Grounding
In preparation for visualization, one should ground first.
To ground is to establish a connection to the energy of the earth.
Grounding helps to prevent the body from becoming overly stressed. It helps to keep your energy system safe when you are doing spiritual work or magick. It can rid the body of excess energy at the end of a spell or ritual, and prevents you from feeling agitated or over tired after a magickal working.
Grounding may be done before or after a ritual, or both.
Simple Grounding
A simple way to ground is just to sit with your palms on the earth. Feel the energy flow from the earth into your body from your palms. The energy flows up your arms, into your body. Feel the energy circulate through your body and back to the earth through your palms. Visualize the energy moving into the earth. Feel all the excess energy you may be carrying flow into the earth.
If you are in a home, sit on the floor and feel the energy go down past the foundations of the house and enter the earth.
The eating of fruits and vegetables after grounding should help also, and can never hurt.
One of the best methods to achieve grounding is the Tree of Life Exercise below.
The Tree of Life
Sit or stand with your body extended and erect.
Breathe deep and with a rhythm. Feel your spine straighten.
Imagine your spine is the trunk of a tree. Feel tall and strong.
Feel your feet change to roots, strong, healthy and deep.
Branches from the top of your tree sweep down, as a weeping willow might, to touch the ground below.
You will feel the energy of the earth pulsing around your roots. Pull that energy toward you. Feel the power moving into you. Each breath you take draws the power further up, into your spine, the trunk of your tree.
The power of the earth rises up to the crown. Feel the energy as it moves from the crown of the tree down the branches, to return to the earth.
Take a deep breath. Feel the energy travel back to the ground. Now relax.
Visualization Exercises
Close eyes and calm mind, put aside any everyday thoughts.
Simple Color and Shapes
Imagine looking at a blank wall. It is white.
When you can see the white wall, change it to red.
When you see the red change the color again. See yellow, blue, orange, green, violet, then black.
When you are successful, move to the next step.
Visualize a simple shape on the white wall. See a red Circle, a line, or a triangle. Change the color of the shape to yellow, blue, orange, green, violet then black.
When you are successful with these, move to the next step.
Change the color of white wall to red. See the shape in white, yellow, blue, orange, green violet then black.
When you are successful Move on.
Change the color of the wall again and the color of the shape. Repeat the change of colors until you are successful with all combination of colors and shapes.
Time to move on to something more difficult.
Simple Object Exercise
Find fairly simple object, a pen for example.
Hold the pen and look at it. Look and see it, the size, color and texture of the surface. Study every centimeter of it. Put it down.
Now close your eyes and see the pen. Remember the color, what it feels like in your hand. See any marking that is on the pen. When you can see the pen clearly it is time to move on.
Visualize a white piece of paper. Holding the pen, write a simple message with it.
Advanced Visualization of Surroundings
For this exercise remember you must visualize as if you are seeing through your eyes, not watching yourself as if an actor in a play.
Start in a room very familiar to you. Face an object in the room and close your eyes. Imagine you open your eyes and see the object. Look around the room See everything. See the colors of the objects in their correct position in the room.
See the windows and doors. Do this exercise once a day until you are able to see the room clearly.
Time to move on.
Imagine that you leave the room. See what is past the door. Enter the next room. See everything in their correct position and color. Do this exercise once a day until you are able to see this room clearly.
Time to move on.
Do this for each room in your home ending with a room with a door to the outside.
Time to move on.
Walk out the door. See the neighboring houses if you have them. See the trees, walkways, etc. See what the weather is like. A car may pass you by, what color was it? When you can walk down the street and see these things and are comfortable.
Then add a person to your visualization.
Continue this exercise until you can walk through your home and down the street and see it all quite clearly.
Remember, people progress at different speeds, do not get discouraged.
~ from Maat's Book of Shadows