Anyone else have this problem?

[cetaephakni]

Although I have been a Wiccan and Pagan for a long time, it was not until recently that I began spell crafting and circle work. The first two worked wonderfully. The last one not so well. A simple house cleansing turned against me. I was not sure exactly why it went wrong, only that for a day I seemed to have gathered all the negativity and bad

Comments

[paperclippe]

I'm an English major, so I'm much more connected to words. So what helps me is if I picture, in words, either written or typed, a clear, defined sentence saying just what I mean to achieve. It's never failed me.

[morrigane]

I think the problem is not so much with visualization than with, maybe, the lack of focus. If you cannot picture the energies going away and being replace by a white light (which is a rather complexx visualization that most people cannot hold for long unless they have been practicing for quite a time), you can always state your intentions loud over and over again. While repeating a phrase like "I banish bad energies and welcome good ones" or "There is place only for what is pure and good here" or anything that works for you, listen to the word and put all your energies in their meaning. That should replace visualization and help you focus on your intents. Also, you can change your ritual to have smaller visualizations. When I want to get rid of bad energies, I take a broom and literaly sweep them out of the house. I only have to visualize something at the end of my broom. It is much easier as i have seen dust and other things in front of my broom. I only have to replace this image with the one I want

[random_element]

I had this issue once, and I found that if I didn't fill the void that I had drawn the negativity out of with something else (happiness, joy, protection, whatever you like) then the cleansing would backfire and draw in worse negativity than it did before. :( Think of it like whiting out a word on a piece of paper. If you don't put something there there's a blank spot that anything can be written into. So you might as well put in something nice

[shadowthorne]

Just wanted to add - the reason there are a lot of visual Wiccans is because, in general, our society values sight over the other senses, although hearing is a close second. Not only that, but our visual and hearing skills are much more greatly reinforced than other senses. We are surrounded by noises, music, and visual stimulation, but we only taste when we deliberately put something in our mouth or stick out our tongue. We only notice our sense of smell when the scent is particularly strong. Similarly, we tend to avoid physical contact, except in particular situations (sports, romance, etc.). Sight is also valued when it comes to information:

If you say you read something in a book and can site the source, that is given more weight than if you said you heard something on the radio. And other senses are usually dismissed, in terms of finding "legitimate" answers or information.

[random_element]

Oh definitely, no arguments there :)

[cetaephakni]

I think my trouble was more with the chaos in the house than the spell. It started quiet and around the end my 2 chikdren woke up.

As for the visualization, I took a psychology class where we did a guided meditation. I found I was more audio centered, because for the life of me I could not picture the "forest you are walking through" let alone the gate I went through to get there.

During a word association test I once took with a very visual friend, I saw the words 'vivid' & 'blue' rather than picturing something blue or vivid. I was thinking it had more to do with my skills as a writer & storyteller. And as my imagination goes, it as always been an active & vivid part of my life to the dismay of my mother. :)

[random_element]

Rereading your post, I'm willing to bet that you're an audio person. Try saying things out loud, using music or mantras. Might work better for you. Try using bells to expel negativity, a drum to meditate, etc...

[cetaephakni]

As mediatation goes I am very audio centered, I can not visualize the "forest you are walking through" let alone the gate I went through to get there. I'll have to try that.