NixieNotes

This is the next lesson on Astral Travel! Enjoy~

What Is a Mindscape?

What I call a Mindscape also goes by many other names: Mindspace and Headspace are a few of the ones I’ve seen most often. A Mindscape is a protected space in the Astral reserved specifically for you. No other entities can enter the Mindscape unless they are A) attached to you in some way or B) have your explicit permission. Often, your mindscape already has many features that you have subconsciously introduced. Sometimes a Spirit Teacher/Guardian/Companion will chill there. HOWEVER. You must still ward this space because as I said, entities that are attached to you <i>can</i> get in… this includes energy parasites, trickster spirits you inadvertently invite in, and entities that force there way in by attaching themselves to your energy and/or cloaking themselves with it. Astral warding is a bit too much to include in this one post, so I’ll cover it in the next one.

A Mindscape is a place that is influenced by you and your state of being. Let’s say you have a really Nature-y Mindscape. Forest sounds are playing almost all of the time, you can hear the distant waterfall, a gentle breeze is going. When you feel sad, sometimes your Mindscape will become sad right along with you. The Birds might stop singing, the waterfall in the distance might become silent, the air might become still. If rain is a “sad” thing for you, it might even start raining. Because your Mindscape is influenced by you, you can also consciously change it. You can change the landscape, or make flowers grow in a blink of your eye. You can zap a pretty little dress or an awesome leather jacket on yourself and build a castle on top of a shallow mountain. It’s the only place in the Astral where no rules apply.

In no other Astral Space can you do these things because the space will not be connected to you. You might be able to make flowers grow in the blink of an eye, but only if you have the talent, seeds, and energy to do it. If you zap on a piece of clothing, you’re taking that thing from somewhere else in the Astral. Remember this when you start to visit the Astral.

You can also temporarily disable the “no rules apply” feature of your mindscape. By doing this, you make the Mindscape a place exactly like the Astral–minus the entities. This makes your Mindscape a great place to practice Astral magic and the like. It is why I am telling you about this now: so that BEFORE you get yourself hurt somehow in the Astral, you can practice how being there feels first. You can practice offensive and defensive protective Astral magic, which is somewhat different from the spells you’re used to casting in the physical world. You can practice any new abilities you might find yourself having without many repercussions (other than tiredness). You can have a place to go when you need a little quiet time. You can even have a place to interact with your spirit companions–somewhere where you can probably actually *see* them in a way you wouldn’t on the physical plane.

Okay, But How Do I Get To This “Mindscape?”

With all this, now that I’ve probably gotten you excited, I think I’d better actually tell you how to get to this fantastical place. It’s quite simple really, and like Projection, there are multiple ways to do it. My favorite way involves meditation. Once you get there, it is easy to get back.

A Mindscape is connected to your mind; that’s why it’s called a Mindscape. I’ll share a few methods with all of you and you can try them out. If none of them work for you, pm me and I’d be willing to talk about some ways that might. I do recommend setting a time limit for yourself, though. What feels like a few minutes in the Astral could very well be a few hours here, and vice versa. Set an alarm that will bring you back if you get too lost.

Imagination

Sometimes the simplest way involves the least amount of work. Just start imagining your Mindscape how you think it would look/sound/feel/smell to you. Imagine the most minute details; the grass under your feet, or the stone walls of a mansion. Perhaps you will imagine a vast ocean or a beautiful forest. Maybe you’ll find your home in the mountains; or maybe you’ll find it in a nice, cozy cottage filled with herbs and crystals of all kinds. Get Creative. :) Remember that imagination is only the way to get there; this is a valid experience you will have. The things you will do and see and smell and feel are real, even if they’re just in a mindscape. That’s kinda the point lol.

Meditation

Sometimes during meditation, your mind will start to drift. You’ll start to think about random things, or maybe you’ll start daydreaming. Let it drift. Find yourself at peace, and sink deeper and deeper until you discover a place suffused with your thoughts and emotions. Relax. Also, keep in mind to meditate in a way that is right for you.

