make it so real you can touch it. If we're to use visualisation to create changes in this world, not the shadowy realm that exists behind our eyelids, then we are going to have to practice such techniques with our eyes open. When you are capable of this exercise, then you have achieved something special and are well on your way.

Breathing

Breathing is an unconscious act that takes part in all our lives, but in Wicca, breathing may also be a tool for entering alternate states of consciousness. In order to meditate correctly, you must also breathe correctly. Fortunately, deep breathing is the easiest of exercises as well as basic. Deep breathing requires full use of the lungs, as well as the diaphragm, which is located about two finger-widths below the navel. As you breathe in, push out with this region. Notice how much more air you can take in.

For breathing exercises, you should take a comfortable position and relax your body. Inhale through you nose to a slow count of one, two, three, four or five - whatever is comfortable. Retain the air, then exhale again to the same count. Repeat this several times, gradually slowing your breath rate. This exercise should be tension - free, easy and controlled.

As you inhale, visualise a blue harmonious light entering your body, or maybe golden flecks, containing love, health, and tranquillity. As you exhale, visualise all the negative energies, hate, disease, anger, exiting in a black smoke.

You should practice deep breathing before every act of worship or magick, visualisation exercises, and when you feel the anger bursting inside of you. If you practice these exercises every day, you will find your capacity to retain air will increase. You should also try to breathe deeply in natural surroundings, such as forests or by the sea. This is not only more peaceful, it is healthier as well.

Meditation

Meditation usually precedes every magickal act and rite of worship. Sitting is the ideal position for this exercise, especially for those who tend to fall asleep during meditation. Have your chin level with the floor, eyes closed, back straight, hands resting on knees with palms up and fingers relaxed. It may take some time for this position to become comfortable, but persevere.

Breathe deeply for a while, relax, visualise the thousands of everyday tensions leaving the body. Now open your conscious mind to be receptive and alert. Toss around symbols in your head, commune and talk with the deities, you may wish to start chanting. This is an ideal way to slip into trance; the twilight world.

White or blue candles are fine for meditation, but do not burn too much incense, as obviously, too much smoke may cause breathing problems. After this exercise, record all thoughts, images and sensations in your mirror book.

Magick

The energy and magickal powers at work in Wicca and real. They're within he Earth and ourselves. Know that this power if physical. Yes, its mysterious, but only because so few people investigate it in magickal ways. Following are some exercises to help you do just that. Calm yourself. Breathe deeply. Rub your palms together for about half a minute. Start slow, then gradually become faster and fast. Then, suddenly stop and hold your palms about two cm away from each other. I you feel them tingling, you have felt the manifestation of power. It is flowing out of your palms as you hold them apart. If you haven't felt anything, practice this everyday until you have success. Don't ever force yourself to feel the power. Relax and allow it to be felt. After you've actually felt the energy, it is time to see, or visualise it. While you're still experiencing the manifestation of the energy, visualise blue bolts of energy passing from your projective (right) hand into your receptive (left) hand. If you are left-handed, reverse the directions. Now envision the energy slowly swirling into a clockwise direction between your palms. Form it into a ball of glowing, pulsing magickal energy. This is a bit of energy you have created from your own body - there is nothing supernatural about it. Cup your hands around it and make it increase or decrease in size with your visualisation. When you are finished, push the ball into your stomach and absorb it back into your system.

Once you have mastered energy balls, move onto energy fields. Stand, or sit, before any plant. Breathe deeply and clear your mind. Hold your receptive hand a few cm's away from the plant. Pinpoint your consciousness to your palm. Can you feel a dull throbbing, wave of heat or a shift within the energies in your palm? If so, this is the inner force, or energy, of the plant. Try this activity with instead a crystal. Stretch out with your feeling and become aware of the non-visible but viable energies that pulsate within the crystal. If you have difficulties in sensing this power, rub your hands together lightly to sensitize them. Remember, all natural objects are made up of divine energy. This is the same energy that fills us when angry, nervous, sexually aroused, terrified or joyous.