The Magic of Application

I have a student who grew up and had her early schooling in another country.  I am teaching her more than how to read and use English with more competence.  I am also teaching her how to actually learn things and figure them out with more competence.  I asked her several questions about her early schooling and I got the picture of a school that was big on parroting things without actually seeing if the concepts were mastered.  If students could say it, it seemed that the school believed they knew it.  So we have set up a pattern of understanding something, practicing that understanding then moving on to the skill of applying that learning in another context.   To break that down, a young child might be able to recognize the alphabet when the letters are written a certain size and in a certain color.  But they don't know how to recognize the essence of the letters so they will still know them when there are variations in the letters. I believe there is a lesson here for all wise magicians.    If you feel that you have done a bit of magic, that you have added a bit of zing or goodness to your life, pause and see if you can do it again.  If it feels good to smile at your neighbor on one side of your house, try smiling at the neighbor on the other side with equal joy and sincerity. Feel the warmth around your heart and know you have done magic.  Gain skills then apply those skills so they will remain with you. The magic of practice is the practice of magic.  May the spark be with you.