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This tells the story pretty well. It doesn't really go into any deeper reasoning though. Maybe you can come up with your own ideas after knowing the story. In my understanding, Ganesh is the lord of obstacles. By recognizing him first, you're pleading to remove any obstacles from the goal of communing/recognizing/merging/whatever with self/brahman/ishta-devta/whatever. It's the same reason we view fire as important in ritual. The god Agni is said to relay messages and bring offerings to the heavens. Fire, quite obviously, represents much more than just that, too. There's a lot of things that are said to be important in prayer and ritual, and they're often quite elaborate. Everyone's a little different though, and you have to find your own way, form your own ideas of what's important, what goals you want, and deeper spiritual ideas; That will help to show you the way to which path to take, even inside larger, multi-branched religions such as Hinduism and Christianity. Just my thoughts on the topic.

There are already forces in place that take care of karma. By surrendering the actions to a higher power, you are effectively reducing the karmic "cost" for the action, whether positive or negative. Now, understand that this is beneficial in reducing overall karma, which needs to be burnt through before moksha. This might not be proper advice for a witchcraft thread, but, whatever. Basically, you're gonna do what you're gonna do. Asking for moral advice isn't going to change something you've already decided for or against. Everyone has a different background, different views, different ways of approaching spirituality as well. People's goals differ, and their path leads them to their goal. You are the only one who determines your goal, and therefor, establishes your own path. If you believe that performing black magic/k is the proper thing to do in your life or your path at this time, then that's what you've got to do. Look within, or to a higher power. Ask, "is this the right thing?" I have no doubt you'll get the answer you're looking for. Trust yourself.

Try researching Buddhi Mudra. I've also seen it called Varun Mudra, Bhudi/Bhudy Mudra, among others. Basic explanation is thumb tip to pinky tip. The pinky is supposed to represent Mercury, which stimulates mental clarity and communication skill. However, it also is said to balance the water element, which is related to the bodily fluids and can have a balancing effect on things like mucus and water retention, etc. The water element also relates to both emotional states as well as psychic awareness. Therefor, the mudra is believed to stimulate psychic development too. Some simple google searches gave way too many results for me to choose which to provide. I know it's an old topic, but I hope that this may benefit you. It's definitely one you can do with one hand.

Thank you very much. Glad to be here. I've just read the three articles you directed me to. Pretty simple rules.

Hi everyone, I'm new here, as you can probably tell. My significant other has been a member for quite some time, and is quite active here, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm quite interested in Alchemy, and I'm working on a few things at the moment. It'll be a few weeks before they're ready. Maybe, if all goes well, I could start some discussions about my projects. Heh, maybe if it doesn't, I could still talk about it and see if anyone has advice or something. I've read quite a few books on the subject, but I'm finally starting to actually walk the path. I'm one of those people who likes to know as much about something as they can before they actually approach it (I think it's my Rat nature, my Chinese Zodiac sign, lol). It's an odd topic, so I doubt here's the place to really go in depth on it. I'm also interested in Yoga. Mostly the philosophical, devotional, and mystic side of it. Not so much into Hatha yoga, seeing as how I don't have money for classes and I've seen people injure themselves doing it on their own. I perform Bhakti yoga, being devoted to lord Shiva. Y'know, puja, mudra, mantra, japa, etc. I feel as though the Shiva Sutras have made a pretty big impact on my life. I also decided to practice brahmacharya, so I've deleted all my porn, stopped going to dating/sex sites, and am trying to be more conservative about the type of media I take in. Heh, I probably sound like a prudish weirdo now, but I've got to admit, this is a huge change for me. I've also practiced witchcraft since I was about 13 or so. I was heavily into Wicca back then, but after many years I realized that it just didn't click with me. I didn't feel satisfied, fulfilled, or like I was making any personal/spiritual/psychological/whatever progress. Sure, I could cast some spells and get results, but it wasn't really making me "evolve", if you know what I'm getting at. I want to be a better person, bring good things to myself and those around me, and impact the world in a profoundly positive way. I feel like Wicca is a good way to feel good about yourself, and maybe get in tune with the natural cycles of the Earth, but I couldn't really find a way to get much deeper than that. Maybe it's just me, and if it is, that's totally fine. If the system works for you, I'm very happy for you! I'm not trying to negate anyone else's beliefs or systems, I'm just stating my own personal experience, that's all. I hope no one takes what I'm saying as an attack. All that said, I have found that some of the practices are pretty much the same regardless of what path you're on, and are quite effective for obtaining specific goals. So yeah, still in "witchcraft". Aside from that, I also make herbal medicine. Really into tinctures, salves, teas, etc. I've been told that some of my medicines are pretty effective. It makes me really happy to be able to help people. If I had some way to make that my life's work, I'd do it. Sadly, I don't see it ever being more than just a simple hobby. Anyway, I'm mostly here to see if I can get more insight into Alchemy and Yoga. Thank you.