One of the best things about starting on the path of witchcraft so long ago is that most of my early discoveries and learning came about when many were just sharing the information they themselves were discovering, or creating. One such was Shakti Gawain’s book, Creative Visualization.
Also called pathworking or guided visualization, this technique is quite old. Our ancestors and any who explored the many aspects of the Mysteries knew how powerful it could be in the hands of skilled practitioners. Yet it is dead simple to learn.
Creative visualization is a guided narrative that takes you on a journey inward to explore the psyche or outward into the astral. It’s not meant to be a kind of psychic TV where we are passive observers; instead we are meant to step IN to the scene and experience it with all of our senses.
We can utilize an external source, such as a trusted friend, a teacher, or a variety of media. (I actually have am .mp3 I made of Gawain herself doing a visualization from a tape cassette I purchased back in the 90s.) Meditation works to sync your mind and body towards a state of heightened awareness and relaxation. Guided meditation provides direction and acts as an anchor to the practice, which can be especially beneficial for people whose minds tend to wander.
It’s a powerful technique, a kind of magic key that unlocks treasure vaults of personal and esoteric knowledge. Of course, as with all things magickal, it doesn’t work unless we do the groundwork. Yet when done properly, creative visualization harnesses the power of our imagination to manifest what we create within, without.
If you are interested in trying this for yourself and are just beginning, I encourage you to try some of the ones available at UCLA Mindful: https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful/guided-meditations. There are scripts for mindfullness, for body scans, and other techniques.
If you would like to try a more esoteric journey, and work with tarot cards, I encourage you to try this one from my dear friend Sheena Cundy: https://morriganspath.bandcamp.com/album/pathwork-tarot-2
She describes is as a journey with the tarot spirits of the major arcana to experience their magic on every level.