Aura Esoterica

I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul

[auraesoterica]

About me

I have been spiritual all my life. But I have been a solo practitioner for over four years now. I mostly focus on Dreamwork and Astral Projection. I am 29 years old.

My intention with this page is to express my spiritual thoughts and practices.

[vitterdotter]

it's ridiculous how overcomplicated big online spiritual presences like to make witchcraft and magic. there's always a new "you're actually doing this ABSOLUTELY WRONG and that's why you're a HORRIBLE UNSUCCESSFUL LITTLE BITCH WITCH", and I'm so tired of it. I look to personal experience, my family's experience, and the knowledge passed down in folklore and old grimoires, not some random content creator

[noise-vs-signal]

The Immateria

“There is only one Imagination.

There is a material world, and there is an immaterial world. Both worlds exist, but in different ways.

For example, chairs exist, so does the idea of chairs.

Most people assume that everybody’s imaginations are separate, with everyone having their own private mental space, just like their house is their own private physical space.

But the territory outdoors belongs to everyone.

If your mind behaved like a place, every time you follow a trail of thought, you are walking through a pathway in the Immateria.

Humans are amphibious. That means they live in two worlds at once: matter and mind.

Ideas grow like flowers here. Some are common ideas, found everywhere, but if you want the rarer ideas, the more exotic blossoms, you have to travel further.

Artists, scientists, philosophers, they are the pioneers of these territories.

The worlds inside and outside us have the same structure, the same pattern.”

From “Promethea“ #5 (”Weapon for Liberty”) by Alan Moore and J. H. Williams III (1999).

Different areas or zones in the Immateria can be interacted with by acting as though you are there. The Immateria must become more real to you than the material world, if you wish to journey into it.

At first you will be consciously imagining the location, but eventually it will start to “answer back” and change as required. This is a form of “active imagination”.

"Idea Space" and the "Mundus Imaginalis" ("Imaginal World") are other names for the Immateria.

See also:

"The Primal Grid".

"The Sphere".

[3liza]

i can tell when one of my "actually theres nuance" posts is 100% corret and successful because people on both sides of the issue im saying there's nuance about assume i am arguing against them and get mad at me. i have escaped samsara. i have achieved perfect balance through pissing people off

[like-glittering-ice]

[scryhard]

❦ Energy Work Without the Fluff

Smacking the liminal space like a vending machine that trapped your snack.

Let’s be real: “energy work” sounds fake until your spine does the death note shiver in the wrong place and you just know someone's watching.

Most of the time, the explanation is just: “Raise your vibration and channel the universal flow into your body.” Or whatever new age mad libs is trending this week. Okay. Cool. But what does that actually mean?

Like, am I supposed to hum at a crystal until I unlock god mode? Is this a vibes-only event? Where’s the tutorial? Who decided the universal flow gets admin access to my nervous system, anyway?

Witchcraft, when it’s not being held hostage by ⟣aesthetic⟢, doesn’t need a sparkly light show or a fog machine you panic-bought on Etsy (though, respect to the fog).

It needs presence. Pattern recognition. It needs you to stop dissociating long enough to clock that your left eyelid twitches every time the moon is in scorpio.

Your body? That’s your first divinatory tool. Not the crystal, not the candle, not the mystic orb you bought during a depressive episode at 2㏂ It’s you. It’s always been you. Congrats, you’re a living barometer now. Welcome to the club.

In other words: you already feel this stuff. You just didn’t realize the universe keeps sneaking in patch notes.

That chill crawling up your spine before a storm, like you’re the main character in a gothic novel with too many feelings. The static in your joints when someone walks in with rage in their eyes and the air goes full boss battle. That split-second silence before a ritual starts, when the room is holding its breath and you’re pretty sure the walls are listening.

Energy isn’t some mysterious glittery dust you can only see if you squint hard enough into the light. It’s the shift. The resonance. The psychic Wi-Fi signal flickering in and out of your meat antenna.

You don’t have to see the wave to feel the ripple. You’re already in the field.

⚤ How Energy Feels in the Body (Somatic Spell-Sensing)

Before you start trying to manifest a glowing anime aura, maybe start with what’s already happening in your body.

Across cultures, witches, healers, and mystics all clock the same stuff:

goosebumps or chills with no temperature drop

heat in your palms, chest, spine, or forehead

internal pulsing or vibrations 

air pressure shifts, like the room just went 👀

spontaneous sighing or breath drop

trembling, fluttering, heart pounding

blur or tunnel vision 

flashes of memory, color, or internal cinema

random emotional download: tears, laughter, unhinged euphoria, mysterious grief (classic)

You don’t need to create energy. You just need to notice it. Radical, I know.

