My magic castle

My magic castle

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Magic Of Switching Points

The switching point is a concept used in technology to stand for the time a switch must be thrown because a system is about to be overloaded or for some other reason it is not good to continue with things as they are. Analog diagrams are set up with switching points; as in "if this then go here if not then go here". Like valves that shut off fluid when the container is full enough. The concept can be used in other ways as well. When you look down the endless road of the effort it takes to get to your big goals you may feel discouraged. You may feel like you will never get where you feel you must go. Instead of "having" to climb an endless stairway it might work better to climb from one landing to the next. At each landing you can then view your options before you continue. Perhaps there are hallways leading from each landing with new doors to open. Not all decisions need to be made when you first set up your plan or first start out on your journey. Since we learn as we go it is really impossible or imprudent to make decisions before we get to the point where we have the needed information to make a decision wisely. I refer to magic being involved in switching points or decisions points because making changes based on what matters and where you are going is different from simply erratically jumping around. Remember, MAGIC IS WELL FORMED. So as you dance towards your goal let your magical inner self maintain an awareness of the essence of your goal. Then, when you need to stop to rest, or to rethink your journey your decisions about changing strategies or directions will still be in tune with your essential message. If one path has been a mistake you can switch to a better one and take the lessons you have learned from that path with you. Each time you say "That didn't work" you are becoming more clear about what will work or what you want. Do not fear decisions. When things truly are not working there is need for change. But do keep singing your soul's song. Make the changes, pauses, renewals you need to make. They are still part of your pathway to expressing your magical purpose. May the spark be with you.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Follow The Magical Golden Thread

Many fairy tales have a golden thread as part of the story. This thread leads the hero or shero
to their ultimate happy destination. In our daily life we may feel unraveled and in need of a magic thread to stitch together the creative projects we are trying to craft. If you pause a bit, catch your breath away from this unraveled feeling you may discover that all the disparate parts and different pathways you have been scurrying down actually do have a common thread. I have been trying to be more commercial about my teaching skills but it seemed that there was too much to learn, too much to consider. I was getting to the point that I wanted to totally give up. Then I realized that 'magic' is the common thread for me. Students I have who are preparing to take the GED test need to feel the zing of confidence in their ability to learn. I can give that to them. I can do the same for women exploring new business ventures, or people who need to improve their ability to speak English. I can note the frustrations of each of the people I am working with and help them find a way to glory in their ability to succeed. That for me is the common thread, the genius within each person. If you are feeling that you have lost your sense of purpose, that you are no longer following your bliss I suggest you step back and look for the thread. More than likely you have been expressing your inner self in ways you didn't realize before. A well crafted meal can be the work of an artist as well as an oil painting. The thread of magic and genius runs through your work. Find it and appreciate it. May the spark be with you.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Magical Transfer

There are many magic wands. One that you can use to motivate yourself or even to get new ideas is to transfer the feeling of success from one project to another. Or the feeling of commitment can transfer from one thing to another. I came across a story I'd written years ago in my files. It has a strong feeling of "I want to share this" attached to it for me. I was feeling resistant about getting a current work rewritten and submitted to my critique group. I took a little trip to my passion about this old story and captured that drive to use to get myself in gear for this current work. Just like standing near a warm stove can warm your chilled body, so can putting your thoughts near other memories warm your drive to succeed. When your 'can do' belief is weak remember all the myriad of things you have achieved. Transfer that feeling of success back to what you are facing and you will feel more able to succeed at the current task. Not only can you transfer the 'can do' beliefs, you can also transfer the 'I want to' drives. Just like madras plaids, designed to have colors bleed into each other, or walking near a waterfall to feel the mist, there are times when it is good to share an aura or special field of something to bring that experience to something else. Reach into the field of magic that surrounds you and bring it back into your life to help you craft the wonderful life you deserve. May the spark be with you.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Is the magic in perfectionism or craftsmanship?

