Working with Energy

Image by Jasmine Kaloudis

Quite often in Witchcraft, many people talk about working with energy but explanations are often vague. I wonder if it is because it is something that you can’t see and is difficult for most to define. From my perspective, it’s like air. You can’t see it so it’s invisible, it isn’t concrete so you can’t grab it or pick it up, It is generally silent so you can’t really hear it with your ears and it doesn’t have a distinctive smell. Or Does it? Energy like air can be felt with your senses if you know what it feels like. Some people are very sensitive to energy and some are not. To me, there are different types of energy and it can be distinctive. Electricity is a type of energy.

Electricity is a type of energy. If you have ever been shocked by it then you know what it can feel like when you get a jolt. Too much and it can kill you. Electricity can be harnessed and directed. That is how we can use electricity. Energy surrounds us and energy is within us. Energy is in and around everything in the universe. I’m speaking of the invisible kind that most people don’t even know is there.

When we work with the energy from within and that which surrounds us, we’re harnessing and directing that energy. One of the basic principles of Magick is manipulating that energy to obtain what we desire. Since the energy already exists and it is in us and around us for at least as long as we exist, we’ve actually been using that energy all of our lives and probably didn’t even know it. It can be very subtle and will go unnoticed when we aren’t paying close attention.

I’m referring to the subtle energy that is sent and received when hugging someone. Have you ever noticed when you hug certain people you both feel good afterward? Why would you hug if it didn’t feel good? That is one way that we use energy without realizing it. The next time you hug someone, I mean really hug them, Not the fake over the shoulder pat on the back and quickly let go hug you give to strangers while you keep your guard up. I’m talking about both arms around the other person, cheek to cheek squeeze for a few seconds or more. Like you would give to your child, spouse or other family member or close friend.

I believe we have a current or flow of energy that goes right through our centers from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet and even through our hands. They are often referred to as Chakras. I believe that when we hug or shake hands with someone those currents sort of mesh together and an exchange happens. That flow connects and blends with the other person. I also believe that we each have our own individual energy pattern that is distinctive and for that moment during a hug, that pattern is blended and balanced between both people. An exchange of energy is made.

In my humble opinion, before you can become proficient in working with energy or controlling energy, it is important to consciously experience it. Before you can control it, I believe it is important to actually understand what you are trying to control, manipulate, even send or receive. When I first began my path in witchcraft, other than the basic information such as history and terminology etcetera, I was pointed in the direction of experiencing “energy” and learning how to manipulate it by consciously feeling it flow from the ground, through my body and back through the ground. I was challenged to consciously create a current or circle of energy and keep it moving for as long as possible. That is how I learned how to ground my own out-of-control energy.

I believe it is important as a witch to know how to both send and receive positive energy as a beginning to working with energy. Practicing this grounding exercise may help or at least a modified version you may design to fit your individual need.

Ambiance is very important, or at least is was for me in the beginning. Here is what I did. I waited until I was done for the day and was ready to relax for the night. That way there wouldn’t be anything nagging at the back of my mind to do. I went to a quiet place where I wouldn’t be disturbed such as my bedroom. I lit a candle or two and my favorite incense to help calm my senses. I began with getting comfortable and preparing to meditate, I started by listening to my breaths. In and out. Slowly and deeply. As I breath in, I take in the positive energy from around me, as I exhale I release the negative energy accumulated throughout the day. As my breathing became rhythmic and relaxed, I listened to my heart beat. I began to visualize the flow of energy moving through my body. For me, it was a current of a pale blue light. Once I had this firmly in the vision of my mind I stretched out my hands over the floor. One hand, the giving hand (dominant hand) and the other my receiving hand. I then began to visualize that the pale blue light of energy was being drawn up from the floor to my receiving hand. It flows through the palm of that hand up through my arm, over my shoulders, through my body, down through my other arm to my giving hand. I then visualized the pale blue light of energy flowing from my giving hand back into the floor. I would repeat the cycle for as long as I could keep it flowing, Which wasn’t very long at first.

I still practice this way with energy when I meditate, only, it has become much easier. Second nature I suppose. There is much to be said about experiencing energy. It is much easier to work with energy when it has become familiar to you. How do YOU experience and work with energy?