Tai Chi: Some Warm-Up Tai Chi Exercises

Just like any physical activity, Tai Chi could, conceivably, cause muscle strain. Warming up before the practice of Tai Chi is recommended. Keep your back straight, and to stay relaxed and open. Do not strain or stress as you do these exercises. Do them slowly, as this will encourage precision and accuracy.

If an exercise causes pain, either stop entirely or stretch your body a little less; perhaps even reduce the number of rotations. Tai Chi shouldn’t hurt. Do not lock any of your joints while performing these exercises. Locking a joint can cause undue stress and strain, which is to be avoided at all costs.

Every Tai Chi instructor will have different exercises for warm-ups, and these should be followed. Presented here are some simple ideas that might be incorporated.

Tai Chi Warm-Up – Knee Rotations

Stand with your feet together and facing forwards. Bend over at the waist and put your hands on you knees. Bend your knees and rotate them clockwise, keeping them together. Allow your body to move naturally with the rotations. Do this for twenty rotations, then stop and go counter-clockwise, again for twenty rotations.

If you knees hurt, either stop the exercise or bend a little less. This exercise will strengthen the ligaments, tendons, and cartilage of the knee. This movement will also enhance your ability to maintain balance and stability.

Tai Chi Warm-Up – Head Rotations

Stand comfortably with your feet apart, and arms at your sides. Raise your chin to stretch your neck. Make a circle, moving your head up, then to the side, down, and finally to the other side, rotating it first clockwise for twenty rotations, then counter-clockwise for twenty more rotations.

Let the stretch relieve the tension in your neck. Stress can cause the body to tire and age unnaturally. Let the mental tension leave your body also, and let the negative thoughts go through and replace then with positive thoughts.

Tai Chi Warm-Up – Heel Stretch

Rest all of your weight on your back leg, keeping your balance with your opposite heel. Bend forwards from the waist and rotate your torso in large circles, clockwise first for twenty rotations, then counter-clockwise for another twenty rotations.

Move slowly and feel your back, stomach and sides stretch. A strong and healthy back is the key to good health. Just about every movement you make involves the back in some fashion. Switch to the other leg and repeat. Unlike most other exercises, this one has a total of eighty repetitions. This is good as it will help to strengthen your back.

Tai Chi Warm-Up – Foot Rotations

Raise one foot, keeping the opposite leg strong and steady. Rotate your leg using the knee as a pivot point, keeping the leg hanging downwards towards the bottom of your foot pointing towards the floor. Do clockwise rotations for the count of twenty, then do twenty counter-clockwise rotations. Keep the knee as stationary as possible. The larger the circle you can make with your foot, the better.

Now switch legs and repeat the warm-up exercise. This is another exercise with eighty repetitions.

Tai Chi Warm-Up – Arm Swings

Stand comfortably with your feet shoulder-width or more apart. Let your arms swing forward and back, feel parallel and pointing forwards. Let your arms swing forward and back, keeping them shoulder-width apart with your palms facing inwards.

Relax your arms and shoulders. Keep the lower back pushed out and the buttocks tucked in. Feel your neck and shoulders relax more with each swing. Feel the energy flow into your hands. Do this for twenty repetitions.

These exercises are only a suggestion of what movements might help the body to prepare for the practice of Tai Chi. There are many others that could be used. If you enjoy using a great many exercises, consider keep a chart of your progress that includes the exercises you used on a particular day.

Preparing for Magick: How to Cleanse the Body's Energy Field

The energy that surrounds and permeates the body is comprised of the aura and the chakras. To perform magick correctly, this energy field must be strong, clear, and clean, and free of all contamination. Sometimes, it is necessary to understand where this contamination comes from before the energy field can be cleansed.

How Does the Body’s Energy Field Become Contaminated or Weak?

Some of the problems that occur in relation to the weakening of the body’s energy field are fairly common. A poor diet or lack of exercise can lead to a weak aura and dim chakras; this can be correct with good food and a healthy amount of exercise. Illness and injury can cause a temporary weakening of the energy field, but this can be easily repaired by taking the time to get well.

