Picture-Jumping

windvexer:

This
is a magical exercise I used to practice for the fun of it. It is a
good way to learn visualization and quite interesting, too! In this
exercise you will attempt to ‘open up’ a picture and send your mind
to it, so that you can experience whatever is going on using your
magical vision (or if you are very skilled, projection).

You
will need a variety of pictures. Any tarot deck will work great.
Images on your PC may be okay, I’ve never tried it; a picture book
like a photo dictionary or encyclopedia would be fun. A children’s
history book would be great! Basically, collect interesting pictures
that you want to “jump in”.

There
are 4 basic steps:

• Opening
  the picture
• Jumping
  in
• Exploring
• Exiting
  and closing

Opening
the picture

Make
your hands in to a triangle shape, and view the picture through the
triangle. If you like to use charms, say to yourself, This
triangle manifests the picture in to magical reality.
Imagine that there is a thick, clear glass cover over the picture.
Think to yourself, open,
picture!

Imagine
that the glass cover of the photo swings open, and suddenly
underneath you can see the image moving and coming alive. Remember
you will see this with your magical vision – and that means, inside
your imagination. As a goddess recently told me, “it doesn’t matter
if it’s real – it’s happening.” So if it is happening, don’t
wonder if it is “really real” or not. Just enjoy the fun of the
exercise.

Jumping
in

There
are many ways to ‘enter’ the picture. You can imagine that you become
very tiny, and a little figure of yourself jumps from your forehead,
between your triangle hands, and in to the picture. As soon as the
figure lands you gain their perspective and will see the picture from
first person perspective.

You
can also imagine that you are falling in to the picture, and tumbling
through your hands until you land inside.

Or,
you can come up with a method all your own.

Exploring

Any
way you do it, the result should be that you now magically view
yourself as being inside of the image. What you see should have ‘come
alive’ and be animated and moving. You should be able to move freely
within the image and interact with whatever people or beings you
like.

Try
using all your senses. Smell, touch, see, feel, and hear what is
going on around you. Observe characters from the scene that are
moving. Try moving around the part of the picture that is printed,
then move beyond the borders of the picture in to a greater world.

Exiting
and closing

When
you are done, imagine being lifted back up out of the picture, back
through your triangle hands, and back up in to your body.

If
you prefer, you can blink and know you are back where you belong, in
your cozy body.

Remember
that the glass pane over the image is still open. You must close it.
Imagine that the glass swings closed and say to yourself, close,
picture!

If
you wish, ground and center after this exercise.

Warnings
& Miscellaneous stuff

My
earliest adventures in picture-jumping were tarot, and some of the
images can be quite scary when you are suddenly immersed in them –
especially if the cards are
reversed. Try choosing pleasant, enjoyable images to jump in to.

I
chose to jump in to tarot cards so I could learn their meanings by
viewing the cards in a new way. I learned a lot by doing this. Try
picture-jumping with sigils, too. When you think you have the feel
for it, try picture-jumping with things like herbs, crystals,
objects, and even other people. If you are like me you will gain a
great deal from this exercise.