Help with Trance and Pathworking

[Twilanthe]

Hello. I'm relatively new (to Wicca and these forums) so I expect I will be on here a lot looking for answers to simple questions. My first is about meditation, visualization, trance and pathworking.

I've gotten a few books, but as I start out as a complete beginner I choose to take someones advice and begin with Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin. I've peeked at some other books and find that this one is the best for teaching the really rudimentary basics. While other books I've looked at say "ground and center, cast your circle, then do this:" Sabin's book actually explains what ground is, how to do it, why we do it, and various ways to do it, as she does with everything else. All in all I am quite enjoying it. However I am struggling.

Here are some very newbie questions that perhaps you can help with:

Grounding:
The book says to visualize a taproot shooting from the base of the spine down into the earth. This seems easy enough but my first question is about how strong this visualization is. I've always been an imaginative person who daydreams a lot, always have been, so imagining things comes exceptionally easy. I can envision the taproot going down into the earth, drawing up the energy, spreading it through my body, and pushing the excess back down within seconds. Is that okay, or should I be taking more time? Also how strong does the visualization have to be? Should it feel real? Should I feel some kind of sensation? Should it seem as strong as a full-fledged dream? I can sit here with my eyes open, typing this to you, and at the same time visualizing the taproot and the energy and everything. Is it that simple and that easy for everyone? Do people struggle just to do that? Am I doing it right? My problem is this seems both too easy and not enough at the same time. I feel like perhaps I should actually be able to FEEL the taproot, to feel some kind of sensation when being filled with energy, for the visualization to be so strong it feels real. So my question here is how is it supposed to feel?

Trance:
I can't seem to get in a trance state. I know what it should feel like, I've been in one before just "zoning out" as Sabin says in her book, but I can't seem to force myself into a trace state with any of the ways she mentioned. I tried headphones with background sound, I tried a flame, I tried drawing spirals with one hand while staring off, nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?

Feeling the energy:
Unrelated to grounding and trace, Sabin offers a couple of exercises in feeling the energy in things. I was super excited to feel the energy between my hands in the first exercise, but I have been completely unsuccessful in feeling energy in crystals or stones, or in plants or inanimate objects. I have a lot of stones and crystals (I collect them for use in my sculptures and jewelry) but couldn't feel a thing in a single one. I don't feel the energy in anything. I've tried grounding first and then trying to feel it, I've tried carrying a particular crystal around with me everywheres in hopes I get something. Am I doing something wrong?

Thank you for your help.

[Twilanthe]

I though of another question about pathworking. I do a lot of dreaming and daydreaming and I've always imagined things from a third-person point of view, because as an artist capturing the moving figure is something I try to do a lot, so when I daydream I view myself from a third person perspective. I've done it only this way and for so long then when I try pathworking I cannot visualize it in the first person. I can see myself in the third person walking down the path, but if I try to shift to first person I loose it. Or I get a mix of first/third person. Even grounding I struggle to visualize the taproot in the first person. Does first or third person matter in terms of visualization? If first person is required, is it just a matter of practice? Any tricks you know of it shift to first person? Is visualization and daydreaming the same thing? Is that the same way it should look/feel or should visualization be more intense, more strong, more like a really realistic dream?

[Seraphin]

Here are some very newbie questions that perhaps you can help with:

Grounding:
The book says to visualize a taproot shooting from the base of the spine down into the earth. This seems easy enough but my first question is about how strong this visualization is. I've always been an imaginative person who daydreams a lot, always have been, so imagining things comes exceptionally easy. I can envision the taproot going down into the earth, drawing up the energy, spreading it through my body, and pushing the excess back down within seconds. Is that okay, or should I be taking more time? Also how strong does the visualization have to be? Should it feel real? Should I feel some kind of sensation? Should it seem as strong as a full-fledged dream? I can sit here with my eyes open, typing this to you, and at the same time visualizing the taproot and the energy and everything. Is it that simple and that easy for everyone? Do people struggle just to do that? Am I doing it right? My problem is this seems both too easy and not enough at the same time. I feel like perhaps I should actually be able to FEEL the taproot, to feel some kind of sensation when being filled with energy, for the visualization to be so strong it feels real. So my question here is how is it supposed to feel?