Your body is not confused. It’s been screaming “something’s happening” this whole time. You’ve just been gaslighting it with basic logic and caffeine.

⚛︎ Scientific thread: The autonomic nervous system (especially via vagal tone) responds to shifts in breath, focus, emotion, and intent. Polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011) explains why grounding rituals affect felt safety and energy perception.

Your witchy feelings are just nervous system jazz. It’s fine. The universe is improvising.

⚙︎ Three Core Operations: Ground, Raise, Release

All energy work moves through these three phases: grounding, raising, releasing.

This is the spine of spellcasting, healing, and ritual work. Yes, it’s a cycle. No, you can’t skip steps. This isn’t microwave magic. Because you are the microwave.

⚘ 1. GROUNDING — Connecting Down, Discharging Excess

Grounding is not just about “roots into the earth.” It’s about discharging mental static, collecting your awareness, and returning to a present, anchored state. In modern terms, grounding = nervous system regulation.

In magical terms, it’s opening the body as a conduit. You are the ethernet cable now. Congratulations.

You ground to:

release emotional excess

prepare the vessel for energy (yes you are the vessel, sorry)

stabilize attention

establish energetic clarity

connect to a larger force (earth, ancestors, gods, memory, or that one mossy rock you keep side-eyeing)

✧ Signs you’re grounded:

breathing slows

mind stops spiraling or at the very least stops screaminphysical sensations return (oh hello feet, didn’t know you were still there)

emotional charge lessens

you feel heavier, rooted, or still like a haunted tree that’s finally found its chill

⚛︎ Scientific thread: Grounding through breath, pressure, or sensation activates the parasympathetic nervous system (especially vagus nerve pathways) creating feelings of calm, clarity, and embodiment (Levine, Porges, van der Kolk).

Screaming into a moss pillow is, in fact, a valid therapeutic technique. 10/10, would recommend.

✦ Simple grounding techniques:

sit cross-legged and press your palms to the ground

clench fists, then slowly release (rage compression: it’s like emotional bubble wrap)

inhale for 4, exhale for 8

hum a low tone and feel the vibration (you are the tuning fork now)

place a stone or object in each hand and feel the weight (instant wizard upgrade)

trace a spiral on your leg or chest with a finger (yes, this is magic, no, you don’t need a wand or a Hogwarts letter)

✦ Neurodivergent/ADHD accessible tips:

pace slowly while naming colors or objects around you (“red chair, cursed mug, very judgmental bookshelf…”)

hold something cold (metal, ice) to snap back into the body (shock yourself back into witch mode, like a magical defibrillator)

use rhythmic rocking, swaying, or drumming. Movement grounds (bounce like your life depends on it, because it kind of does)

whisper grounding phrases out loud: “Here. Now. I’m back in my body.” Bonus points if you sound like a dramatic movie trailer.

⚒︎ 2. RAISING — Building Charge & Shaping Intensity

Raising energy isn’t about “summoning power.” It’s about amplifying sensation, focus, breath, and emotion until the body and mind reach a peak state. You are not a Tesla coil. You are a sentient tuning fork riding a feelings spike straight into the void.

You’re not generating power. You’re creating a resonant state. The body hums, the air goes electric, and your attention sharpens like a feral bard who just rolled a nat 20 and is about to seduce the universe.

Ways to raise energy:

repetitive chanting or singing (bonus if it’s in a language only your ancestors and that one raccoon understand)

rhythmic breathing

spinning, dancing, stomping, clapping

breathwork: inhale-hold-exhale in patterns (aka witch cardio)

sensory layering: scent + sound + motion (this is your sensory soup, season to taste and stir with intention)

emotional invocation (rage, joy, grief, awe)

⚛︎ Scientific thread: Rhythmic entrainment creates synchronization across systems, brainwaves, heart rate, breath. Trance states (theta wave dominance) are neurologically primed for magic, visualization, and suggestibility (Bourguignon, 1973).

The science says: your weird little drum circle is actually hacking your nervous system.

