The Magic Of Taking Yourself Seriously

Many times a person will get an idea that seems to be really good or even have a spark of genius to it. Most everybody will consider such an idea for a moment or two before letting it slip away. The luckier ideas will be shared with a friend or two before they too are allowed to go to idea limbo. But the ideas of a wise magician, one who takes them self seriously are accepted, evaluated, questioned, critiqued, perhaps filed for later action, and acted upon. This is not an easy thing to do. It is much easier to just say to oneself, "Boy, do I get some good ideas from time to time," then go on about tasks of daily life. The wise magician knows that a good idea may not be good enough for current purposes or may need to be followed until broader implications are made visible or conscious. But a good idea can lead to wonderful things for yourself and others. It can make life magical. In third world countries many people are now working to develop and implement 'appropriate technologies'. These are simple good ideas that don't require a lot of unavailable technology to implement. Simple heating devices to cook food, ways to purify water and ways to bring illumination to dark places are among some of the technologies I have read about recently. The plastic bottle light bulb is one such idea. A plastic bottle, such as that containing soda, is filled with water and a bit of bleach. Then it is inserted into a hole in the roof in order to be part of the ceiling in the room below. The refraction properties of water cause that bottle to give off as much light as a 50 watt bulb. Several of them can light a room quite well. Properly sealed and inserted, it will give good light for years. Some times ideas come so hard and fast that it is hard to keep up with them. I am not advocating that we act on every idea. However, when we are having a brain storm many of these ideas will have a common theme. Look for the message behind these ideas, follow the thread and find the essence of the great idea that is trying to come through. Do not shut down your creative self. It yearns to serve you and bring magic to your life or perhaps the lives of others. Take your ideas seriously and you will bring a better life to yourself. You will bring yourself magic. May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Rough Drafts, Critique Groups and Rehearsals

Some of the stories of the birth of the Goddess Athena have her springing from the head of Zeus fully formed in all her perfection. The God Zeus may have been able to bring forth a finished creation from his head but it is not quite so easy for us lesser mortals. Sometimes the magic comes in just getting started. If we expect the finished product to manifest too quickly we may get discouraged and give up when it does not. Goethe says to start what we can think of because the action of starting has power and magic in it. The problem comes when we are not clear about what we are doing, what our final work will be. That's where the magic of learning as we go comes in. Get a rough draft going. Get a rough draft of a rough draft. Get a rough draft of a part of the rough draft. Share what you have done with supportive people who will encourage you but also point out things you need to change or add. Also, don't be afraid to rehearse as many times as you need to. We are not born perfect nor are our creative endeavors perfect at first. Creative endeavors include more than poems, paintings or such. It can be a creative endeavor to work out how you are going to persuade someone of something. How you are going to approach a sales prospect. So if you have something you have wanted to do or bring about stop letting it stay in the shadows of "someday". Start working on it, even if your ideas are poorly formed. I have said that magic is well formed. It is but that well formedness may have to be developed. When you really have your head around what you want you will find that forces outside of yourself will help you move toward the manifestation of your desire. Reach out to the energy of the field of magic that is around you and start a rough draft of what you want to create. The rest will follow. May the spark be with you.