Maybe the folks raised in or drawn to magical practice are also, in large part, neurotic and emotionally fidgety by nature. Or it could be a psychological side effect of contact with a magical interface. Whatever the root of the matter, I know it’s not just me; I am not alone on this quirk of character.
Ther Nagging, Nearly Obsessive Need to “Get Ready” or “Center Oneself” or “Initiate” this Process or that State of Mind/Being …
Not everyone in the Art is afflicted, of course, but there are MANY who struggle herein. Magicians who are like me in this regard spend much of their early career agonizing over things like initiation, wondering always if theirs was an authentic experience, “good enough” and so forth.
When you listen to practitioners talk about their experience or ask questions they’ve had time to ponder, it seems a healthy percentage of modern spell workers are inordinately concerned with admittedly valuable concepts such as grounding ad totally legit practices like centering and auric strengthening, balancing, etc. I’ve written before on this blog that I am a technician, meaning I love the specificity in process, and enjoy looking over the nuts and bolts of magical operations. As such I promote heavily the idea of regular and standardized daily practice, which definitely included basics like grounding, energy clearing, and so on. While tending often to such exercise is smart business, worrying over this stuff throughout your days and nights is a sign of trouble, be it underlying emotional issues – hell maybe even neurological problems – a lack of confidence, irrational fear of calamity and catastrophe, or perhaps just a culture of fear and anxiety in their families or social circles.
We Don’t Need to Know Why Exactly in order to Overcome and Replace the Behavior
I’m not a trained psychologist so frankly I can’t say with any authority what births and cultivates this issue. I say confidently that we can all agree the problem DOES exist. Think of how many times you come across the following when reading content about magic and metaphysics, when chatting at the metaphysical shop, or wherever and however it is you come into contact with other magicians, mystics, or just garden variety new agers:
- As mentioned, a near obsession with grounding. It’s like, to some people, every damn rock at the magic shop is about grounding and they find a way to shoehorn the term into any discussion. Are they afraid they might fall off the planet? Interestingly that is a recurring dream some people report, and I had it myself when I was young.
- The same as above, only replace “grounding” with “centering”. A slight variation but of the same tone – gotta be ready, always gotta check to see if I’m centered.
- An unbalanced requirement for… ironically, balance! I hear/see it everywhere. Balance this; balance that before you do those; chakras out of balance; balance balance balance! Equilibrium is obviously important, and sometimes the remedy sought, but not everything is best in balance. Sorry folks it just ain’t so. Doesn’t it make more sense to seek HARMONY between processes, elements, etc. instead of just wanting to balance and equalize everything we contact??? That spell to accelerate learning would probably do better if the Fire aspect were out in front, not balanced with dense-not-budging Earth, no? Balance represents the kind of non-changing or static reality that feels safer, but it’s definitely not the everything-pill it’s pitched as in today’s New Age book section.
- How about an unreasonable (and virtue-signaling) unwillingness to even look at less-than-sunny-and-fuzzy processes? I’ve actually seen claims that “any attempt to use these forces for ill or selfish purposes will instantly fail.” Wow delusional.
- Hand in hand with the above, a nearly hysterical refusal to accept that bad, negative, ugly, awful et al are part of reality. The insistence that visualizing pillow-fighting fairies (so long as they’re not going full contact!) will take all the hurt and evil out of the world and we must never admit that bad things or negative outcomes are even possible.
I could add to the list but I realize at this point I’ve veered off course just slightly. The fuzzy bunny sickness prevalent in modern magical/occult thinking is really a topic for another article, but I can’t help thinking the two issues (anxiety of not being good enough, ready enough, etc. and irrational aversion to any and all things “negative”) are linked.
Back on Track, Here’s the Point I Started with:
When I sat down to type this post I did so to reach out to students and practitioners, and really anybody else, who struggles with the same “tick” that used to drain my energy and blur my focus. Stated precisely, said tick is the constant feeling of needing to “get ready”, or establish the “right” state of mind or being. Implicit within this is the belief that, in the current moment one is NOT ready for x, not prepared for y, not sufficient in some way for z.