The use of hard drugs, including hallucinogens and even many prescription drugs, can leave the aura full of holes, and the chakras may be too weak to aid in repair. In this case, it is best to discontinue the use of these drugs (except in the case of prescription drugs), and allow time for the body’s energy field to self-repair. Other things can have the same effect depending on the person. For some people, alcohol may damage the aura. For many, it’s allergies. Whatever the cause, it should be healed before true magick is performed.

Sometimes, the aura or the chakras will be drained by another person. This is usually not done consciously. Some people are what can be termed "energy vampires;" they continually drain energy, and some don’t even realize that they’re doing so. Often, these people can be easily identified. If someone makes you feel drained and weak, maybe even depressed, after a visit, they’re likely an energy vampire. Since this is done subconsciously, the only true and permanent solution is to avoid these people.

Some of these energy vampires do more than just drain a little energy. Occasionally, you’ll have someone who attaches themselves to a particular chakra. This is usually someone you know very well, and they almost never do this on purpose. It might be an ex-lover, one who has attached himself to your heart chakra. Maybe an adult child refuses to be separated from the mother, linking too strongly to the root chakra. These are not healthy connections.

There are, of course, connections that you will want. You’ll want a spouse to be connected to the heart and sacral chakras, for example. A young child should certainly be connected to a mother’s root chakra. A student might connect to a teacher’s throat or third eye chakra. These are all healthy and welcome connections. When they are not, they must be cleansed.

Cleansing and Balancing the Chakras

All magicians should keep their energy fields clean and bright. This can be done by examining the individual chakras and clearing them of both negative influences and any unwelcome connections. This can be done with a simple meditation and visualization exercise.

A simple method for cleansing and balancing the chakras is to visualize each chakra as a ball of colored light. The colors associated with each chakra are as follows:

• Crown chakra – purple
• Third eye chakra – dark blue
• Throat chakra – light blue
• Heart chakra – green or pink
• Solar plexus chakra – yellow
• Sacral chakra – orange
• Root chakra – red

Each chakra, one at a time, should be visualized as a ball of colored light. This ball should be examined, even spun if necessary, in order to ensure that they are clean of all contamination. If you do notice that they are murky or dim, then they must be cleansed. This is quite a simple process.

At your feet, visualize a hole opening up in the earth. This hole can look like anything, as long as it leads deep inside the earth. Once this hole is firmly established, refocus on the chakra that needs cleansing. See it, feel it, know that this chakra is real. Then, slowly begin spinning the chakra in place. As it spins, see all the contamination, all that makes the chakra weak, slowly begin to fall into the hole. Allow it to be absorbed by the earth.

When the chakra is clear and bright again, allow the chakra to stop its spinning and return to a normal state of being. Close the hole, but don’t worry about the negative energy that went into the earth; it will be absorbed and transmuted into positive energy. Repeat this process with any other chakra that needs cleansing.

There are other methods of clearing and rebalancing the chakras, and any of them are appropriate for use. The method isn’t as important as the end result. Remember to check often to ensure that your chakras are still functioning properly. Bright and clear chakras lead to bright and clear auras, and make grounding and centering much easier.

Introduction to Magick: Magickal Clothing and Jewelry

Most magickal practitioners feel that it is appropriate to dress in a special way for the working of magick because it is sacred activity. For some, this means working skyclad, or in the nude. For others, it might mean a ritual robe. Then there are those who choose to dress in elaborate costumes, complete with jewelry and accessories. All three are perfectly acceptable.

Working Skyclad for Magickal Purposes

The term ‘skyclad’ means, quite literally, to be ‘clothed by the sky'; in other words, nude. There are many individuals and some Wiccan and Pagan traditions that either require or prefer to work skyclad. There are three main reasons for this. These include:

• Encouraging energy to flow more freely if it is not impeded by clothing.
• Expressing the idea that the naked human form is not something to be ashamed of.
• Differences in income and social status disappear if everyone is nude.

Ritual Robes in Magick

Most magickal practitioners work robed. Sometimes this is because the robes have magickal significance, or because it is simply too cold to work skyclad. Color and style will vary according to personal taste and the requirements of particular groups.

The easiest style of robe to make is simply a T-shaped robe with long sleeves and usually a hood. The robe should be loose enough to allow for movement and dancing, as well as sitting cross-legged. The sleeves shouldn’t be too long, as they will drag in the candles and catch fire. A large hood is a good idea, as it can be used to block outer vision, aiding in visualization and meditation.

