The Magick of Travel
by Christopher Penczak
Travel is one of the most mind-blowing experiences for me. Changing locations helps you change your consciousness; in fact, it forces you to change consciousness. When I leave my everyday life and routines, my awareness widens. Many rites of passages and initiation ceremonies require the initiate to leave the safety of the community, often to keep vigil in unfamiliar surroundings, such as a cave or mountaintop.

The first time I experienced the magick of travel was many years ago on a business trip to Los Angeles. I thought I was going crazy, seeing and hearing things along my travels that no one else was experiencing. Lately I've been doing even more business travel, and I have noticed patterns. If you are leaving the routines of your daily life behind, you can use your trip to expand your awareness. Look through your psychic eyes to see what lies beneath the surface and partner with the magickal energy of the city or town your visit.

At the Crossroads
Whenever I travel, I start with an offering and communication to the patrons of the crossroads. Much of my travel is by plane, and when waiting around for a connecting flight in an airport, I realized how much the airport itself is like the crossroads of reality, a cosmic hub where many souls gather. While there, the traveler crosses paths with people and energies s/he would never normally come in contact with. So now when I reach my crossroads - the airport, train station, or even threshold of my driveway - I call upon the guardian of the crossroads to guide and protect me. In my personal practice, I call upon an aspect of Hecate because I have built a relationship with her in other works. Other gods associated with travel and crossroads include the Greek Hermes and the two-faced Roman god Janus. In African-American traditions, Legba is the opener of the way and guardian of the crossroads.

The Spirit of the City
In some traditions, travelers ask permission of the land spirits before entering a new territory. I've found that this principle applies equally to urban settings. When approaching a new city, I take a few moments to call upon the spirit of that city using my inner magical voice; I introduce myself and state my business, ask for the permission and the blessing of the city to enter, and then I listen. When I listen carefully, I get a sense of how I will relate to the city.

Local Spirits are Best
Some locations just seem better for certain types of spiritual work. I suggest meditating in your new location. Expand your consciousness outward. I usually start in my hotel room, and feel my perception expand outward with each exhale, until I have a vague awareness of the entire city. I try to get a feel for its energy and how the energy interacts with me. I ask "how we can partner together?" Then I ask for a local spirit guide. Find a way to communicate with this guide, through inner vision, inner voice or even the pendulum. Through your communications with this guide and your regular spiritual guides, find out if you have any work to do in this location. Will it aid you in a new area? Or could you possibly aid it? Remember, spirit work is a two-way street.

Don't Forget to Say Goodbye
Any good magickal experience has boundaries carved out ritualistically. If you begin or invoke any spirits, you should be sure to end and close the connection. As I leave a city, I thank the spirits I have worked with and say farewell. As I end my trip, I thank the guardians of the crossroads. Even though I am returning to my "normal" life, the experience helps me see the magic in my day-to-day travels.

So, while you travel, be open to the energy and insight of your location(s). You don't have to turn your vacation into a mystical quest; simply be conscious and respectful of the new energies around you. Follow your intuition and watch for synchronous events. Open your awareness to energy patterns, auras and general gut feelings. "Read" the energy of locations as you might read the energy of people or objects. I used to get lost easily in new cities, but since beginning this practice, I've noticed my sense of direction and navigational intuition has greatly improved. With awareness, you can appreciate the beauty of the world around you, no matter where you, and see everything through magical eyes.

Christopher Penczak is the author of The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development; City Magick; Spirit Allies; and Gay Witchcraft. He is a full time author, healer and teacher in the New England area. He can be reached at torcboy@aol.com or www.christopherpenczak.com.