Self-Sabotage

your mind is important, but it is even more important you understand what it means to you. The emphasis is on what it stands for.

These types of visualizations are also important for energy work, as most people don’t physically see the energy they are working with. Not with their eyes. You can visualize it in your mind’s eye however works for you. Many people use a colored light to represent energy, with different colors to represent different types of energy.

What matters the most when you are using an abstract type of visualization is another extremely important skill of the Craft—your intention.

Intention is why you are doing a working. Focusing your intention with as many details as possible builds not only the strength of your intention but also your confidence in your working. Your working is nothing without your intention.

Combine intention with visualization, add in energy and some patience, and you have the basic ingredients for all sorts of wonderful magical workings. These are the basics of the Craft, and throughout the rest of this book we will talk about ways of using and combining them to create the future and world you want to live in.

Self-Sabotage

No amount of magical work will change anything for the better if the work you do in the mundane world is counterproductive. This is a simple cold, hard truth. We cannot do magical

19

work and then sabotage it with what we do in the mundane world and expect our magical work to be the victor. It doesn’t work that way. Our magical work must always be backed up with supportive work in the mundane world.

Whenever you do magical workings, think about how you will back it up with your nonmagical workings. Wanting to be a happier person with a bright future is wonderful, but it can be a lot easier to say than to achieve.

We all have traumas, and to become our best, most complete, happiest self, we must deal with those traumas. We will discuss this more in the chapter on shadow work. For now, remember trauma responses can cause us to self-sabotage without realizing it. The more we heal trauma, the more effective our mundane workings are in backing up our magical workings. We must pay close attention to the actions we take in the mundane world to ensure they are supportive of our magic.

If you want a life that is more positive, you must be willing to make the changes required to bring the positivity in and keep the negativity out. Making small changes, one at a time, is easier to work into a routine than trying to do too much at once. As you successfully make changes, your self-esteem and confidence grow. Trying to make large changes all at once may be setting the bar too high. This results in self-sabotage by setting yourself up for failure. Give yourself the advantage of achieving successes by giving yourself more, smaller goals, instead of fewer, larger ones.

20