Practicing magic requires, well, practice, and waxing off and waxing on before you can actually do anything.
Start with things that are path-neutral and simple, if not easy. Find a meditation practice that suits you. Yoga, martial arts, dance. Just basic stuff for mental and physical discipline. Just about anyone you read will suggest this.
Experiment with yourself. Be prepared to mess with yourself, but always in a conscious, reflective manner. Make notes. Give things a good go, you don't know at the outset what will and won't be for you. The idea of these experiments is to become more aware, less judgmental about your experiences, and to push some boundaries. Always notice what you feel and how your cognition is affected by these activities. And don't jeopardize your health.
Here are some useful experiments. Some of them are part of Michael Kelly's Apophis project; he has a large oevre and an active project going still.
Experiment with the senses: practice by having a day of the week for each sense. For example, make Monday a day for sight. Each Monday, notice things of a particular colour, or notice intersecting lines, or particular shapes such as circles or triangles. Do this throughout the day. Find ways of playing with this. I experimented with touch, by touching all of the things in my room in total darkness - and in a drawer I found $100 USD I had hidden years before! I experimented with smell by going dumpster diving with a friend. I experimented with hearing by listening to different music, and by listening to silence as much as I could attain it.
Fast: try water only for three days, providing you are otherwise healthy and do not need food for any meds. When you go back to food, eat slowly, simply and very mindfully. Notice what fasting does to your mood and perception.
Stay awake for as long as you can: I was disappointed with this. As a shift worker, after three days and nights I just felt a bit grumpy.
Walk or run for as long as you can. Ensure you can get back home; get someone to pick you up.
Here are some experiments related to sex.
Orgasm denial: Masturbate to the point of orgasm, then stop. Do this over and over again, as often as you can in a day. Notice what this does to your whole state of mind, not just the sexual bits. If you finally allow yourself to orgasm, what happens? If you never allow yourself to orgasm, what happens? You can do this solo or with a partner.
Orgasm exhaustion: Solo or with a partner (or several) orgasm over and over. You can do this in one session, or over a period of time provided it is short enough, like a day. You are aiming not for the number of orgasms you want to have, but for orgasming way past the fun stage.
Sex magic of this sort changes consciousness. Both forms propel the magician into a state called eroto-comatose lucidity, a state between sleeping and waking where visions and other unusual phenomena can be experienced. Aleister Crowley popularized the first method, where he attained this state with the help of several attendants. There are different variations and I encourage you to consider the differences. Solo vs with partners. Finally orgasming vs not orgasming. Consider what to do with any resulting fluids. And the set and setting - do you do this in a full blown ritual with the room draped in red and black, or in the loo during your tea break? Both have potential.
The next entry will be about what to do with this insight, and particularly sigil magic.
And as always, blessings on you, gentle reader.
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