Perfectionism and craftsmanship are not two different names for the same thing. Perfectionism can be fear based or escapist. A well crafted item or action can be perfect but the difference is on the focus and purpose. A basic tenet of magic is: magic is well formed. Actions and other creations cry out to be done well. But there is a time to release the creation into the world it was created for. Deep intense focus can be part of a spiritual practice. St. Teresa of the Little Flowers taught that deep focus on work was a form of prayer. Zen Buddhism teaches the practitioner to lose one's ego in the practice of an action. It seems that the difference between the two ways of approaching ones creation, craftsmanship and perfectionism, is that one is focused on the self and the other is focused on the purpose of the creation. A perfectionist is often described as 'up-tight' or 'controlling'. To reach out to the field of magic that is around you it is necessary to lose the ego and be mindful. Focus on purpose and action. It is a tradition among The Navajo Indians that they make their well crafted rugs with a deliberate flaw in the design. The idea is that this allows any evil that is trapped in the design to escape. Craft your life with inward love and outward focus. This will draw magic to you. In addition, your creations will naturally be more perfect. Accept rightness, goodness, even perfection when they come. Do not 'be' a perfectionist. Be a magician, a craftsman. May the spark be with you.

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Magical Difference Between Daydreaming and Pursuing Your Dream

Attention is one of the tools of a wise magician. There is a time and place to let your mind roam among the clouds of wants and dreams. Your goals and dreams can give you energy to pull you out of a morass you might fall into when you need to heal. But it can be very unwise to focus on your pleasure or even lofty goals when there is a need to deal with reality. Daydreams can point towards a better future but if you ignore reality you are likely to have no future. Escapism is never the healing meditation that helps you move into a better life. Daydreams and worries can be dealt with in the same way in order to benefit from the time they take up without letting them run your life. That is to deal with them by appointment. Take some time that is available to use in any way you see fit. No urgent tasks, no nurturing of relationships or special projects. Designate this time as daydream time. Have pen and paper or other recording device available. Let you imagination wander among all the pictures that visit you. Ask your self where, how and with whom you would like to spend some significant time. Free associate joyously. When the time you have set apart for daydreaming is up, hook into your power self. Record the important insights you received. Then decide if actions should be planned and taken. Don't let your daydreams distract you from dealing with necessary tasks. Don't let your daydreams wither away to insignificance. The magic that surrounds you is a resource to use for a better life. Hook into it in a life affirming way. May the spark be with you.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Challenge As A Magic Wand

There is one strategy that has an amazing power. That is the challenge. All too often the status quo is dangerous and smothering. But when the challenge is given the clouds are swept away and new vistas are opened up. One of the first articles I published in a national magazine was rejected when I first submitted it because they said they had already published something similar. I challenged their assumption that I had nothing unique to offer by pointing out how my work covered new ground and was different in important ways from the other article. The editors reconsidered and accepted my article. Another very powerful way to use the challenge tool is to challenge yourself. If you challenge your limiting beliefs you will free yourself to bring more into your life. If you challenge your rationalizations you will open yourself up to greater productivity. If you challenge your resistance you will help clarify the areas where you need to gain greater skills or understanding and can then move past your creative block. If you challenge the bigotry of others you may open them up to tolerance. Or at least let them know where you stand. Turn your worries and problems into challenges then stand up to them. This is an amazingly good way to empower yourself. Pain is a challenge to heal. Debt is a challenge to gain riches. Loneliness is a challenge to make new friends or nurture the old ones. The wise magician does not let any creation of the dark arts threaten him or her. The challenge is flung out there and is found to be a powerful and effective tool or magic wand. Use it well and often. May the spark be with you.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

