Tag Archives: hedgeriding

@kami-sarna

I saw your post on the water trance, I was wondering if you had made or will make one on fire? 

I haven’t made one yet – I was awaiting the request and here it is!

Flying With Fire: A(nother) Hedgeriding Tutorial

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There are a few separate ways to utilize fire in trance-work and hedgeriding – and is probably the oldest method thereof, considering the human adoration and reliance on fire – it is the flame that allowed us to be as we are, for cooking allowed us to reallocate metabolic energy from fighting infectious agents in the gut to the formation of a more advanced brain. As such, fire is particularly suited symbolically to act as a medium for trance-work.

The basic principle is the same and is (theoretically) a relatively simple process, as with most trance magic – however, as I’m sure most know, there is more to trance magic than simple methodology. Yes, some are naturally predisposed to astral travel and edgewalking, but for those who aren’t, crossing over can be a very trying process that demands patience. The process cannot be forced or rushed – for it demands respect and humility.

The utilization of fire begins with – not surprisingly – fire. The size is unimportant, though a bonfire is traditional. Other alternatives being candles, lanterns, torches and small, contained fires (such as one in a durable bowl or cauldron). For the latter, I recommend using Sacred Fire – as it has been created for such divine purposes and its use in edgewalking can potentially strengthen the process. Unlike water, however, fire comes with a stricter time-limitation. While it can be a stronger medium, it must too come with its limitations: when the fire is extinguished, the trip is over. So don’t dally.

Fire is also more hazardous, obviously, which can prove to be another limitation. If you lack confidence in your fire-making and tending skills, I would recommend an alternative – because the worry of causing a conflagration will act antithetically to your ability to travel unencumbered.

Once your fire has been fashioned, your choice thereof will determine how best to proceed:

  • Bonfire: Obviously the most traditional, the methodology surrounding can take a few turns depending on your own preferences. For those who find movement beneficial to trance, dancing around the fire can be very productive. To do so, one must release all inhibitions – letting go of thoughts regarding the dance and simply allowing the music to take you. Trance is very much about mindlessly occupying the physical so that the mind and spirit might wander. Allow your body to absently be carried with the music – and then, you might free your mind and spirit from its confines. For those less inclined to movement, I also recommend music – specifically drums. There are few things that go so well together as drums and fire – the instruments of man. Lay at a short distance from the fire – far enough to be away from any cascading embers, but close enough to still feel its warmth. Position yourself with the top of your head pointed in the fire’s direction, allow the light to dance against your closed eyelids. Allow the drums to enthrall you and pull from you your spirit. It is most important not to dwell on forcing yourself to leave your body. This is counterintuitive. It’s about letting go – something that cannot be forced. If you grapple with discouragement, you are not yet ready for hedgeriding.
  • Lanterns/Torches: These are used in a more physical manner – and something that is more so reserved to mediums than those who do not possess the Sight. For this method, you will need a torch or lantern and an open space – woods, fields, and deserts are all perfectly good options. This method relies not on severing the mind and spirit from the body, but bringing the chosen realm to the physical – the torch or lantern acting as a guide or beacon. To perform, simply light the lantern and cite your purpose – which plane do you wish to observe, what is it that you seek, etc. Take a few moments to prepare, a few deep breaths, then hold the lantern/torch high and walk. Allow your eyes to unfocus so that it is only blurry warm, fire-light perceived. Do not look at the lantern, it is the lantern light that is important – not the actual flame. Walk until you begin to “see” into the Otherworld through the mind. Once you have broken through, to traverse the plane you need only will it to be. Think of the person, place or thing you seek and allow it to come to you as you walk onward. Once you have found what you seek, allow yourself to snap back to this plane and extinguish the torch or lantern. If for any instance the torch or lantern goes out, do not relight it: instead leave and try again on a different day.
  • Candles/Small Fires: This is undoubtedly the most accessible fashion and the one most often discussed. In this instance, it is exactly opposite to the torch/lantern method, in that the flame is the most crucial element. It’s simple – merely look at the flame, allowing your eyes to unfocus so all that you see is the dancing of the flame. It is at which point that you must turn introspective (and for me it feels quite literal, as though my eyes are drawn from their sockets and into my “Third Eye.” The vision circles in my brain before piercing outward from whence it entered – it is then that the traveling begins. In much the same fashion as above, you need only will it to find the person/place/thing you seek – allowing it to come to you, not vice versa. I think that’s what makes hedgeriding experiences so frustrating to people – they believe that it must be this journey first to get where you need to be – when in reality, you need only allow the place to come to you. Do not let the limitations of this plane (such as time and space) limit you in the others.

