Magic is in the Moment

Monsters are big.  Even the monsters that hide in your closet or under your bed are big.  Magic bullets that can wipe out those monsters are small, but very powerful.  All too often, when we are feeling that sense of being blocked, or having a bad case of the blahs, of wanting a change right now, it is because we are trying to think big in the wrong way.  We aren't looking at the "big picture" but looking at the "big worry".  One thing to do, at that moment, is to get in the moment.  There is magic in centering.  Breathe in, shift, breathe out.  Do this several times.  Tune into your senses.  Sometimes you have to talk to yourself to get in your senses.  Say to yourself what you are sensing with your ears, then with your eyes, then with your sense of position and so on. When you can go away from the words to just your senses you will feel relaxed and centered.  That is where the possibilities, the magic, are abiding.  One time I was driving on a winter road and ice caught my wheel.  This was on the side of a mountain above a reservoir.  I was blessed by time slowing down to molasses pouring from a jar left outside on a cold day.  I had plenty of time to get back in control of my vehicle.  My focus narrowed and I was not on the dangerous dirt road I had been on.  It was just me and my friend, my car.  I don't say to all you wise magicians out there that you should ignore the big picture.  That is a necessary focus at times.  But it is an initial focus.  Then you get in the moment and small miracle by small miracle you work your magic to make life better.  May the spark be with you.

Ideas About Ritual

Ritual can be a magical tool or it can be a deadening activity which insulates us from truly being alive.  When magic comes into our life by invitation we participate in the world more fully.  Simple things can become richer and give us comfort and freedom from stress.  Think about the difference between "dining" and "grabbing a bite".  It could be the same food, but the experience will be vastly different.  I believe that rituals can also be developed  that comfort us and get us ready to face difficult tasks.  One of my friends recently told me how she makes sure she has beautiful stamps with hearts or flowers on them when she is paying bills.  Then she sends the payments out with gratitude for having enough money to pay the bills and for the products and services she enjoyed that caused the bills.  She claims this ritual has drawn abundance to her.
Since I see a lot of abundance in her life I believe she may be right.
Ritual can be an aspect of planning and being in charge of our life.  By being self-directed, by looking to the future and creatively making decisions that bring a better life to us we are working magic.  The way we celebrate this, the rituals we develop to affirm that this is our mind set, support us in doing this magic.  Choose colors, choose symbols, choose times for your activities that support you in celebrating and living a fuller life.  These rituals can be simple.  When I feel anxiety I thank my inner self  by being open to the need for a better life.  This helps me claim my power and affirms that I am not helpless before the feeling of anxiety.  I suggest to all wise magicians that you add a ritual or two of celebration to your life.  May the spark be with you. 

The Magic of Tiny Things

There's snow on the ground and I'm wondering how to bring a feeling of well being into my life.  I definitely need the magic of that zing and feeling content.  This is a season of big things.  Big storms, big problems in politics, big problems with health, big financial problems, big needs for improvement in ways we treat the earth and each other, big needs for maintenance and repair of our infra structure and things we have created.  The size of all these problems is almost too big to deal with.  But a wise magician does not turn away from the need for change, although it can be hard knowing where to start. But start we must or we will suffer from the guilt of holding back  There is help from the Nike slogan, 'Just do it'. Start tiny.  Very very tiny.  Meditate on a tiny thing.  Perhaps there is just one bit of visual beauty.  Make sure you focus on it.  Today I only saw two birds at the bird feeder.  But that was enough of a small good thing that my heart was peaceful and warm watching them.  Meditate by centering and focusing on tiny things.  Then go on to take one tiny step towards a better world.  I personally would be happy to see freight trains loaded with guns on the way to "be beaten into plowshares". That's too big for me but I might be able to help someone think a little more clearly about the lies they are hearing about the issues.  There might be a lot of little things I can do.  I will continue to recycle.  I will do the little things.  I will continue to energize myself by the little bits of magic I can create.  I will smile, I will enjoy the sunrise. I will plant seeds where I can.  I will bring magic to my life and to others. I hope each wise magician that reads my words finds a way to do the same.  May the spark be with you.

