Silvery Moon Magic College

Tide up your room (I know it sounds silly, but it's actually important to treat Yourself and magic quite serious, plus You need a tidy area where You can easily focus). If You are practising it with natural light it's all perfect at once, but if you are using artificial light, make sure it's rather dim. If You like turn some music, rather soft and on low sound level, so it would not disturb You. If you have some special scent that You associate with magic You can use it too.
Sit down comfortably (preferably on floor, but it's not required) and take few deep breaths.

Look carefully on whatever object You have before You (it can be also just a wall, if it's the only thing). Take as much time as You need, then close your eyes and recall this object in Your mind's eyes. Don't worry if it will be blurry or not perfect. If You can't "see" then try to "sense" it with your eyes closed, the ability to visualize things comes with practice, so don't worry if You are unable to do it "perfectly" (since there is no such thing as perfection) for the first time.

When You feel You did it the best You could focus on the sound. Try to hear all that is going around You, then focus only on the music, (or if you've chosen not to play any- on one particular sound). Give yourself time with that. Then once more focus on all sound, and once more on one only. When You are focus on music try to recall some of the sounds, or noises You heard before.
In Your head try to make it as vivid and clear as You can. Again remember there is no such thing as perfection, so don't worry Yourself with thoughts that "You could done it better". You've done it the best You could.

Now take a deep breath and focus on sensations it gives. It can be bit harder, specially if You have a running nose, but try to do that anyway. Breath deeply and rhythmically. In with nose, out with mouth...
Now try to recall some scent that You are very familiar with. It can be smell of roses, or your mom's perfumes, fresh bread, mowed grass, ocean or sea, or even your dog when it's wet. Doesn't matter what will You choose, but focus on it and try to make it as much vivid and real as You can. Then try to recall another and another. It can be harder than the previous, but the most important You try, because it activates your mind anyway.

Now still with yours eyes closed focus on sensations Your body gives. Feel the structure and temperature of the floor, carpet, chair or bed, that's underneath You. Fell whether it is soft or tough, furry, or not. Then focus on the air around You, is it warm or cold, try or humid. can You sense some move of it, or if it's still. Give Yourself plenty of time to explore it. Now try to recall some sensation. It can be sand or grass under your bare feet, the fur of your cat or dog, structure of your favourite cup or a flower.
Try to recall about that sensation as much as You can, then more slowly to another and to another one.

When You are done stand up and sense how it feels with all Your senses You've just been working with. Give yourself a moment then shake of your lags and arms and move a bit and go eat and drink something.

Homework:

Write me back how it felt and what was the easiest and hardest (level of detail depends on You).

Today lessons is simple and theoretical only, since it's second lesson posted in school and I want You to feel comfortable before starting anything more complicated or demanding.

The definition of what is magic will probably vary depending on who You ask, but in general magic  is energy, magic is You and magic is world around You. That means magic is part of Nature and so it follows the laws of Nature and the most important one says "that all beings are connected". It doesn't mean that with every move in physical world or with magic, You are going to squash something, so You actually shouldn't move at all. Absolutely not, it means that every action we take influence many beings and every our action is influenced by many. It also means that condition of one person(but person here can be also a stone) affects the condition of all. That's why we should try to avoid hurting, or sadden others, but we also need to be happy ourselves, because that interferes with the world too.
An so some will also say that magic is love, and they may have their point here too.

Since it's natural it means it is ability open for every human beings. Anyone can practice it, although everyone has their own special gift.
Some may not have any bit of magical skills, but they are as rare as people who can draw even a smiley.
This is important to remember, because sometimes people practising magic think that they are better than others (which is called “power trip”), so remember- You are not a chosen one, You are equal as anybody else is, though special in your own terms.

That leads to another matter as well, You probably heard that success is 1% of gift and 99% of work, and same it goes with magic. You can have great gift but without work, it means nothing, and You can have just a slight skill, but if You put your heart into it You can top those “gifted”, so never discourage Yourself!