Guided Meditation

There are times when we need a guide to help us get places. My guided meditations are text-based. You read along and eventually, you break away from the guide and begin to take on your own view of things. Questions will prompt you to come up with your own, unique answers. This method is good for those who read a lot and find themselves getting sucked into the book, letting their own surroundings fade away.

Here’s a guide that I’ve used and have had others use before:

Prep: Get comfortable. Prop yourself up on a few pillows or drag a big, warm blanket around your shoulders. Make sure you are in a safe place where you will not be disturbed. Do not read this until you are ready.

The Guide: Your surroundings melt away from you. You find yourself falling in a void, though you are not afraid. You are safe. The invisible (or is it visible?) wind cradles your body, slowing your fall somehow. Eventually, the darkness that surrounds you begins to take shape. Look around and note what you see. What sights befall your mind? What scents? What sounds? The wind that cradles you, what does it feel like? You continue to fall, wondering if you’ll hit the ground. You cannot be hurt. Your fall slows, gently letting you down in the deepest part of yourself. Your feet touch the ground. The wind moves away.

Open your mind.

A Doorway

Doorways lead places. That has always been true. On the physical plane, they only lead to one place, and it has to be adjacent to the room you’re in. That is not as true on the Astral. There, a door is merely a passageway. A portal. Since anything can be adjacent in the Astral, the normal rules don’t apply. Imagine a door in your mind. It should be closed. Put your hand on the handle but don’t open it yet. Tell yourself that this door will take you to your mindscape. Believe it. Tell the door this. Open it.

A Watery Adventure

In the physical, water connects two landforms together. In the Astral, water just connects. Bodies of water can be another valid entrance into your mindscape. Like the door method, you just have to tell yourself the water will take you to your mindscape and not someplace else in the Astral. Draw yourself a bath. Relax into the water. Let yourself (your mind not your body please don’t drown) sink deeper into the water… deeper. Don’t hold your breath; you can breathe Astral water like air. Assert that when you reach the water’s surface, you will be in your mindscape. Then start to swim to the top.

Note: Do NOT try this method if you have a tendency to fall asleep while meditating.

Music

If you’ve ever wanted to know what a sound feels like, this is for you. Some of us like to zone out to music. Especially when listening to our own playlists, they can take us to a place of peace and relaxation. You sit down, put on your headphones, and start playing your favorite tunes. This helps to block out the rest of the world and is an especially good method if you’re not distracted by the music in your head.

Then, listen… feel the beats of your music. Notice how they move through you, changing you, resonating in some space in your mind. This works kinda like echolocation. Use the sounds to identify your astral space. Hear with your mind the way the music bounces off of objects; trees, ground. Once you know that it’s doing that, you know that object is there. When I did this the first time the music bounced off of a tree, making a sort of “wooden” sound,  and the tree appeared in front of me, clear as day.

Bilocation

This is good if you have a hard time focusing while just sitting or lying down. Bilocation is the act of splitting your consciousness between a physical action and moving in the astral. For example, you could draw or doodle while the rest of your mind wandered into the astral, almost like a daydream. Some people like to jog or exercise. The physical exertion helps them focus their mind.

I, personally, liked to Travel while throwing. I’d wedge up my clay and it’d relax my body, loosening it and getting me focused. I’d sit down at my wheel and begin to center my clay. While I did that I was simultaneously centering my mind. After that, I could leave my body behind, which knew all the physical motions and what to do, and switch my mind to focus on my mindscape or some other place in the astral.

You can also paint, craft, play an instrument, or do any other “mindless” thing where you are physically moving your body.

How To Create Or Make Additions To A Mindscape

Some of us don’t have mindscapes that are readily made and filled with many things. If none of the above methods have really worked for you, this could be the case. Please note that most of the below methods can also be used to enter your mindscape once it’s been created.

Draw it!

If you’re the artsy type, then this is for you! What better way to create a mindscape than to actually create it? The best part is once you have it drawn/painted/stitched/whatever, that physical representation of your mindscape can become a portal to enter it. Focus on your rendition, and imagine yourself actually being in the place you have created. If you’re making an addition, start the drawing with a part of your mindscape that already exists so you can connect the two.