Other, more elaborate styles can also be used. Check the local fabric store for patterns, usually in the costume section. The only limit is the imagination, and possibly the cost. When choosing fabric, it is important to pick something that feels good against the skin, for the robe may be worn for long periods of time, in some cases. A breathable fabric, such as cotton, is also a good idea.

Color, when applied to ritual robes, can be a lot of fun. For those who are working solitary, and are not confined by the rules of a group or teacher, any color that is healing, balancing, or empowering will work very well. For those who simply cannot decide, starting with white or black is never a poor choice.

Groups and many teachers will have specific requirements. The color of the robe might reflect a degree system, or everyone in the group may wear the same color. Many groups have their novices, sometimes called dedicants, wear white to represent innocence and purity. However, this is not a firm rule.

Jewelry and Accessories During Ritual

Special jewelry is often worn by magickal practitioners, even those who work skyclad. Many, especially those of the Wiccan faith, wear silver bracelets, and women will wear silver necklaces, while men wear silver torques. High Priestess of that same religion will often wear a crescent crown and garter. High Priests usually opt for a horned mask, or a horned headpiece.

Usually, magickal practitioners will wear jewelry that reflects their faith. Crosses, the Star of David, pentagrams and crescent moons are all commonly seen during ritual. Jewelry pieces featuring crystals and gems are very popular, as they channel the qualities of the stones. Wedding rings are worn during the practice of magick, as they are considered sacred and blessed. All jewelry worn during magickal practice should have magickal significance.

Many practitioners will wear a cord around their waist. In most groups, this is given at initiations, but solitaries may make their own. A simple white cord is usually the best choice. Suitable cord can be found at most fabric stores. Make sure it is long enough to be effective. The traditional length is nine feet.

When it comes to footwear, many practitioners work barefoot. This helps to keep them grounded. However, this is not always an option. Perhaps it’s too cold to have bare feet, or it might be uncomfortable for some, depending on the surface. Footwear should be comfortable and practical. Slippers, if indoors, sandals it it’s summer, and definitely boots if there is snow on the ground.

Having an attractive and sometimes dramatic appearance can help to increase confidence when working magick, especially during the first steps in magick. This increase in confidence, no matter how slight, will increase the quality and power of all magickal workings.

Introduction to Magick: Choosing a Magickal Name

When one practices magick, and especially during ritual magick or casting a circle, one effectively takes on a new persona. Some magickal practitioners, though certainly not all, choose to recognize this ‘alter ego’ by taking on a new name, a name that is only used during magick, or among other magickal practitioners. This name is often called a magickal name.

Should You Choose a Magickal Name?

The decision to take a magickal name is intensely personal. Assuming a new name is a message to the Higher Self that a new facet of the personality has been embraced. Eventually, being called by this magickal name will assist the Higher Self to shift into a higher state of consciousness, thereby making it possible to work magick with greater ease.

Many magickal practitioners choose not to take a magickal name. They feel that it is not a good idea to make a distinction between their magickal selves and their mundane selves. The theory is that emphasizing this difference makes it more difficult for them to incorporate magick into their daily lives.

Each practitioner must decide for themselves if a magickal name is appropriate for them. Either choice is to be accepted and respected.

How to Select a Name for Magickal Practice

There are many different theories on how to select a magickal name. Some feel that a name should be chosen that reflects the Higher Self, its nature, and the qualities it embodies. Other will insist that a magickal name should be selected that describes the qualities one wishes to develop. The truth is, either method is appropriate

Most practitioners will use a combination of meditation, divination, and a great deal of research to choose a name. There are many possibilities when it comes to sources for magickal names. Some of these are:

Ancient mythology

• Herbs and flowers
• Animals
• Sounds
• Elements of nature
• Fantasy or science fiction novels
• Foreign languages
• Acronyms
• Star charts
• Magickal Symbols
• Other people and places

The source of a magickal name is not nearly as important as the feelings it generates.

Magickal names should be filled with power and magick. Don’t be afraid to try different names until one truly fits. However, it can take some time to really connect to a name. Don’t toss one aside too hastily, for fear of discarding one that might truly be perfect, especially when first starting out on a magickal path.