What is ritual?  The human self, in this form is divided into at least three parts. The first is the one you are the most familiar with, because it's what you think of when you think of yourself.  It's what you think with when you think of you.  It's known by several names, talking self, or center self are two that I am familiar with. Talking self is your mind, your grocery list, that part of you that watches TV, the part that you dream poetry with, the part that talks on the phone, the every
day you.  But there is more.  There is also the part of you that contacts the gods, the universe, your past lives, your future lives, magic energy, and all the rest.  It's called higher self, spirit self and several other names.  The only problem with higher self is that you can't talk to it directly.  It  would be much easier if you could, believe me.  But unfortunately, in this part of our progression, we can't.  To have the higher self manipulate the forces of the universe for you, you have to go
through a guardian.  A bratty, sometimes tempermental, 3-6 year old called younger self or play self.  You see, younger self is like the subconscious, only deeper.  It's the part of you that has the animal instincts.  Its the part of you where you store loves and hates, play games and think of sweets.  Now younger self does not do talking so well.  But younger self does love games, and costumes, and symbols, and candles and all the things a three year old loves.  To send a
message to higher self, we have to use things that younger self likes and will take and show to higher self.  Higher self, will know the meanings of what you have done.  So, basically a ritual is a big play and costume production put on for the benefit of your younger self.  Some people use nothing but nice rocks.  Some people wear fancy costumes.  Some people use candles, good smelling herbs, colorful papers, anything that younger self will like and take to show higher self.

Now we get to the "how" - If you really want to be a skilled energy worker or magickian, you need to know how to do a few things.  One of the most important is visualize.  Remember, younger self does not use words so well.  So if you show him/her a picture of what you want she/he will know what to tell higher self you want.  Imagine all your bills with the words "paid in full" on them, and do a ritual that feels right to you, and you have just cast a spell.  Simple?  Maybe.  But if you cannot visualize things well, you might as well forget it.  So how do you get good at visualizing?  Well there are exercises out there, like imagining you are eating an apple, stuff like that is dull and guaranteed to bore the snot out of your inner three year old.  One of the best things I have found is playing with toys.

I'm convinced that to be a good spell worker you must either have had a late childhood, never grown up, or have to re-discover your childhood.  Thats right, you gotta be able to play.  Now I know some of you might have siblings or kids to play with, but That’s NOT the same thing.  You need to be able to sit in a room, all by yourself, for a whole hour, and play with toys.  Not just move the car around the floor and do "vroom-vroom--screech" sounds either.   That’s just going through the motions.  When you move thedoll around in a walking motion, you and I both know the legs don’t move, but you have to be able to "see" them move.  Knees bend, mouths move, people sit in cars, doors open.  Those are not chairs, those are buildings.  Its not a couch, its an airport.  I'm not an adult sitting in a laundry basket with a tube sock around my neck, I am a world famous hot air balloonist wearing my lucky red scarf as the winds of the polar ice cap
soar under my feet.  If you can't do this, get practicing, then move to the next exercises later.  Yes, I know you feel like a fool, but it gives you a chance to buy those toys I know you have been looking at in the toy store.

Grounding and Centering - When you get good at visualizing you are ready for your next step.  Grounding is literally the process of tapping into the energy of the Mother Earth, and putting your old energy into the recycling bin.  Centering is the process of aligning your chakras and your awareness.  Grounded and centered, you are very powerful.  Like a tree, it will take more than just a breeze to move you anywhere you do not want to go. The process goes something like this: 