You will notice that in magic number three has special meaning, and so there are three basic skills to work magic- sensitivity to feel it, curiosity to learn it (about it) and will to put it into work.
And so the purpose of teach section of the school is to deepen one of the three.


So now we reach the question:
How magic works and how we work magic.

Let's start with saying that magic works on different level. First of all it works in inner in outer way- on You and the world around You.
On the inner every magic action affects your body, mind and spirit. For example You choose to cast a confidence spell, so it makes You think about You more positively and more daring, your body is more straight and less stressed and your spirit grows because You have “exercised” it and gain some confidence, that You can do that.
But the spell also works on people around You making them see You more focused and decided and so more confident ( I don't need to say that this again return to You again strengthening your confidence, right?

This is a simple example on simple spell, but of course spells don't work because You've said some (mostly poor) poetry.
The words of the spell are what shapes energy into right form, to make it work the way You wish.
To make spell work, You need to raise and call energy (inner and outer mostly), stabilize it and channel it into the spoken words. Which is more demanding part that the formula itself and as You may suspect already, You don't always have to use a spell to make magic work, You can just channel it, for example through your hands, to heal someone.
And that's basically how You work it, You learn about your personal power, about energies around You, You awake and call them and You send them.
When You work toward some more outer purpose, like good journey, You are sending the power to strengthen the possibility (good fortune) of nice trip, to protect You from harm, or unpleasant events and to guide You, but it still works the same outer and inner manner as the confidence spell.

Colours in magic

I'm quite sure You heard that good magic is white and bad magic is dark, some may read that pink is love magic and green herbal magic, but the truth is magic has no colour. It depends on You and only You whether it will turn good, or bad. You know the saying about good intentions, right? Moreover love spells can considered dark, since they often influence one's free will. Those colours associations were made by particular people living in particular culture and particular time, that's why they may not be working every time for everyone one. For example the white seems to be colour of  light and live, and black of darkness and death, but as You may or may not know, in some cultures the white is the colour of death. And there is no reason, why dark/black couldn't be colour of cleansing, or mystery/divination. I will tell me more about colours when we'll discuss colour meaning in magic.
But what I want You to remember is to associate magic with it's purpose and outcome than with colour. There is no reason why couldn't You make a sections of colours in your magic book that will correspond with the purpose You want, just remember that it is personal not general.

Tide up and prepare the space as You used to. Stand firmly with your legs bit a part (preferably bare feet) with your hand down, but not alongside your body (or at straight at your arms level, but only if that is comfortable for You). Breathe deeply and focus on that rhythm. Breathe in and breathe out slowly. Count nine breaths. Now focus on your heartbeat. Hear and feel it well. Sense your blood pulsing through the whole body. Pause on that and then sense that as an echo to your blood comes a pulse of energy. It can be felt, heard, even tasted in many ways, so sense how it feels for You. Now feel that the energy comes and gathers in one particular place. It can be your chest region- heart, solar plexus, it can be your belly, your throat, mouth, top of head, or feet. Sense where it is. If it feels right You can put your hands in that area. Again start breathing deeply. Put your hand aside and feel as with every breath the energy is getting stronger and spreads through your whole body. Feel as each part is getting filled with it, as your belly... and chest... heart... spine... throat... and head... back... and arms... legs ...feet ...hands are filled with it. Do not rush with that. Allow it slowly to move and grow. When it reached all of your body take a deep breath and sense how it feels. Take few more breaths in this state then slowly let the power to go back. Feel as it is leaving your feet and your legs... your palms, your hands and your arms... your spine.. your head, your chest and belly and goes back to where it originally gathered. When it does feel as it is becoming less and less perceptible, as it is again just a echo of your pulse. Again sense your pulse and your heartbeat. Take three deep breath. Now if you are able bend, or if not just crouch and put the palms of your hands on the ground. Let all the energy and awareness go to the earth leaving You in the same state as you started, but just more relaxed and renewed.
Write it all down in detail and then go eat and drink something.