Hopefully that was of some help! Fire is one of my favorite elements as it lends itself so nicely to my airy essence – we feed one another and feed off one another in such a symbiotic way – as such I very much enjoy utilizing it in all manner of spellwork. Considering your request for it, I’m sure you feel much the same way and I hope this might help you find what it is you seek!

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Walking on Water: A Hedgeriding/Trance Tutorial

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Water is – in essence – life, and has no shortage of uses in
the Craft. Given its fluid nature, it is often likened to the realm of emotion
which, like an ocean, is vast, changing and unpredictable. While not often thought
of as so, water can be extremely volatile in its capacity for change and
motion. It’s this volatility that makes it a perfect conductor for spirit. I’ve
said it once and I’ll say it again, all water is connected. It dwells in pools,
constitutes the body of all living organisms and even occupies the air and
atmosphere. All water that is has been – in a constant state of physical
flux since the earth was yet new.

This “ritual” (more a procedure, really) allows for a vast
range of applications – though despite the title, there is no actual walking on
water for we humans. Instead, we might use water as a medium – one that will
free us (if only temporarily) from the solid physicality we know. I have used this procedure for a few different purposes, including channeling,
astral travel, “time travelling,” spiritual communion, oracular visions, subconscious
exploration, and descension (that’s right, Orpheus, I’m coming for your crown). In
a sense, is promotes a sort of trance-like state for those not innately gifted
with the capacity for such. As I said, it loosens the ties to this plane –
allowing the spirit to more easily traverse unencumbered.

To perform, you’ll need only three things: water, a vessel,
and a relatively tall chair. I use a large copper bowl for my vessel (which I
literally use for almost everything in the Craft; at this point I feel like I
should set up its own college fund, it’s like my child) and it serves me
nicely. I have, however, also used a bathtub, perched on the edge, but this is
far more difficult to do considering the short distance from the water you’ll
be sitting at. By all means, however, put yourself a tall chair in a bathtub –
if nothing else, anyone walking in will be dumbfounded.

Begin by filling the bowl part-way with water (and some
salt, if you’d like). You don’t need a lot – in fact, you’ll want to be scant
so as to prevent any overflow. Arrange the chair and bowl in an open space,
such as the center of a room. Feel free to light any candle and put on music that
might benefit your preferred process for trance – hell, use an entheogen if you
have to! You may also seek to set up a form of protection or safeguard – one that
might pull you from the trance if need be. This can also be set as a sort of
alarm, one that signals for you to return if you get caught up. It’s all the
same principle as any sort of astral/trance work or hedgeriding/edgewalking.

It is at this point that I flick off the lights. Whether a
mere aesthetic choice or practical, I’m not sure, but doing trance magic under
electric lights just pains me. The darkness or warm glow of a candle is much
more leading.

Sit in the chair, arranging yourself comfortably, but the
more upright the better – resting your back against the chair’s – this prevents
any physical discomfort from drawing you back too early. Begin with a bit of
breathing, maybe some stretching if that’s what you’re more comfortable with. When
you’re ready, begin. Raise your legs and touch the soles of your bare feet to
the water’s surface. You can even submerge them partially, but the goal here is
to have the touching nothing but the water. Don’t rest them on the bottom of
the bowl, at least not until you’re “in.” This is where a higher chair pays
off, because holding your legs up can be strenuous and cause for some sore
thighs and back the next day or two. This, however, can act as a sort of safeguard
for beginners when it comes to trance-work. It allows you only to stay “under”
so long as your feet are held up. Dropping them snaps you back. This can be
useful for those who are unfamiliar with the process and allow for brief jaunts
instead of long hauls until the time has come and you’re comfortable enough to
do so.

From that point, the worlds are your oyster. You might now
move unencumbered to the darkest reaches of the realms, through time, through
space, etc. For channeling – however, you will most certainly want to set up a safeguard – even with trusted
deities. When it comes to the occupation of your own body by another
(especially those who are very powerful), it’s always extremely important to
have a failsafe. While host will reject a spirit that is not its own, it can be
a varyingly timed process. For spirits, occupation of a mortal body can be
detrimental to the spirits well-being as well as your own. And as you made the
choice to allow their entry, it is your responsibility to ensure both theirs
and your own safety.

For those of you interested in other elemental mediums
(earth, air, fire) for trance, I will happily write up a tutorial upon request!
All of which are interesting, I simply chose water because it was my first
medium and the simplest/most accessible to perform.

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