Magically Finding Time

I believe that most of the time people confuse time with feeling at peace.  When they say "I don't have time for that right now"  they are really saying "I don't feel calm enough to focus on that right now".  If you go around in a state of being frazzled you will never have 'time' to do anything.  Then you will feel more frazzled because you are not getting anything done.  You will find yourself in a deadly loop of needing time but having no time.  The biggest thing in "finding time for things" is to learn how to 'have grace under fire' as they used to say.  This ability to keep a cool head comes more easily for some than for others, but it can be learned.  You can set up situations in which you have some minor distractions that are not enough to keep you from doing what you have assigned for yourself.  Then up the level of distractions and see if you can still learn to focus. This can do wonders for your ability.  I have heard that Japanese business students have to endure being shouted at by their teachers so they will learn to be calm when negotiating business deals in the world of cut throat business. It seems to work for them.
 Two other things can also help you use your emotional reactions to things in order to be more productive.  (1) Set priorities. When you feel that what you are doing is important you feel validated and that helps you stay on task and get things done.  In other words, use time wisely. (2) Break things down, find the parts of each task.  When you do this you are able to tell yourself you are wise and productive.  You are refusing to be overwhelmed and you are still getting things done.  I want to point out another facet of the "I don't have time for that right now" statement.  Sometimes a person is really saying "I think that is hogwash and I have no intention of being stupid enough to even consider it".  Perhaps you need to question yourself when you say you don't have time for something.  Perhaps it is actually something you should not try to have time for.  Something you should not even waste time on considering.I say to all wise magicians.  Reach out to find the time you really want and it just might be there for you. May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Animals

Old tales are full of magic helped along by animals.  Perhaps the ancients knew something we could use but we dismiss it as fantasy.  Yet animals have been part of human life for a very long time.  They must have a practical use.  But suppose there is more to it.  Suppose animals help us do more than herd our sheep, or rid ourselves of mice.  Suppose we can learn valuable life lessons from animals.  For the last week I have had unusual stresses in my life.  Then a bit of magic came my way  in some e-mails from a friend.  I was reminded of the way cats approach life.  They sleep when they will.  They don't worry about past or future.  They have a way of stretching away their kinks.  They adjust their actions to the task at hand.  They love to play.  They try new things. They know the importance of their tactile senses.  I decided that I would meditate on 'catness'.  This "being cat" was a marvelous form of stress management.  I believe other animals could teach me much about life as well.  I say to all wise magicians that it is a good idea to learn from all situations and all creatures.  When there is nothing we can do, then do nothing. Stretch and find a spot of sun.  Chase a leaf.  Ask to be petted by a loved one.  Bring magic into your life from every situation and every direction.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of 'Due Time' Scheduling

Sometimes, when we think about 'getting our priorities straight' it is linked with the idea of an either or choice.   If losing weight is a priority you will give up nightly hot fudge sundaes.  But there can be a sense of peacefulness, therefore magic, when you know how to fit certain things into your time use schedule with a sense of "due time".  It isn't just first things first, second things second and so on.  When you schedule that way the third and fourth things often get left out totally. I suggest you make a to-do list of things you want to do. Let yourself become aware of things you think you want to do but your soul says they are not that important. Like keeping up with the Jones.  Accept that certain things really need to get done or there will be trouble for you.  Certain things need to get done at certain times of the day and week.  I shouldn't be having the sprinkler going on the front lawn after 10 am and before 6pm. Doctor's appointments have to be made during clinic hours. Things like that.  But it is perfectly fine to put clothes in the washer at midnight.There may be all kinds of time available to you to do things if you refuse to let time-wasting stress attack you.
Now, look at your list and your calendar and transcend any stress you feel about getting things on that list done.  Tell yourself that things will get done, things will happen, in their due time. Look for things you can do while you are doing something else that doesn't require much attention.  I used to knit in doctor's waiting rooms. I often pay bills while I am watching TV.  Also look for things that you can do partially in small chunks of time.  Assemble a casserole in the morning.  Go to work, come home, take it out of the fridge, pop it in the oven and enjoy it for supper.  Another way to make 'due time' work for you is to avoid trying to do things when your mental energy is low.  I need to hand deliver a letter tomorrow.  But it was hot when I found out where to take it and my brain was soft fudge.  All I could do was sit in the room where the air conditioning unit is and try to put myself back together.  Now I am rested and no longer suffering from the heat.  I will probably write it after I post my blog.  Or early tomorrow morning.  Due time also kicks in when you try to find fun times for doing things.  Very early in the morning is a joyous time for many people.  Getting some physical work done at daybreak can be enjoyable.  "Building a house before breakfast" was a saying often heard in my first father-in-law's household. Get up, work up an appetite then come back for breakfast and visiting when you are fully awake, was the idea.
So I say to all wise magicians: Do not let the need to get thing done give you stress.  Your time is yours to control.  Stress can make you forget to do things or take too long to do them.  Develop a sense of "due time" and life will work better for you.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Opposite

