Basic Applications of Energy Work – Arcanum 17 https://arcanum17.

com/2020/11/290/

Felix

We have our basic tools for energy work, so let’s take a look at putting them into
practice! But first…

Basic Training

The most common question I have seen about energy work is “How do I get better at
it?” There is not nearly enough space in a series of this scope to go into detail about
this, but we can cover the broad strokes, at least.

Study

Research energetic anatomy. The most common fields for this are traditional Chinese
medicine (specifically qigong) and yoga, but also of note is Vajrayana and its system of
winds and drops. Remember that pretty much all of these various traditions have
something to offer here, though beware of shady practitioners, of course. If you study
multiple systems, make special note of any overlapping areas.
Energetic Training

This comes in three main categories: working with accumulation, working with
circulation, or both.

For accumulation routines, try this progression:

1. Whole-body accumulation. Just let the energy fill your body, but instead of 5-10
minutes, build up to 20-30. Try adding one minute a day, but remember that you may
need to build up tolerance. If you start feeling ill, back off from your goal a bit. Life
energy, in particular, is very beneficial to work with in this way on a regular basis, but
you can have too much of a good thing.

2. Individual point accumulation. Accumulate the energy into a single point (again, being
aware of any negative sensations). You can choose to focus on one point or alternate
each session. Be aware that this practice is used to activate or strengthen abilities
related to the point, as mentioned before: the third eye relates to spiritual vision, etc.

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3. Multi-point accumulation. This is accumulating energy into multiple points and

holding it for a while. This can be done either one at a time or simultaneously. An
example of this would be accumulating energy into the points that run up and down the
spine.

Do these slowly at first, syncing your drawing to your breath, but occasionally test how
quickly you can build up a good amount of energy. For that, simply focus on drawing
energy – what other people might call willing it to happen. When you can do that, test
how quickly you can build it up and then release it.

Note: Whenever you start with a new type of energy, I recommend starting from 5
minutes again. Going full speed with a new type of energy is a good way to hurt
yourself.

Next, we have circulation routines:

1. The Microcosmic Orbit is sometimes overemphasized, but it’s still a great circulation to
do, again for 20-30 minutes.

2. Life energy in general helps clear out the channels that it’s directed through, which
makes energy work easier. Fewer obstructions means better flow!

3. On that note, once you have the Microcosmic Orbit down, you can try making a circuit
from one hand, up your arm, across your chest, down your other arm, and back to your
other hand to clear out the channels in your arms. Try it with hands both together and
separate.

You can also research other circulation routines or construct your own, of course. I
highly recommend doing so, as what I’ve listed here is quite limited. As mentioned
above, make notes of how they make you feel and stop if you start feeling ill or
otherwise poorly.

This is the beginning of the field of magical practice most commonly known as
“internal alchemy.” Like the alchemy of old, it makes use of transmuting various
substances in a closed environment to refine them – except the substances are energies
and the environment is your body.

Experiment with Different Techniques

We have barely scratched the surface of energy work techniques. There are many other
ways of performing both the basic techniques here and others that I haven’t discussed
at all. As a freebie, I’ll share with you a common one: pore breathing.

Exercise: Pore Breathing

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Pore breathing is most commonly thought to originate with Franz Bardon, a Czech
magician. It is a simple, but effective technique for both drawing and projecting energy.
Despite the name, it doesn’t actually have you breathing through your pores. (Please
don’t try.)

1. Clear your mind.

2. As before, begin to draw energy into you along with your breath. This time, however,
contemplate the idea that, as you breathe in, your skin is breathing in the energy as
well. As you breathe out, contemplate that your skin is breathing the energy out.

You might use visualization to help this along, as usual.

3. When your session is done, ground as usual.

See what difference it makes in your energy drawing. This can be used in all of the ways
we have covered so far, as well: you can accumulate energy this way, or even projected
it outward into the area around you.

