Notes on βVisualizationβ in Witchcraft
In magical writing, you will often encounter the instruction to visualize. You might be told to visualize energy or spirit, to visualize a desired outcome, or to visualize yourself stepping into a circle or a different state of being.
It is important to understand that the word visualization does not need to be taken literally. What we usually mean when we say βvisualizeβ is to imagine strongly and with magical intention.
This imagining can take many forms:
Visual: Seeing images, shapes, colors, or scenes in your mindβs eye. Visual imagining itself exists on a spectrum of clarity and realism. Some people see video-realistic scenes, others see illustrations or static images, while others may only perceive shapes or flashes of light and color. Some people imagine in vivid color, while others see only in black and white.
Auditory: Hearing words, music, chants, or even the imagined sounds of the work you are performing. This might sound like inner soundscape, the echo of a drumbeat, the hiss of wind, or a whispered phrase. If sound is your strongest sense, you might focus on βhearingβ the spell spoken, the energy humming, or the spirit answering.
Narrative/Storytelling: Walking yourself through the process in your mind by describing it to yourself, either silently or aloud. Some witches find that narrating the scene (βI see the circle forming around meβ¦ I feel the air changeβ¦β) keeps them engaged and focused even if no clear mental picture forms.
Tactile: Feeling the warmth or weight of the energy in your hands, the coolness of a breeze sweeping the circle, or the roughness of bark under your palm.
Kinesthetic/Movement: Imagining the sensation of walking through the space, turning to each direction, or raising your arms in a gesture of power.
Scent: Smelling incense smoke, damp earth, or the imagined fragrance of a sacred herb.
Taste: Picturing the flavor of salt, wine, honey, or whatever offering or element is involved in the work.
Your magical imagining can include any one of these or a combination of them. It does not need to focus on (or even include) actual seeing in the Inner Eye.
If βvisualizationβ has been difficult for you because you struggle to generate picture perfect mental images, know that this does not exclude you from effective magical practice. The key is focused, intentional imagining in whatever way your mind best accomplishes it.
