I had this thought today, that maybe the reason why nothing is working is because there's nothing for the magick to work with in the first place. Can't boost/enhance something that's not there I suppose.

It is entirely possible that you have created a self sustaining blockage for everything.
If I was in your shoes it might be the same way, I was lucking enough to get energy field style touches when I started.

Well, depending on what you think abilities are, every living thing including human has numerous abilities to run their daily activities. could it be that you mean sensing energy or third eye? If this is the case, l would say knowing comprehensively what is third eye is one thing and identifying how yours works is another. Sometimes, people think it's just the ability to hear, see and communicate with spirits but it can also mean being more conscious alert of yourself and your environment ie becoming wiser in some ways and l will also in part, put it that, it has much to do with dreams, discovering some secret or value of most common things around you , sometimes inability of others to hold secret against you. Third eye in my opinion should be a subject of itself to be studied and you may be surprise you has numerous skills hidden under it.

Esoteric scientist

Everyone can develop the ability to work with and sense energy on some level, it just comes more easily to some.

If you're willing to do daily energy work exercises I recommend Energy Work: The Secrets of Healing and Spiritual Development by Robert Bruce which you can get at Amazon.

Basically it goes through exercises using tactile imaging and intent to move and sense energy. You will work on chakra stimulation and overall development of the energy body. It's not just the chakras but also the energy pathways in the body. Your sensitivity to energy will grow over time with daily practice. It also advocates balanced chakra stimulation to avoid imbalance as some people focus too much on just the third eye chakra.

I think it may not so much be that you don't have abilities, but may be more a situation of you haven't yet figured out what your specific abilities are or what works best for you.


One of the biggest discouragements for people who start practicing is comparing themselves and their progress with others.

if nothing's working it may be time to stop what you've been doing and regroup.
i dont mean quit. but take some time, maybe a month, maybe more, to do some deep thinking about yourself (what holds you back, where your weaknesses lie, where your strengths lie etc) and practice an ability, like lucid dreaming or vision work or divination or astral work or energy work, but without the focus of spirit communication, just as a practice. it might help to take the nerves and stigma off of things if you practice it just because, not for any ultimate goal.

keep notes of dreams during this time and if something interesting happens, let yourself get excited. if it seems spirit related, then let the thought occur, dont push it away. keep an overall awareness of your spirits and talk to/ involve them but stop waiting for communication. it'll help bring you into focus with your own learning and your abilities will come forward.

working spiritually has a weird conflict with our minds, you have to somehow find a balance between belief and disbelief and be an observer, otherwise delusions or blocks can occur.

this last thing is PURELY suggestion, i dont want to sound like im trying to bully you or anything.
consider ignoring the forum for a bit, you dont want to be reminded of others successes during fragile times. you want to instead focus on your OWN success. if you are someone who is discouraged by others success where you had none, i would really advise that you take a break from this place, but if you're the opposite, ignore me on this one lol.

Thank you for all the responses!

It could be that you have to break through your blockages. We all have them. Our well-meaning parents erect them for us when we are small and can see our "imaginary" friends. It takes effort to break through them but it can be accomplished.
My suggestion is to assess your capabilities and maybe you can find the blockages. Once they are located you can use intent to chip away at them. Easier said than done, I know. That is what I suggested to Huff and it is working for him. Maybe it will work for you.

Krowe wrote:if nothing's working it may be time to stop what you've been doing and regroup.
i dont mean quit. but take some time, maybe a month, maybe more, to do some deep thinking about yourself (what holds you back, where your weaknesses lie, where your strengths lie etc) and practice an ability, like lucid dreaming or vision work or divination or astral work or energy work, but without the focus of spirit communication, just as a practice. it might help to take the nerves and stigma off of things if you practice it just because, not for any ultimate goal.

keep notes of dreams during this time and if something interesting happens, let yourself get excited. if it seems spirit related, then let the thought occur, dont push it away. keep an overall awareness of your spirits and talk to/ involve them but stop waiting for communication. it'll help bring you into focus with your own learning and your abilities will come forward.

working spiritually has a weird conflict with our minds, you have to somehow find a balance between belief and disbelief and be an observer, otherwise delusions or blocks can occur.

this last thing is PURELY suggestion, i dont want to sound like im trying to bully you or anything.
consider ignoring the forum for a bit, you dont want to be reminded of others successes during fragile times. you want to instead focus on your OWN success. if you are someone who is discouraged by others success where you had none, i would really advise that you take a break from this place, but if you're the opposite, ignore me on this one lol.

exactly what i was thinking

Go with some concrete tests for a while. Take the Ace through 5 of all 4 suits in a card deck. Shuffle, turn over, and focus on determining whether they are red or black. The farther above (or BELOW) 50% you go, the more likely something is happening. Excessively low scores, beyond what can be explained by chance, are evidence of what's described as "psi missing".

Do this a lot of times. When you feel confident that it's time to bump up the challenge level, go for the specific suit instead of just the color. The farther away from 25% your score is, in either direction, the more likely psi activity is involved.

Do lots of these tests. The next level of difficulty, when you are ready to move up, is to focus on the face value of the card instead of suit or color. The father your results are from 20%, the more likely psi is involved in the result.

When I was a kid, I did so many of these tests, I can't even begin to tell you. I used tons of looseleaf paper all through my summer vacation, doing things like this.

Think in terms of months, rather than weeks, when persisting with these tests. The process isn't quick.