Midsummer Book of Shadows

Picture This. Have you ever read a book, and when you closed your eyes—or maybe even as you were reading—you could see the action in the story as you read? Could you see what the characters looked like? What they were wearing? How they smelled? Some credit for that has to go to the writer for painting a vivid picture in words, but some goes to you too. What you are doing when you can see things in your mind without them actually being physically in front of you is called visualization—a very useful skill!

Many people who can visualize are often surprised to learn that other people have a hard time doing it. It's not the easiest thing to master, but worth the effort. Did you know that visualization can help you be a winner? Professional athletes have been known to envision themselves winning a game before they even start to play. Albert Einstein was able to picture mathematical problems in his head before writing them down. As you can see, the art of envisioning can be a handy tool in reaching goals, and as with any skill, practice makes perfect.

Albert Einstein knew how to visualize!

The next time you're eating your favorite food, have your Book of Shadows handy and open to two clean pages. Before you eat, look at your food. Smell it, touch it, and taste it. As you're eating, be aware of the textures—is it crunchy? Soft? Cold? On the left hand side of the page, write and draw your descriptions. Record everything about the food and your experience in enjoying it. Then, put your Book of Shadows aside for a day or two.

Once you've put a little distance between yourself and the experience, try the exercise again. Picture that food in your head. What does it look like? Can you smell it? How did it feel in your hands (if you had to pick it up to eat it), and in your mouth when you were chewing. Don't cheat by looking at the other page! Write or draw what your senses show you in your mind. Now flip to a new page.

Was this exercise easy or hard—and why, or why not? Compare and contrast your actual experience to the visualized one—how are they the same and different? Practice visualizing other sense-experiences. Take a walk in the rain—how does it feel, smell taste—and how does it make you feel? Then wait a day or two and try to recapture it. Write about it!

Mirror Mirror. We can't always have the object we want to concentrate on in front of us, and you probably want to focus on more than just food! One special tool used for focusing is a scrying mirror. You can use mirrors like these in different ways—but they are great tools for focusing (concentrating)—an essential part of visualization. You can make a scrying mirror out of things that are probably in your home right now. You will need:

Coffee can
Pencil
Scissors
Glue
Cardboard
Black Paint or paper
Cellophane or Plastic Wrap
Peacock Feathers (Besides looking pretty, the tips of peacock feathers look like eyes (visit PUCA for more info on this!). And since this tool is going to help you “see" in a different way, they will make a great frame for the mirror. Peacock feathers are probably not something that you can dig out of your hall closet. I'm lucky that my brother raises peacocks! You can get feathers at a craft store. Or, keep an eye out if you go to a park or zoo where these birds are kept--they're ALWAYS dropping feathers!)
Optional: small stones, beads or shells

Using the coffee can, trace a circle onto the cardboard, and then the black paper.

Cut out the circles.

Glue the black paper onto the cardboard. If you have no black paper, paint the cardboard circle black. Use as many coats as you need to to make the circle a solid color. Allow each coat of paint to dry before applying the next.

Cover the black surface with cellophane or plastic wrap.

You can wrap the plastic wrap around the back of the circle, but if you are using cellophane, use your coffee can to trace another circle. Cut out the circle and place it on top of the black circle, securing it with glue around the edges only, being careful to make the surface as tight and flat as possible.

Clip off the tops of the peacock feathers. You will need only the top most part that contains the round, eye-like pattern.

Place a drop of glue on the center of the back of a feather tip, then place the feather, glue side down on the edge of the circle (the glue drop will determine the placement of the feather).

Repeat the process, going around the circle, layering each feather on top of the last that you placed.

If you wish, you can glue small beads or shells on top of the last feather to give the mirror a finished look.

An Eye to Scry. Sit in a comfortable place where you will not be disturbed. Hold the mirror in both hands, and tilt it so that you can see nothing reflected in its shiny surface. Breathe deeply and gaze into the mirror. Now here's the hard part—let your mind wander. Don't think of anything, just gaze into the glass. This may take a few seconds, or several minutes. It may take you a couple of tries; sometimes its not easy if you've had a busy or exciting day not to think of anything. Don't give up!

Once you're mind is clear, thoughts will come to you—you may not understand them. You may suddenly think of an object, or of a person. You may see people you know, or don't recognize. Keep your Book of Shadows close by and record your scrying observations.

Think. Jot. Draw (Or Write!). Practice scrying with your mirror. Try the exercise described above, or use it to help you focus and visualize yourself achieving a goal. Write down what you see in the mirror, and what happens later. Chart your progress. Our friend, children's illustrator Leeza Hernandez gave us three of her Think. Jot. Draw. Journals (these make great Books of Shadows!) to share with our readers. Be one of the first three kids to write to us at broomstixforkids@yahoo.com to get this great prize!

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