Greetings and Blessings to you, your family, and your careers! May the Blessings of the Divine rain down upon you.
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Bright Blessings to you all!
- Kathryn Barile

Visualization: Is it becoming a Lost Art?
By Michelle Zimbelman

      In my short time working for the Brass Unicorn, I've noticed a disturbing trend in the Wicca Community. The belief that the tools alone, make the Magick.
     Now, I'll grant you that the tools are important. Having the right herbs, stones, candles and incense that correspond with your deity of choice, and the type of ritual you are undertaking, is important. The energy within each selected object builds upon one another, adding strength to your cone of power. Without visualization, however, you can not shape the flow of raised energies to manifest your ends. It doesn't matter whether you are looking for a magical assist in finding a job, or gathering the tools to perform an exorcism, visualization is the defining line between success and failure.
     Visualization is the fundamental element of any magical undertaking. When we raise an energy ball in the palm of our hands, we visualize the orb shape. We watch it grow larger in our mind's eye, and subsequently, we feel the pulsation of pure light in the flesh of our hands. The same applies to psychic shielding. We envision our bodies girded in protective white light. We spread this light from a pinpoint position and draw it over our entire body. We visualize negative energies coming into contact with this light and being desintegrated. If Magick is done without visualization, it is left lacking.
     There are many exercises you can do to promote active visualization, examples of which can be found in any number of items found at the Brass Unicorn, and I will include a short list of my favorites at the end of the article. One of the simplest exercises to strengthen your powers of concentration, and thereby, visualization, is to light a candle and set if before you on a table, or other flat surface. Make sure that you are sitting comfortably, and begin by staring at the flame of the candle. Your comfort is important. Visualization should never be forced. Blink your eyes, breathe in measured, calming breaths, and simply watch the flame dance in front of you. After a few minutes, close your eyes and look for the flame. Allow your mind to show you the flame in full detail and color. Make it grow larger, make it dance, shrink it to a pinpoint, then bring it back to it's original state. Keep your mind focused on the flame for as long as your conscious mind will allow. Don't be discouraged if it only lasts a few seconds. The more you practice, the longer the flame will reside within your mind's eye, and the more acute your power of visualization will become.