For several years I was connected with The Denver Center for Crime Victims.  One of the things I did was to help put on workshops in child safety for The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program. In some of these workshops The Denver police Department would make presentations about gang prevalence and other  issues.  I remember one tip that was frequently given. "Tell your child that, if they are being followed in a vehicle, to turn and run in the opposite direction.  They will actually be running toward the predator but it will be in the opposite way from which the car is going.  By the time the driver manages to find a chance to turn around your child can probably reach safety."  There are other ways in which thinking of the reverse or the opposite can bring about good changes.  Many businesses have been successful by building on troubles seen as opportunities.  Looking at things in a different way is a skill that is taught in thinking creatively.  If a task looms over you like a mountain, see it as a big bowl of your favorite ice cream.  Do what you can to deflect, defuse, or take the sting out of things. Thinking in opposites is also a way to find the extra bit of charm to make something have that extra zing.  So, I suggest to all wise magicians: Cultivate the art of the opposite.  It lowers stress, makes for a bigger world, and brings new ideas to life.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Momentum as Flow

Sometimes the way one thing leads to another to another to another can be stressful.  If we allow that.  It may seem like there are too many streams of cause and effect running crisscross through our life.  Too many demands.  Too many fires to put out.  You may have reached out and caused a bit of magic to come into your life and now you have to do the work of maintaining it.  Well, I say to all wise magicians "Look to the unity of flow."  Life goes on.  If you have the image of yourself in your own canoe, dipping you oar in the smoothly flowing water when you will, able to pull over to the shore when needed, you will get the things done that are truly important.  You will maintain the relationships that are truly important.  It is your life.  It is your river.  You can make choices that keep you flowing along where you want to go.  Recently Secretary of
State Hilary Clinton was quoted as saying when she is on an important mission in a foreign country she may have to choose between pulling her hair back and solving the world's problems or going to a beauty parlor.  She makes the choice to tie her hair back and get on with the important things.  She is effective and will be remembered as effective.  She is sailing the Ship of State. My advice for all wise magicians is this.  Go to a peaceful meditative state.  Explore your priorities. Explore the idea that some things have been a priority but should now be let go. Make sure your priorities are things you have positive feelings about.  Your feelings about them will help you stay true to them.   Numerous times during each day ways will occur to keep the momentum going to create our best life, to express our values, to bring magic into being.  If you are clear about your priorities you will automatically keep your canoe going forward in a good flow of things. Get into the flow.  May the spark be with you.

Look for the Magical Function of Things

Sometimes an activity, an event, or even an object will have so many different effects or uses in your life that it may be right to consider it to have a magical function.  One example could be in the way you might spend your time. When my children were little we spent a lot of time waiting in doctor's offices.  Ear aches, booster shots, and so on.  I began to keep a bag of crochet needles and yarn with me. This was more calming than hunting for something to read and I could keep a better eye on the girls and even talk with them while I crocheted. That Christmas I had a lot of well appreciated gifts for my family for which I hadn't had to spend much money for, or endure the stress of last minute shopping. I improved my skills at crochet and later was paid to do some crochet therapy for a woman whose psychiatrist wanted her to develop more skills in using her hands.  My daughters became interested in the art and have both made some very interesting and well crafted crocheted rag rugs.  Another time I was going through a stressful period in  my life and I remembered how soothing crochet could be.  Just the making of simple stitches.  I gathered up a lot of odds and ends of yarn and crocheted a serenity afghan.  No particular color, no particular pattern.  I even left the tied-off ends showing.  I only worked on it when I needed to "get a grip", which meant I finished it fairly quickly, actually.  The end result was charming enough, although very folk and rustic, that it was on my couch for years for anyone who felt a chill, or a need of comfort. Crochet had a magical function in my life.
Cause and effect can be amazing.  Multiple results, benefits, or blessings can come from a simple thing.  I have a couple of good friends that I met when my eye was caught by something they were wearing and I mentioned it. One pot of rice can be big enough to be the base for Chinese food, Spanish rice, rice pudding and soup.  Scholarly research might lead to a term paper, good conservation, new avenues of research, and projects for another class.  When a stone skips across a pond multiple ripples are created.  Sometimes you can actually use this to bring magical things into your life.  Other times your life will be better just from noticing the way a little thing, such as a reply to en e-mail or a smile, will bring many good things into your life over and over.  So I suggest to all wise magicians that you open up to a wider world, and look for the magical function of things.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Facing Up

