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Thursday, October 4, 2007

Spellwork and Depression

I've read in several books on magick that if you are mentally ill you shouldn't perform the work therein. Well--moose shit! Since I'm mentally ill, does this mean that I should not be able to reap the benefits of doing magick? I think not!
However, I would advise against doing manifestation magick during periods of deep depression. Things manifest according to the frame of mind you are in. A modicum of doubt is normal and really causes very little harm save for minor and probably predicatable delays. Deep feelings of doubt, self-hate and negativity are, however, reasons to delay doing spells for the purpose of manifesting any given thing.
At these times it is best to focus on meditation and attuning oneself to the higher powers. Chants to benevolent, healing deities are excellent during these times, as are clearing types of spells. The Hindu pantheon has several helpful deities who are kind parental figures who love their children even when their children misbehave. Rather than punishing their human wards, they guide and heal them. They impart guidance to aid in self-discipline.
I purchased a box set from Barnes and Noble which includes a statuette of the goddess Tara (aka Kwan Yin) and a booklet with chants and meditations for working with this benevolent deity. I also purchased a small Buddha statuette. Prayers to various forms of the Buddha can be found at the Bristol Buddhist Centre website.
The basic Tara mantra is om-tare-tuttare-ture-soha and the basic Buddha mantra is om-mane-padme-hum. These can be said at any time to ground and center oneself.
If you enjoy using mantras and chants, a fine book with the silly title The Magick of Chant-O-Matics by Ray Buckland can be ordered at the Llewellyn Books website.
I also like Dr. Larry Dossey's books about the healing power of prayer. These are not books touting the merits of any given religion but instead are studies of the universal energy that is there for all of us to use for our benefit. I was fortunate enough to be able to study Dr. Dossey's books with a wise retired Unitarian minister who wrote a fine book of his own, Finding Faith in the Face of Doubt. I feel blessed to have known Joe Willis before he departed this world. He was one of those truly good souls.
The upshot is, it isn't true that people who are mentally ill cannot reap the benefits of magick. The Universal Energy doesn't discriminate--it's there for us all. But the energy we send out is returned in kind and in my own life when I have sent out negative energy, either deliberately or due to being in a negative frame of mind, it has returned with sometimes disastrous consequences. However, calling upon the positive forces for aid and comfort cannot backfire. I wish I had known this a long time ago. I would have saved myself a lot of distress.
Blessed be,
Lily

2 comments:

Raine said...

hmmmm I did a healing spell once and ended up having ECT. That really wasnt what I had in mind.....

Unknown said...

Yikes! Well...being far from an expert and sort of pissing in the wind when I dispense advice of this nature, my knee jerk reaction is to say that sometimes this kind of work has to be repeated several times before it has a positive effect. Healing spells should never draw negative repercussions. Then again perhaps the two were completely unrelated. My expert certificate has never been validated however.
A book I like to recommend is Prayer is Good Medicine by Larry Dossey. It isn't a bible thumpin' book although the title makes it sound like one. It doesn't target any particular religion at all. The ideas in it make a lot of sense.