The Witches of Marble Falls

VII

There are two brands of magic in the world: one is the art of illusion and sleight of hand; the other is the Art of creating change by connecting with the energies of the Universe. The latter is the form we will discuss in this book.

Magic is a natural human ability, meaning we are born with it in our veins. That is not to say there aren't those of us who have a stronger connection. This is where the term 'natural born' comes from: someone who is born with a stronger connection to Magic, and who has an easier time moulding the surrounding energy. Magic is the control and manipulation of the threads of energy that make up matter and the Universe.

The first step to performing effective Magic is to perfect your visualisation skills. Most people need to train their minds to perceive the world in a different way. You must learn to control the forces within yourself as magic requires a great level of responsibility and discipline.

There are three basic steps to performing magic:

Desire: you must have a strong desire for whatever you are planning.

Form: a form is made by using one's imagination to define your desire with clarity and precision.

Manifestation: once you have met the first two criteria, you will be able to manifest your plans on a physical level.

Emilia read and re-read the passage from the book, making notes in a journal her aunts had bought her. Valerie refused to listen to anything Kittie and Agatha had to say, and if Emilia spoke up about magic, she would glower at her until she stopped. Emilia knew her sister sensed something odd around her, but she chalked it up to be weather related, or something about the lake or waterfall. Perhaps, if Emilia explained it in a scientific way, her twin would grow to accept the existence of magic. Emilia didn't believe that, but she had to try.

Rubbing Hands Together

In this, your first lesson in visualisation, you will envision a light between your hands:

Sit in a comfortable position and place your hands together.

Rub your palms together until you feel your skin getting warm.

Pull your hands apart and envision a ball of energy (light) between them.

Picture the energy leaving your dominant hand and entering your submissive hand.

Think to yourself, make a mental note, of what colour this energy/light is, how big the ball is, and what you feel when you envision this.

When you are finished, replace your hands, palms together, and picture the energy going back into your hands.

Make a note of this in your journal.

Emilia moved the book off of her lap and brought her hands together. She rubbed her palms and worked on seeing the energy between them. She followed the directions, but the energy between her hands did not increase, she didn't experience what the book explained. Frustrated, Emilia dropped her hands to her lap and fell back on her bed, breathing out a deep sigh. Emilia knew it would take more than just one night of practice to obtain the skills the book spoke about. She still had hope that something within her would come out and prove that magic was possible.

As she sat upright and began the process over, Valerie entered the room and tossed her backpack on the bed. She had clear anxiety, which caused Emilia to lower her hands and look with concern at her twin.

'Is everything all right, Val?'

Valerie scoffed as she flopped onto her bed, covering her face with her hands. She turned her head away from her sister and groaned. 'No, everything's not all right, Emi.' Emilia closed the book and stood from her bed, intent on comforting her sister, but Valerie held her hand out. 'Daphne and Harvey were in the garden, learning about the magical properties of herbs and flowers. Why are they doing? Why are they trying to fill our heads with nonsense?'

'Val, maybe it's not nonsense—at least to them. They believe in this, and I can't help thinking that their way is worth a try.'

'You want me to skip through the forest, barefoot, and call the spirits of nature?' Valerie laughed. Emilia stepped back and hung her head. How would she convince her sister that magic existed? She couldn't even do the simple tasks for beginners!

'Look, Aunt Kittie gave me this book.' She lifted the book from the bed and held it to her twin. 'It is supposed to tell us the history of magic, and it provides simple exercises to help us connect with that energy. Will you at least read it?'

Valerie turned to face her sister, spreading her fingers to see through the spaces. Emilia held out the book, trying to entice her. With a deep sigh, Valerie sat up and took the tome, laying it in her lap.

'Magic isn't something supernatural or paranormal—it's the energy that makes up everything. You always say that all matter is energy vibrating at different frequencies, Val. Perhaps, with magic, you can manipulate some of that energy.'

'Fine. We'll read it. Just, please Emi, don't get any ideas. This still seems like fantasy. I'm just not sure I'll be able to accept it.' She opened the book and thumbed the first page. Emilia had done the same thing, getting a feel for the book and the information. For all that Valerie denied in terms of magic, they had always been intuitive. Valerie continued to turn the pages until she came to the first chapter—she read through the passage that Emilia had started with, and she laughed.

'This is ridiculous, Emi.' She closed the book and pushed it towards the edge of the bed. 'Absolutely ridiculous.'

'Val, just try the exercise with me? Just once?' Emilia begged, sitting on the bed. 'Please?'

'Curse you and your fantastical mind, Emi.' Valerie said with a smile. She couldn't resist her sister for long, and Emilia knew that. Excited, Emilia moved to the centre of the bed and sat cross-legged before her sister; Valerie copied the position and grabbed her sister's hands. 'If this doesn't work, I don't want to hear about magic again, understand?'

'Of course, Val!' Emilia's excitement was palpable. 'All right, the first step is to put our palms together.' Valerie let her sister's hand drop as she moved to place her own together. 'Now we rub them together until they are warm. Once that happens, we should pull them apart and envision a ball of energy between our palms.'

As they rubbed their hands together, Valerie felt the warmth tickling her skin. It was simple friction, nothing magical about it, but something in her chest rose as she stopped and pulled her palms apart. Emilia followed, but again, nothing happened between her palms—that is, until their knees touched, sending a spark through their bodies to their hands.

'Did you feel that?' Emilia asked, lowering her hands. Valerie nodded, her eyes wide. 'What do you think that was?'

'It was probably static electricity from rubbing our hands together. I don't know.'

'Here, let's try it again, but this time we should put our hands together after creating the friction.' Emilia suggested. Valerie nodded, but looked at her sister with a hint of doubt. They began again, palms together, and rubbed them until their skin was warm. At the point where they would pull their hands apart, they put their hands facing each other and touched them together in a fluid movement. 'All right, now we should slowly pull them apart and envision a ball of energy.'

As they moved their palms away from each other, a jolt of electricity shot through their fingers—Valerie's eyes widened as she stared at their palms; she could see the faint outline of a ball of light forming in the space between their hands.

'Emi?'

'I see it too, Val.' Emilia said, a smile on her face. 'Okay, let's put our hands back together and envision the energy flowing back into our bodies.' As their fingertips touched, they both felt a surge of energy. When it left, they felt warm and light in their chests.

'I can't believe it.' Valerie muttered, looking at her hands, turning them over and over. She raised them to her face and touched her cheeks, then reached out and touched Emilia's face. 'What was that?'

'That was magic, sister.' Emilia said, laughter in her voice.