The first rule of stress management is to come in out of the storm.  When we are near a state of panic we need to first, find a moment of calm.  Until we are able to think a bit clearly we can't do anything to change the situation.  But once we have put the negative thoughts, the worries and anxieties on a shelf or in a box it is amazingly easy to keep them there.  That is when the 'nagger' is a wonderful friend, whether we admit it or not. I have not been very active with my creative writing lately.  I have been more focused on survival and self-help writing.  But I have been feeling that I needed to confront that.  This morning during the "magical first hour"(the way I refer to the time when I am waking up but also aware of the creativity I want to focus on for the day) I did face up to how much I need to get back to my creative writing.  Then I had a couple of ideas about ways I can create time and space in my office or dining room to facilitate that desired writing.  The decision to allow myself to write the fun stuff seemed to give me a magical boost in many ways.  I had more energy for the functional writing and for other life tasks.  I realized this extra energy, this bit of magic had come when I had stopped and confronted the bit of dis-ease I had been feeling from 'ignoring the song my soul wanted to sing'.
So I suggest to all wise magicians that you too, may find a bit of extra life energy by confronting little stressors in your life.  When you face up, you are given the way to solve the problem.  Whether it be in your creative life, becoming more productive in other ways, or in relationships, if you face up to the need for change you will be given the way to make things better for yourself.  Reach out to the magic that surrounds you for help and face up to something.  It will work magic in your life.  May the spark be with you.

Magic is a Verb!

The other day I told some people about my blog and referred to 'magic' as the action of bringing good things into one's life.  Today I was feeling kind of blah, therefore in need of magic, but hadn't decided on any action I could do.  Then I read an e-mail from Rick Hansen about 'taking in the good'.  That is when you focus on a good fact then bring it into your psyche by feeling good about the good fact.  That brought me to several good thoughts and I discovered that the appreciation of the magic around me, in opening up my being to it, had worked magic.  I was feeling pretty good.  Suddenly the thought occurred that 'magic' was both action and being, as is a verb.  I work as a tutor for Community College of Denver.  I prepare applicants to the practical nursing program for the TEAS (test of essential academic skills).  Therefore I often have to point out the functions of different parts of speech, including verbs.  I am now feeling delighted to have a bigger definition of magic.  It is the actions you do to bring good into your life.  Magic is also found when you go into a state of being, when you appreciate that which is around you.  Sometimes, before you are able to act you have to become free of the blahs.  Gratitude and appreciation is a wonderful way to free up your spirit.  So I suggest to all wise magicians: If you are feeling the blahs and don't know how to act to bring good energy into your life, don't act right now.  Pause and open up to the glory and good that is around you.  When Joey, our dog, wanted to go out just before daybreak, I was a bit put out at first, but as I sat in my office chair, waiting for him to come back inside, I saw the eastern sky start to get some color.  I realized Joey had given me a gift.  I really do love to watch the sun rise.  But I almost missed it this morning.  Magic is all around us if we let it in.  May you be able to act to bring magic into you life.  May you be able to be to let magic into your life.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Creating Recipes