✦ Signs energy is raised:

body temperature spikes (you have become one with the microwaved burrito of your will)

tingling or humming in limbs

spontaneous emotion (laughing, crying, screaming into a candle, or all three at once)

“buzz” in the hands or chest 

a felt sense of pressure or power

✦ Neurodivergent/ADHD accessible tips:

use audio: drums, layered vocals, heartbeat tempo (yes, it’s a vibe track, yes, it’s spellwork, and yes, you can put it on repeat)

stim with beads, fidgets, or textured tools (fidget = focus wand)

combine movement with voice: rock and hum, walk and chant

use a visual counter (beads, marks) to track rhythm and stay engaged (unlock that spellcasting hyperfocus mode)

🜚 3. RELEASING — Sending It Off Cleanly

Energy raised but not released just loops around like a playlist on repeat. Like a spell with separation anxiety. Or a raccoon trapped in your emotional HVAC system, chewing on the wires.

You may feel foggy, anxious, disoriented, or like you left the cosmic stove on. Releasing is not about “letting go emotionally.”

It’s completing the circuit. The exhale. The click. The signal sent. The cosmic send button, pressed with intent.

Pressing "send" on the cosmic email and walking away before you obsessively reread it 10 times.

Release forms:

blowing out a candle

snapping fingers or clapping

burning paper or thread

dropping an object into water

walking away without looking back (no you can’t check if it’s working, that ruins it)

speaking final words (“It is done.” “Go.” “Fly.”)

⚛︎ Scientific thread: Completion rituals mirror closure mechanisms in the nervous system. They help return the body to a resting state and resolve emotional tension (Porges, Polyvagal Theory).

Basically your nervous system needs a “thank you for coming to my TED Talk” moment.

✦ Neurodivergent/ADHD accessible tips:

use a sharp motion (clap, stomp, drop something)

make a release phrase part of the rhythm: “Out it goes.” “Leave.” “Let.”

visualize the energy leaving a specific body part (yeet the vibe, full send)

pair release with a sensory shift: turn off music, blow air on your hands, wash them (ritual ended. exit stage left.)

⚛︎ Energy ≠ Electricity, But Physics Still Helps

No, this isn’t about volts. It’s about motion. Sorry, Nikola Tesla. Here’s how physics helps us talk about magic without fluff:

Resonance — energy moves best when two things vibrate together

Oscillation — energy pulses in waves; it builds and collapses

Fields — energy doesn’t float in space; it moves through fields: physical, emotional, psychic

Conductivity — not all materials transmit energy equally

Collapse — in quantum mechanics, observing a pattern finalizes its form

What this means in practice: You’re not generating energy like some crusty old wall outlet. You’re not even getting paid for it. You’re tuning into the cosmic group chat and hoping the universe doesn’t leave you on read. Again. You don’t push. You just slap the metaphysical jukebox and pray the right song plays.

And if the vibes are right? The universe hits you back with a very specific ringtone.

☿ 3-Minute Ritual: Sensory-Friendly Energy Work

(for when your witchcraft is running on 3% battery and the charger is in another dimension)

♨︎ This is for you if you:

are overwhelmed

have the executive function of a Victorian ghost haunting a to-do list

can't hold a thought for more than 2.3 seconds (and that’s on a good day)

see "visualize a glowing orb" and immediately blue-screen

need spells with physical buttons and a “skip intro” option

✧ Minimal ritual. Maximum effect. ADHD and dissociation tested. Witch-approved.

✧ Minute 1: GROUND

Sit or lie down. Press your hands to your chest or thighs.

Inhale deeply. Exhale with a sigh.

Say: “Here. Now. I arrive.”

✧ Minute 2: RAISE

Play a short rhythm or hum softly.

Rock side to side or tap your fingers to the beat.

Imagine heat or light building in your hands or heart.

✧ Minute 3: RELEASE

Exhale sharply and flick your fingers.

Drop or toss a small object (stone, thread, matchstick).

Say: “It is done. Go.”

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

Energy work doesn’t have to be a three-act opera with costume changes and dramatic lighting. It just has to show up, make eye contact with the universe, and mean it.

You’re not auditioning for Charmed. You’re just flipping a cosmic light switch with your whole chest and hoping the fuse holds.

❣︎ Final Thought

Energy work is not about “feeling magic.” It’s about listening to your body until the pattern changes.

The work is not flashy. It’s quiet. Subtle. Sensory. The kind of magic that sneaks up on you in the grocery store.

And if you pay attention? The whole world starts ringing back.