Experiment with Other Types of Energy

This is a big one, perhaps the big one. Life energy is incredibly useful, but if it is the
only tool in your kit, you’re going to be limited in your practice. Consider adding other
forms of energy to your repertoire. Here’s a list of some common types:

White Light (Light Ethers)

A favorite of fluffy bunnies everywhere, white light is still quite useful, though not the
ultimate tool that they claim it is. It is a calming, positive type of energy with many
uses. When I was younger, I hung out with a group of people that called this energy the
“light ethers.” You may find this a more useful and specific (and less fluffy) term than
“white light energy.”

The Four (or however many) Elements

These are a standard for a reason. Elemental magic is often derided as “beginner’s
magic,” and this is true, but not for the reasons its detractors think: it is a truly
excellent all-purpose magical system to build your practice on. Whatever goal you have,
elemental magic can help you achieve it. (Also, despite the words of detractors, there
are many neglected advanced practices of elemental magic as well.)

There are also nonstandard elements: an element is, after all, just a discrete

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phenomenon. Lightning can be an element, as well as mist or stone. I do recommend

working with the main Four first – they specifically work with and balance each other,
which is helpful when working with other forces.

Natural Phenomena

As an extension of the above, you can also energetically commune with other natural
phenomena. Many people enjoy connecting with storms, for instance. You can also
work with things like trees or animals, and so make use of “birch energy” or “cat
energy.”

Astrological Bodies

Each of the planets, especially the traditional seven, have their own energy that can be
worked with, just like the elements.

Symbols

This is another fun area. You can connect to the energy represented by various
symbols. Some examples include:

The Tarot (especially the Major Arcana, but the Minors are also useful)

Runes (whatever futhark you work with)

Alchemical symbols, such as the elemental triangles

Do be careful when doing this, and make sure that you have built up a good balance
first. Connecting to the Tower right off the bat, for instance, is probably a bad idea.

These types of energy each have their own properties, but can be interacted with using
the same basic techniques we have discussed: they can be attuned to, drawn, projected,
and so on. Try a few and experiment with them.

First Steps in Energy Work

Next, let’s talk about specific applications. Except for cleansing, these are fairly
universal. The techniques remain the same, but the type of energy you use can change
how it works.

As mentioned in the last article, magic rarely has instant results – or even quick ones.
Especially at first, make sure to spend the recommended amount of time performing
them. For a beginner, simply visualizing a single wave of light is not going to
accomplish much, and as much as we sometimes might like to, visualizing someone
being set on fire won’t do much either.

Basic Cleansing

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Cleansing is the act of removing negative energies from a space, usually a practitioner’s
home or workspace. In practice, energetic cleansing is usually not as strong as one
performed with material support, such as with incense or water, but it is still useful and
an extremely important concept to learn. Cleansing is often the first step performed
during a more rigorous healing session.

When someone comes to me asking about how to resolve a string of bad luck, the first
thing I ask them is them if they’ve ever cleansed. About 90% of the time the answer is
no, and cleansing makes a major impact. Spiritual hygiene is just as important as
physical!

To perform an energetic cleansing:

1. Accumulate your energy via pore breathing. Life energy and white light are both good
for cleansing. Elemental energy is a bit more difficult to use for it, though you could
make a decent case for Fire.

2. Pattern your energy for cleansing. A phrasing like “remove harmful energy” will work
fine. Direct it to saturate what you wish to cleanse: this could be a person, object, or
(most often) a space.

3. Project your energy outward, also via pore breathing. You can choose to let it go as you
exhale, or be more forceful and hold it in place. (What do you think I’m about to say?
That’s right – experiment!)

Make sure that you keep your projection roughly even with your accumulation. That is,
if you set out to perform 30 breaths of accumulation, do 30 projection breaths as well.
If you do 5 minutes of accumulation, perform 5 minutes of projection.

Also, a common alternative is to project it out through the hands.

4. When you are done, clear your mind and release your hold on the energy entirely. It
will dissipate on its own. If you would rather not wait, include the release in your
patterning.

5. Ground. You’re done!

Basic Healing

Magical healing is a complex and nuanced subject, but we can start making some
headway in that direction. This technique consists of “washing” the subject, which can
include yourself, in life energy patterned for healing.

