"Instant Magick"
This is from Inner Temple of Witchcraft" by Crhistopher Penczak
Instant Magick is the practice of putting your will into motion very quickly, using the power of visualization and attaining a light meditative state through the use of a trigger. There are many names for it: the power of creative visualization, projecting (because you are projecting your will into the future to manifest), or casual magick. It is a form of magick without deep meditation, ritual, or tools, and many discount it because of that, thinking "anyone" can do it so it is not "real" magick, but I disagree. Yes, anyone can do magick if they decide to, and the rewards of instant magick are by no means little. These seemingly insignificant acts help us reevaluate the way we create our own reality from moment to moment.
Such instant spells never cease to amaze me. When you start out in the practice of magick, it is easy to chalk success up to coincidence, even as you learn metaphysically that there are no real coincidences. Still, it's a hard fact to swallow when most of us are told otherwise throughout life. If you are able to integrate this talent into your daily life, your results venture out of the realm of coincidence and into the truly amazing. You then learn to expect the amazing and live a magickal life.
Instant magick is projecting your will forward through visualization and specific intention to create an opportunity, lining up what seem to be coincidences. You do this by entering a light state of alpha, a meditative level where you can still talk, walk, drive, and carry on with everyday life. The sensation is similar to letting your mind wander for a moment, but it is not wandering. In fact, it is truly focusing, but only for a few moments. In those few moments, you state silently or out loud what you want to happen, or visualize it. You do not even need to close your eyes. Imagine it for a moment.
You reach your light magickal mindset through intention. By programming a trigger, you can reach this state no matter how stressful a situation is. There are many times in life when we need access to our magick and meditation skills, but circumstances do not give us the time, space, and quiet we are accustomed to having. The trigger helps us. It is like a post self-hypnotic command that says, "When I do some specific motion, I will enter a light trance state." Triggers can be hand motions, gestures, words, or images that, when performed, help us reach our magickal mind.
Although you can choose any trigger you like, I suggest a simple hand position. I originally learned from Laurie Cabot to cross my first and second fingers to activate my trigger. She taught it as the basis of our expression "I'll cross my fingers," when we want something to happen. Children's games associate crossed fingers with lying, and that root also probably comes from witchcraft, when the craft was associated with harm. I was surprised to find out that this position is actually a mudra in Hindu mysticism. Author Gurunam (Joseph Michael Levry) says, "If you need a favor, or have a wish, such as wanting a raise, all you have to do while asking for it is cross the middle and index fingers... This procedure balances your energy, thereby momentarily increasing your magnetic field for your desire to be fulfilled."
Other mudras that are potential hand positions for your trigger include putting the thumb and index finger together, putting the thumb and middle finger together, or even putting the thumb with both the index and middle fingers together.
Experiment in meditation and see what feels comfortable to you. The reason why I suggest such simple hand movements is because grand and sweeping gestures attract attention, and you want to be able to do this when you drive and have a conversation with someone and not necessarily explain what you are doing. In Celtic myth, thumb sucking is a trigger for inspiration and wisdom, though I don't suggest using it in public. Some use a specific word as their trigger into the trance state and a word to end the trance state. Use what feels comfortable to you. You do not necessarily have to vocalize the word to make it effective.
Once you program your trigger, you can use it for many different effects in your everyday life. Here are some of the more traditional ideas used by witches. I combine visualization with intent. Sometimes I ask the Goddess and God for my intent, silently in my mind, and ask that it be "correct and for the good of all involved."
Accelerated Learning;
Hold your trigger when reading a book, studying for a test, or listening to a lecture. The teaching will penetrate deeper and more fully understood. When you need to recall the information, use your trigger again. Some people can re-create the pages memorized on the screen of their mind, and "look up" the answers.
Affirmations;
Use your trigger when you do affirmations and you don't have time to get into a meditative state.
Animal Communication;
You can project your thoughts to animals, and receive impressions from them as well. Try "speaking" to a pet or other animals, and see if it responds. This communication is not limited to animals, but also extends to the consciousness of plants and even minerals.
Bending Time;
Believe it or not, time, or our perception and movement in it, is not as immutable as you think. Next time you are running late and do not have enough time to get to your destination, use your trigger and imagine yourself getting there exactly on time. I've used this many times to get to jobs on time when running impossibly late. There is a joke that there is "real" time and pagan standard time, running about a half hour late. It does not have to be so, if you use instant magick.
Body Control;
We have far greater ability to control our bodily systems than we currently use. Medicine is exploring this frontier through something called biofeedback control, but witches and shamans have known about it for a while. You can control your response to extremes in temperature and pain. The next time you are out in the cold, use your trigger and either imagine yourself warm or unbothered by the cold. I've tested it out on cold New England mornings waiting for the bus, and I'm very glad I learned this skill.
Cosmic Telephone Message;
Cosmic telephone message is a quirky way to say you are leaving a psychic message for someone to call you. It is particularly useful when the person is out of reach. Use your trigger and think of the person you wish to reach. Leave a message, like you would on an answering machine, asking him or her to call you. Usually you will hear from the person in three days, saying "I don't know why, but I was thinking about you."
