To work practical magic, you must be able to quiet your mind and relax your body. This is always the first step, no matter what method of magic you use. When I first learned the Craft, my teacher taught me that tension creates a shield in our auras. This shield keeps us in and the rest of the world out.
Imagine trying to project a thought form against a thick wall. It won’t go anywhere. This happens to you when you try to cast a spell with your mental shield up.
Trying to work practical magic in a state of tension and upset can cause your spell to have no results or, even worse, results in you don’t want.
I frequently caution people against casting spells when in panic or desperation. Magic gives us more of what we put into it. If we are projecting desperation into our magic, we can expect desperate results.
We keep our desires from manifesting when we surround them with mental and physical tension. When we learn to let go of that tension and quiet our minds, we access the power to realize our desires.
Where there's mental tension, there is a corresponding tension in the body. You can be certain your mental shield is down when your body is in a state of relaxation.
My free course, A Witch’s Primer, contains several daily relaxation practices, including Grounding and Centering and The Orb of Light.
Other free tools I have that can help you establish and maintain relaxation are the Off Switch and the Magic Minute.
Before you cast any spell, I recommend you take a few minutes to relax each part of your body. Tell yourself, “My eyes are relaxed, my jaw is relaxed, my neck is relaxed, my shoulders are relaxed,” etc.
If you notice your mind racing and not letting you have the peace you desire, dispel those thoughts with the words, “PEACE. BE STILL,” stated either silently or aloud.
When your body and mind are relaxed, then you are in a state where you can cast your spell and affect genuine change.
Relaxation is a skill. Like any other skill, we must practice it daily. This enables the levels of relaxation we achieve to deepen over time.
By relaxing our bodies and minds, we can access magical power. The more we practice this state, the more we can increase our power to change. Here is a lecture I gave on this topic that also contains a small guided relaxation within it: