The daily rituals are the most commonly practiced techniques by the modern Occultist, Beginner and Adept alike; for one to halt their practice altogether would most likely prove to be unwise. Yet, I am sure most would agree that the monotony of the day-to-day continuation can tend to become boring or even tiresome. This is especially true for the Beginner, whose mind searches hungrily for new powers and knowledge; a beginner may begin to wonder why he/she continues the repetitious practice of daily work when it seems that all there is to gain has come and gone.

Likewise, I have also spoken to many Adepts who have grown weary of the practice of the same rituals and techniques everyday. The difference between the Beginner and the Adept, however, was that the Adept found new ways of "reviving" these daily rituals, instead of placing them in the memory bank of forgotten tools as a Beginner might be more wont to do.

That being said, below are a few good techniques that can be used to revive and redeem the seemingly exhausted rituals of daily practice. These techniques are presented with a strong foundation of High Magick and Kabbalah (since most of my training has been seated in these practices). They can, however, be used for any style of ritual; their only requirement is the possession of a well-rounded imagination.

The Banishing Ritual
The most popular basic ritual used by the magician is, without a doubt, the Banishing Ritual. While generally used for the obvious (a banishing), it can also be used as a daily prayer or visualization technique. The most popular Banishing Ritual used is that of the Pentagram. Though it has survived through the ages via the vast community of practitioners, sometimes it may seem as though it needs a little "more" added to it, to enhance the purpose of its use. An example of how to enhance the Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram:

As you make the pentagrams in the air in front of you, you can visualize the blazing flame shining bright with the color that is associated with that quadrant. Or, you can visualize the pentagram being formed out of the element that it is representing in that quadrant. If your visualization skills have been well trained, you can visualize actions being performed upon the symbol. The pentagram can be formed out of the element, in the color that corresponds to that element, for example. As you trace the pentagram of air in the east, you can visualize it as a mist of air, glowing in a bright, brilliant yellow. In the south the pentagram can be traced with a blazing fire of red-orange. In the west, it would be a pentagram of blue water, and in the north an earthly pentagram of green rock or soil (or whatever you choose to represent the element of earth).

Performing Rituals on the Astral Plane
Another technique I have used with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is to perform it on the astral plane. I noticed, shortly after I had (for a time) ceased my practice of this ritual (mistakenly thinking that I had mastered it), that I began to feel depressed and upset. It occurred to me that it was possible that I had picked up negative energy while meditating and traveling unprotected on the astral plane, and had brought it back into my physical body.

While vacating the astral realm, I closed my eyes and went through the whole ritual. To my surprise, as soon as I entered back into my physical body, I felt good. During the ritual, I saw its meaning in a whole new light. I was enlightened by it. The astral plane can be an excellent place to perform (and meditate upon the meaning of) various rituals.

"Fire Talking" to Build Magickal Energy
Another daily practice of the dedicated magician is that of building magickal energy. After all, without knowledge and the well-trained ability to create energy, there simply cannot be much magick done. The technique that I use to do such an act is the Ritual of the Middle Pillar.

As I have mentioned, the art of building magickal energy is one that must be mastered so that the magick that is being worked can have a conduit to "ride" on its way to the "source" of magick and life; one very good technique for this is the art of chanting words. Whether they are "God names," a mantra, or just mental babble upon which you concentrate, a chanted word or phrase can be a very powerful tool to the Practitioner.

One technique that I have discovered to have vast power and seduction is to use a bit of imagination, creativity, and visualization during the ritual. This next technique that I am going to try and explain is something that I call "fire talking."

As you chant the word or phrase of power, visualize it spitting from your lips, spelled out, in a blaze of fire. This fire can be whatever color you want or need it to be, and in whatever language you choose. As it is blazing from your lips, floating in front of you, steadying itself by the powers that have been bestowed upon it, visualize it being absorbed by the universe and reforming itself above your head into a blazing ball. Then, as you begin to chant the next "word of fire," visualize the reformed blazing ball of mighty, energetic fire that you created above your head, bursting into sand-like particles, and sifting down upon you and being absorbed by your aura. As it is soaking into your outer shell, feel the blazing energy being taken in by you and charging you; this will ensure that when the time comes for you to use the energy to direct your magick, you will be well prepared with plenty of magickal energy.

These techniques, like all magickal techniques, can be very powerful and must be used with caution. When using the "fire talking" technique, when you feel that you have built enough energy so to do the task at hand, you should stop.

Daily rituals need not be deserted; with a little creativity, imagination, and desire, you can continue to manifest your energy into positive daily practices. Whether you use the ones presented here or create your own, Beginner and Adept alike can revive and restore their daily work.