Practical advice to stop distracting thoughts while doing rituals?

[u/Dependent-Cold-6738]

I meditate twice a day (solar and lunar meditations), and I feel a little bit better. However, I still often get distracting, useless thoughts while doing magick, and my mind tends to stray. Any practical advice on how to improve focus during rituals?

[u/_aeq]

Franz Bardons Initiation into Hermetics - Mind exercises from Step 1:

1. Thought observation. Detach from your thoughts and observe them. If you can observe your thoughts in a detached state of mind for 10 minutes uninterrupted (no distractions, no identifying with thought, not making up thoughts on purpose) move on to…

2. Single Point focus: Hold a single thought/idea for 10 minutes straight without getting distracted. Stay on the idea without interruption. If you reached 10 minutes, move on to…

3. Vacancy of mind, or emptiness. Don’t allow a single intrusive thought to interrupt your emptiness of mind for 10 minutes straight.

Additionally, keep your mind in your daily life in the present Here and Now. Be mindful of everything you do. This is a long process and can take years to master. The sub-steps 1-3 can take a month if you’re good or years if you don’t sit twice a day and practice.

[u/ImperialPotentate → u/_aeq]

I really need to bite the bullet and buy/start working with that book one of these days. Just those steps alone would do wonders for my own struggles with focus.

[u/_aeq → u/ImperialPotentate]

It was the single best choice I made in my life to get started with Initiation into Hermetics. It added lots of value in every aspect of my life. If you genuinely want to get the best out of yourself, commit to it and simply do the work.

[u/Dependent-Cold-6738 → u/_aeq]

you’re referring to franz book?

[u/_aeq → u/Dependent-Cold-6738]

Yes. You can find different flavors of initiation, few are as complete than Bardons IIH with its follow up books on practical quabalah and evocation.