1. Accumulate energy by your preferred method.

2. Pattern your energy for healing. You can try something specific, like “heal my flu,” or a

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more general statement like “I am healthy.” Adjust if you’re attempting to heal

someone else.

3. Now for the actual healing:

If you are healing yourself, direct the energy inward and release it.

If you are healing someone else, project the energy outward (via pore breathing or
through the hands, say). This doesn’t necessarily need to be done in person, though it
can help.

4. Ground.

If you noticed that it sounds a lot like cleansing… well, you’re right. At the beginner’s
level, a lot of energy work is going to follow the same basic pattern of “build energy,
pattern, release.” More advanced work comes from learning the intricacies of how
energies interact with various intents, different techniques for working with energy,
and so on. I’ll probably do a resources page at some point to help with further study!

Basic Shields and Wards

A shield, in this case, is energy made into a form that protects you from various harms.
A ward is like a shield, but for a location.

There are many different kinds of shields, but up front: they are not force fields. They
won’t protect you from a punch to the face. They will, however, protect you from
negative energies, strong negative emotions, psychic attacks and curses, and so on.

Basic Shield

1. Accumulate energy as usual.

2. Pattern it for protection. A simple statement of intention is “keep all harm from me,”
but there is a lot of room for customizability here; see below. The classic form is a
sphere, sometimes called a “bubble” shield, which is classic for a reason – spheres are a
strong shape, which is echoed in the energetic realm – but you can experiment with
others. Some people choose armor, some leave it as a film of light across the skin, some
as a fiery aura, etc.

Additionally, make sure to specify what you want your shield to protect you from.
Negative energy is a good general-purpose one for the former, but you can be specific
too.

You can also specify how you want your shield to protect you. Example: your shield can
simply be a barrier (“keep it from touching me”) or more proactive (“burn away the
negative energy that touches you”).

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3. Release the energy.

4. You’re done!

Here we again deal with the intersection of form and function. When dealing with
energy, or working in the spiritual realms, form and function still intersect, and form
should match function: as we discussed before, a sword is a much better spiritual
weapon than a pencil.

However, dealing with spirit and energy tends to get a little… weird. When one can
create shapes in the forms of Platonic solids, say, or semi-sentient lightning, and when
these shapes are formed by the magician’s will or mental discipline and represent
concepts far beyond simple outward shapes, form and function become only one factor
among several. A shield formed from life energy becomes an expression of life’s
resistance to death and decay.

I mention this now because I have seen people focus too much on details like form –
even to the point of claiming that a sharp object (physical or energetic) will “pop the
bubble [shield].” This paragraph is already running too long, but the short version: this
is not so. Form is important, but so are several other factors, like the clarity of
visualization, the power charging the form, the type of energy used, and so on.

Basic Cloak

A slightly more advanced form of shield is a “cloak,” though it has many names. The
idea here is that it makes you less noticeable. People will still see you, but depending on
the situation, they may be disinclined to notice you or even register your presence. To
make a cloak, follow the same procedure as above, but pattern the energy such that it
disappears into the background and hides you inside of it. Try visualizing the energy
and yourself disappearing.

Basic Ward

Warding an area isn’t very different from a shield – you simply shape the energy over
an area. This is a good exercise, as many beginners have issues working with energy
this way.

To ward an area, perform the same procedure as above, but direct the energy to cover
an area. If you are warding a room, for example, you can direct the energy to the outer
border of its walls and coalesce there. This can be made easier by walking the perimeter
of the area that you are warding, a practice closely related to circle casting.

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Note: As mentioned before, different types of energy will function differently, even if
patterned with the same intention. A Fire shield is very different from an Earth shield.
This is a fun area for experimentation.

Saturation

Now that we have covered some of the basics, we can talk about saturation. It is
essentially an extension of accumulation and projection – you’re just accumulating the
energy in a point outside of yourself. Saturation is important for a number of practical
energy work.

1. Hold your hands up in front of you, palms facing each other and about 5-6 inches
apart.

2. Visualize an empty sphere between your hands. Spend a few moments contemplating
this idea.

3. Begin drawing energy. Don’t accumulate it inside of yourself. Instead, direct the energy
out of your body through the power points in your hands and into the sphere. Don’t let
it leave the sphere.