Early Warning System;
Holding your trigger with the intention of awareness in times of danger can keep you alert and prepared for anything. Although I am not advocating any speeding laws to be broken, I use instant magick to warm me of police speed traps.
Guidance;
As you continue with this training and explore the world of spirit guides, you can use your trigger to instantly make a connection to higher guidance and ask questions.
Healing;
People have a remarkable ability to heal themselves and others. You can use your trigger and visualize yourself or the other person getting better, more healthy and vibrant. Other techniques will be explored later, and your trigger can help you access them instantly.
Internal Alarm Clock;
We all have a biological clock. Our bodies know what time it is by the cycles of the day, and if we are in tune with them, we can know, too. My student Heather does not wear a watch. She does her trigger and asks Spirit what time it is, and gets an accurate time. I use my trigger before bed and visualize a clock with the time I need to wake up, I tell myself and my body that I will wake up refreshed at that time. Although I love to sleep in, I get up when I do this, feeling fine. It can also be used as part of a morning meditation, for those suffering from insomnia. When you wake up, set your internal alarm clock for the time you plan on going to bed, and sleep will come much easier.
Memory;
Use of your trigger improves memory. Use your trigger when meeting new people, to remember their names. When you introduce yourself, think your name as you say it, so your new friends will hear and remember it on a deeper level.
Parking Spaces;
My favorite trick of instant magick by far is visualizing a parking space near the door of my destination about fifteen minutes before arrival. Almost always, there is one. Don't pick an exact space, but an approximate location. When I was going to a city college and working in a major urban area, parking was always scarce, but this little bit of magick proved very valuable. My friend Rich uses his trigger when driving on congested highways, to visualize a space safely opening up when he changes lanes. You can even use your instant magick to get unstuck from the mud or snow.
Protection;
Enter your light meditative state when feeling unsafe and ask the Goddess and God to protect you from all harm. This activates your personal shield of protection. Call on your protective spirits. You need not know them to ask them to intervene for your highest good. You will learn more specific techniques of protection and how to meet spirits as we progress through the lessons.
Reduce Anxiety;
If you have a tendency to get anxious under pressure, or stress easily, use your trigger and tell your body and mind to calm down. Use it for any performance situation, public talks, meeting new people, visiting family, and job interviews. Use your trigger if you feel road rage or need to cool down after a long day and can't fully meditate.
Repairs;
As our intention can heal the body, strangely enough it can also repair inorganic systems. I've used my trigger to visualize ailing cars, computers, and office equipment working. I even use it when signing on to the Internet. I know a crystal healer who successfully uses crystals on her car, so visualization on machines is not far-fetched. Usually this magick is a stopgap measure, but it can be more permanent. At one job, I was a computer-systems administrator, not because of my knowledge and skill with computers, but because of my ability to experiment and do magick. I think I kept the system running through sheer willpower, and after I left, I heard from my office friends that the system crashed and took quite a while to repair.
Traffic Lights;
Another popular use of the trigger is to get traffic lights to turn green, but this can be dangerous. What if you switch a circuit that makes your light green without turning the other lights red? It is far better to start your journey and visualize all lights being green, getting you to your destination on time, than to try to "force" each set of light to turn green as you approach.
Victory;
Some feel this is cheating, while others think of it as using all the resources at their disposal, so I'll let you make the call. Your instant magick can manifest your success at contests, sports, and games of chance. It is quite effective for dice games. I don't necessarily consider it cheating, because everyone is projecting their will at the game. I know lots of people who are not witches who unknowingly practice instant magick. Since they don't believe in magick, they call it good luck.
Weather Magick;
When in difficult or dangerous weather, particularly while driving, use your trigger to project a clear and safe path for yourself.
You need not be limited by these examples. Just as I found special tricks to fit my lifestyle and needs, you will expand your instant magick into new areas. The most important thing to notice about all these acts is how mundane they are. I am not putting simple magick down; I am just emphasizing that the simple acts of life can be infused with magick. Your everyday reality is a vehicle for living a magickal life. Many people who follow a spiritual path resign it to a particular time when they are "being" spiritual, usually once a week at a service. Don't think magick is relegated to a few special times a week when you sit down and prepare to do it. Witches weave the threads of magick, family, home, and world together because they are all parts of the web of life. Integrating your magick, and more importantly your magickal viewpoint, into your daily life is a very important step.
Although technically these simple spells should work for you regardless of your path or tradition, if you do see yourself on a spiritual path, I would suggest thanking the divine powers, the Goddess, God, and Great Spirit, for every gift, even those that did not occur. If an act of instant magick does not happen as you intended, there is probably a reason for it. Perhaps being late for work even though you tried to bend time might have prevented you from being in an accident. Giving thanks is a great lesson for any path, because gratitude opens up a whole new world of blessings.
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