The Practice of Contemplative Ritual

#contemplativesorcery

For years now, I've called my magical practice Contemplative Sorcery.

I stopped identifying as pagan or witch quite some time ago, though I still work with various deities - mythological and made up - and I still do what many would call "magic".

But it's all in my mind.

Well, sort of.

The purpose of ritual in my practice is to get myself into the right headspace, and that all takes place outside of my head, but the bulk of the work?

It's happening in my mind.

With the caveat that I subscribe to Extended Mind Theory and so my mind is not just sitting in my head, it fills my entire body, and even extends out into the "world" in various forms - notebooks, tools, etc. This very digital garden is part of my Extended Mind.

So even when I'm taking what is generally categorized as a "physical" action, it is still within the processes and extension of my mind. Each action has a corresponding mental state, and with Contemplative Ritual, the goal is to align the actions with the desired mental state - being proactive about the mood you're in rather than just letting the whims of reality direct you.