Once you know a few basics about cooking, such as that yeast is not the only leavening agent for bread, it is a natural thing to start putting your own spin on your cooking. By customizing your cooking you can save money, meet the nutritional needs of your family in a better way, and feel the joy of doing things your own way.  Each time you are successful at doing things your own way you are enhancing your magical abilities, becoming a stronger person and making your life less stressful.  There is a new buzzword going around, 'locovore '.  That refers to eating food from your own area as much as possible.  It will be fresher and therefore more nutritious and often less expensive.  I want to share a recipe that my daughter created last year that we quite like.  It is a wonderful spin on mashed potatoes.    Boil separately (as they cook at different rates) white potatoes and sweet potatoes or yams. Yams have a brighter color so I recommend them for this.  Mash them together and add  onion pieces, corn kernels, and diced red peppers. You can substitute sour cream or cream cheese for the butter in the mashing.  Cover with cheese and put in the oven until the cheese melts. Serve and enjoy.  For a family of four; 1 onion, 1 package of frozen corn or a couple of cobs from your garden, 1 red pepper and 3 yams and 3 white potatoes (Idaho, Russet, or Yukon Gold).  It is your choice of cheese; cheddar, Colby, Swiss or what ever you like.  You will want leftovers because it is wonderful the second day as well. I recommend to all wise magicians that you do all you can to take charge of eating tasty, low sodium, nutritious meals.  If you live in a food desert, in which you don't have good stores near you nor access to home grown food, join with your neighbors to correct that.  Sometimes stores will move into a neighborhood if petitioned. Doing magic is taking action to bring good to your life.  Bring the joy of good eating to your table.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Taking a Break

Please do not think I am being stuck on the same idea by posting about 'taking a break' right after suggesting 'taking a step back'.  I am sure there are similarities but taking a step back may keep the project or problem in view. Getting a different perspective is one of the reasons to 'take a step back'. However, at times you need to take a small but complete break from your efforts.  I recently read advice from someone else who suggest things like brushing your teeth to get your mind off things.  That seemed bizarre to me at first but made me realize the magic in taking a break.  I tend to really get into what I am trying to solve or create.  At times I come up against a wall of frustration.  I don't know what the next good step should be.  Then I tend to feel depressed.  If I had taken a break a bit sooner I might have been able to prevent the poisoning of my project with that sense of depression.  I guess that the saying "quit while you are ahead" has some validity.  You can 'un-quit' when you need to, but maintaining the sense of excitement that helps the project along is important. I suggest to all wise magicians that you take a break from time to time to recharge your batteries.  If the project is  a valid expression of who you are, you will come back to it when the time is right. Remember the basic axiom, magic is well formed.  We may agonize as we work to create our magic but it is also acceptable for the working of magic to be smooth and flowing.  Our minds love to create and will give us the ideas we need more easily when we get in the 'magic zone' rather than tying ourselves up in knots.  I suggest that we take a break before the knots get too bad.  I also suggest that when the knots are there that connecting to friends, or even acquaintances, and going over what we are grateful for are two ways we can 'take a break' from stress, if we didn't take the break while we were on a roll. So here is to the enjoyment and peacefulness that magic can bring.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Music

I am amazed that I haven't written about all the ways music bring good things to your life before this. I had a double major in Music and Social Studies when I got my BS. I am a musician. But I suspect I was just taking this wonderful tool for granted. Then I stopped by my e-mail on the way to doing my blog and listened to a song my brother Carl sent me. "I'm Trying". I liked the song. I liked watching it on media player with all the color and patterns. I'm at a period in my life right now when I'm doing a lot of trying and the learning curve is steep. Sometimes I let that stress me out. But reflecting on the earlier conversation with my brother and listening to the song gave me a sense of things being softened and evening out. Then I thought about all the work songs I know, how they helped people get through hard manual labor. Lullabies help sleep come to us. Hymns help us reach towards the sacred. Country and Western songs help us stand back from the dramas of daily life. We use songs to cheer us on. We use songs to learn. The use of music is vast and easy to hook into. Earlier today I was helping a woman learn some things about mathematics and how to take tests more rapidly. She was dumping on herself, calling herself dumb. I told her that learning to walk, talk and feed herself are all more complex than learning a few things about ratios, that she had to be smarter than she realized. She got the point and was able to focus on what I was teaching her. I think that when I see her next week I will suggest she make up a little ditty to help her courage or to help her learn. Music is a great help in learning. If you listen to largo movements of symphonies by musician like Handel just before you study, your mind will absorb more facts and retain them longer. Another wonderful thing about music for working magic in daily life is that it is as close as our voice. Or at least our car radio. So I suggest to all wise magicians, work magic with music. Sing your spells to help them come true. May the spark be with you.