Start With Darkness/Light

Sink deep into yourself. Once you feel you’ve reached the deepest point, it’s time to create. Out of the Darkness, make a place that appeals to you. Imagine a waterfall or something. Have any of you ever seen Barbie: Rapunzel? You can imagine your Darkness (or, if you prefer, Light) as a canvas waiting to be painted on. Imagine that the paint brush creates the grass or stone under your feet, then watch it happen. You can also make additions this way; just take a brush or a finger to a place you want to make an addition and imagine it being created.

Write about it!

If you’re not the best at drawing or even imagining, this could be the method for you. Write about your mindscape like you’re describing a place in a book. Use the 5 senses just like a good description would do. Here’s an example from a book I’m writing:

The sky was a vivid green. Both moons hung in the sky, even though it was the middle of the day. The vegetation was every shade of blue and purple, so unlike the stark green plants in the Mundane world. Shadows darted in between the trees; flowers glowed with a strange luminescence. Soft chirps and other weird noises made up the song of this crazy forest that smelled like earth and plant and dark things. Strangest of all were the creatures that peered out from the darkness, their eyes a mixture of the darkest gold and the softest gray.

Once you’ve created it to your satisfaction, you can also use your description to enter your mindscape. The description should pull you into your mindscape when you read it. It’s like reading a good book and letting the rest of your surrounding fall away as you are sucked into a different universe; kinda like the strange place I’ve described here. You can also make additions to your mindscape simply by adding to your writing~

Connect The Idea of Your Mindscape To A Physical Object

Another way to get to your mindscape is to attach the idea of it to an object. I have a favorite crystal I carry around with me almost everywhere. I can spend a few days meditating on the fact that this crystal will take me to my mindscape. Doing so will help me associate the idea of it to my crystal. First, you have to get a good sense of your mindscape. Think about what it looks like, feels like to be there. Attach this idea to the object by sort of mentally “throwing” the idea at it. Then, you keep thinking, over and over again, “This crystal is connected to my mindscape. It will take me there if I will it.” You have to do this a few times over the course of maybe a week before the connection will stick. Also, as this is an addition, your mindscape has to already be created so you can more completely connect it to the object. Once it has, you can use the object to get to your mindscape by fitting your consciousness into the crystal.

Alright, I think I’ve exhausted my knowledge of mindscapes for the time being. I’ll make additions to this document if I find other ways that I know of. Remember everyone, you don’t have to visualize the things I’m talking about. If you’re using the writing method, for example, try something crazy: describe your mindscape without using sight. Talk about how the grass feels under your feet or the scent of a salty ocean on the cool breeze. The ability of your mind is not limited to sight.

for protection i felt like what is light going to actually do so i definitely second the using sound / music. i used to use it all the time to keep shades at a distance

Solar

Lunar

Light

Electricity

Life (personal)

Life (group)

Life (plant)

Earth

Wind

Fire

Water

Heat

Cold

Storm

Sound (music)

Sound (voice)

Cosmic (void)

Cosmic (gravity)

Kinetic (motion)

Magnetic (both attracting and repelling)

Ok so I am gonna say this is my personal reference, its mainly through associations. You might TOTALLY disagree and thats chill!

Its more something to think about and a guideline of what I use myself…

Candle Magic:

Carve a candle when…. the candle represents the target, in sympathetic magic. When, essentially, the candle is a poppet and lighting it is a symbol of destruction or empowerment to the target.

Place something under the candle or before it when… you are doing general candle magic, when the candle represents empowering a wish, idea or concept.

Anoint the candle when… doing work with spirits and gods, when you mark the candle for a special purpose, when doing high magic.

Herbs and plant work:

Use dry herbs when… it is convienent to do so, when the herbs are out of season or when you need to store them in a jar or bottle for a long time.

Use fresh herbs when… the spell is very earth orientated, when doing magic on behalf of another or when the magic is sympathetic so that the herbs represent the target, within kitchen witchery.

Use flowers when… when the spell concerns love and sex, or perhaps fertility and attraction, due to flowers being the reproductive parts of the plant.