A Magic Question

At times you may be having writer's block or some other type of creative block. When this happens it colors your world gray. You don't want to go away from the project that is so important to you, but you don't see a way forward, either. Here is where you can ask your self a magic question. What would I like to be (feeling, doing, thinking, writing) instead? As soon as you accept that you are master of your choices it will lift the cloud of blah from you. You may not get the zing just then for the project that was trying to defeat you. But you have broken the log jam and can now ask whatever relevant questions you need to ask. You may ask how you can express your idea in a different way. (What do I want to be saying instead?) Or you may find that a more important project or idea is ready to come forth and you need to give energy in that direction while the idea is hot. Sometimes you are attacked by the blah monster even before you are actually working on something. I believe that sense of resistance is an important clue that you need to stop and get more clarity about your goal. Again, the 'instead' question can be very helpful. You know your basic values and message. You just may need to find another way of expressing them, instead.
When the blah cloud visits it can be fun to go back to square one and visit the magic of your message. You are unique and have a unique way of singing your soul's song. Don't let the blah cloud interfere with that. Ask how you can sing out in other ways instead. May the spark be with you.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Magician's Hat

Some days you may wonder just who you are and where you are going. It can be really stressful if you forget to state it as "Who am I today, and where am I going today?" The wise magician will remember that there are different hats for different days and for different goals. Perhaps you will have a day where the hat you need to wear is a "Gone Fishin'" hat. Your life is progressing in a good manner, your wise inner self is seeing to that, but you are not always aware of the progress. That is the time where the magician's hat is useful. Maybe you need to look at your reflection and see what hat you are wearing. Perhaps it is a good hat but you are not acting as if that is the hat of the day. Of perhaps you really need to change your hat altogether. If you need to be doing things to build a business, stop, get clear and put on your
'building a business' hat. Then make the calls you need to make and make the decisions you need to make. At times I have to put on a dragon hat. Our word dragon comes from a Greek word that means 'to see' and therefore the dragon stands for clarity. So on some days I know I have to get clear, perhaps all over again, about what I want out of life and how I want to get that. Then I put on my dragon hat and ask myself some strong and deep questions. Other times I have to wear a taskmaster hat to hold myself accountable for the promises I have made to myself. I suggest that if your head is all in a whirl you put on the appropriate hat and get you head in its proper place. May the spark be with you.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

When Magic Disappears

There may be times when it seems that magic has hidden itself from you. Perhaps you have had just too many adjustments to make, too many problems to solve, a few too many disappointments. No matter why you feel that magic has left you, the feeling is not one that brings a song to your heart. The wise magician does not expect a life a life of manic highs. But he or she does expect to have a constant sense of satisfaction and small joys. Happiness is within reach. Then the time comes when you wonder how it is possible to find that bit of zing again. You may even find yourself on a slippery slope that could lead to more and more negative thoughts. It is imperative to go find your magic. I don't mean binging on chocolate, or going out on the town for a wild party. Just escaping from the blahs, from the dryness of magic being gone, will not bring it back. In fact it will not come back if you allow yourself to believe that it truly has forsaken you. So start with the belief that you are surrounded by a field of magic. You have proved this to yourself many times before. Recall some of the many previous times when you have called up that zing. Now that you have remembered the zing, it might be good to take a balanced view of the events of the day that let you decide magic had hidden itself from you. I would venture to guess that there were some pretty good events and well as the disappointing ones you are focusing on. You can change your focus. If you need to go beyond that change of focus in your search for your magic, it is good to reach out to your support people. The faith and support of other people is a form of magic and very powerful. Another thing I suggest is that you do not clutch at magic. If you just have faith that it is there it is more likely to find its own way of manifesting itself to you. Look at the things that are still stable and right in your life. No matter what piece of the pie in the sky you failed to get, you do still have a lot of good things in your life. Remember the magic of gratitude. Your magic has not left you even if it is now recharging and finding new ways of showing itself to you. Reach out for it, call it back, and welcome it when it comes. May the spark be with you.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Magic Of Accepting Your Power