Sit quietly in a dim room.  Light music can be of a help.  You won't want to be interrupted, so lock doors, turn off phones and answering machines, and tell anyone in the house that you need some privacy.  Sit on the floor, bed, couch or chair.  Let your body get comfortable.  Do all your scratching and stretching, and don't beat yourself up if you have trouble sitting perfectly still like some monk in a martial arts movie.  It will come with time and patience.  Clear your mind.  Let any thoughts that come to you just go without comment.  Once again, don't beat yourself up because you are not a Zen master.  Younger self will try to distract
you, especially at first.  As you relax take note of your breathing.  You should be
breathing slowly and steady, in though the nose, and rich clean deep breaths out of your mouth.  Not too fast, we don't want you to hyperventilate, but make sure that you are breathing deeper than you do normally.  While doing this I want you to think of your body.  Normally we think like we are looking out windows.  Very two dimensional.  But now I want you to feel your body with your mind.  It has depth, it's three dimensional. It has weight and volume, air comes and goes.
Blood flows.  Your arms might be tired from typing so much today,  your feet may be sore from walking,  your bach hurt from lifting.  Really take a few moments to get in tune with that house for your spirit again.

When you feel ready, I want you to imagine roots at the base of your spine.  Like a new tree they are short and thin, but they are there. Try and feel through them, like they are fingers.  Now feel them begin to grow.  See them go down through the floor and the foundation of your house and into the soil.  Feel them sigh when the finally touch the soil.  Feel how rich it is, and how cool it is under the house. Let them go deeper, digging their way down.  You might find a little river under the ground, encounter old stones, and the soil gets thicker, as do your roots. Deeper and deeper they go, past the water table, into the very granite.  Deeper and deeper through the cracks in the very bedrock.  Stronger and deeper they go, to where the stone is almost solid.  Then it does become solid.  And your roots probe and seek.  They find ways deeper, because they are magickal roots, and they will not fail.  Really feel this happen.  See it in your mind.

The touch of the rock, the smell of the stone.  As your roots grow deeper and thicker, the stone begins to warm.  It gives way as you push at it, becoming like warm putty.  Deeper and deeper they grow, the pressure building, and the rock growing hotter and redder and more fluid.  Finally the roots burst though a
last barrier into the very center of the earth.  Mother Earth.   It is molten and comfortably warm.  It's reds and oranges and pinks.  It throbs with the essence of all Creation.  It is welcoming and glad that you are here.  It loves and cares for you, and will do anything to help.  She will always help her children.  Bask in the warm of the center for a few moments, then without pulling your  roots up,
return just a bit of your awareness to your body.  With all the energy of Mother Earth in you, it should be easy to see the parts of you that are not healthy.  Your poor heart may have dark spots near it, the ache in your legs might stand out, the headache you have been trying to ignore.  One by one, let these fall down the roots like a stone down a deep well to the center.  Check your legs, check
your lungs.  In your mind look in every nook of yourself and let these things go down, down to the ultimate recycling bin.  You don’t need this energy, but Mother Earth does.  She will use it, and process it, and change it, and let another who needs energy take it.  Or give it to a rock, or a tree or a bird.  She will take care of these problems now, not you, so drop them and let the energy go.

Then, when you feel you are done, check again, only closer and do it some more.

When you really feel like you are done, it's time to refill.  Feel your roots drinking up some of that molten glowing energy.  It might feel like warm butter, or smell like oranges, or be cool, or look like it is glowing pink, each person will experience energy differently.  Let it come up your roots, though the warm stones, through the hard rock, though the bedrock, rising and rising.  Up through the ground water, past the river, though the soil and the floor and begin to fill
you like a fountain welling up.  It spills into your legs first, affecting those feet and
knees.  It fills the pelvis and your rear, and begins moving up still. It fills your tummy and intestines, and your tight lower back.  Higher still, into your chest.  It washes into your lungs, and around your heart like a gentle bath.  Your back is now free and warm, as it spills down into your arms and hands, making them tingle. Into your neck, and tight jaw.  Washing around your eyes and your poor tired overworked brain.  Until every part of you is filled and even your hair is aglow.  A bit wells up out of your head and spills to the ground, falling all the way back to the core.  You are like a fountain. Bask in this for a few moments.  Think about energy coming up as you breathe in, and welling out of your head and falling, falling down as you breathe out.  Savor this feeling and remember it.  You are now grounded.

As you become better at grounding we will then move into the next phase - 

Centering 

To be continued....