Part Ⅲ of Occult Mechanics 𝟷𝟶𝟷

✍︎ Further Reading & Sources

✧ Somatic & Nervous System Studies

Stephen Porges. The Polyvagal Theory

Bessel van der Kolk. The Body Keeps the Score

Peter Levine. Waking the Tiger

Stanley Rosenberg. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve

✧ Ritual, Trance, and Embodied Practice

Erika Bourguignon. Religion, Altered States of Consciousness, and Social Change

Starhawk. The Spiral Dance

Victor Turner. The Ritual Process

Ronald Grimes. The Craft of Ritual Studies

✧ Cognitive Science & Symbolic Logic

Lakoff & Johnson. Metaphors We Live By

Newberg & d’Aquili. Why God Won’t Go Away

Wilson, M. (2002). Six Views of Embodied Cognition

[auraesoterica]

Eclipse Season this year was intense, im feeling this next full moon will also be interesting 👀

[dahmerskitchen]

[auraesoterica]

Spiritual experiences and changes during pregnancy

I was a daily practitioner until I got pregnant. There were some immediate stark changes I had to make in how I practiced. For example, my bread and butter pre-pregnancy was spell candles and lighting incense. But incense isn't healthy for the baby, so I had to stop that. The smell of a dressed candle made me sick. Even a plain candle, snuffed out, used to be a pleasant smell, but became a stench. Dream work and Dream analysis are a big part of my practice. My dreams stopped being introspective narrative pieces about my inner world. They became a jumbled mess of snippets on any sensory input from the previous day. Very incohesive, and dream recall was non-existent. This stagnated my progress on my path, on how I was doing things before. However, pregnancy is a spiritual experience in itself. I took it as a time to pivot my focus in my practice for the time being. It was a little jarring at first. All my expectations of pregnancy were on physical, emotional, and mental changes. I honestly never considered it would impact my practice.

The deeper I got into the first Trimester, the harder it was to pull a card. I was still able to do divination through tarot. It took a lot of energy. This seemed typical, as everything is very tiring in the first trimester. My usual practice for New Moons felt draining instead of revitalizing. One of the hardest things for me to navigate was not feeling in touch with the moon phases. For the past two years, the moon has been an amazing guide in helping me understand my inner world and hormonal cycle. Pregnancy doesn't follow that cycle. I did not have a planet or a natural cycle I could use to anchor myself onto to be my compass in all the internal changes pregnancy brings.

I also felt a relationship shift with another guide, my physical body. I felt like a passenger held hostage. I was forced to ride, sit, and be quiet while my body was preparing and doing miraculous things. I did not feel like I was the one making a baby. I felt more like a vessel the force of life was crafting inside of. I wasn't a creator of life but a lucky bystander who gets to intimately witness the pain and beauty of the process. I was able to apply a lesson I had learned pre-pregnancy. My practice should be adaptable to my lifestyle and needs. Easily, I resorted to enchanting more mundane tasks to be connected, like wearing jewelry with certain intentions, placing certain crystals at my desk. Sometimes after work, I lie down for some meditative rest. I turned to kitchen magick and prayers.

I was curious how others had adapted their practice during this time. So I searched online. Online, I see a lot of other pregnancy posts describe having intense spiritual growth during pregnancy. Even though I saw some improvement in astral projection. Such as developing hearing in astral. I attributed this to just how much practice and how long I had been practicing. Only changes were what I was doing, but I didn't see "growth", just differences. I wasn't advancing, but I didn't feel I was regressing either.

The only other topic I saw was feeling a spiritual connection with the baby. Some posts talked about being instantly connected to the baby at conception or when they found out. There were so many posts saying how they knew they were pregnant even before receiving a positive test. I did not feel connected to my baby until the end of the first trimester. Even though I know I shouldn't have, I felt guilty. I pressured myself to feel shame for practicing for a few years and not knowing if I was pregnant. That I was a dream witch, and I was having dreams about having a girl. When in fact I was having a boy. Silly, I know. But it made me doubt my abilities and my practice a bit at the time.

It was not until I found out the sex, and I had a name, that I felt a connection. When I say connection, I do not mean I spiritually feel this baby, or that I can read his soul. I was just starting to care and slowly feel attached to my baby. My husband and I had been trying for a few months, and this was a very planned pregnancy. I mention this to give some context that even though I took the steps to have this baby. It still took time for me to develop care and attachment for my baby. Towards the end of the first trimester, I did have a cool meditation session where I could sense ripples in my energy field. I felt this was my energy and my baby's. I have not had that experience again.

I would like to mention that please do not take this as a sign that you will and should feel connected this early. It is very normal not to be connected to your baby until sometime after the baby is born. This doesn't make you a bad parent or a bad practitioner. The body is going through so many intense changes; everyone is going to process this experience differently, despite spiritual growth or maturity.

