Here I continue my thoughts on concentration that I started oh so many months ago. After one has mastered Dharana which can me found here,  the next stage is : Dhyana.  That way I see it, the mind is like a giant ballroom filled with people, all chatting away.  There are some voices louder than others but overall it can be an unorderly mess of noise and different thoughts.  This is what goes on in the mind of the average untrained mind.   

 Dhyana is an stage where one gain knowledge of the self.    In meditation we try and Quiet the mind  so that truth and clarity can be revealed through all the clutter of our minds.  In Dhyana we silence all thoughts in the mind and sit still in that complete silence.  At this stage the mind becomes clear and our inner truths are revealed.   We observe the process or the content of the mind.  Concepts that cannot be understood by words,  but must be experienced.  Only through experience can one truly understand a concepts and grasp its full potential,  this is especially true of Raja Yoga and the mastery of concentration. 

In Life we go through our events with all the clutter and chaos and are basically in a hypnotize state,  going through the motions of life.  Our thoughts becomes a trance in which we create fantasies and emotions and illusions about the world around us.   This is necessary for our survival.   Have you ever noticed that when something threatens your life  or frightens you, you becomes completely aware of everything that is going on, you are completely in the moment.   We attain a state of hightened awareness which is very different from our normal state.   In life we live in the past and the future creating fantasies and living memories.  With meditation we seek to exist in the present and just be as a body and mind allowing the spirit to evolve.  

This level of concentration takes us out of our fantasy and humbles us, allowing us to see our whole self, and if we so desire meet our shadow self.  Dhyana will break the concept of who you think you are, and introduce you to who you really are and awaken sides of your being that you might fear.  Remember, in the world of black magic the most dangers come from within and we must stay strong and fear not even ourselves.   In essence, Dhyana allows us to gain self knowledge and learn about ourselves in a profound way.   Dhyara is the gateway to enlightenment. If this is unclear do not worry, Dhyana is a hard concept to grasp and truly one can only grasp it when one has achieved it.   

 Happy meditations,

Priestess Akelta   

Yes, I dissapeared for a while.  I have had an interesting couple on months.  For a little while I went on Vacation to Vancouver Island to relax and unwind and well reevaluate my goals.  It is always good in ones magickal development to take time out for you and reevaluate where you are and where you want to go.  Like most things in life,  to be successful at magick you need to set goals and stay focused and commited to yourself.  I find that taking a vacation helps to recharge my aura and refreshes my mind so that when I return I am sharp and able to get all my black magic results in the time I want.  Tofino is a perfect place to do just that.   

To me setting goals is important and it is what  moves me forward.    

(*note)( I realize I stopped blogging right in the middle of a concentration series and intend to resume that topic this week. ) 

 During my vacation I was able to do an interesting ritual that involved contacting a deity to help me improve my mind set and figure out where I wanted to go.  I find contacting and summoning entities is an Amazing way to improve ones life.  They are all so knowledgeable and if one has faith in them and respect for them they will reward you greatly.   

I preformed a candle ritual in a graveyard as that an area where there is a mass of spiritual energy.  It is a great place for spells and magick as the area already has a link between the spiritual world and the real world.  

My fiance who has recently taken an interest in Black magic decided to join me which was great,  the more participant their are in a spell the more energy  is added to the spell, and the more effective the spell is.  So when doing your own spells if you ever find a serious magician who wishes to join you, by all means invite them.  

 We both had wonderful expereinces.  My fiance was able to make contact with the enity he called upon and recieved a ton on information and had thousands of opportunities open up to him.  His life has changed for the better since the ritual.

I contacted the entity I called upon and we worked on a new game plan for me.  I am still working on new books, but I needed to take a different approach and I am reformatting what I am doing.  

As most things, when ones life shifts so does everything in ones life.  After I returned from Vacation my computer decided that my energy was to erratic for it.  Well no, it just needed a new power supply, but still it gave me a little scare cause I realized how much I value my computer.  I thought it was broken indefinitely and was  SO happy when my mechanic told me it was just the power supply.  My poor old little system was overloaded so I bought a beautiful Macintosh to help alleviate the load.  

 I am a firm believer in taking care of everything you have in your life especially computers.  Anything that has an energy force to it has a small life force and computers are no different. Being a Black magician, or any magician is not just a few spells that you cast here and there, it is a mindset, an ability to tap into your power, to access your core strength and unleash your greatness upon the world.  It is all around us and more people use it than they think.   The entities are all around and will help if we so ask them.  They only ask that in return we do what we say and stay committed to our own growth  and love yourself.    ~Priestess Akelta 

Once one has achieved Pratyaharahe/she is ready to move on to the next step in improving their concentration.  These Raja Yoga stages are essential for developing a high level of concentration that guarantees success in black magick and spell craft.  The Next one that comes after Pratyahara is called; Dharana

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Dharana is the stage where you begin to train the mind to focus on one singular object at a time.  It is where the mind learns to focus on one task, much like a highly concentrated laser beam.  There are some Laser beams that are so powerful that they can cut through metal.  A mind that is trained to focus can attain similar power.  When you learn to channel your thoughts your mind can become just as powerful as the laser and preform some amazing acts that most people would think impossible. 