Boiled down, this may be little more than hyperawareness of the possible levels of refinement that exist for a student of the Art, plus an unfair expectation of oneself to somehow walk around near the top of these levels. Once the perfectionist, for example, is aware of the extent to which his or her senses and capabilities may be refined and employed, it is unfortunately all too easy to demand of himself/herself that pinnacle performance or state at all times.
But we know better, don’t we? Peak performance is not the setpoint or resting state for anyone. I often joke that nobody really gives 100%. We may say we’re doing our best, but it’s probably closer to 80%. I think we give 100% only when we need to fight a bear or escape from one. We humans tend to reserve the higher levels of output until we are compelled into them, or until they are forced upon us.
I doubt we would have survived as a species if this were not the case. Think about it. IF we gave everything in us to just any and every operation that came our way, there probably wouldn’t be much left for those make-or-break fight or flight moments.
The “Perfect State” is a Delusion
Whether or not my reasoning is accurate, we know it’s impossible to walk around perfectly in the present moment all the time. Our minds have learned to drift and daydream, perhaps to protect us from the grinding boredom of serfdom, indentured servitude, slavery, and these days the 9 to 5 rat race. With some training and regular practice, you can enter a zen or alpha state when you need or choose to and take full advantage of the benefits such a shift offers.
Neither can we be fully grounded, centered, or balanced in every waking moment. It just won’t pan out if we try, but once we learn to achieve these states, we have them on tap to use freely.
Do you honestly think getting up several times during the night to check the door locks and be sure the firearm is handy will objectively enhanced your family’s safety? The locks and protective measures are in place and will help to whatever degree they can when a threat occurs. The same is true for protective magic. Absolutely do your banishing and aura shielding operations daily if you can remember, but once done let them go and get on with your life. NOTHING is served by obsessing, because your measures are in place doing their work and if you must add more amidst a true threat, you will do so.
Relax, You were Probably Born to do This
We are far more capable and durable than we sometimes give ourselves credit for being. If we take the time to learn and practice, then we are always as ready as we’ll ever be. As a human being we are all born with our particular setpoints and potential. It’s true we can’t do very much right out of the womb, but the information for what we will be able to do is already encoded within us., even at that time
Unless you are damaged or defective, you are destined to walk and talk from the moment you emerged into this world. If these things aren’t in the cards for a person as a result of some genetic disruption or injury, many times they still adapt to the circumstances amazingly well; human resilience and perseverance.
I believe firmly that if you are practicing magic, mysticism, or psychic applications you were born for it. I’m not talking about special bloodlines, although that may be a thing, and I’m not speaking to destiny, which I frankly doubt is as common as some would argue. I just mean an individual’s propensity or inclination toward these endeavors must be at least somewhat strong for them to bridge the belief barrier and begin to even look into such things. A person with very little psychic potential or next to no magical inclination probably won’t pick up a book or ask a question or do a Google search on these subjects in the first place. So, with all this said, I reiterate: We (our kind) are all born ready, to a degree, to do these things and furthermore do them well.
Get rid of the idea of needing to do a thig before you can properly do a thing. That’s self-defeating rubbish. Move freely from moment to moment, enjoying the opportunity to learn and explore and spend your energy going after the cool stuff you want to try. I mean GO BIG with your magic, fearless and bold. If you want something, prepare well and put your soul into the spell or ritual, and if it doesn’t come to you repeat the whole process.
Don’t waste another day, or even moment, believing that you are somehow not fit, prepared, ready, or in x state to make the most of your magical training, whatever level of proficiency you may currently have, if you keep practicing, you’ll only get better. I’m pretty sure this will come across like rambly madness to many readers, but I think those who are troubled by the unending need to adjust their state will get it. Hope it is helpful.