[auraesoterica]

Part 2: The second trimester was very different for me. I started to lose my psychic senses for the first time since the start of my practice. I felt completely disconnected. I lost the ability to visualize, even though I have had a strong mind's eye since I was a child. My sense of discernment was completely absent. Despite my consistent practice, astral projection abruptly stopped. I had stopped journaling and doing a daily tarot pull. I missed all New Moon and Full Moon opportunities. Even lost track of the lunar cycle completely. I had even dismantled my altar. Most of my practice, again, candle magic, smoke scrying, and burning incense, was all bad for the baby. So I decided to make more room for the baby and have my altar be my desk instead of a separate space/work station. Again, I went online to see if this is common or normal. I only find stories about incredible improvements, growth, and abundance of experiences. While I had some touching experiences in the first trimester, I had nothing on the caliber of what I was reading. When my search for a similar experience turned out empty-handed, I began to worry. I had fears that pregenacy was more than I bargained for, that I might lose all the work I had made over the years. On top of this, my communication with my spirit guide was rocky; it could be great one minute, then horrible the next. We had no issues in the first trimester. Fortunately, for most of the second trimester. I knew he was there by faith and faith alone. Sometimes I would get a faint nudge of his wisdom, just a small passing feeling on what he would say on what I was struggling with. But as the weeks carried on, the connection from my point of view had gone quiet. I was overwhelmed with hormones and a flood of emotions. It did not help that I am a solo practitioner. I have no peers to open up to about my spiritual struggles. Sure, there was plenty of help for my pregnancy symptoms, feelings about the baby, and assistance for getting things ready for the baby. But no help or outlet about the aspect of my life that means the most to me. It hurt that I kept being told I was in the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy, and this is the best I would feel.

[auraesoterica]

Part 3:

Physically, I did. Walks outside kept me sane for a bit. I occupied my mind and time with getting things ready, learning about the baby, and appointments. But my spirituality was declining, and I had a dip in my mental health. At least I could communicate with my body just fine. Towards the end of the second trimester, after my baby shower. My home was all set up for baby. I just have appointments and time to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy. I had too much time to sit and see how I had lost connection with the biggest aspect of my life. Pregnancy symptoms got more intense, and when things get hard, I need my practice the most. I needed to feel my guide's energy and support. Missing him was not enough. I needed to feel him and talk to him. Desperation combined with lack of discernment and lack of focus. My efforts to reach my guide felt futile, and the hormonal overwhelm got to me. I felt abandoned by my guide. I started to have doubts about my practices, my firsthand experiences, and my previous journal entries. All because I wanted my guide to break the laws of physics so I could physically feel their presence and support. This led to an intense emotional breakdown. Through this breakdown, because I was finally able to release all the emotions I had been holding onto, I was able to leave space for my psychic sense to work. I discovered that since I was hitting my third Trimester, my hormones were increasing even more. I was faced with the fact that not only will I be bringing my first child into the world. I was going through a rebirth myself. I had to accept that this version of me was going to die. Accepting that brought on intense grief. But in that grief, I was able to rekindle the flame that is my passion for spiritual work. When I fall, the only thing that brings me back to myself is this work. I mustered the energy to do a full moon bubble bath meditation ceremony. I was able to cry out and talk out everything I had gone through with my guide, as well as start communication with a deity that I have always respected and always teetered on the edges of my journey. This deity is a divine mother. I reached out to her to guide me through this new transition of my life, and be my guide for motherhood. I would love to say that was it. Happily ever after, the end! I was reconnected, and I do not have any problems. Nonsense, the third trimester is a constant fluctuation of energy, hormones, and moods. Sometimes my psychic senses are there, sometimes they are not. Sometimes it is there, but it's very blurry and distorted. I was able to have an out-of-body experience for maybe 5 seconds once. My guide and I still have communication problems. Sometimes my baby reacts to my meditations. Now I am embracing the turbulent waters of this time in my life. I have let go of control, and I rely not on my discernment but my instincts and intuition. Instincts and intuition are the only facets of my practice that have seen nothing but improvements in the third trimester. My guide and I have found a way to navigate the turbulence of our communication. My guide has told me that this may be how we have to navigate our bond for even a few months after the baby is born. It is not all bad. I can journal again and pull a daily card. I celebrate the full and new moon even though I still don't feel like it mirrors my inner experience.

This was my experience. I wanted to share some ups and downs because while I was struggling, I craved validation and comfort. All I found online were these miraculous encounters of astral projections or connection to their unborn baby, or just simply "I was too tired to do anything," which is fine. I get it. But I found nothing about struggle and turmoil in the spiritual aspect of life. So I wanted to share. I hope this helps someone feel less alone someday. I am very excited for this new chapter in my life and to meet my baby boy.