Dharana is unbroken concentration.  The mind it trained to focus on one object and only that object for any amount of time.  Depending on your skill level will determine how long you can focus on the object for.  There are Yogis that have the ability to focus on objects for days without breaking their concentration. Imagine this;  You have a light bulb hooked up to a small energy source that will give out a certain amount of energy. It glows very brightly.  This is the mind focus, and concentrating on one source.  Now I want you to imagine that you connect another light bulb to the (series) circuit.  The lights dull a little but it is unnoticeable to most.  Now lets say you take 100 light bulbs and all attach them.  The lights will all dull as they all try to disperse the electricity between them.  No bulb has any real power to produce light and they are all dull.  This is exactly what happen to an unfocused mind.  The mind cannot complete the task because it is focusing on too much.  100 dull bulbs cannot light a room, but one bright one can.  It is the same with the mind. 

We have all experienced some level of unbroken concentration.  When you are engaged in an activity that really fascinates you and hours can go by in seconds because you are so absorbed in that activity.  Most people can attain this state when they are doing something that they enjoy.  The point of training the mind to focus is to that you can attain this state weather you enjoy the activity or not.  A good example of this unbroken concentration is extraordinary athletes.  The ones that go beyond the norm and preform things that are amazing. These athletes have a heightened sense of concentration and powerful minds that direct their will into their actions, allowing them to go beyond what most could do.  With the right training you can learn to focus your mind and apply it to all areas of your life.  Achieving Dharana is the way to do that. In Dharana we sit in a comfortable position and instead of turning all the senses inwards we direct them onto a singular object and remain focused solely on that object for a duration of time.  I often speak of the Dot exercise which is perfect for developing this skill.  Basically get a piece of paper and draw a dot on it the size of a dollar coin and place it on the wall then focus on it for 30 minutes three times a day.  This exercise is amazing for developing your focus. 

This Dot is a little different than the one I speak of but it demonstrates what I speak on well.  When you state are the Dot the black haze around it begins to disappear,  this is due to the fact that you mind is focused on the dot in the centre and begins to tune out all things around it.  That is the purpose of focusing on the Dot.  To focus on it solely and tune out all the black haze around you. When first learning to master this skill it will be frustrating.  The mind in the beginning is like a child and is easily distracted.  When you find your thoughts drifting away for complete focus on the object, simply take a deep breath in and re focus them on the object.  Remember that you goal is to focus your thoughts 100% on the object.  It takes practise to learn this skill, and dedication. You must also be patient with yourself and not allow the cloudiness of frustration prevent you from attaining your goal.  Keep your thoughts clear and your will strong. Resist the urge to focus on the vast amounts of objects and sounds that will be competing for your attention, remain focused on your goal. With a strong core, you can overcome all obstacles and nothing can harm you.  In Black magick training and strengthening your core is essential as you will find that with a strong core comes more effective spells, and abilities that you might have thought were impossible. 

As you Practise, this ability will becomes easier and easier and your energy will becomes stronger and able to hold this focus on anything that you do.  This skill will not just benefit you in black magick, but in all areas of your life,  you will see the world in a clarity that most will never see.  Daily tasks that were once hard and draining, will becomes easier and accomplished in less time.  When you start down the path to improve your focus, you are not just training yourself to be a better black magician, you are training your mind to function better and influence all areas of life.  Love your path, more then the endless thoughts of your mind. Happy FocusingPriestess Akelta.

I have stated many times that the key to casting effective spells is concentration and focus.  Today I would like to go a little deeper into that, and reveal to you some of the skills that you develope by continually practising and improving your focus and concentrations.  There are a lot of other reason as to why concentration is importaqnt, especially in magickal growth.  This is why I not only practice growing my skills as a Black Magician, but I also practise Raja Yoga. 

Raja Yoga has many valuable teachings that any magician can use to better their skills.  In Raja Yoga the mind is trained to be still and focused.  The clutter that once corroded the thoughts melts away to reveal a mind of stillness and clarity.  A mind that is in control and has no fear or distractions.  When you can attain this state with your own mind,  all spells will be easy and your world will become like putty in your hand. 

There are five external aids of Yoga, but I would like to focus my attention on the internal aids. 

Pratyahara is the stage I will talk about today,  it is the transition of the mind from foucsing on the external world, to the internal world.  It is in this stage that we learn to turn our attention inward, and focus our mind completly on our inner world.  This ability is very beneficial, for it allows us to observe our own mind and its working.  It is amazing what you can uncover about your self if you merely turn your attention inward and listen to what your mind, body and spirit are saying. 

Due to all the distractions that go on around us it is amazing how many people do not even know of the inner world.  They are so caught up in life that they has never taken the time to stop and reflect upon themselves.  It is important for one to be able to step away from the outside would and journey inward to the internal self. Advanced Yoga Practitioners are able to turn off their senses to the outside world entiarly, so that the stimulus does not even reach their brain.  They reach a state where they are complelty focused on the inner self.  In the very advanced staged the Practitioner can even turn off the electric current that pulsates through the nerves and the involuntary muscles.  This is aided with the technique Pranayama (breath control). 

