Magic and Chaos

Life becomes a matter of balancing between order and chaos. Too much order and life is squeezed out of everything. Too much chaos and things are blocked from being manifested. I have often pondered the differing ideas that people put forth to support the importance of chaos or order. I also discovered a few years ago that there are mathematical theories of chaos. This developed from the brewing industry needing to have some control over mixing ingredients in their huge vats. In some readings about magic is seems that order is supremely important, that spells must be done only in a certain way. That is what I call shallow magic, an insecure attempt at over control. Magic is well formed but inventive. It is the part of the mind that creates, that brings order out of chaos. This order may not be the same for all people. Nor should it be. Some adults have trouble letting children learn because their learning activities seem too much like play. Which it is. If you are feeling a need for magic..perhaps you need comfort or a bit of zing in your life..do some letting go of expectations for a bit. Then do something to draw magic to you. It comes more easily when it is not clutched at. Remember, you are the inventor, the creator of your world. You can dip a cup into chaos for your raw material. When I had my cleaning business most of my clients were connected to the arts. One artist said that it seemed like I worked magic in the way his studio was always easier to work in after I was there. Magic is everywhere. Let it happen and appreciate it. May the spark be with you.

The Magician's Cloak-Part Two

Our magician's cloak may seem too thin at times or even threadbare. Thinking of the cloak as self-love or self-acceptance it must be admitted that those traits in our character can be stronger or weaker at times. We may even wonder how to develop them. Here are points to consider about self-love. *Giving into our appetites is not self love. While at times a glass of wine, a bit of chocolate, a good book, or a bit of good loving can be a celebration of life at other times it can be overboard. Too much of a good thing can be destructive. *Being careful about the promises we make to ourselves and then keeping them can be a great way to develop self love. *In tapping, when the tappee says 'even tho' I have this problem of....I accept myself deeply' the inner self will eventually develop a lot of strength and feeling of self acceptance. *affirmations of self acceptance are also effective. *Even tho' both tapping and affirmations bring up self doubt the ultimate result is less doubt and more acceptance. *Bragging is not a sign of self love. We may get a great idea but it is better to say 'I am going to consider putting this idea into effect" than to say,"I am going to do this great thing.' Bragging is a sign of weakness. It is great to say 'I feel good about what I have done.' but that is simply truth. This is different from saying "I am really hot stuff because I did thus and so." *Self acceptance can also grow through introspection and meditation. *I have found that when I face a problem and succeed in dealing with it I like to stop and thank myself for coming through for me. This little pause and thank you has added to my belief that I can be there for myself. *Grandiose labels are not needed. Self acceptance feels strong and sure and comes from within. Labels are supposedly needed by the outside world. *If your cloak is not enough for you stop and pat yourself on the back for accepting that you want it to be stronger or fuller. You have gained in self acceptance. As you design and weave your cloak let the magic that surrounds you give you help and ideas. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of The Quest

If you have read fairy tales and such stories about magic you will have noticed that these stories tell about the hero going on a quest. In real life we also need to take on a life quest. Sadly many fail to do this adequately. We manage to meet many of our needs but get caught up in fear and seeking safety and don't move towards becoming our own hero. The hero takes on a quest and, as a result of this quest, grows and is able to contribute to the community. The wise magician will realize that failure to take on the hero's quest has a great cost. The failed hero doesn't meet his potential and the community doesn't get the benefits the hero would have brought back to them. When we are stuck in the failure to go on the quest we often move into addictions and other problems as we try to deal with the nagging awareness that we are failing ourselves. How can we identify our true quest and step up to this wonderful journey? One way to get an idea about it is to look at the talents and interests that we have let fall by the wayside. The soul speaks out through our creativity. If the old interests were meant to fall away new ones came to take their place. The soul never rests. It always has something to say. If you reach out for strength and energy to the magic that surrounds you there will be help for your quest. Magic will help you find ways to move forward. You need to stop spinning your wheels. Being stuck at the start of your journey has us running back and forth across the road like a chicken. We will try different moods and actions to stay stuck, swinging from (perhaps) depression to anger, or from brilliance to dependency. Only when we count the cost of staying stuck at the starting line will we realize the need of claiming our quest. But each person has a hero inside. Let your hero out. Chose your quest. You may have to travel along part of the road making discoveries to truly understand your gift. Don't hold back. You are special. Take some steps towards your quest. It will open up to you. The first step is to stop running back and forth across the road, going nowhere. May the spark be with you.