[auraesoterica]

Spiritual experiences and changes during pregnancy

I was a daily practitioner until I got pregnant. There were some immediate stark changes I had to make in how I practiced. For example, my bread and butter pre-pregnancy was spell candles and lighting incense. But incense isn't healthy for the baby, so I had to stop that. The smell of a dressed candle made me sick. Even a plain candle, snuffed out, used to be a pleasant smell, but became a stench. Dream work and Dream analysis are a big part of my practice. My dreams stopped being introspective narrative pieces about my inner world. They became a jumbled mess of snippets on any sensory input from the previous day. Very incohesive, and dream recall was non-existent. This stagnated my progress on my path, on how I was doing things before. However, pregnancy is a spiritual experience in itself. I took it as a time to pivot my focus in my practice for the time being. It was a little jarring at first. All my expectations of pregnancy were on physical, emotional, and mental changes. I honestly never considered it would impact my practice.

The deeper I got into the first Trimester, the harder it was to pull a card. I was still able to do divination through tarot. It took a lot of energy. This seemed typical, as everything is very tiring in the first trimester. My usual practice for New Moons felt draining instead of revitalizing. One of the hardest things for me to navigate was not feeling in touch with the moon phases. For the past two years, the moon has been an amazing guide in helping me understand my inner world and hormonal cycle. Pregnancy doesn't follow that cycle. I did not have a planet or a natural cycle I could use to anchor myself onto to be my compass in all the internal changes pregnancy brings.

I also felt a relationship shift with another guide, my physical body. I felt like a passenger held hostage. I was forced to ride, sit, and be quiet while my body was preparing and doing miraculous things. I did not feel like I was the one making a baby. I felt more like a vessel the force of life was crafting inside of. I wasn't a creator of life but a lucky bystander who gets to intimately witness the pain and beauty of the process. I was able to apply a lesson I had learned pre-pregnancy. My practice should be adaptable to my lifestyle and needs. Easily, I resorted to enchanting more mundane tasks to be connected, like wearing jewelry with certain intentions, placing certain crystals at my desk. Sometimes after work, I lie down for some meditative rest. I turned to kitchen magick and prayers.

I was curious how others had adapted their practice during this time. So I searched online. Online, I see a lot of other pregnancy posts describe having intense spiritual growth during pregnancy. Even though I saw some improvement in astral projection. Such as developing hearing in astral. I attributed this to just how much practice and how long I had been practicing. Only changes were what I was doing, but I didn't see "growth", just differences. I wasn't advancing, but I didn't feel I was regressing either.

The only other topic I saw was feeling a spiritual connection with the baby. Some posts talked about being instantly connected to the baby at conception or when they found out. There were so many posts saying how they knew they were pregnant even before receiving a positive test. I did not feel connected to my baby until the end of the first trimester. Even though I know I shouldn't have, I felt guilty. I pressured myself to feel shame for practicing for a few years and not knowing if I was pregnant. That I was a dream witch, and I was having dreams about having a girl. When in fact I was having a boy. Silly, I know. But it made me doubt my abilities and my practice a bit at the time.

It was not until I found out the sex, and I had a name, that I felt a connection. When I say connection, I do not mean I spiritually feel this baby, or that I can read his soul. I was just starting to care and slowly feel attached to my baby. My husband and I had been trying for a few months, and this was a very planned pregnancy. I mention this to give some context that even though I took the steps to have this baby. It still took time for me to develop care and attachment for my baby. Towards the end of the first trimester, I did have a cool meditation session where I could sense ripples in my energy field. I felt this was my energy and my baby's. I have not had that experience again.

I would like to mention that please do not take this as a sign that you will and should feel connected this early. It is very normal not to be connected to your baby until sometime after the baby is born. This doesn't make you a bad parent or a bad practitioner. The body is going through so many intense changes; everyone is going to process this experience differently, despite spiritual growth or maturity.