Use fruit when when… working with children as a target, or with children practising. When you work with fertility and abundance spells.

Use wood and twigs when… when the spell is for protection or binding, for hardiness.

Burn herbs (recaning/incense) when… you wish to cleanse or banish, or invoke an atmosphere - that being, for divination using herbs that are said to open up your perceptions, when banishing, burning acrid or pungent herbs.

Use oil infusions when… you wish to anoint something, when you wish to mark something permanently.

Use floral waters (rose water etc) when… dealing with spirits and gods, for glamour as it has a long history of being used to beautify.

Crystals:

Use metals (haematite, copper, ores etc..) when… you work in protection, when you do energy work due to the conductive properties of metal.

Use shell, pearl, coral and such when… you work in sea magic, when you work within emotional magic due to the element of water.

Use points when… you wish to direct magic to a target.

Use tumble stones when… you wish the magic to be gentle or manifest at a certain place on the body on a target.

Use geodes when… you work in protection, when you work with glamour aimed to obscure and hide.

Knot magic:

Use cotton when… it is convenient.

Use silk when… doing spells that benefit the target.

Use ribbons when… love spells and wealth spells, as well as confidence and beauty spells. Spells to ensure victory.

Use rope when… doing spells that aim to hurt or weaken the target, binding especially.

Poppets:

Use cloth when… the spell aims to benefit who the poppet represents, use particular care when sewing or cutting, choose colours that are appropriate to them.

Use wax when… you wish to manipulate the target.

Use clay when… wish to create fetches or servitors, when you wish to create permanency.

Use twigs when… you wish to bury or throw the poppet out, when you want the poppet to be easily destroyed by breaking or setting on fire.

Sigils:

Use an alphabet grid or circle when… you wish the sigil to be more random and less attached to you.

Combine the shapes of letters from a sentence… when your sigil is very specific and a short term goal.

After long mediatation and consideration over my path and future spiritually, I have had an epiphany of sorts of what I’d like to do in order to marry my day job and magical practice into one daily happening. In order to accomplish this I’m going to need to put over a year’s worth of planning and practice into making it work and I’m hoping I can have some help from this community! I’m looking to try and practice and perform distance healing for anyone interested in multiple formats and settings. I’m going to come up with a few ideas but I’m also open to suggestions! I’m thinking that if I can get enough people interested in participating and helping me get better I could create something of a newsletter or subscription based package that would be used for long distance interaction. Things like guided meditations, specific tools involved, self care practices and more. I currently work in an environment where I am hands on with clients and already in a position to provide energy and reiki healing and although I currently don’t, I’d like to hone these skills with this community to prepare myself to start!

So just to clarify, these are the things I’d like to improve and work on:

Reiki / Energy healing

One on one consultations

Tarot readings

Sigil creation

Customizing practice for indivual needs

Guiding meditations and relaxation

Aiding in self care and spiritual growth

Things that I am not interested in developing:

ASMR videos

Impersonal content produced for masses

Guides or pamphlets with generalized information or tools

A personal ‘brand’ or business plan spread across social media to get all the likes

I’m really looking for this to be personal and intimate. I’m planning on including this as add on services when I’m working hands on with clients in the future (like during a massage or facial treatment) and I really want to do this for the rest of my life but I know it’s going to take work and practice.

Anyone with interest, ideas, help, or guidance at all PLEASE message me, like this so I know I can message you, and reblog to spread the word. I might create a discord server or a group somewhere where we can all be a community together and brainstorm and work on this. Maybe even a side tumblr? Again, it’s uncharted terrritory for me and I’d love any suggestions or ideas even if it’s ways we can stay connected.

Of course I’m going to do what I can for free and make content to be critiqued by anyone interested as a starting point, but having a full time day job, freelance side gigs, and a healthy functioning routine means at some point I’m going to have to charge. I’m thinking of keeping it a ‘pay what you can/donation’ policy thought because I hate money in general and it’s hard for me to charge anyone for anything.

tl;dr: If you’re interested in free/donation distance healing and guided spiritual growth and self care and would like to help someone hone their skills as a healer please like, reblog, and message me!