The way that I practice magic, visualization is a core skill. Visualization is the act of seeing something in your mind in order to actualize it in the real world. The more realistically you can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch the goal you are trying to reach, the easier it will be to actualize it. It can take some time to get good at visualization. This page has some exercises that will help you learn to visualize properly.
Exercise #1: Visualization of Shapes
Close your eyes. Breath normally. Imagine a black velvet screen hanging in front of you. See a circle form on the screen. Erase the circle and visualize a square. Erase the square and visualize a triangle. Make the screen blank again. Now try visualizing all three shapes on the screen together. Make the circle blue. Make the square red. Make the triangle green. Try moving the shapes around on the screen.
Once you are comfortable with two-dimensional shapes, try working with three-dimensional shapes. Visualize a sphere, cube, and tetrahedron. Allow the shapes to move and rotate. Change their size or color. Once you are comfortable with this exercise, move on to the coin visualization.
Exercise #2: Coin visualization
Next, you will be practicing visualizing real-world objects. You will use a coin because it is both familiar and complex. I suggest using an older coin, as it will have more personality than a new or uncirculated coin.
Start by taking a minute or two to study the front of the coin. Look at all the details, like the words, images and condition of the coin. Study it until you feel you’ve memorized every detail.
Now, close your eyes. Visualize the black velvet screen in front of you. Now visualize the coin floating in front of the screen. It is illuminated by a light coming from somewhere behind you. See all the details of the coin. Words, textures, pictures, scratches, imperfections – everything. Try to feel the weight of the coin in your mind. If you can, hear, taste, and smell the coin as well.
Now open your eyes and compare your vision to the real thing. Is there anything you didn’t notice the first time? This is normal, especially in the beginning. Close your eyes again and add the new details to the coin. Go back and forth until you have the best vision of the coin that you can. You have successfully visualized.
Exercise #3: Advanced coin visualization
This time, study both sides of the coin, as well as the edge of it. Now, close your eyes and visualize the black velvet screen in front of you. Now, once again, visualize the coin floating in front of the screen.
The time, let the coin in your mind begin to slowly rotate. Take note of all the details of the coin as it slowly rotates. Make note of things like to texture of the edge of the coin, the way it seems to change shape as it spins, the orientation of the faces.
Once again study the coin and add details to your visualized coin. Take all the time you need. The more accurate your visualization is, the more powerful your future visualizations will be.
