In this fourth session we will be continuing on from where I talked about the seamless transition from visualisation to astral projection and the creation of a place in which to work rituals, meditate or for any other activities you may require.

As a recap of my purpose in taking this direction, I use these tools (namely visualisation and projection) to remove the need for physical ritual, achieve a more accurate physical appearance during ritual and increase the potency of the connection with my goddess.

The two main decisions I had to make in the construction of a safe place to work was what will my workspace look like and where will it be. Appearance was perhaps the easiest to answer and that was to base my design on a traditional Egyptian temple.

The choice on location was a little more tricky. In a previous talk discussing my guided working I showed that I have a stepped process that moves through successive stages. This was where I decided to create my front door so to speak.

But still how did I chose my location? I felt my visualisation had gravitated towards a suitable location. My view is that the imagery bubble you create needs to seek a place that can house it in the most convenient way for it to become a stable environment. I have very faint memories of the raw location of just a void, but in any case unless you are really bothered build where you are and it will sort things out for you. Travelling about looking for somewhere a little off topic for this session and with such a vast range of possibilities you had best find out for yourself.

When it gets down to the nitty-gritty of construction, and this goes for any kind of visualisation process as there are common themes, it does come down to a lot of hard work. There are however a few things that can really help with this:

• Draw a picture – you don’t have to be a great artist but sketch out, artistically or technically as a plan, whatever way you think will help you to visualise it. The aim is to ensure that each time you are there you can keep the images of the area consistent. That will strengthen it’s existence in the place it’s in and in your mind.

• Jot down words to describe it – think of the all the senses. If its a leafy glad, are the leaves on the ground dry or wet to your bare feet? Can you hear animals? Water? Wind? Is it warm or cold? What do you smell?

• Use whatever skills you may have to increase its potency and reinforce the stricture in your mind, which like wishing will eventually pass out through the subconscious and manifest in the place that’s suitable or where you choose.

• If you have second life building skills use them here. Some of you may already perform rituals here and experience the power of them, what is to say this reality is no different to planer realities? You could even just build here instead of full visualisation or just use it to create the model in your mind.

• If you have any other design/construction skill then make something.

These things help reinforce a rough model in your mind and as previously mentioned once you have something in your mind you can push it out to your subconscious where the real magic can begin.

Building on all that experience and effort from creating convincing visualisations, this is where the most rewarding part comes in, it’s also the biggest is it takes time and effort to at least initially construct and maintain your environment there. Like general visualisation, and more specificity when you are trying to ‘wish’, its important to really keep it there, go there frequently to reinforce its existence and tweaking it so that you really can believe it and ensure its real to you, otherwise its effect will weaken with neglect.

Going back to my temple as an example of a process and how it relates to what I’ve just spoken about. I have placed my temple in the middle of an endless desert. When I go there I sense the heat on my skin, and the sand between my toes and it you know me well then you will know I hate sand between my toes! But I’m aware of it and it reinforces my awareness and connection with the environment I have created, even if it’s an annoyance, but that’s what would happen in this reality if I were to walk on sand. I could change it to never happen but that would feel odd as I expect sand to be everywhere, and sometimes when I go there sand is heaped against the closed door as somehow its managed to work it’s way along the corridors, but a brief desire to clean it up is all that’s required.

You now have a place to work. What now? Well, whatever you would normally do in physical ritual is equally valid here. So do whatever you would do to mark out a sacred space is a good first move to do, but remember this will be a permanent place so unless you only use temporary spaces in the material plane you can might want to rethink your approach on how to make this a little more permanent.

You can also bring along things you’ve created from the material plane and is something I discussed in the the previous session. Creation is much easier within your sacred space, much like the creation of the space its self, the matter it contains can be simply manipulated and a controlled for moulding to whatever you desire at will, be that ritual items, furniture and aspects of your environment.

The effects of ritual can be more intense because of these facts, and that is why its also such a great place to work. This however leads to one very significant facet you will need to take into account. Being outside the material plane closer to forces that you normally experience as small force on our plane, means that they will be stronger here than you expect. Protection is important, the most important, I cant stress that enough, that you are potentially in a very hostile place. It is most probable that chaotic forces that were available to in the creation of the sacred space, will try and revert it back to its original form, and on top of that native forces, entities, whatever you might want to call them will take an interest in you, even if they are harmless.

For example with my temple I have it situated in the middle of an endless desert, but bizarrely on the horizon, very faint in the intense heat of a blazing sun, is an encircling range of mountains. That is my border. I’ve placed my temple infinitely away from the edges. Distance, mountains and baking heat of the sun is my protective shield. No one can survive that intense sun for such a long journey to my temple, except me.

Multiple layers of protection are more effective, just remember that this is not your home plane, there will be inhabitants that will be stronger and have varying abilities so layers of varying kinds will be more effective.

Physical protection is not as effective as you are not on a wholly physical dominant plane, that leaves energy field shields the only and luckily most effective. Gaining the help from friendly spirits can be helpful but don’t expose yourself too much to something that may appear friendly but could turn against you unless you are absolutely sure. What you can and cannot see may be out to get you, and in places like this having a small level of paranoia can be a good thing.

Of the shielding methods I’ve used, they fall into a number of styles:

• Egg shell method – A egg shaped or sphere shaped protective energy field which can’t be penetrated, or will ground, disperse the blow.

• Spiked door method – A barrier that has spikes, thorns et on the outside so that any attempts to against it will go back to the sender causing them some pain with the hope that they will stop because its hurting them. Some may find this against their particular path, fair enough I accept that but I’ve found it highly effective.

• Diversion method – What you want to protect is hidden in plain sight either by making it look dull and not worth looking at.

• Size method – A variation of the previous one, if the protected area is so small as not to be seen then its wont attract attention.

Using those last two I employ to effectively keep the location/door the door secret.

Those are effective against planer entities but what about people on this plane? The best was is keeping details secret, its all down to not allowing anyone to visualise what you can. I’ve been telling you about my temple, but I’ve not told you it’s exterior or interior details, only the desert, so you will not be able to visualise it as I do and be drawn to where it is. And as I’ve been working this one for many years the the layers hiding it have matured and are thick helping this protection along. The knowledge of it’s appearance is important as this will aid in you and anyone (or thing) in finding the pocket you’ve created.