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Underground > Temple >

Ritual space

22:04 / 02.08.08

I've been practicing in my bedroom on and off for a little over a year now, and I live with my family and my girlfriend so there's not much room for private space unless I do workings past 2 in the morning. I don't know if this is a detriment to what I am doing or if I should somehow seek out somewhere more secluded or in a more natural setting. One spot near my house comes to mind but I live in a city where nature consists of parks and the beach, both of which are often occupied. There's always my backyard if I want to get outside but I'm not sure that's much of an improvement.

I'm just working with what I have, and I'm wondering if there's a downfall to just setting up shop in the place where you already spend most of your time. I do have the luxury of having a large room with enough space for meditation and whatever else I am up to, and my altar is still developing as opposed to stagnating, even if its on top of my dresser.

I suppose ideally the space is made sacred by the ritual which could make the particular location irrelevant. But at the same time, certain places carry significance and history that makes them unique and powerful in their own right.

Do you have space set aside for whatever workings you do? What if you don't have that option?

If this has already been addressed in other threads, I do apologize and would just appreciate any links to such material.

10:16 / 04.08.08

It should be possible to practice magic in whatever circumstances you have available. Obviously the ideal would be to have a room set aside exclusively for your practice, but that is not always achievable. One of the things I like about Voodoo is its adaptability. However reduced your circumstances, it's unlikely that your available time and space in which to practice is going to be anywhere near as limited and heavily policed as that of the enslaved Africans who bequeathed these traditions. So if they managed to sustain and transmit a meaningful practice when that practice was punishable by torture and death - it does serve as a sharp reminder of how much space and freedom we actually do have in which to develop a practice.

The obvious question is: what are you actually trying to practice? What are you working with? It sounds to me like you've got loads of great spaces that you could get out and explore - but it really depends on what you are into. If you lean towards elaborately orchestrated theatrical ritual replete with robes, temple furnishings, and three hour Enochian invocations... Then I can see how you might have a problem trying to condense that into your front room. But I bet there's loads of great power spots in your area where you could work. Working magically out on location can make a practice come alive, and it's just a case of slowly learning to perceive the mysteries of a specific place, to make a connection to that place over time, and allow what is actually around you in your environment to teach you magic. You live by the beach! Why not get down there and get to know those spirits?

16:08 / 04.08.08

You can do Abramelin in a closet if necessary.

(Crowley supposedly did it while walking across China.)

For what it's worth, I've done Golden Dawn/A.'.A.'.-type magical work in locations ranging from a nice, clean, well-prepared room with candles and magical implements to a small hotel bathroom without a bit of equipment.

And I've prepared effective talismans with books full of god names and correspondences, a Hebrew dictionary, the Rose Cross Lamen, and a bunch of colored markers -- in addition to a good ritual space -- and sitting at my desk at work with nothing more than a pen and a post-it. Or sitting on a plane, using a coin in my pocket, the energy of takeoff, and the stress of a personal crisis.

As GL said, while some places are better than others, you can do magic anywhere.