I guess most of you fellow Sorcerers know how challenging it can be at times to keep your concentration while casting a spell. What I found is very helpful, is synchronizing the rhythm of my breath with raising and sending energy. Another great help is taking your time. Not to pace through the ritual, but to actually do every step thoroughly and with some sort of spritual “seriousness”. To those of you who encountered this problem as well, how did you cope with this?
1 Like
You obviously refer to the focus on the visualization of your goal which you are supposed to maintain throughout the main stage of the ritual. I believe that this is an ability that you can cultivate through the systematic practice of meditation since in that way you train yourself to control your thoughts and thus focus them at will while casting a spell.
Also, the method you mentioned is remindful of the advice given by Dante Abiel in this thread: [url=http://becomealivinggod.com/forum/new-magician-help/is-it-possible-to-perform-a-candle-magic-ritual-during-the-daytime/]http://becomealivinggod.com/forum/new-magician-help/is-it-possible-to-perform-a-candle-magic-ritual-during-the-daytime/[/url]
Yes, meditation. I already practice dilligently, but thanks for the reminder and the link.
As mentioned in EE, setting a time for the operation beforehand and stating exactly what you will do in your head at that time is an enormous help.
To followon what Seeker wrote- once I’ve “decided” to act (more than just plan to, but its going to happen)- I feel a moment that sets the “intention” as some refer (I think it is just deciding- a settling in feeling); that ties to “set a time and stating what you will do” (not just what I’ll do in the working, but the goal of it- result as well as how that “result” will change and ripple out in my situation.)
a second part in EE (which I don’t usually do- but I think on it, I should work with it at some pt 
is setting up the ritual space, even if not much is physically used as props, set aside an area- I believe he wrote "at least an hour and not more than 12hrs) the time from set up until beginning percolates and seems to warm up the subconscious. So this is a physical “setup” aspect that builds upon the above “decision point”- I can feel these as starting a wave… which has a momentum that can be ridden, as a boost in the working.
is setting up the ritual space, even if not much is physically used as props, set aside an area- I believe he wrote "at least an hour and not more than 12hrs) the time from set up until beginning percolates and seems to warm up the subconscious. So this is a physical “setup” aspect that builds upon the above “decision point”- I can feel these as starting a wave… which has a momentum that can be ridden, as a boost in the working.When I do the above, or part of the above, as well as just in “life” leading up to a working my subconscious impulses being in harmony (vs not)- that gives me a feeling of this wave or current-flow that is a momentum (as above) and is sort of a pull. Life the energies to be tapped- the parts inside, and the “future-situation” are all reaching to help and pull me and flux involved fwd.
I find that “pull” -which relates to the pull through the sigil (being “opened”) and the sense in “substantial contact” with an entity (whether just contacting to comm, or full on phy evoke) which can give a feeling IT is evoking me… if I can feel those pulls (all feeding into one focusFlow) and stay in touch with that it leads me through the working. [if I can’t or if I do but then lose touch with it, the working seems to fizzle…]
This for me presupposes that I have a link to forces I’m to tap, a sense of the Working I’m to do (and how all those steps-acts will mesh together), and what I’m Aiming for <<both as Goal for this working, and how this Working and Goal fit with my Ascension Path>>
This also requires and supports the above seriousness- doing each step fully, not just going through the motions… (its like opening a Present that is wrapping paper around a box- which has another wrapped-box inside that, and another inside that… many layers opening but you know you are getting closer and closer… and once it is opened…
Also when you open a Gift, often you have the Giver of the gift there with you watching you open it; sense “who” gave you the Wrapped-box Present that contains inside the Solution you seek to the Next Step.
My biggest aid in maintaining focus was to practice my visualizations. I set time aside daily before I go to sleep to relax and visualize different things. Sometimes I will focus on creating a pentagram or hexagram and change the colors of it. Or I visualize myself in an astral temple performing banishings, grounding, or energy work. It takes time and patience so don’t get discouraged. I started out visualizing complete darkness and then put one point of white light in the center. I then worked on making the white light grow bigger the closer it got and maintaining its position (not letting float wherever it wants).
Another huge aid was learning to maintain the mood so to speak of the operation. If it was an operation to control someone I felt as if they were a puppet and I had control over them, if it was an operation geared towards sex imagine the target burning with passion and desire to have sex with you. Keeps those thoughts and focus as they are what you want to bring about from them. If its money or possessions I imagine how I enjoy already having it, like driving around in a new vehicle ( I call it MY new vehicle, I smell the new car smell the stroke to my ego of people looking over when I stop somewhere etc.). Just try to make the feelings as genuine as possible and make the experience yours or of those you want it to happen to. Hope this helps and good luck.