Inhale. Exhale.

I heard and read that meditation is bae so many times. But it just didn’t add up to me. How come just sitting and doing nothing, thinking of nothing, could be helpful?

It was during one of my ayahuasca trips that I got the strong feeling that I should start meditating on a daily basis or else I’d get stuck. I learned the hard way to take my ayahuasca insights very seriously, so I started the following day.

And boy, I’m happy I did.

I struggled with anxiety for so many years of my life. Ayahuasca did help, but there’s only so much it could do for me in bi-monthly sessions. There’s research on how psychedelics can rewire your brain by temporarily making the wires flexible, so to say. And, with time and experience, I figured meditation can do the same for you, but in a slower, gentler rhythm. (I think, however, that meditating under an altered state of consciousness is awesome in many ways, mostly in a therapeutic one.)

But it’s not all green meadows and sunshine. In my experience, both meditating and taking psychedelics make the veil between conscious and unconscious mind thinner. And in my case, I had a lot of trauma and rage stored in that deep corner, underneath a rug, of my mind. Sometimes, some of the ugly stuff does rear its head.

So I guess you have to have some sort of guidance, even if it is your own. Thankfully, meditation is wonderful for self-guidance. Frater Xavier, the awesome creator of Mind and Magick YouTube channel, taught me a trick: meditate, ask your subconscious mind your question and release. Let go. Exhale. At some point, an answer will show up.

Another interesting thing he taught me is the role of the subconscious mind in manifestation magick. Basically, you plant the intention of the spell via the conscious mind’s will into the chalice of the unconscious mind. It is connected to the collective unconscious, where it has access to the cosmic web. And all of our beloved ritual gimmicks and tricks are basically symbolic representatives of the spheres of manifestation we’re dealing with in the spell.

So you see, meditation is bae for magicians. After all, being able to clearly attune yourself to the intent makes your spell that much sharper and focused, which definitely yields better results in this Malkuth domain.

So shed your stubbornness like I once did.

Be still.

Inhale.

Exhale.

And just be.