4. When you have spent 5-10 minutes doing this, stop and try playing with the saturated
point you have made. Wave your hand through the area it occupies to see if it feels
different from the area around it, or try moving the point around.

5. Congratulations, you’ve saturated! Command the energy to disperse, then ground.

Potential uses for saturation include placing energy into an object (a form of
enchantment, which we’ll get into shortly) and area saturation. Filling an area with a
given energy makes further work with that energy easier, and can even shift the mood
– try filling an area with energy patterned for rest before working a healing.

Creating a Simple Construct

A construct is a patterned form of energy meant to work on its own, with relatively little
input from its creator. Technically, a shield is a type of construct, so if you have made
one you are already on your way. They can help the magician in many ways – sort of
like a customizable witch’s familiar.

Constructs are very handy for a variety of reasons. They can automate many of the
magician’s tasks. We’ll make a simple one to help out with keeping a space
energetically cleaned.

Exercise: Apprentice’s Brooms

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1. Perform the saturation exercise as above, but instead of shaping it into a sphere, shape
it into a broom instead. It doesn’t need to be a broom, by the way: I just do it this way
because walking brooms are neat. You could just as easily shape the energy into a
vacuum cleaner, or even a servant. (You could even name it Jeeves, if you wanted.)

2. Pattern the energy for cleansing. Have it remove negative energy in a delineated space.

When creating a construct, make sure to have your patterning worked out in advance.
It works much like computer code: “Clean” will run forever, and eventually leave
and/or dissipate when it runs out of energy, while “cleanse my house of negative
energies” works better.

Some people like to include a “killswitch,” as in, you say a code-phrase that you specify
and the construct immediately disperses. I don’t do this because, sometimes, your
constructs can become unruly as a result. (Maybe they pick up on the intention behind
it. Who knows?) Instead, I simply program in that they obey all of my commands or the
commands of people that I deputize by name. That way, I can simply say something
like “construct, disperse” and it will.

3. Tell it to get started, then clear your mind and ground.

Construct building is an art form, and a rewarding one. You can, for instance, make the
same cleansing construct that absorbs energy from various sources like candles or
sunlight. This way, it becomes self-sustaining. Energy types come into play here, as
well: having a cleansing construct fuel itself from candleflames or solar energy is a good
idea, but having it draw sustenance from any old ambient energy will be inefficient at
best. (Have you ever tried sweeping with a dirty broom? Not fun!)

One caveat: at this stage, I do not recommend attempting to imbue your constructs
with sentience. This is somewhat debatable, but in general, I believe that it’s too much
trouble for beginners.

Enchanting an Object

This is a simple application of saturation: we saturate an object with energy patterned

for what we want it to do (e.g. bring good luck). This is helpful because not only does it
make the energy last longer, but giving it a foothold in the material realm helps to bring
its effect “down to earth,” so to speak.

Enchanting has many nuances, as you would expect, but we’ll stick with something
simple for now: a lucky rock.

Exercise: Lucky Rock

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1. Hold your future lucky rock in both hands.

2. Set your intention. This can be something like “this rock will bring me good luck.” If
you’re feeling generous, you can specify that it brings the holder good luck instead.

3. Begin accumulating energy into the rock.

4. After 5-10 minutes, stop and set the rock down. (Alternatively, you can be really
thorough by going for 20-30.)

5. Take a few moments to clear your mind, then ground.

Take note of how the exercise feels while doing it. Does it feel easy to direct the energy
into the rock? Difficult? Did you get any impressions while doing it?What kind of rock
did you use? One you just picked up off the ground, or perhaps a crystal? Think about
trying the exercise again, but with a different material or type of object.

Your First Spell

The time has come! Your first spell!

For this, I am not going to give you specific instructions: this one is all you. Just use
what you have learned and come up with something to improve your situation in some
way. If you have worked through even some of the workings presented in this article,
you already have a decent grasp of what a basic spell looks like, so go knock yourself
out.

(but not literally)

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