The sensation differs from one practitioner to another. Everybody can successfully perform grounding but it doesn't mean that everybody manifests the expected results and feelings equally well. Some are better at it than others. But this is the same with any other natural ability. For example, everybody can draw, dance, or sing. But some are better artists, dancers and singers than others.

Therefore, that being said, the sensations revealed more of our own power. They display our level of skill and mastery, and our intimate and ongoing involvement in the spiritual or astral world. Later, as we practiced more, we'll experience a higher level of and sensation of our own psychic power and force. Finally, if we're already considered adept or experienced, we feel a unique, full-scale energetic sensation.

Each of these visions, perceptions, sensations during visualization is accompanied by a very particular content: In each case, we're given abstract or allegoric messages from our own power alongside the sights, sounds and experiences. In each case, the sensory lesson was paralleled by an intellectual or cognitive lesson: In your first try of grounding for example, you envisioned the taproot going down into the earth. -- this is a "basic" vehicle for your immediate, personal, physical harmony and balance. If you do this continuously, you may see and receive more visions and sensations even though they aren't recorded and described in the book.

Hope this makes sense.

Trance:
I can't seem to get in a trance state. I know what it should feel like, I've been in one before just "zoning out" as Sabin says in her book, but I can't seem to force myself into a trace state with any of the ways she mentioned. I tried headphones with background sound, I tried a flame, I tried drawing spirals with one hand while staring off, nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?

I don't advise beginners to jump on the bandwagon without realizing its possible dangers or bad consequences. If one is not spiritually ready, basically new or not properly trained for such an activity, than could be really, really dangerous. You see, to reach the trance state of consciousness required a long period of study, meditation and self-purification. Trance in my experience, occurs to someone great in mental control and psychism and spiritually evolved.

I'm really surprised that the author of the book is giving you instructions how to get in trance state.

It's also possible for one to be possessed by a spirit while in trance. Possession can happen if you are in a place where there are negative spirits around or if you have negative feelings and thought or if you're physically sick. That's why it's not safe to attempt to go in trance in a haunted house or when you are emotionally or physically negative.

If you decide to go into trance, you must remember that there's protection given to us while we're performing such complex consciousness work. There are the angelic creatures and also our spirit guides that are always ready to protect us. There are also benign astral beings who will help us if we get into trouble so make sure to contact them before anything else.

Feeling the energy:
Unrelated to grounding and trace, Sabin offers a couple of exercises in feeling the energy in things. I was super excited to feel the energy between my hands in the first exercise, but I have been completely unsuccessful in feeling energy in crystals or stones, or in plants or inanimate objects. I have a lot of stones and crystals (I collect them for use in my sculptures and jewelry) but couldn't feel a thing in a single one. I don't feel the energy in anything. I've tried grounding first and then trying to feel it, I've tried carrying a particular crystal around with me everywheres in hopes I get something. Am I doing something wrong?

Thank you for your help.

The art of Psychometry really needs a great deal of patience. Actually all you have to do to hone this skill is to "pay attention".

Pay attention to any feelings you well... feel when holding those objects. Feelings are "energetic" information and listening to them is essential for psychic and spiritual growth. Every feeling has own vibrations and thus has a unique meaning attached to it. Feelings teach us. They are the road to object-reading. Feelings in those objects teach us what is good and what is not good about it and how it might affect us. They are our quality control monitors.

For instance, a normal kitchen knife doesn't have the same feelings or vibrations to a knife used in murder. Listening to our feelings doesn't mean following them impulsively or blindly. To learn from the vibes, we need to process them. There are three steps to processing feelings in the objects:

• Identify what you are feeling by naming the feeling, for example, sadness, madness, gladness, fear.
• Clarify why you are experiencing this particular feeling, in this particular object.
• Decide what you want to do about the energetic feelings now that you understand the meaning of it.

[SpiritTalker]

I find light trance, just at a level where I am not paying attention to what is going on around me, is enough to work with, commune and get answers to questions. And it's easily achieved by fully inhaling and exhaling, rocking from side-to-side, or in a rocking chair. I'll tell myself to go down, down, down to center and actually feel myself slide gently into a different space.

And without fail I get entranced by watching sunlight on moving water...even a stream of tap water in a sun beam while doing dishes will do it. Suddenly I'm asking myself how long I've been holding this fork...

Just wondering what others find helpful.