When Magic Disappears

There may be times when it seems that magic has hidden itself from you. Perhaps you have had just too many adjustments to make, too many problems to solve, a few too many disappointments. No matter why you feel that magic has left you, the feeling is not one that brings a song to your heart. The wise magician does not expect a life a life of manic highs. But he or she does expect to have a constant sense of satisfaction and small joys. Happiness is within reach. Then the time comes when you wonder how it is possible to find that bit of zing again. You may even find yourself on a slippery slope that could lead to more and more negative thoughts. It is imperative to go find your magic. I don't mean binging on chocolate, or going out on the town for a wild party. Just escaping from the blahs, from the dryness of magic being gone, will not bring it back. In fact it will not come back if you allow yourself to believe that it truly has forsaken you. So start with the belief that you are surrounded by a field of magic. You have proved this to yourself many times before. Recall some of the many previous times when you have called up that zing. Now that you have remembered the zing, it might be good to take a balanced view of the events of the day that let you decide magic had hidden itself from you. I would venture to guess that there were some pretty good events and well as the disappointing ones you are focusing on. You can change your focus. If you need to go beyond that change of focus in your search for your magic, it is good to reach out to your support people. The faith and support of other people is a form of magic and very powerful. Another thing I suggest is that you do not clutch at magic. If you just have faith that it is there it is more likely to find its own way of manifesting itself to you. Look at the things that are still stable and right in your life. No matter what piece of the pie in the sky you failed to get, you do still have a lot of good things in your life. Remember the magic of gratitude. Your magic has not left you even if it is now recharging and finding new ways of showing itself to you. Reach out for it, call it back, and welcome it when it comes. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Scent

Aromatherapy, clues for a bloodhound, this smells fishy, I smell something good going on. Think about all the metaphors we might use involving our sense of smell. Our sense of smell is connected to the oldest part of the brain and can have some powerful influences on our actions. But we can also use this sense for our good. Smelling cinnamon is said to be good for our heart. If something smells bad we are warned that danger might be near. A pleasant smell can be relaxing.
Following the scent has also come to be a metaphor for finding good things in life. When people are surfing the web and quickly go from one website to the other they are said to be "following the scent". They have a loose idea of what they are trying to find and when a site doesn't seem to be right they click off and go to another one. You can use this idea of sniffing around for what you want in life to make your life better. Suppose you know you want a change for the better but you don't have a clear idea of what you want or the steps to get there. Get into a relaxed mode and start "following the scent". Let yourself free associate ideas about your needs and ideas. When something resonates you are on the right 'scent'. Pursue that trail. Or you can engage in conversation with a good friend. You will know that you are going in the right direction when a question or idea comes up and you have an 'aha' reaction. A wise magician will use any useful tool. In this case adopting the behavior of a bloodhound could be a good tool for you to try. Sniff out your good. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Germination

I would like to suggest to all wise magicians that they plant a seed within themselves of glory. Find your most beloved talents and nurture them. You may be more talented at some things than others and your most polished talent may not be the one to nurture. Find the beloved one and follow the bliss of expressing that. It is also good to nurture secondary talents. I have some skills at sculpture and making small models for casting. Every once in a while it makes me happy to indulge in that. Some talents are for glory some are for happy. It's like your wardrobe. Wear what is right for you at the time. It may take a while after the idea of nurturing your talent takes hold, or the seed is planted, for germination to take place. Nurture it but don't rush it. But do expect it. If you stress out about it and expect it to bring you fame and fortune you will lose the glory. Fame and fortune may come. But the expressing of the talent is where the glory lies. Many times people find themselves feeling stressed and think that they are suffering from the pressures of life. In my experience, however, when those people find ways to be creative their stress lessens dramatically. If you mention to some people that you are going to develop a certain talent they may be one of the sad variety of people who don't understand about talent. Everyone has the ability to express themselves. Most people have more ability to learn to write poetry, paint pictures, or write stories than they realize. But there are also other ways to be creative. The way you dress, walk, talk, arrange your furniture are all creative acts. Being creative is fun and makes you much healthier. So it is practical as well. One clue to finding your talent is to notice what calls to you. If you don't like stories you probably wont want to take the time and effort to develop an ability to tell stories. Becoming skilled at anything takes effort, patience with yourself, and faith. But the reward can be magical. Know you are able to express yourself and find a way to do it with joy. May the spark be with you.

Zen Versus Bliss

Popular culture teaches us to 'follow our bliss' in order to gain success. But every time I have seen that urging I have not seen a description of what make success. The idea seems to be that you will find the career that makes you the happiest and this will automatically bring you material blessings. That's not totally wrong. You are much more likely to make a success of a career you enjoy than of one you dislike. But the Zen discipline of being centered, of endowing every movement with spiritual purpose has a very important message. Perhaps bliss is the goal and Zen is the way. As I type the pages of my books, from my handwritten pages, I focus on the rhythm of the typing and try to stay as relaxed as possible in order that I be fast and accurate. If I were thinking about the day when many children will be delighted with my stories it would pull me away from the moment I need to be in as I type. So I say 'bring bliss or the Zen consciousness into every moment of your life.' As I wrote that my inner self asked me "What about the necessary work of analysis? That has to be full of suffering to in order to get it done." I found myself laughing because yesterday I had done a fair amount of analysis over financial matters and in research for my writing but I had been centered as I did it and had not suffered at all. Things had become apparent and I had then dealt with each thing and gone on to the next. I reached out for that spark of magic to give myself the tools to make my life better. May you find ways to do the same for yourself.