The Magical Tool Of Dialogue

Dialogue is a conversation, or interaction, that leads to deeper understanding and relationship. Dialogue leads to growth. Theologians may refer to the dialogue between man and the divine. To really develop a relationship there must be discovery about values, hopes, wishes, fears, plans and all those things that go to make up the whole person. This does not have to take place before the relationship is formed, or course. It is part of developing the relationship. Nor is it ever complete, rather an ongoing process. Dialogue is not just between two people. It can be between groups, nations or between a person and that which they are discovering. In some ways 'life' the ongoing process of living, enters into a dialogue with us. We act, life responds, we learn and then act again. There is a more subtle type of dialogue I want to mention--that between you and yourself. When you are musing or thinking things over you may notice certain signals, such as a hot flush to your cheeks or a tightness in your stomach. That is your inner self taking part in the conversation and you need to listen. I was lucky enough to have a professor of Ed. Psych. who counseled me when I was in college and trying to decide if I should divorce, and later how to adjust to that action. I remember telling him of the sensation of a steel door slamming down in my head when we would approach topics with which I was uncomfortable. That sensation was a signal that these were important topics and they needed to be dealt with well. Artists, poets, playwrights, writers are in dialogue with themselves through their work. When I first started writing about the community of magical creatures that developed because of a marriage between a small human and a fairy, I was making statements about tolerance and discrimnation. The back and forth of dialogue is a tool that will help you use the spark of magic to make life better for yourself. Learn to use it well.