In a previous post I shared some thoughts and experiences around how to start over with your magical practice. In this post I’m going to share some practical steps to take when you decide to start over and reinvent your magical practice. These steps can help you figure out the best path forward with going back to the basics and then building your new magical practice from there.
1. Assess your magical practices. The first step is simple, yet hard. You need to take a critical look at your current magical practices and determine what’s working and what isn’t working. And you need to be willing to let go of all of those practices, even the ones that are working, because while they may be working in some ways, they may be getting in your way, ultimately. You can only determine by looking at where you are in your life and at how your spiritual practices have helped get you there.
For example, when I looked at my spiritual practice a few years ago, I realized I was spending a lot of effort on magic that focused on trying to control everything, but I had hit a wall with it. It had worked, but suddenly it wasn’t working as well and I cam to the conclusion that I had burned out and needed to let go of those practices and do something new.
2. Re-evaluate your relationship with your spirits. You will also want to take a critical look at the on-going relationships you have with spirits and decide if you want to continue those relationships as is, re-negotiate them, or let them go entirely. Again, this requires you to look at the relationship itself as well how that relationship benefited you and the spirits you work with. It also depends on the work you end up doing. Some of your spirits may not be a good fit for the reinvented approach you take with your magical practice.
For instance, I stopped working with several goetic Daimons that I had worked with for years, because the relationships were no longer a good fit. I did a farewell ritual to them and we parted ways. You will want to do something similar, where you thank the spirits for working with you and let them know you’re ready to part ways. If you’ve approached your work with them correctly, you shouldn’t have any issues with them.
3. Start exploring alternative practices and/or go back to basics. If you come to the conclusion that you need to reinvent your spiritual practice, then you’ll want to start exploring some alternative practices. Read some books or attend some classes, or do some spiritual work you’ve been meaning to do, but have previously put off. And consider going back to the roots of your spiritual practice and re-engaging your spiritual practice from the perspective of a beginner.
In my case, I decided to start memorizing and practicing the sphere of art. I had read the books, but not committed myself to the work. So I made a commitment to myself and started doing the work. Learning that system of magic involved memorizing chants and letting go of the need to be in control and instead simply mediating the energies and spirits I was working with.
4. Continue doing the magical work and evaluate how it’s effecting your life. Do the work each day. Make it something you live. And then look at how it is effecting your life. Are you better or worse than you were before? What lessons are you learning because you are doing this new practice? Answering those questions can help you decide to keep going with the new practice or go in a different direction.
I decided to stick with the sphere of art because I found that it helped me get a lot of clarity around my life. The direction and focus I’ve had has been phenomenal and its transforming my life in truly wonderful ways.
These 4 practical steps are what you need to do if you decide to reinvent your spiritual practice. Following these steps will help you find that spiritual practice and apply it to your life. From there, you just have to show up and do the work.