[auraesoterica]

Part 2: The second trimester was very different for me. I started to lose my psychic senses for the first time since the start of my practice. I felt completely disconnected. I lost the ability to visualize, even though I have had a strong mind's eye since I was a child. My sense of discernment was completely absent. Despite my consistent practice, astral projection abruptly stopped. I had stopped journaling and doing a daily tarot pull. I missed all New Moon and Full Moon opportunities. Even lost track of the lunar cycle completely. I had even dismantled my altar. Most of my practice, again, candle magic, smoke scrying, and burning incense, was all bad for the baby. So I decided to make more room for the baby and have my altar be my desk instead of a separate space/work station. Again, I went online to see if this is common or normal. I only find stories about incredible improvements, growth, and abundance of experiences. While I had some touching experiences in the first trimester, I had nothing on the caliber of what I was reading. When my search for a similar experience turned out empty-handed, I began to worry. I had fears that pregenacy was more than I bargained for, that I might lose all the work I had made over the years. On top of this, my communication with my spirit guide was rocky; it could be great one minute, then horrible the next. We had no issues in the first trimester. Fortunately, for most of the second trimester. I knew he was there by faith and faith alone. Sometimes I would get a faint nudge of his wisdom, just a small passing feeling on what he would say on what I was struggling with. But as the weeks carried on, the connection from my point of view had gone quiet. I was overwhelmed with hormones and a flood of emotions. It did not help that I am a solo practitioner. I have no peers to open up to about my spiritual struggles. Sure, there was plenty of help for my pregnancy symptoms, feelings about the baby, and assistance for getting things ready for the baby. But no help or outlet about the aspect of my life that means the most to me. It hurt that I kept being told I was in the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy, and this is the best I would feel.

[auraesoterica]

Spiritual experiences and changes during pregnancy

I was a daily practitioner until I got pregnant. There were some immediate stark changes I had to make in how I practiced. For example, my bread and butter pre-pregnancy was spell candles and lighting incense. But incense isn't healthy for the baby, so I had to stop that. The smell of a dressed candle made me sick. Even a plain candle, snuffed out, used to be a pleasant smell, but became a stench. Dream work and Dream analysis are a big part of my practice. My dreams stopped being introspective narrative pieces about my inner world. They became a jumbled mess of snippets on any sensory input from the previous day. Very incohesive, and dream recall was non-existent. This stagnated my progress on my path, on how I was doing things before. However, pregnancy is a spiritual experience in itself. I took it as a time to pivot my focus in my practice for the time being. It was a little jarring at first. All my expectations of pregnancy were on physical, emotional, and mental changes. I honestly never considered it would impact my practice.

The deeper I got into the first Trimester, the harder it was to pull a card. I was still able to do divination through tarot. It took a lot of energy. This seemed typical, as everything is very tiring in the first trimester. My usual practice for New Moons felt draining instead of revitalizing. One of the hardest things for me to navigate was not feeling in touch with the moon phases. For the past two years, the moon has been an amazing guide in helping me understand my inner world and hormonal cycle. Pregnancy doesn't follow that cycle. I did not have a planet or a natural cycle I could use to anchor myself onto to be my compass in all the internal changes pregnancy brings.

I also felt a relationship shift with another guide, my physical body. I felt like a passenger held hostage. I was forced to ride, sit, and be quiet while my body was preparing and doing miraculous things. I did not feel like I was the one making a baby. I felt more like a vessel the force of life was crafting inside of. I wasn't a creator of life but a lucky bystander who gets to intimately witness the pain and beauty of the process. I was able to apply a lesson I had learned pre-pregnancy. My practice should be adaptable to my lifestyle and needs. Easily, I resorted to enchanting more mundane tasks to be connected, like wearing jewelry with certain intentions, placing certain crystals at my desk. Sometimes after work, I lie down for some meditative rest. I turned to kitchen magick and prayers.

I was curious how others had adapted their practice during this time. So I searched online. Online, I see a lot of other pregnancy posts describe having intense spiritual growth during pregnancy. Even though I saw some improvement in astral projection. Such as developing hearing in astral. I attributed this to just how much practice and how long I had been practicing. Only changes were what I was doing, but I didn't see "growth", just differences. I wasn't advancing, but I didn't feel I was regressing either.

The only other topic I saw was feeling a spiritual connection with the baby. Some posts talked about being instantly connected to the baby at conception or when they found out. There were so many posts saying how they knew they were pregnant even before receiving a positive test. I did not feel connected to my baby until the end of the first trimester. Even though I know I shouldn't have, I felt guilty. I pressured myself to feel shame for practicing for a few years and not knowing if I was pregnant. That I was a dream witch, and I was having dreams about having a girl. When in fact I was having a boy. Silly, I know. But it made me doubt my abilities and my practice a bit at the time.

