Expand your magical repertoire with one of these 12 skills, practices, and techniques.
A New Year is upon us! If you feel inspired to deepen your magic in the year ahead, these ideas are for you.
Although you may like try out a new one for every month of the year, each one could merit a lifetime of study all on its own.
So when deciding where to start and just how many of these you want to tackle, it might help to remember the immortal words of Ikkyu: “Many paths lead up the mountain, but at the top we all look at the same bright moon.”
Or, in the oft-quoted words of Joseph Campbell, “Follow your bliss.” Or, maybe bliss is too strong a word! If so, just try what calls to you the most.
1. Kundalini Yoga
All varieties of yoga seek to harmonize mind, body and spirit. Kundalini yoga is especially focused on the mind and spirit aspects, making it a natural choice for many magical practitioners. Through breath, mantra, and repetitive movement, kundalini offers an energy healing, a meditation, and a physical exercise all in one. Various kriyas (sets) are practiced for specific purposes, from relieving headaches to increasing sexual potency to eradicating the ego.
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, I like this quick YouTube video for beginners.
2. Astrology
No matter how much astrology you know, there is always more to learn.
Beginners will find The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need to be most instructive. Astrology for the Soul will illuminate your soul’s fondest wishes for unfoldment in this lifetime. Chinese astrology is also fascinating: The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes is an excellent place to start. The New Chinese Astrology is wonderful too.
Oh, and I love Chani Nicholas’s book, You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance.
3. Feng Shui
Feng shui will help you create an environment you love that nourishes you on all levels and helps you manifest the things you desire.
To begin your feng shui practice, check out my books Magical Housekeeping and The Art of Bliss. Or start with this free, comprehensive DIY Feng Shui series which is right here on my blog, as well as this fun online workshop.
4. The Merkaba Meditation
The Merkaba meditation is a spectacular practice involving sacred geometry, colored light, and more. It takes a minute to get the hang of it, but in my experience, it’s worth it. Performing the Merkaba meditation raises your vibration, purifies your aura, activates your intuition, and helps you bust through blocks of all varieties.
I had excellent luck with Christopher Penczak’s instructions in Ascension Magick. Or he also has it available as a guided meditation.
5. The Goddesses of Yoga
I love Sally Kempton’s book, Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga. It introduces the powers and attributes of 11 Hindu goddesses, and teaches the reader how to activate the archetypes and aspects of these goddesses through mantra and meditation. She writes, “Some of these goddesses are warriors. Others are lovers. Some have maternal energy, others are dedicated to opening you to mystical realms. Each one of them can be a guide into the deepest realms of the soul and a teacher of the skills of living as an empowered feminine lover of life.”
6. The I Ching
Translating to “Book of Changes,” the I Ching is a profoundly ancient divination system that offers guidance on life’s turning points. While in many respects it’s complex, you can begin working with it immediately. The trick is to find a translation you like. My personal favorite is Stephen Karcher’s Total I Ching, but it’s not for everyone. Many prefer the more traditional Wilhelm/Baynes translation, and others like the relative simplicity of Brian Brown Walker’s translation. (But there are countless others!)
Once you’ve found one that speaks to you, all you need is three coins, a notebook, and a pen, and you’re ready to go.
7. Chakras
No matter where you are in your chakra studies, there’s always more to learn! Working with the chakra system allows us to heal and harmonize mind, body, and spirit.
My self-paced, online Chakra Magic workshop is a great place to start or continue your chakra journey.
8. The Tarot
Tarot is one more thing you can study for a lifetime, even though you can also begin working with it right away.
Here’s a video about how to get started with reading the Tarot.
I also love this Tarot Coloring Book.
9. Angels
I find working with angels to be an amazingly powerful and reliable magical practice. I do it every day.
Damien Echols has written an excellent primer on the subject. (But you might want to start with his first book, High Magick: A Guide to the Spiritual Practices That Saved My Life On Death Row.)
I also love Calista’s The Female Archangels: Evolutionary Teachings to Heal & Empower Your Life.
10. The Seven Hermetic Principles
The basis of much of Western mysticism and magic lies in the seven Hermetic principles as outlined in the classic magical text The Kybalion. Learning them (or revisiting them if it’s been a while) will give you clear, practical insight into the underlying dynamics of magic and manifestation.
11. The Tao te Ching
While you can sit down and read the entire Tao the Ching in less than a day, it contains enough magical wisdom to keep you engaged for a lifetime. Read it and take time to meditate on each tiny chapter to align more deeply with Yin / Yang principles, the ineffable qualities of personal mastery, your own magical nature, and the magical nature of All That Is.
It’s my opinion that the Stephen Mitchell translation is the way to go.
12. The Qabalah
The Qabalah is spiritual system and magical framework on which both the tarot and western astrology are based. From personal experience, I can attest that it can be mystifying to new seekers: where to begin? How does one practically apply it? And what does it all mean?
Here are some books I’ve found that can help get you started on the path:
Wishing you a most magical New Year!
You may also like Evolutions not Resolutions: 9 Ways to Evolve in the New Year.
If you give one of these a try, come back and let me know about your experience in the comments.
I am a biginner, I love to no how to work with the angels and grow with in it.