At one time in my life I was in a situation in which I was needed way too much--or so it seemed. I felt I had way too much power. I felt that if I rocked the boat or asserted myself a little it would cause disastrous results for the other person. So I hung in there way beyond what was necessary. Until I had to rock the boat a little, that is. Then the other person made some needed adjustments and things were better forever after. I wished I had been more willing to realize that I did have actual power to make changes earlier. But it was a lesson well learned. I have been aware of power and influence ever since. And I have been able to develop some skills along those lines. I would now speak to the wise magician. The wise magician does not have to hunger for the magical properties of a wand to shore up personal weakness. The wise magician knows himself or herself to be able to gain clarity about needs and desires and to think up ways to gain those needs and desires. Sometimes it is as simple as asking that they be met. Other times it is good to point out to the other person how they will benefit from meeting those needs. The people in the Middle East who decided they had the right to better government then decided they had the power to bring about better government were using their personal power. They worked with others and toppled dictators. This may have seemed impossible in previous years. But, when people accept that they have power to cause change the Universe works with them to bring that change about. Become clear about the changes you want. Accept your power to work for those changes. May the spark be with you.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

The Magic of Kitty Love

I have noticed that children, kitties, Grannies, and puppies often get what they want more easily than others do. I believe that is because these individuals are gifted at using the magic wand of loving attention to the one they are sure is perfection incarnate and will supply them with what they want. A puppy is unwavering in his desire. He has clarity mastered to a fine art. Then he is specific and persistent in expressing his desire. When he receives what he wants he gives total signs of his thanks and appreciation. A grandmother uses the same strategies. The grandchild is perfect and cannot possibly disappoint. The grandmother will never waver in her faith and expectation. She will clearly instruct in how to meet her desires. The grandchild has no chance to get distracted from Grandmother's wishes. She is so sure that he will want to snuggle on her lap to hear a story, that he will want to enjoy a cookie, that he will join with her in believing in his gifts that he is swept up in the program and goes along with it. So I suggest to all wise magicians: If you have people you want to influence you can craft and shape their path with persistent expectation and appreciation. You are likely to get good results. Try a lot of appreciation and see if it has magic in it. I believe it does. May the spark be with you.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Get Up, Get Dressed, Put On Your Magic

The way you prepare to meet the day matters. Don't go out into the world bare and all alone. Give yourself a sense of purpose, flair and success. Stop to reach out for the extra zing that is magic before you face the world each day. Pause to amp up your self confidence, your sense of self and your sense of wonder and adventure. If you meet the day wearing your magic, more than likely untold wonderful things will happen Give it a chance. Opportunities that at first may seem like irritants will arise. Your magic will help you see ways to turn these irritations into creative endeavors or even businesses. Your magic will help you interact with people in more fulfilling ways. Add magic to your life daily. It won't hurt and will make life much more enjoyable. A rude clerk is an opportunity for you to offer your services as a consultant in customer relations to that business. Getting caught in the rain is a chance to enjoy life in many ways and devise ways to creatively deal with the problems the rain, or your forgetfulness about an umbrella, caused. Look for joy, color, laughter, things that are well formed throughout your day. If you start the day wearing your magic theses things will more easily manifest to you. May the spark be with you.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Magic Carrot

Supposedly an old technique for getting a donkey to go forward was to have a stick with a carrot on it, dangling in front of his nose. He would keep walking towards it in anticipation of achieving his goal of eating that carrot. At times we need something to pull us into the future we are trying to create. We are in danger of standing still and we need a carrot. Revisiting the dreams about which we are passionate and making plans to achieve those dreams can be such a carrot. I was thinking about the need to get myself in gear for the day and my inner self gave me a picture of tossing a carrot down a pathway. That made me realize I needed a carrot to draw me on. Something as boring as making a plan, even a do-list, can actually lead to exciting things--what an idea. I equate do-lists and plans with dreaded responsibility. At least I did. Now I am thinking about the exciting possibilities that have been opening up in my life and I realize there are a few things I can do to help this process develop. I need to (or CAN now that I am more excited about things) make some do-lists and some plans and get some things done. I have some fun things about to happen but I also have to deal with some problems associated with those things. If I don't plan for the adjustments I have to make Life will be harder. So I am going to list the things I am excitedly anticipating first. Those are my carrot. Then I am going to face the steps I need to take. Unlike the poor donkey, I will get my carrot. I hope it was a wise magician luring the donkey onward, as a magician would be sure to give the needed reward in due time. Find your dream, devise a magic carrot and make your life better. May the spark be with you.