It was not until I found out the sex, and I had a name, that I felt a connection. When I say connection, I do not mean I spiritually feel this baby, or that I can read his soul. I was just starting to care and slowly feel attached to my baby. My husband and I had been trying for a few months, and this was a very planned pregnancy. I mention this to give some context that even though I took the steps to have this baby. It still took time for me to develop care and attachment for my baby. Towards the end of the first trimester, I did have a cool meditation session where I could sense ripples in my energy field. I felt this was my energy and my baby's. I have not had that experience again.

I would like to mention that please do not take this as a sign that you will and should feel connected this early. It is very normal not to be connected to your baby until sometime after the baby is born. This doesn't make you a bad parent or a bad practitioner. The body is going through so many intense changes; everyone is going to process this experience differently, despite spiritual growth or maturity.

[auraesoterica]

Happy Capricorn Full Moon ♑️🌕

[auraesoterica]

So developing hearing in astral is terrifying....

[auraesoterica]

I'm a little obsessed with my new crystal bath set up. She is cuter in person. Hoping she will help me astral more 💕🌌

[auraesoterica]

Update: it has been over a month and I have actually had less astral experiences with this crystal bath. It could be because of personal life things interfered. Anyway back to the drawing board. Wanted to share to show spells and intentions can fail sometimes.

[you-are-another-me]

[you-are-another-me]

[astra-ravana]

On Astral Travel

Astral projection is a practice associated with the idea of an out-of-body experience, where one's consciousness is said to travel outside the physical body to explore the physical or astral plane. Similar to lucid dreaming, astral projection is reflexatory. The more often it is carried out the easier the process becomes. Here is a general guide to astral projection.

Preparation

Find a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed. Dim the lights, turn off electronic devices, and ensure a comfortable temperature.

Practice deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and body. Progressive muscle relaxation can help you ease tension from head to toe. Consider meditating to achieve a focused and peaceful mind state. Some even use a sleep state to enter the astral.

Techniques for Astral Projection

• The Rope Technique: Imagine a rope hanging above you. Visualize reaching out and mentally climb it, feeling the movement without physical effort.

• The Monroe Technique: Lie down and achieve a state of complete relaxation. Focus on the sensation of vibrations throughout your body as you enter the hypnagogic state. Try to "roll out" of your body with your non-physical form.

• The Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) Method: Set an alarm to wake up after 4-6 hours of sleep. Stay awake for a short period and then return to sleep with the intention of astral projecting.

• The Visualization Technique: Visualize yourself floating away from your physical body or moving through a tunnel or pathway to another realm.

During the Experience

1. Stay Calm: Feelings of vibrations, floating, or other sensations are common and should be accepted without fear. Remain calm and open-minded to the experience.

2. Exploration: Once you feel separated from your physical body, explore your surroundings. Engage with your environment, but avoid getting too excited, as emotions can quickly end the experience. From this simple starting point come infinite possibilities. You can explore the physical world with your astral body, you can also gain entry to different areas of the astral plane through various gates and portals.

3. Home Base: You can usually establish a sort of pocket for yourself in the astral, with relative ease. Just tear open reality and enter the rift, with the intent of going home. Usually this area will start off as something familiar and comfortable like your childhood home or school, but similar to a dreamscape. You can alter and change this area as you see fit.

4. Creation: In the astral, especially within areas you control, you are capable of vast creation. You can build a magick library, a room full of toys, an enchanted mansion. You are limited only by your imagination.

5. Astral Body: Your astral body also has a default form. This is sometimes similar to your physical body, sometimes not, instead resonating with your soul instead. This body can be altered and shifted to different forms with practice.

6. Return to Body: Focus your intention on returning to your physical body. Gradually deepen your breaths and wiggle your fingers and toes to ground yourself. You may use thread or a cord to guide you back to your physical body.

After the Experience

After returning, take time to reflect and write down the details of your experience. Pay attention to any emotions, visuals, or insights gained. Like any skill, astral projection can improve with regular practice and patience. This is a rich and complex practice with many different approaches and belief systems. Experiment with different methods until you find a process that works for you.

Safety and Considerations

Approach astral projection with a positive and inquisitive mindset. Accept that not everyone will have the same experiences, and managing expectations is essential. Astral projection can also facilitate access to different realms, including the spirit world or Otherworld. These types of journeys can be dangerous. In some cases injuries to the astral body can extend to the physical body. Use caution and common sense when exploring.

Astral projection is a highly subjective experience, and the practice and outcomes can vary greatly from person to person. It is important to approach it with an open mind and proper knowledge. That being said, astral projection is like a reflex or a muscle of the mind. The more it is exercised the more natural the practice becomes. Practice and persistence are key. Once mastered, the possibilities are limitless.