Invocation

A powerful part of any spell is the invocation, or calling forth. That takes you from half-formed wish to sureness of result. Whether it is a physical healing that is needed or a change in life circumstances you must call forth the desired result. You must do it so strongly that your inner self and all the universe feels the urge for such to happen. In the book "The Goddess In Every Woman" by Jean Sinoda Bolin, woman are taught how to invoke aspects of different goddesses that are within themselves. Perhaps they need the wisdom of Athena. Then they call that forth. People who participate in running marathons learn how to call forth that extra bit of endurance they need to finish the race. If we learn well the uses of the tools of magic we will find that we are invoking many things we would have ignored previously. New ideas, knowledge, opportunities, friendships and chances to grow and learn will come to us constantly. Recognize your wishes. Choose which ones are worthy of pursuit. Then call forth their fulfillment. As Captain Picard, of the Starship Enterprise, says, "Make it so." You can also call forth favorable responses or behaviors from other people. As they say, in sales, 'You don't ask you don't get'. So call forth that which you need and deserve, remembering that magic is well formed. For it to work right the aim must be worthy. Tales abound of wishes gone wrong, as in the story of King Midas. But if you are tune with the energy of magic that is around you will be able to invoke good things for yourself. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of The Warm-up

You may already have a good idea of what a warm-up is but I'd like to focus on it for a bit just to help you really understand the magic in it. Athletes have warm- up activities to make sure their muscles have the proper blood flow and that the body-mind connections for their sport are functioning well. It is the same with musicians, vocal and instrumental. Perhaps you have answered the phone in the morning and been surprised by your voice having a catch in it or being gravelly. You hadn't yet spoken and your voice wasn't warmed-up. Warm-ups are useful or even necessary for the proper execution of the planned task or activity. Besides the importance of physical warm-up there is also brain and character warm-up. If you are going to engage in a mental activity that requires a lot of logic or sequential thinking you can first make up some lists or run through the times tables in your mind. Get your left brain in gear. The same is true when you are about to engage in creative work. Do a bit of imagining or appreciation of aesthetics to get your right brain working. When you are trying to make changes that involve strength of character or will power you will need both sides of your brain because they both work in helping your will power. I see myself as needing to warm up this way daily. I want to be a much published writer but I have trouble disciplining myself to work at my writing enough. Just focusing on the idea that you are going to use your will power in a certain situation will warm-up your strength of character. Or as has been said poetically, "screw your courage to the sticking point." If you are abusing food or any other substance you will not be caught off guard by temptation if you have set your mind to resist it. That is the result of warming-up your character. Schedules and good routines also help with that. As you start any endeavor you will become more fully involved in it and do a better job as you warm-up to it. Reach out to the magic that surrounds you for the energy to do a good warm-up and make your life better. May the spark be with you.

Strengthen The Strengths

A previous post talked about going back to the comfort zone or mastery of a skill before you again tried to move forward if the mastery was incomplete or uncomfortable. There is another part of that in regards to change. Since change is hard it is good to do all you can to make it easier. When I was a teacher we did a lot with learning disabled children at my school. We were taught to "strengthen the strengths then break the chain at the weakest link". By strengthening the strengths you are aware of what they are and can use them as resources. An example of this was several boys who were taking auto shop and found that they had improved in their reading abilities. They were not pressured about their reading but enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning of print in a repair manual. This came after they were feeling good about the chance to work on cars. If you are a writer and have a big novel to rework that can be daunting. But it will be easier if you identify the strengths you have as a writer. Then look for the (hopefully) few places where you have not shown that strength. If you are fighting bad habits look for the time of day when these habits do not plague you then try to extend this time a little. Or look for your most creative and productive behaviors. You feel good at those times. Strengthen that feeling and then think about engaging in the bad habit. The bad habit will be less appealing because it doesn't go with the creative high. Being in a good mood takes away part of the power of the bad habit and thus makes it a weaker link. That is the power of having a mind set that we are surrounded by magic. That gives us energy to act in powerful and positive ways. Use this energy to find your strengths then break the chain of oppression of bad habits at the weakest link. May the spark be with you.

Kindness Is Another Flower

Another flower, an important one, in the garden of catalyst is kindness. Kindness can change much. Sometimes it is as simple as putting a lilt into your voice when you report a good fact. If I score well on a test and I hear the score in a flat voice I don't feel as well about myself as I do when I hear it with a sense of 'well done' in the voice of the one reporting it. The person receiving kindness finds it almost impossible not to respond with a positive change in their mood or even their behavior. Help is sometimes thought of as kindness. Sometimes it is kind to help but consideration is the important component that must be in help actions. Many times people have tried to help individuals or even nations but been surprised when their actions were not well received. Kindness should not be done for the purpose of change. Just out of consideration. But change is ofter the result. So I suggest for the purposes of working magic for yourself in your own life you look for ways to be kind to yourself. Perhaps you have to resist the urgings of others by asserting your own needs. Perhaps you need to rearrange your schedule or purchase something. Let the spark of magic that surrounds you give you the energy to act. Be kind to yourself in a purposeful way. May the spark be with you.

Magic Can Deal With Inertia

Inertia is the resistance to a change in motion. Inertia resists stopping as well as starting. When we need to 'wake up and smell the coffee' magic can help us with coffee for our soul. I have often heard people complain that they 'need a change, are not on their true path, or wish for an end to their troubles'. This can happen.
But just like stopping or starting the movement of a big object like a car,there has to be some preparation and some motion appropriate consistent urging. It's a good idea to slow down, gear down and tap the brakes before coming to a full stop. But if that potentially destructive forward motion continues the results will be disastrous.
Now remember, magic doesn't change conditions at will, it changes perception at will. So work on your perceptions. You can wake up and put changes in place that will change your life. First comes awareness, then comes a bit more awareness, take a few deep breathes and accept the awareness then begin to decide to work the necessary magic. Will power doesn't kick in right away, it must be courted and developed. Deciding to give yourself the support of belief and emotional surety is the actual magic. Coaches put signs up in the gym. Cheerleaders practice cheers. Mother put notes in lunches. Lovers make phone calls. Friends assure you they believe in you. You can create the structue of friends, schedules, whatever motivational help you need. That will put a spark of magic in your life and get you the life you want.

What Is Magic?

In one of my first posts I mentioned a definition I had seen as magic being 'the ability to change perception at will.' When I was given this definition I was not told whether that change was in myself or in others. I think it would be good to examine our perceptions of magic for ourselves. Walt Disney refers to 'The Magic Kingdom'. We use the term magical often to refer to delightful events or sights. Some think of illusionists as magicians. Some people want to believe that humans can suspend the laws of nature and cause events to behave for their whims. We don't know all the laws of nature yet, but the ones we do know of don't suspend. What a mystery! What is magic? Magic is based on perception. It is change. It is surprise. When we perceive things a certain way,but then there is a shift, and it is for the better, magic has happened. Events can happen that are so lucky they are almost unbelieveable. But the person who received the luck was open to that luck. They were not pushing it away. I challenge you to examine how you perceive your world. Then dare to question your perceptions. This will lead to greater self knowledge and self power. Decide what is magical in your life, for yourself.