romanywitch: (Default)
romanywitch ([personal profile] romanywitch) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-02-06 09:57 am
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Magical Theory 101 (Monday, 02/06/2006, 5th Period)

CLASS IS CLOSED FOR GRADING.
The door is closed in order to minimize disturbances from the hallway. As usual, Jenny has coffee laid out for her students. She's also got fresh fruit on a tray. For once, she's going to try to be healthy.

"First off, we're going to be talking about the basics of working with energy. No, we won't be doing any practical demonstrations. But if you're going to be working with magical energy, well, in my dimension, these are the very basics. Grounding. Think of it as extending your energy down into the Earth and anchoring yourself there. A lot of people who do magic without grounding themselves? Get dizzy and lightheaded and in danger of passing out. The bigger the working, the more you need to be grounded.

Yeah. It's kind of like with electricity. You find more than a few parallels between physics and magic. Weird, huh? Please don't ask me too many physics-related questions as anything more than the absolute basics are totally not my strong point OOC. But still, a lot of people visualize themselves as rooted in the Earth like a tree when they ground themselves. Which is kind of a neat analogy too, huh? You can use the concept of grounding solely for magical working, or you can use it for meditation too.

Next in line? Centering. It's a way of focusing. Some people say it's a matter of focusing your mental processes in the center of your head. Personally, I'd say if you focus yourself in your head, great. Some people focus their magical center elsewhere--like their abdomen, maybe, or their heart, or even their physical center of gravity. Some people use visual aids. A lit candle, maybe, or a favorite stone, or a bowl of water. Whatever works, right? It's a very individual thing. A lot of centering is a matter of concentration, making sure your thoughts aren't too scattered to work the magic you're trying to work.

So, does this hold true where you're from? What does it sound like to you? A good way to get started, or total bunk? Maybe something else entirely?

Useful Links:
Ms. Calendar's Voice Mail
Ms. Calendar's E-Mail


{{OOC: OCD comment threads going up shortly are up.}}

Re: OOC

[identity profile] the4thsister.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Paige is looking after Cash, he's well behaved, but is she gonna get in trouble for bringing him to class?
demonbelthazor: (Default)

Re: Sign-In

[personal profile] demonbelthazor 2006-02-06 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Bel signs in and takes his seat.

Re: Sign-In

[identity profile] kikidelivers.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Kiki signs in. She's looking much better this week.

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[identity profile] kikidelivers.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"I think I sort of do it naturally, so I've never tried explaining it before," Kiki says thoughtfully, "but I think that's fairly similar. I've used candles before to focus myself. And I've used other people to ground myself, in a way. We do it during difficult spells to keep part of us tied to reality. If I had done that, then-" Kiki breaks off, blushes, and falls silent.

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[identity profile] kikidelivers.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Kiki flashes a small, grateful smile and just nods briefly. And she makes a mental note to look up more on this "Earth grounding" technique.

Re: Sign-In

[identity profile] upforachase.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Cordy smiles in, looking sort of tired but happy.

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[identity profile] upforachase.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"From what I know, it sounds real to me. Mind you, we're from the same dimension. I'm assuming. Maybe I'm wrong," Cordy said, thinking about it for a moment.

"Anyway. Grounding. I don't know that much about magic, but from everything I heard from Amy and Willow, grounding and centering is pretty important."
absolutesnark: (Default)

Re: Sign-In

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-02-06 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Piper signs in.
absolutesnark: (Default)

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-02-06 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"I think grounding and centering make a lot of sense," Piper said. "They're definitely something I could work on a lot more when dealing with magic."
soldtoarmenians: (whittling)

Re: Sign-In

[personal profile] soldtoarmenians 2006-02-06 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Xander signed in and then immediately went afk for at least an hour.

Re: Sign-In

[identity profile] krycek-rat.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Krycek signed in.

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[identity profile] krycek-rat.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Krycek shrugged. "It sounds like a good theory, in any case. I don't have much to refer to, as I don't know what sort of magic may exist or be practiced in my world."

Re: OOC

[identity profile] krycek-rat.livejournal.com 2006-02-06 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
If Krycek had at any point been a 14 year old girl who loved fantasy novels, he probably would have totally flashbacked to this (http://www.lap.ttu.ee/~muhw/lyrics.php?action=show&id=19864) damn song.

But he never has, so.
demonbelthazor: (Crossed arms)

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[personal profile] demonbelthazor 2006-02-06 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"I've seen witches do it where I'm from," Bel said, "but just seems like a waste of time to me."

Re: Sign-In

[identity profile] sakuracchyan.livejournal.com 2006-02-07 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Sakura signs in.

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[identity profile] sakuracchyan.livejournal.com 2006-02-07 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
Sakura ponders. "I guess the sort of magic I practice required the same sort of thing," she says. "I've never really thought about it that way before."
soldtoarmenians: (yuh-huh)

Re: Discussion - Today's Topic: Grounding and Centering

[personal profile] soldtoarmenians 2006-02-07 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
Xander pointed to Cordelia. "Okay, lame answer? But 'what she said.' Sunnydale dittohead." He shrugged. "And seems to make sense as a meditatey thing even if the magic part didn't work - most things I've heard about meditation mention stuff like chakras, and that seems a lot like the same deal. Focusing on one part of your astral body, or whatever."
soldtoarmenians: (ooc-jeremiah)

Re: OOC

[personal profile] soldtoarmenians 2006-02-07 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
If Xander had ever been a 14 year old girl who still had that tape in a slot on her wall 18 years later... uh yeah.

What Krycek didn't say. That.

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