If Not Magic, Then Math

If you think of magic as a sudden burst of goodness and assurance of benefits, then you know of the times when magic does not seem close at hand.  But wise magicians know there are many ways to work magic.  The wise magician also knows that magic is always near, it is just a matter of finding the way to call it forth.  I have found that when you can't call forth that burst of joy, that fun of magic, you can resort to a more plodding way to work up to your joy.  Count the good things around you.  Surely there are interesting colors or patterns in your field of vision.  There may be at least three things that you are grateful for.  Be thankful for the air your breathe.  I believe the ancient magicians knew that you may have to prepare the way for magic.  That is why numbers are often associated with spells.  Count the small little steps you took to get ready to deal with a problem.  Even getting the courage to face an issue is worthy of a count.  Count your progress, your good memories, the ways you have worked magic in the past.  Add on the ideas that are probably now coming forth.  Subtract any urges you have towards negativity.  Divide your time between hope and confidence.  Multiply the benefits you will bring into your life and the whole world by your willingness to go for the good.  Play with numbers until you can wave a wand or your hand and bring forth magic.  May the spark be with you.

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.

The Magic of Talking to Your Plants

On the surface you might say that talking to your plants is not magic but simply breathing out carbon dioxide, which plants breathe in, and taking in oxygen, which plants breathe out.  It is so much more.  When you talk to your plants you tend to voice your inner thoughts, which gives you direction for the actions you will take to work magic, or bring better things into your life.  Plus, being aware of plants makes you aware of your place in the cosmos.  You are not alone, but part of the web of life. Dialogue with your plants, the loving ears that are always there for you, is dialogue with your inner self.  This brings balance and wisdom to your life.  Remember, magic is well formed.  Talking things over with yourself is one way to discover how to form things in a good way.  So I say to all wise magicians out there,  find a plant to talk to or a tree to hug.  The life force they carry will energize you and help make your magic more well formed.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Cross Training

"Cross Training" is a term from sports but it has handy applications for ordinary, or perhaps magical, life.  Cross training is when a skill you develop in one sport can be used in another sport. For working magic in your life you can take the skill of the aura or feeling that fits with one activity and take that aura to another activity.  For example, being lonely makes it hard for me to work by myself.  I'm just a little bit more enthusiastic about life when I'm around people I like.  So I soak up this enjoyment when I am around my favorite people.  It is a skill to be able to enjoy other people.  Then I bring this skill from the social game and let this golden aura help my solitary writing game.  I say to all wise magicians, look for things in one area of your life that help you function at a high level.  Then see if you can transfer that to another part to help you function in that other aspect.  Let's use magic in any way we can to win at this game of life.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic You Keep is the Magic You Grab

Being willing to reach out to make change is a form of working magic.  Action is a type of magic wand. Dreams and hope are good.  But to stand up and say, 'I am, I can, I will, I deserve it.' is what brings about the needed changes. Real magic doesn't live in a fairy tale world.  Ordinary people can bring about extra-ordinary change. But there are strong barriers.  Big lies are told to us and it is comfortable to believe them.  It takes courage, and a willingness to work magic, to question the lies.  We may not know they are lies.  But if you get in the habit of healthy doubt you will learn to have a sense of lies versus truth.  Lies often are told in an effort for the evil sorcerers to keep their power.  Denial of climate change is one such lie.  Right to work is another.  As if having good working conditions in a factory were a bad thing. Doubt every slogan and label that comes your way until you have checked it out.  Thinking, logically and critically, is the ultimate magic wand.  So I say to all wise magicians, go ahead and overcome your conditioning.  Bit by bit see what you can do to make this world a better place. Magic abounds.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of the Second Round

A championship boxer does not expect to win his fight in the first round.  It has been done but it is not the expectation.  The first round is for checking out the situation,  getting to know the opponent, so to speak.  We get the big idea, then we have all the energy from that big idea as inspiration.  Next we have to look at the big picture.  That is the first round of our boxing match with life.  The real heart of the boxer is revealed when, maybe with some aches and bruises, he climbs back into the ring.  The second, and subsequent rounds are where the attention to detail, the previous training and the character of the boxer take over. The magic is in climbing back into the ring and continuing with the task until that task is done, hopefully with the awards of championship.  I say to all wise magicians, if you quit early you have no chance of a win.  Climb back into the ring and continue the fight.  Go into your subject or task in greater depth.  You are a winner just by continuing the fight.  Keep on trying until you win.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Engineering

All too often we get an idea, a marvelous world improving idea.  We glory in the rush of adrenalin and dreams of a better future.  Hard on the heels of this happy idea is the tiring realization that between the idea and realization of the idea is a deep canyon.  The gap of not having a smooth road to this wonderful future can shut us down completely.  There are so many problems to solve, so much to discover that we may be in danger of giving up on our genius idea.  Fortunately for wise magicians we know to search for all the magic wands that humanity has discovered over the centuries.  One such magic wand is 'engineering'.  Engineering is the practice of planning, of astute problem solving, of building connections, of experimenting until we find a workable solution.  We can build bridges.  We can make connections.  We can see what works.  Look at the great engineering marvels of the ages.  The cathedrals, the dams, the great bridges, the canals, were not built in only a day.  Nor did the builders give up on finding a solution.  New techniques were created when needed.  Knowledge was shared.  Many people worked together.  So I say to all wise magicians out there: "Cherish your idea and engineer a way to bring it to fruitful reality.  May the spark be with you."