Training of Magical Perception

This exercise is practiced alongside the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. During the first month of practice, you should perform the entire exercise at least twice a week. On each of the other five days you can do one of the five steps of the exercise (letters a, b, c, d, or e) after performing the pentagram ritual. In doing so, during the first month you should pay close attention that you really do practice each individual step equally without putting more emphasis on a certain one.

During the second month, it's enough to just do the entire exercise at least twice per week. After the third month, just do the exercise whenever (and as often as) you feel necessary. If you notice that your magical perception is improving from this exercise (and that will most likely be the case), try intensifying things for a while by extending the length and duration of the exercise. Don't stop performing this exercise until you're completely satisfied with your magical perception. But even then, we recommend you repeat it once every quarter so that you don't get "rusty."

a) After performing and vibrating the Kabbalistic Cross for the second time following the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, keep you eyes closed, stretch out your arms, and walk around the circle, trying to "feel" it. Try not to visualize or imagine the circle in any way when doing so—this won't be necessary at all, even if you don't have much success at first. Usually you'll sense the subtle energies as a soft tingling feeling, or a feeling of warmth or cold, or maybe you'll even feel a slight electrical shock. Carefully note all of your perceptions in your magical diary.

b) Proceed as in step a) except that you'll work with the sense of hearing this time. While walking around the circle, first try hearing each of the god-names that you vibrated in the corresponding directions. (Keep silent while doing this; don't try to help your perception by vibrating the names again.) Then stand in the middle of the circle and try to hear all of the god-names at the same time, each one echoing from its corresponding direction. Carefully note all of your perceptions in your magical diary.

c) Proceed as in step a) except that you'll work with the sense of smell this time. While walking around the circle, first try to sense the general smell of the room you're in. Try to determine if the ritual has made a difference in the small. (Next time you can consciously compare the small of the room before and after the pentagram ritual.) Carefully note all of your perceptions in your magical diary.

d) Proceed as in step a) except that you'll work with the sense of taste this time. While walking around the circle, first try to sense the general taste of the room you're in. Pay attention to your sense of taste before and after the ritual. Carefully note all of your perceptions in your magical diary.

e) Proceed as in step a) except that you'll work with the sense of sight this time. While walking around the circle, open your eyes real wide and try to see it without purposely focusing your eyes. At first you'll probably only see a vague shimmer, like a fog or a mist in the air, as though it were subject to a high degree of heat. This is a good sign. After a while the contours of the circle will become more distinct. Do the same with the symbols, and finally with the images of the archangels as well. Carefully note all of your perceptions in your magical diary.

Don't be discouraged if you can only record minimal success or none at all in your magical diary. After all, this exercise is meant to thoroughly train your magical perception! First…you'll get a good idea of where your strengths lie concerning subtle energy perception. That way, a generally auditory, or even musical, person might "smell" or "see" magical energy better than he or she can hear it, while an extraordinarily haptic person, on the other hand, might find out that he or she can"hear" or "taste" better when it comes to magic.

Excerpted from High Magic, by Frater U∴D∴