The Ascendant includes the spiritual entities that surround our lives, whether that be our deities, the spiritual forces that once were a part of our world, or everything in between. This, is the easiest and most effective source of strength, for it is a force that is conscious and in full control of its own energy. When we pray to a deity we call upon the power of the ascendant to perform an act for us. Through appeasing these spiritual forces, wishes, prayers, and requests can become reality and have magnificent effects. Unfortunately, we must remember that this force has a consciousness of its own and therefore may choose not to fulfill our request but fulfill them in a way they see fit or fulfill them in a way we would have never expected nor wanted. The simple need to appease an entity is never guaranteed to work successfully, therefore, though the easiest source of strength to call upon; it is also the least practical
The next source of strength is The Surround. Being the second easiest and second most effective, this energy is found around us, on our plane of existence. The Surround is unconscious, and thus free to control, bend, and manipulate, using this energy is simply the state at which we manipulate the free energy around us to perform our desires. The disadvantage of this energy is the fact that it is separate from us, because of this, we need outside sources to help bridge the gap between us and the unconscious state of energy.? To better explain this it is best to look at a puppet; we do not control the puppet directly but instead tug and pull on strings, which in turn allows the puppet to dance and movie in the way we wish. Unfortunately, even if one masters the art of ?tugging strings?, we can never truly move the puppet in the smallest and most accurate, intricate ways. This makes it a flawed source and thus, the second least practical.
The last source of strength is known as The Self. It is the energy within us, our very body and soul, making up our entire being. This is the hardest energy to control, also the least effective in the beginning. ?The Self is an energy source that is bent to our will alone, not able to manipulate or resist because it is us. When mastered, it is a most powerful source of energy, strength, and power; not being dependant on another consciousness nor the use of ?strings?. Thus free to move, manipulate and bend in the most intricate, sensitive, and smallest ways to whatever degree. What makes this so difficult to use is that there are many factors that limit and bend it all within us, some include doubt, confusion, fear, lack of focus, and lack of self confidence. It is because of these states of mind that make this the hardest form of energy to use, though when used correctly, the results can be beautiful and/or dangerous. This energy becomes the most practical of the three, also the most powerful.