Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi - Michael M. Hughes 2018

Food and Movement
Self-Care and Resilience

Diet and exercise (groan!). You knew it was coming.

My advice is pretty simple. Eat more plants, including green leaves, and fewer animal products. Learn to cook—there is magic in food and cooking, as any kitchen witch will tell you. Eating processed food is okay once in a while, but it should not be the basis of your diet.

Eat widely, varying the colors, textures, and tastes of your foods.

I noticed an enormous increase in my magical energy, intuition, and psychic senses when I gave up eating mammals and fowl while only occasionally eating fish and seafood. I had always been drawn to the concept of vegetarianism, and it was very easy for me to stop eating meat. I’m not vegan (though I eat plenty of vegan meals and have nothing against it), but when I have a serious magical working on the agenda, I avoid all animal products for at least the day before (if I’m not fasting).

I’m convinced that a shift toward eating more plants and fewer animals is a boon to magical practice. But we’re all physiologically different, so trust your intuition and what your body tells you. If you do eat meat, try to get humanely raised, organic, hormone-free varieties and sustainable, wild-caught fish. The brutal horrors of factory farming and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) leave dark, toxic psychic residue on the flesh of the animals—you don’t want to be ingesting that stuff, trust me.

Explore herbal medicine as an alternative or adjunct to allopathic medicine. As you become more magically adept, you will become more attuned to plant energies, making herbal medicine much more effective.

And, yes, you need to exercise. That doesn’t mean you need to join a gym or become a runner if that’s not your thing. The best way to get regular exercise is to become a person who walks. Unless you have a disability, walking is an exercise option available to everyone, and it doesn’t require membership fees or equipment other than a decent pair of shoes. It is also a way to connect with your local environment and its local flora and fauna, and it will generate the new experiences, serendipities, and synchronicities that are the joy of every magician. It is especially a good way for the introverts and screen addicts among us to leave our comfortable cocoons and interact with our world. Walks in nature are uniquely energizing and calming, but even walks in cities will open you up to the spirits and energies of various buildings, parks, and roadways.

Tai chi, yoga, and qigong are superb physio-spiritual means of keeping your mind and body supple, strong, and healthy, too, with plenty of added spiritual and magical benefits, and you can find classes just about anywhere.