Opportunities

To take advantage of an opportunity you have to know the opportunity is there. Look for them. Be careful not to become known as someone who just watches out for himself or herself and what he or she can take advantage of. But opportunities are blessings and it is good to take advantage of them. The wise magician will also look for ways to create opportunity. You may want to sell cookies. Making sure people can smell them will make them hungry and then you can sell your cookies. In other words look for ways to create an awareness of a need. In business there is an exercise known as 'market gap analysis' in which the entrepreneur looks for gaps in the products that are on the market that need to be filled. Some gaps should stay as gaps. Then the business person can fill that gap. To see opportunities you do have to look at needs, at what is wrong with things. Then your magic wand helps you see ways to help that need be met. Many good ideas have been just a flash in the pan because they were never connected to a need. So write stories that people will want to read. Good writing is important for that, or course. Cook food that will entice appetites and be nutritious. The point I am trying to make with those last two suggestions is that needs and wants aren't all that separate. If you only meet a need you are unlikely to get repeat clients, consumers, customers. Meet wants as well. Use this same pattern when you are meeting your own needs for change. Fighting overweight or addiction needs the help of being an interesting fight. So, as a wise magician, you must look for a need that you want to fill then find a way to raise awareness of that need, then make it interesting for it to be met. This can be done. Reach out to the magic that surrounds you for help. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of No

It takes a lot of energy to say no. But if you say no at the right time and in the right way it can really empower you. Say no to the people who are trying to raise the rabble. They are using slogans and half truths for their own ends. Poorly backed hot air based on imagined facts is dangerous. If you reach into the realm of magic that is around you, you can get the energy to debunk the loud, the dangerously persuasive. You can even say no to yourself when you are headed in the wrong direction. Going along with the crowd just because some of the crowd seems to say some things that sound good is dangerous and will suck your soul dry. Saying no to the wrong gives you energy to say yes to the right. I suggest you try this little exercise. Sit quietly then imagine a parade of people and events streaming past you for your approval. With full breath from your belly say no to what ever you want to say no to. When I did it I felt powerful and energized. Knowing what needs to be said no to will make it easier to take advantage of the opportunity to do so when it arises. Saying no is another tool, another magic wand in the magicians bag of tools.
Learn to use it wisely and well. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Hanging In There

Hanging in there is necessary if the problem is going to get solved. But the publicized pictures of a kitten hanging from a tree limb with the caption "Hang In There Baby" isn't the way it's done. That cat is getting ready to fall safely or find a way to scramble up on to another branch because cats are wise. But the picture doesn't reveal that. When you hang in there you are directly focused on the problem. If you are not healing as you should you need to contact your health care provider again. If you are not learning as you should talk it over with the teacher. Problems need to get solved. If there isn't any progress the strategy or approach may be at fault. All too often the magician fails to work the necessary magic because he or she goes away from the problem. Recovery from substance abuse often follows a pattern of some abstinence then a recurrence of the problem behavior. The smoker says that just a few puffs will not hurt. This is not doing what it takes to make the change. The right kind of change is a kind of miracle, a piece of magic. But it is possible. The change must be prepared for. The scene must be set. The mood must be right. Then the workings of the spell must be put into place. Needed change is possible. Reach out to the energy of the magic that is around you and cause the change you need. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of The Guide Line

During pioneer times it was necessary for farmers on the great plains to have a rope strung between their house and the barn in the winter. The line was to hold on to so they could get from one building to another during blizzards. Using this idea of a guide line you can help yourself get through blizzards of stress or distractions. If you have something to which you are truly committed you can set up certain physical activities that express this commitment. Such as the writer sitting down and writing a certain amount every day. Or a mother making sure the lunches are packed for the children she is sending off to school. You may have to be more creative to find positive actions to express NOT doing something, such as not taking a drink, or not eating all the desserts in the refrigerator. For this you may have to set up actions to do when you find yourself slipping into the aura that comes up before the addictive behavior is engaged in. Exercise can be a marvelous guideline. The rope is there and you have to hang on to it or get lost in the blizzard. Which can be very dangerous. I believe each magician can find his own guideline as a tool. Things I might suggest are calling friends, doing some activity related to the goal, exercise, journaling, engaging in a creative activity or anything that helps you focus on the goal you need to reach. Perhaps you can think of other ways that will work for you. But the commitment is crucial. The goal is important to you and others. Accept that life is full of stress and distractions. Accept that there are times that all you can do is hold on to the guideline and inch forward bit by bit until you are out of the cold. Then reach out to the magic that surrounds you for the energy to develop your own personal guideline. May the spark be with you.

Using Magic in Dealing With Addictions

"Being hooked" is not necessarily a bad thing. There are toxic addictions, soft addictions and positive addictions. Anything that is an ongoing thing that interferes with a fulfilling life might be considered a toxic addiction, not just substance abuse. There are also process addictions. A toxic addiction wraps its tentacles around you and yanks you away from living fully and puts you in a dungeon or cocoon. A soft addiction does the same on a temporary basis but you can usually break through when it is really needed. Sometimes it is hard to determine if a soft addiction is really an addiction or just some down time while you gather your resources. Soft addictions can be many different things such as computer games, television, co-dependent relationships( which can also veer into toxic addictions)or even going to church. Positive addictions are things you do that allow new synapses to develop in your brain. Developing a talent, ability or skill, or any routine that gives a sense of well-being can be a positive addiction. The way you use your magic spark will help you steer yourself in the direction of the better addictions and away from the toxic ones. That spark is short but powerful. Like a thump on the head it can help you wake up and decide whether you want to improve your brain, thus improve your life, or if you want to succumb to the tentacles that pull you down. That zing that you have within you can give you the spark to go in the right direction. Use it as often as you need, or when you need. The spark of magic is always there.