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The following is an excerpt i found in a recent book i read entitled Practice of Magic: An Introductory Guide and i thought it would possibly be useful for those interested in Magic and the Occult. I highly recommend the book, this is only the 2nd chapter and it is filled with gems and its only $8 bucks on Kindle. Enjoy. http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Magic-Introductory-Guide-Art/dp/0877288070/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356896193&sr=8-1&keywords=Practice+of+Magic Chapter 2 Preparing to Practicing "Despite any of the various accoutrements required in the various modes of magical practice, the primary instruments of magicians are their consciousness, their mental faculties, and the physical bodies which house them. To become magical practitioners students must begin training the conscious mental faculties. Regardless of the particular practice that students intend to master, the first steps on the path are the same. Potential magicians must learn to relax and quiet their physical bodies. Once this is accomplished, they learn to take control of their minds. Until these two steps are mastered there is no sense in going further into the study of any of the various forms of magic. The mastery of these two steps may take willing and enthusiastic students three or four years under the direction of an able teacher. For neophytes working without the benefit of the direct instructions of a real teacher, it may take considerably longer. In our age of "i want this right now," there is a constant search for easy methods and quick solutions. In fact there is no royal road to magical practice, any more than there is a royal road to any other skill or ability. Those who promise quick and easy solutions to complex developmental processes are usually either charlatans or people who have nothing real to offer students. Developing yourself for the practice of magic requires a considerable amount of patient effort which is devoted in small bits of time over the course of many years. Eventually the performance of various exercises become a habitual part of life. At this point you begin to make progress that gradually becomes apparent. The first exercise my own teacher gave me was a relaxation exercise. I was given the exercise in the same form that it is given below, and told that i could see him again once i had mastered the exercise by practicing it for at least three months. I returned in four months with the exercise, to my knowledge, completed mastered. My teacher worked with me for about an hour, and showed me that i had only begun to scratch the surface of the exercise. He then sent me away with the admonition to return only when i had mastered the exercise. This time it was six months before i felt that i had some mastery of the exercise and was able to return to him for further guidance. I still practice this relaxation exercise on a daily basis, and intend to do so for the rest of my life. Relaxation The tensions of daily life permeate us with their nervous energy. We become unknowing receptors for the thoughts and emotions of others. Until we can learn to relax to a certain depth, and rid ourselves of tensions of daily life, we are not able to act on the world, much less to discipline our minds. All that we can do in this over-active state is react to influences exerted on us by the world around us. We can not become ourselves if we are full of muscular and nervous tensions that constantly demand our conscious or subconscious attention. We have nothing within ourselves to develop if we are simply reacting to the influences of the physical and non-physical world around us. In this situation--the situation in which most people live---we are not able to really express our fullest potential. Human beings were intended by their creator to become forces in the universe. We cannot become active forces in the universe if we are assailed by the universe to the point where we are so fully distracted that we have no time to act on the world in which we live. Relaxation, learning to free ourselves from external tension, is always the first step in development. Until we can live on Earth in a relaxed and stress-free manner, we are not going to be able to learn how to act on Earth in any real way. The relaxation exercise is simplicity itself. All that is required is that you relax your physical body as completely as possible for thirty minutes per day. During this time you should learn to ignore any thoughts which may present themselves to your mind. Do not try to blank your mind, just ignore any thoughts which may enter into it. Concentrate your mind only on relaxing your physical body. Relax yourself by releasing all of the tension from your muscles. Simply lay or sit comfortably, and mentally direct your physical body to relax. This is all there is to it. Because this exercise is deceptively simple, many people ignore it, to their loss. If you are sincerely interested in improving yourself, to say nothing of learning to practice magic, you will use this exercise to your advantage. Once you have practiced this exercise for atleast six months you should be living your life in a considerably more relaxed state. You will find that this will be of benefit to you in your everyday affairs, as well as giving you some insight into the process of preparing yourself to practice magic. The next exercise is one which Aleister Crowley used to develop his magical abilities. Although at the time he received this exercise he was a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, and considered by most of his association to be an accomplished magician, he really began developing his magical abilities on a cruise to Mexico. On board the ship he met a man who was also a mountain climber. In conversation they discovered that they were both intending to climb the same mountain. In further conversation Crowley revealed his interest in magic to his new acquaintance. The man was not impressed, because he had observed that Crowley was unable to concentrate his mind. He gave Crowley the following exercise, which Crowley mastered on the cruise. One he had mastered this exercise, he found that his magical abilities improved greatly as a result. The concentration exercise is given in substantially the same here as it was given to Aleister Crowley. When you master the exercise you will find that you have gained control over your mind. *Examine any common place object: a lead pencil will do. Observe and note as many details as possible in the object. Now set the object aside, and write down as many details as you can recall from memory. Describe the object completely from memory. *Now reexamine the object, seeking for new details. Put it aside, and once again write down all the new details you discover. *Lastly, close your eyes, and in a state of relaxation, visualize the object in your mind's eye. See the object in your mind as it is in the physical state, visualizing all of the details you have noted in it. Hold this image as long as you can, adding all of the details you have found in the object. Practice this exercise with a different familiar object every day for at least three months, while continuing to do your relaxation exercise. This exercise will develop your ability to pay attention. It will also begin developing your ability to observe and concentrate upon objects. You should begin this exercise with simple things, like tableware, pencils, pens and the like. As you perfect yourself with these objects, you may go on to more complex things such as the decor of a room,pictures,....etc As i mentioned, these exercises seem to be deceptively simply. However, they have a real, positive, and lasting effect on those who master them. You should take the time to master them if you are serious about striving to develop yourself in any way." Practice of Magic: An Introductory Guide to the Art -My 2 cents, Peace