The Signs Of Magic

I have seen many videos and read articles about the Law Of Attraction. The essence of all these messages have been that the Universe will meet our desires if we are in tune and will make our desires known. This idea also can be gleaned from the Bible, and from Buddhism. I was once given a card with the words, nam myo ho renge kyo, on it. I was told that if I would chant this I would be putting myself in alignment so that the blessings that were meant for me would be able to come to me. I tried this for years and often amazingly good luck would happen to me. I think magic also works this way but it also works when you are not yet clear enough to make your desires known. Nor is magic about getting, as people sometimes fall into. It is good to have our desires met but not to approach it from a sense of poverty or need. I believe that trust and acceptance are part of being "in tune". Sometimes you will have something happen and realize that it was actually a stroke of luck because it cleared the way for other good things to fall into place.At times like that you didn't even know what to ask for, so you weren't asking, just being a bit dull or edgy. But then the magic happens and you recognize it. No matter what you like to call it, Magic, The Hand of God, The Law of Attraction, Providence, or Luck there is one thing all these have in common: It feels good. The sense of being at peace, at home, freedom or joy that comes when a problem is solved or a door is opened is one of the signs that magic has worked. Sometimes the magic is simply a more clear understanding of what you are trying to figure out. This happened to me recently. I am trying to craft and start a business (Wordmaeven) that will be public speaking, teaching, coaching. I was developing a marketing plan and deciding to whom I would reach out. Something wasn't right but I didn't know what. I asked for the spark of magic to guide me. When I realized that what I was doing would be boring to me I was able to redirect, change labels, names etc. Suddenly I felt happier and more excited about what I was doing. Rather that help people write their memoirs I realized that I wanted to help people CELEBRATE their life as part of what I was doing. So now, I call out to all wise magicians, celebrate your life. Recognize when magic comes. May the spark be with you.

Systems and Magic

We are often taught that the first step of the problem solving method is to identify the problem. But this is not necessarily easy. The problem may be a big complex one made up of many small problems. Or the stress around the problem makes it hard to approach in a logical manner.
This is where the tool of creating systems may be helpful. Impose a system on the problem and see what you find out. You may think you were working with categories that turn out to be the wrong ones. But you find this out by putting things into their categories and they don't fit. Remember, one of the first principles of magic is that it is well formed. If something doesn't work try something else. That is even a principle of mathematics. George Polya taught that if a problem couldn't be solved you could solve a similar problem and that might teach you enough to go back to the original problem and solve that, in his book from 1945 "How to Solve It."
Putting things is order, even if it isn't the right order, can be soothing and relieve some of the stress you may be feeling. If I am feeling a bit of writer's block I go back through my notes or organize my desk. That often lets an idea percolate and I am able to get back to my creative work.
I tutor in a lab for community college students preparing for a test they have to pass to get admitted to a certain program they want. I assign them books from which to study and they have to keep them in a drawer in a file cabinet in the room. I had been noticing that it was taking a long time for students to find their assigned book. I was wondering how I could use the numbers marked on them to make this easier. But one of the students took it on himself to lay the books a certain way, with the numbers showing as a brand, or identifying mark, not as being in any special numerical order. Since then no one has had any particular problem finding their book. His simple system of making the books lay all the same way was all it took.
You can use this idea of using systems to bring magic into your life. Make a list of the joys you are experiencing, of the magic you already have brought to yourself. Make a list of your strengths and how you can celebrate them to bring more purpose, joy and flair into your life or to others. Tweak a bit here, pat a bit there. A system must always serve the greater purpose, never be in place just for the sake of being a system. Find your own system, your own sense of purpose and order. Perhaps you are highly visual and need shelves rather than file drawers. Or perhaps clear pockets hung on a wall would work for your office. When you sense a problem reach out to the magic that surrounds you, take a breath of comfort or fun, and drop a bit of system on that problem. If a simple system doesn't solve it you may find that you have gotten a start on it at least. May the spark be with you.

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.

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.

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.

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.