Subject: Re: Silent Opening/Banishing
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2002 15:42:08 -0800 (PST)
From: “Xi O’Teaz” < xi_o_teaz[at]yahoo[dot]com >
To: zee-list
Norman asks a question that used to plague me:
<< Question: Does anybody have a good banishing ritual which is silent? >>
Okay, since you’ll no doubt get lots of Visual suggestions, and we Kinesthetic types are always seemingly Ignored, I’ll try and answer this from a sense of Feeling:
Take a nice, hot, 3 minute, Cleansing shower. You can finish it by immediately changing the temp to cold water for a few seconds before stepping out, if you want. This will help form a kinesthetic barrier, sealing in the warm Energies… well, just try it, you’ll Experience what I’m talking about. I generally just wear a sarong after a shower, so you’re almost skyclad for the actual Ritual itself, if you’re into that.
About the only thing *I* do to Open is to Project a Feeling of “Please”. Not a begging, but a genuine beckoning of the Powers to come and aid you, and bad things be gone–it’s an Honest and RespectFull Feeling. To Close, I always give a heart-felt “Thanks” (remember the *Attitude of Gratitude*???) I don’t generally *say* anything, but I Project the Feeling that these words give you, which is very difficult to put into words, as you can see.
As far as Closing Rites go, when I was a college student, the quickest and best way to Banish was to simply get Busy. I.e., you get so enTranced with your next immediate endeavour–driving to work, studying for a test, whatever–that you leave the Rite behind by Ignoring it. Ignore-ance is a very useful Tool in the Magickian’s repertoire.
Or you can do what I call the Matrix Banishing. Remember Neo at the end of the movie, after he explodes Agent Smith from the inside-out? He tenses his whole body, and as he Releases, the very air around him ripples and becomes calm/Centred. I still use this one every once in a while.
Are these too Mudande for ya?
Close your eyes and get a Feel for the room/space you’re in. Now focus on Clearing both you and your Space, by extending yourself *outward*. Do this until you Feel it is the correct time to stop.
Align your body, close your eyes, and Breathe into your tan-tien centre (3 finger widths below the navel). Continue until you feel Centred.
Or one of my favourites to give to the masses:
Simply Imagine your body as a container, and breathe in a white fog/mist/vapour, breathe out a black fog. The white represents positive energy, healing, and generally *good* things, whilst the black represents disEase, sickness, and generally *bad* things.
If these suggestions sound too Simple (a mental defense mechanism to keep you from trying), I’d suggest you give that part of you that thinks that Magick is “something other than everyday Reality” or “really serious and overly-complicated” a serious bitch-smack.
Until you get your Overly Complicated Self in line, you could always go to a noisy place (a river, busy intersection, under an interstate overpass, etc.) and Practice any noisy Banishing Rite you Desire. Do it over and over, and Pay Attention to *how you Feel*. Then, anchor that sensation (a simple NLP practice). Whenever you wish to Banish, merely re-trigger the anchor, and bada boom, bada bing! Banishing complete!!
Banishing, like all things in Magick, has become entirely too complicated. Boil things down handed to you, and then if you Desire, you can over-complicate them again. Many people do so to make Magick more Fun, or more Aesthetically pleasing, or whatever, but that doesn’t mean all the frills are *necessary*.
As a Taoist Master once told me:
Keep
It
Simple,
Stupid
’nuff sed.
Play Well…
“Know Thy Selves”
~~~3 Coyotes Dancing~~~
.?!
