What kind?

Reading chai's dragon related article, it occured to me that there really are many different ways to practice magic, most of which I'm not aware of. So my question here is: What kind of magic do you practice?

I'm a basic energy manipulator. I refuse to use circles or rituals or spells, since anything that I would do with those could be done in half the time and effort as a skillfully used piece of processed energy. I also refuse to do summonings for anything already in existance, because I have a habit of seeing things from other people's perspective.

Most of us can sense the pattern of energy in places where it's strong, and in our home. We're then able to cycle it through the body and alter it on the way through.

I also use the runes for both divination and simple spells in the form of bindrunes, and I do some shamanistic work. I don't say shamanism, because as far as I'm concerned, I'm on the side of the spirits. I work for them, not a human community. Some nature spirits talk to me, mainly if they're happy to see us cycling energy in their area. I don't so much walk the astral as pop around it, as if I were teleporting. If I know where I need to be and I'm allowed to be there, I'm just suddenly there. (If I'm not allowed or don't have a clear enough idea, on the other hand, the road seems to treadmill...very much like what we call rubberbanding in City of Heroes.)

I don't practice magic cause I am magic. tee hee!

Any way for me I believe that i can do magic where ever and when ever. I don't need to cast circle or call Diety or spirits i feel they are always there to accessed.

There are times when i do use ritual and circles and such, but i don't feel i need it. The energy is there to be used so long as you know how to access it.

I do a spot of energy work.
I do some rune-work. (Both divination and spell-casting through the use of the futhark as a focus point.)
I've been recently told that the way I work is rather elf-like in that I usually don't "do" rituals of any kind. "How" I do something, magic wise, is not that elaborate. I just do... I don't follow a system other than what "feels right".
I do however study and think a lot so even if it may appear spontaneous, even chaotic, it's never done without "thought" and purpose and intent.

I work heavily with ritual, complex component stimulation, chants and kata-like movement to achieve proper dwemers and cantrips. I do not work with unadulterated core energy because I have never found a need and personal experience dictates that such energy is immature (as in literally underdeveloped) for the needs I have. I draw from totems and foci rather than suck from my own energy reserves. I find working like this allows for a wider range of manipulation and cuts fatigue down to nil. I do not work with circles, candles or with anything crystalline properties. If I do have a need to straight up draw energy from my environment, I draw from my elemental binds. Foci are charged through exposure to certain components and usually set to mature outside to expose them to the forces of nature. I do not believe any 'magic' can be substanciated without sacrifice; either external or internal, the more you put in, the more you get out. So why, yes, it is easier and it takes less time to just draw from one's own energy and perform the arts, you are limited by the fact that your mortal body is in a constant state of decay. If you take from the existing energies, you are bleeding yourself; neither created nor destroyed, just used up. Its traditionally called Za Naturalism, or Zaistic Naturalism; defined as finding and using the abundance of mallatable energy in one's habitat. I do not believe that gods/deities speak to us, perhaps through us, but not directly. I do not summon (other than my stupid guardian) or banish, and have a pretty live and let live mindset when it comes to spirits. Though, I am very unforgiving when it comes to those that wish for help or wish to relay messages; I will not speak to the dead no matter how hard they try to catch my attention. Divination, with whatever tools I am using (tarot, bones, runes, water scrying, etc.) is just a skill I have learned over the years and I place very little stock in the readings I give. Not to say they are not accurate, it is just I don't know where my cold reading skills end and the mysticism takes over. I'm a very tactile practioner, I am not a mentalist, I like getting my hands dirty and to become a component myself. I enjoy the rituals that take months to come to fruition, I enjoy the seaches I have to go on to find the proper components. Its all about the journey for me, not about results.

Tai

WALL OF TEXT INCOMING SIR!

DIVE DIVE DIVE!

LOL, seriously, Taiaka, can you add a line return or something, please? <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s -->

Que

joder,

No

léalo

entonces.

Hrm. Never really thought about it that much.

Mostly just moving energy around to accomplish things, nothing more complicated than that. No rituals or anything. a lot of it is just making stuff easier; "programming" my energy to react to certain actions or such.
I do a bit of what some would call summoning...though I tend to not use that since it's not a command, it's a request for help, be it in energy or something else.

Depends on what mood I'm in really. If I feel like being overdramatic I'll participate in an organized ritual, or if I feel the need to I will do a ritual in private (sometimes "ritual" actions help bolster the effects of energy work IMHO); but normally I just manipulate energy like Deros said. Then there are times I just play with it because I like the way it feels <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s -->

daemonstryke Wrote:(sometimes "ritual" actions help bolster the effects of energy work IMHO)

To me it's a "whatever works best, works best" sorta thought.
The ritual gets in my way and just makes things too structured for my tastes.
I've never felt the need to, nor the benefit of, doing rituals.