{"collection":"bos","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bos/bos331.htm","path":"bos/bos331.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bos/bos331.htm","text":"Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999]\n \n \n \n Charging Crystals \n Ian Kesser\n \n Crystals,as many of you know, are extremely useful for practition-\n ers of the Magickal arts. They can be used to channel power, to store\n power, to heal, and many other ways. Due to space considerations, I\n have chosen to limit myself to the charging aspect in this article.\n \n Thefirst and most important part of charging a crystal is choosing\n the crystal itself. For most general uses, Quartz is the best one. For\n specific use, there are many others. I have found that Diamonds are\n useful in storing Good energy, and Zircons (my birthstone!!) for Evil\n energy. If you have a specific purpose in mind, please consult one of\n the many fine tables of crystal affinities.\n \n The next step, and also important, especially the first few times,\n is to prepare yourself for the actual channeling of energy. In my\n case, music helps, as well as pranayama and other forms of breath\n control. The first one I used is simple\n .\n Pranayama, simply, is control of breath. Most forms amount to\n hyperventilation or subventilation. The one I used first, and still\n use, is this: take four quick inhalations, filling the lungs. This\n should be over the space of about one and a half seconds. Then exhale\n in four short bursts, again over one and a half seconds. Repeat as\n necessary. The first few times this is done, I recommend you desist\n after about one minute. Over the course of time, this can and should\n be increased, but until you are used to the effect this gives, a\n shorter time is suggested.\n \n Now that you're in the mood, take the crystal in your right-hand\n (left hand for those of you who are lefties). Visualize a door within\n the heart of the crystal. Until this visualization is firm and steady,\n wait. Then open the door. Behind it you should see a store of diffuse\n energy, which varies with the type of the crystal. Some crystals,\n usually the inferior ones, have little or nothing back here. These are\n generally not good to use.\n \n Close the door, but keep it in mind. That was just to check on its\n energy. Decide which energy you wish it to house. Usually only one\n will be needed, such as for talismans and storage of energy for later\n use, but in some cases, such as a divination tool, more is suggest-\n ed/required. DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT! YOU WILL FAIL! The\n energy you will be handling is powerful, and trying to handle more\n than one world at a time is strenuous. Trying to handle all three,\n plus personal and other energies, is straining to the limit. As with\n all other bodily systems, an ability used beyond its capacity will\n overload and break or refuse to perform, as with a man trying to lift\n 300lb barbells on his first try at weight lifting.\n \n For general use, I find nature's energy is best for multipurpose\n storage. Those in the Church of Set would probably find differently,\n as would those in the Church of Christ. Use what you feel comfortable\n with.\n \n \n 1708\n \n \n \n Now, the fun part. For the three major energies, I find there are\n certain ways of drawing them tat are easiest on the practitioner. For\n Good energy, try it like this: Form a cone with the base connecting to\n your skull in the region just between and above your eyebrows. \"suck\"\n the energy (visualize it as you will, I use a light, golden yellow)\n into the cone, then through a tube into your brain. The visualization\n on this is a bit tricky, but it can be done.\n \n For Nature's energy, visualize a \"hose\" going down into the Earth\n from the base of your spine. This hose should ideally connect with the\n center of the Earth, but some people simply cannot conceive the\n distance involved with that, and can therefore not visualize it. Go as\n deep as you can, with time, you should improve. I \"see\" this energy as\n a ruddy, glowing red, as with magma. Use what works. Draw this energy\n up the tube, then through your spinal column into the brain.\n \n Now, the Evil energy. This is trickyfor me, but here's how I doit.\n Place the feet together (if they already are, so much the better! It\n means this isn't uncomfortable for you, as it is for me.) and visual-\n ize a siphon, with the hose connecting to a cone connecting to your\n feet, about two inches in diameter, one inch on either foot. Then, on\n the other end, a hose entering a black, inky void(or whatever color\n you perceive evil energy to be). One last connection: another hose\n running from that area of your feet to the previously mentioned area\n in the skull. This aligns nicely with the Chakra theory, to which I\n subscribe, in that a Chakral spinal-type column connects all the major\n power centers of ones body. If you know this system, so much the\n better! Draw the energy through the siphon(sometimes visualizing the\n bulb on the siphon squeezing helps) into the feet, then into the\n skull, then into the brain.\n \n Other objects you wish to draw energy from, use the door anal-\n ogy/visualization given above( for powerful things such as the Tarot,\n I see it as a gate more than a door. Again, whatever works for you),\n and draw from your use hand. If you plan on using that object again,\n take only a token amount of energy, and DON'T FORGET TO CLOSE THE\n DOOR!\n \n Personal energy: This varies so much with the individual! Some\n people draw from their auras, some from the Chakras, some from the\n Astral Body. Just use the method you feel most comfortable with. For\n those of you who have no preference, or no knowledge of such things, I\n use the Astral approach. I draw a bit of the substance of the Astral\n body, generally the feet, into the brain. After I finish all else, I\n \"spread out\" the Astral body to make up for this loss. Astral bodies\n DO heal.\n \n Well, that's most of it. Draw the energy you need, then draw from\n the crystal. Take it in your use hand again, open that door, and take\n out the energy, and bring it to the brain. Generally, I use the hose\n again, connecting to that spot in the skull, but this one generally\n runs INSIDE y body, such as along the arm bones, then up the neck\n bone. Mix the energy up. If it helps, visualize a cosmic Cuisinart or\n whatever. If it won't mix, like oil and water, you have failed. This\n crystal will not hold this energy. Give up, put back the crystals\n power, ground yourself(later...), and try again later with another\n energy.\n \n \n 1709\n \n \n Once you've achieved the mix, refill the crystal. Sometimes, the\n energy won't go back in. This usually means you've put too much of the\n energy you're using in, and not enough of the crystal's own energy.\n Bring it back to the brain, and remix. How do you refill the crystal,\n you ask? Switch hands on the crystal, then visualize that handy hose\n again, but this time flow backwards, through the door. There will come\n a point, especially early on in your practice, that the crystal is\n full when you have energy left over. Slam that door and ground your-\n self(later...), don't overfill it! Doors have their bursting point,\n and that's a wonderful way to destroy a good crystal.\n \n OK, it's later. You've finished the job at hand (Applause, you've\n earned it!) but have all this energy left! There are many ways of\n grounding energy, use the one you are comfortable with(I know I keep\n saying that, but it bears repeating. Don't do anything against your\n Will). The one I use is simply grounding it. Take that handy-dandy\n all-purpose hose again, connect it to the base of the spine, and\n thence into the Earth. Flip the switch to reverse, and push that\n energy out! Be careful not to let out yourself as well!\n \n That's it. I hope you find this helpful to you.\n \n \n 1710","title":"Internet Book of Shadows: Charging Crystals (Ian Kesser)","type":"page"}