Breaking the Clock, one limitation at a time |
Commuting time while driving should be dead time. If you are doing meditations while driving, please, please tell me you do not live in Ohio. Commuting while on public transportation however, is usable time.
Almost any ( key words there almost), system of magic can be reasonably worked even while traveling. Purists will REEL, FEIGN, and GASP, but I am not the first or only magician to come to this realization and back that realization up with evidence to support it. Unfortunately that realization does not sell leather-bound books, nor does it sell $1000 dollar services. Sure, Sure, Sure we would all like a perfectly engraved circle in concrete at the basement. Sure Sure Sure, I have a special place in my heart for leather, virgin parchment books, and nothing beats a custom crafted Wand.... and certainly I love writing spells with my custom copper tipped bone fountain pen. I love incense. Its easier to get good results with the props, solid materials help immensely but it is not the only way.
ADAPTATION to modern realities might require new methods.
But there really is a few realizations I think the general "magical" purists have to realize ( besides that the evidence does not back up the must do this this way).
- Much Victorian and renaissance magic assumes a upper middle class, to wealth lifestyle. Most people who practice magic are probably much closer to the poor lifestyle. While previously to now, they probably could afford a separate practice area, those luxuries are getting harder.
- Most magical systems can be compressed in experience to be done with only the mind, but to do so takes A GREAT DEAL of training
- Modern psychological techniques CAN accelerate the needed training, off-setting the first point.
So before we get to doing Goetic work or the like in your mind, WHICH you fully can do ( and there has to be a lot of safties built in), and will be a topic of a different blog, lets cover some of the most difficult aspects when you start trying to reclaim the travel time and what types of magic are the easiest.
Starting Magical Work on the Commute
So for me doing magic while commuting, the easiest starting point is Mantra work. This could be buddhist, hindu, or sigil mantra spellwork. I find there is a couple issues that immediately arise. There are some technical issues to overcome which I will talk about in a minute. In the non-technical issues, there are a few.
- First, You'll probably have the sensation of everyone is watching you. Really, no one gives a crap, but that sensation is there. To me this is a byproduct of the forbidden nature of magic within modern society. It is the full on realization, in the face of other people, that magic is somehow wrong. Its the hidden and seeping deadliness of the cultural normative values. When you get that reaction, just laugh at yourself literally. If you want to, make it a game out of the exhibition of it, kinda like being naughty. Really though, no one cares. It took me a while to realize that.
- Second, there are a host of memes about public transportation and how dangerous it is. Lots of fear based conditioning. It does not help, that they put up HUGE danger signs all around. Fear + Fear + Fear. Mostly that is a lie. Now, crime does happen so we do have to talk about riding the environment.
- Modern Cell phones and other media devices can make it pretty easy to tune out the environmental noise.
Mantra Commuting Method one
Once you get how to create sigilized mantras, and Hands On Chaos Magic has some techniques on how to do that, or you could go and check out sigil mantra spellwork, or you could chose a pre-made mantra. There are a couple technical points to cover, and some methods with pre-work setup will greatly assist the work. My examples will be in Garageband, but you could easily work with Audacity and do similiar things. Read the technical manual to get details and there are tons of tutorials on YouTube.
I like to spend a little time select music without WORDS ( thats very important) such as classical, trance/techno, recorded drumming, or even new age sounds. The idea is to match the intention of the Mantra with the general type of music.
Now I will take that into Garageband or Audacity and two a couple interesting things. First, record the mantra into a second track. Cut and paste or replicate it and PAN that all the way left. Then take that first recording and lengthen and Deepen the mantra. So its as if there is a whole different voice that takes alot longer for each section. Set the pan on this track all the way left. Make these two tracks slightly louder then the music, but not much. Have a friend, preferably of the opposite sex with a voice you enjoy, record a 3 track that is has no panning that is just the mantra repeated over and over. This track should not sync with the first track and should intentionally have a different timing. If you can not find a person to record this track, you can hack up the recording to make it work ( but it takes a little practice, and tweaking in garage band). Take the entire song, with all the tracks and duplicate the entire set of music so it repeats the mantra for at least 30 minutes. If this doesn't make sense, bug me over email or watch a couple tutorials. Once you do this once or twice, it will be easy to do this and make this recording in less then 20 minutes.
Export this 30 minute mantra bonanza to mp3 and put it on the phone/mp3 player. This will serve as a great backdrop for the work. I have done this with Sigil mantras, Ganesh mantras, tons of mantras. The technique uses something from hypnosis akin to the Dual, Triple inductions. Essentially, the off timing, and multiple voices will slightly confuse the brain pushing you into deeper trance states faster. It also creates the illusion that there are more then one person chanting, leading to a sort of social reality where it is ok to this.
Now, the mantra work itself for commuting has to be done internally without vocalization. A simple way to do this, is to really vibrate out a mantra once. Notice how it feels and sounds. In your mind, replicate the feeling and sound. Do the mantra from the diaphragm, and then when you are internally trying this feel out the sounds in your diaphragm. Mentally, make the mantra as loud as you possibly can. Give it a rich texture when you say it inside your mind. More is usually better. Ham it up as you imagine it. When it feels right, you are ready to do this during your commute.
So you get on the train or bus. I usually start with a simple drawing down of light through me, and then let my body ride in the rhythm of the ride. This is different then the Zen like focused no thoughts. Instead, if you listen to the sound of the bus, and the flow and ebb of passengers. The noise of the train. Really listen to it without focusing on it. Let it wash over you. Accept it. Be it. Feel the tracks or road under you. When it washes over you completely and feel yourself in that altered state, Press play on your Mantra MP3 and set it on repeat.
Now, inside your mind, repeat the mantra while listening to the mp3. Continue to let the environment wash over you. I use it almost like a type of divination. So if someone bumps you, let it wash over you, but perhaps there is some resistance to the mantra spell work. I just keep going then. Perhaps, you get distracted by a attractive member of the opposite sex, perhaps signifying conflicting desires. Again, let it wash over you keep going. Now if your mantra is to meet a member of the opposite sex that you find attractive and they smile or flirt with you, get on that, you've succeeded. No Seriously, I mean it. Weirder things have happened in magic. If a person, seriously disrupts your mantra work, maybe take it as a sign depending on what happens. 99% of the time, just let it wash over you and keep going.
If this happens while doing the mantra The universe is seriously fucking with you LAUGH With it. |
If this happens while doing the mantra The universe is seriously fucking with you LAUGH With it. |
For the most part, if you have commuted to your stop before, you have a good sense of time. Because you have to get off the train or bus, you have to do this with your eyes open. Visually do the same thing, let the surroundings wash over you until your stop. Kinda like riding all the senses. Just go with the flow.
When you get off the bus or train, change the mp3 player or turn it off. Stretch abit. Now, forcefully cut off from the surroundings. Think about something else.
This technique also works well with walking although bike riding gets a little dicey. DONT DO THIS WHILE DRIVING. Seriously, I shouldn't have to say it, but I know someone will try it.
Now of course, if you would like something else to listen to while on the train or bus that is also extraordinarily helpful, you could download the full immersive mp3 below.
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