 I actually demonstrated this ability to a Biology class that I took in college.  We were measuring our heart rates and blood pressure using a clip that attached itself to our fingers.  The teacher was talking about heart rate and saying  that if the heart rate dropped below 40 Beats per minute that the person was in trouble.  So I put the machine on and focused inward using my breathing practises.  I managed to drop my heart rate to 35 beats per minute.  The teacher asked me if I did any meditation and I told her I did Raja Yoga.  She nodded and then informed the class that some people especially those who practise breathing and focus can control their heartrate using their mind. 

By attaining Pratyahara we open our minds up to the intelligence of the universe and the power of our own minds.  It is important that once to start down this path to attain inner stillness and peace regularily. It keep your awareness in each moment and allows you to commit more of your brain to tasks you undertake in your daily life.  You will find that once your concentration improves you will get more done in less time and have more time for yourself. Pratyahara is a first step towards meditation and eventually the advanced pratices of Raja Yoga.  With practise and time you will learn to use the outer and inner awareness at the same time.  When this happens the world becomes clearer and you are able to focus on everything you do with clarity.  

Happy Focusing

Priestess Akelta

P.S. Here is an article that will give you an idea of what can be attained with a focus mind.  

http://www.dlshq.org/download/miracles.htm

Just like dust can build up in a house so can spiritual energy.  Energy can build up in the house and make it feel cramped or cluttered.  When this happens the house usually falls into a state of mess and nothing ever seems to become clean.  Also you may feel odd sensations in your home or even become ill due to a build up of energies.  Energy build up in a house can lead to a number of problems fo you.  Especially if you do spells and magick. 

 Every thought you have and action you take is an energy.  When these thoughts or actions take place in a room they imprint themselves on the room and over time can build up.  Think about how many thoughts and actions you take during a day and then imagine how much energy must be built up in a single room. 

Not all of your thoughts are good, and that is the same with the energy that has built up,  some of it is negative energy that is just sitting there infecting the area with its negativity.  This can actually make you ill or make you feel upset, angry or annoyed.  The clutter of energy can also be a place where entities hide who wish you harm.  These entities can become a real problem especially if you are preforming black magick spells, or any other type of magick.  They can interfere with your thoughts and cause you harm.   They can also cause you to lose focus and as black magicians that is one thing that none of us want as focus in the key to everything that we do. 

 This is just a few of the reasons why it is important to do an energy cleanse of your house every month.  Cleaning your house and keeping it organized is a good start, but it can still leave behind unwanted energies or entities.  The best way to clean your house is to use elements from nature.  Open all the windows and get a stick of sage and cleanse the area.  Once all the windows are open and the fresh air is blowing through, take a smudge stick (sage) and go through the house with it burning just lightly filling the air.  Leaving the windows open for a bit afterwards will clear out all the unwanted energy.

 After doing this you will notice that your house will feel fresher and cleaner you may also notice that certain ailments that you had will disappear.  If you do magick work then it is essential that you cleanse your altars after every spell in this manner, so that the energy from each spell does not build up and effect other spells. 

Cleanliness is important, even from a spiritual sense.

Happy Clearing

Priestess Akelta

There are lots of different tarot decks out there.  Most are based on the traditional sytem, having the major and minor arcanas’.  These Traditional tarot decks come in a wide range of styles, done by many talented artists.  Of these decks, the two I work with are the Vampire Tarot and the Tarot of the MoonGarden.   I find that these two decks work wonders for me. 

 Then there are the Tarto decks that are new and have their own uniquness to them, such as the Faeries’ Oracle  by Brian Froud.  Decks like this one do not follow the traditional Minor and Major Arcana structure but provide a unique glimps into the spiritual world and are just as powerful as any traditional deck.   These decks are relativly new and their creators are still alive today. 

There are some decks, however, that are ancient, and their efficiency and ability to predict the future is incredible.  Some of these decks provide such accuracy that it blows most people away.  One deck in particular that I speak of is the Gypsy Fortune telling cards.  These cards have been used for centuries and in some circles is considered an ancient art as without a guide book (or intimate knowledge with the culture) it can be very hard and take a lot of focus to interpret the symbols. 

I have used the Gypsy cards a few times in my life and was amazed not only by how accurate it was.  But how similar it my readings were.  When I did the reading on myself I got the same symbols in the same order many time in a row,  basically I got the cards untill those events in my life had past and I had moved on to new cards.   The gypsie cards speak with images and symbols that reveal very acurate facts.  I have never had a bad reading when the Gypsy Fortune telling cards were used. 

The gypsy cards are very different from other Tarot Cards.  An individual cards look just the image above.  It has four half pictures on it that is divided by a cross through the centre of the cards.  The deck is shuffled and then the cards are all laid out in rows of five.  When half of a picture lines up with another half of a picture in a row or coloumn you can rotate the card so the pictures meet.  In some readings people will only get one matching cards, while in others some people can get lots.  It all depends on what is meant to be reavealed to that person.