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 Rough Drafts, Critique Groups and Rehearsals

Some of the stories of the birth of the Goddess Athena have her springing from the head of Zeus fully formed in all her perfection. The God Zeus may have been able to bring forth a finished creation from his head but it is not quite so easy for us lesser mortals. Sometimes the magic comes in just getting started. If we expect the finished product to manifest too quickly we may get discouraged and give up when it does not. Goethe says to start what we can think of because the action of starting has power and magic in it. The problem comes when we are not clear about what we are doing, what our final work will be. That's where the magic of learning as we go comes in. Get a rough draft going. Get a rough draft of a rough draft. Get a rough draft of a part of the rough draft. Share what you have done with supportive people who will encourage you but also point out things you need to change or add. Also, don't be afraid to rehearse as many times as you need to. We are not born perfect nor are our creative endeavors perfect at first. Creative endeavors include more than poems, paintings or such. It can be a creative endeavor to work out how you are going to persuade someone of something. How you are going to approach a sales prospect. So if you have something you have wanted to do or bring about stop letting it stay in the shadows of "someday". Start working on it, even if your ideas are poorly formed. I have said that magic is well formed. It is but that well formedness may have to be developed. When you really have your head around what you want you will find that forces outside of yourself will help you move toward the manifestation of your desire. Reach out to the energy of the field of magic that is around you and start a rough draft of what you want to create. The rest will follow. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Dis-engagement

There is a lot of freedom and magic in quitting, breaking things off or taking a time out. Sometimes it is really necessary to get off that wrong pathway. The goal may be important but the pathway wrong. As people all over the world strive to live 'greener' lives it is important to recognize that nature is not to be conquered so much as to be fit in with. Only when we step back a bit and look at what isn't working can we see new things to try. When you step back from something it is important to dis-engage from the burden of it. Don't let the 'should mind' tie you in knots. If the inner self feels free then it can let ideas occur if they are ready. But if you obsess and worry about a task, a project or idea you have not truly dis-engaged. You have probably paralyzed your creative self. The wise magician casts the spell then lets it go. I am not advocating a life of aloofness. Being involved in life is important. But the wrong kind of involvement is counter-productive. Nature is wise in that cycles exist. Cycles can be a good thing. Bio-mimicry is a new field of study in which nature is studied to gain ideas for use in human endeavors. The off and on, effort and rest, aspect of nature is a good model to emulate. Put out the needed effort. Then rest, think it over, learn, and come full circle to try again. A friend of mine was working many long hours to earn money she needed. But she was so tired from all this she had a car accident. This cost money so she lost ground in her savings program. Less effort, in shorter bursts would have been better for her. Magic works best when the time and the circumstances are right. So if you are in a state of emergency, when you most need solutions and help, take a breather then work you magic. After all even Superman would find the peacefulness of a telephone booth to change into his costume. Let the energy of the magic that is around you help you find the peace you need. Then, when you are ready, make the changes you need. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Form

It has been said that 'form follows function'. Thinking of the function of "things" often helps to see the form more clearly. It is easy enough to see that the function of a hand is to do things. The function of music (organized sound) is to help us perceive that sound more fully. We tend to shut out cacophony but when we can hear pattern and form in the sound it can be pleasing, even without melody. Understanding form, such as the principles of design that an artist might use, can help us to appreciate a work. However that appreciation might not need to be conscious. But it is pretty important when we intend to be the driving force behind a task or project. A creator does well to understand the tools with which she works. A mother needs to be able to use hugs, explanations, games, soothing sounds, persistence and much, much more to raise a child. A recovering addict needs to master the tools of self encouragement, getting outside help when needed, principles of self care, courage, etc. To create we must fuse intuition with will, the use of the left and the right brain together. To write a story there is a certain form to follow. There must be a certain amount of time spent on the different parts of the story. There must be a beginning, a middle and an end. If a key element of the story is presented too quickly, mentioned in passing as it were, the listener or the reader will not really comprehend the story. Each part of the story has a certain function in moving the story forward. A novelist has to ask 'what is the function of each chapter?'in order to write a cohesive book. A wise magician will be willing to pare down his 'words of power' to their essence in order to really understand what she wants to achieve. For seven years I taught inner city children in a class that was a combination of art and story telling. At first some would string together events in an endless litany without really telling a story. They would quickly lose their listeners. Creativity is meant to bring order out of chaos. The structure, the plan, the purpose, the form of a work are vital. If your life is in a shambles you can make it better by examining or discovering your values. Living true to your values will make your life 'well formed'. A person's life is their greatest creative work. Let the magic that surrounds you give you help in living true to your purpose. Let your life be well formed. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of The Reality Check

Ego and self-esteem are really important to our lives. They give us energy to keep on keeping on. Our work, our life, is thus imbued with meaning. But reality will also come up alongside us and thump us on the head. We will, or should, see ways in which we have made smug assumptions and have not delivered the most truthful work. This reality check may come because we have grown, or because of something someone trusted has said to us, or because we are looking at our views or our work in a new way. An especially vulnerable time is when we have created something that is supposed to be an improvement on work by someone else. We may be thinking that we have done so much better. We may have made some improvements but we may have also left things undone. This happened to me. I was smug about writing a novel and sequels based on Andersen's Thumbelina. I came up with some fun ideas. But I didn't work to polish my writing enough. I'm having to do it now. It is good to step back from our creative darlings and say, "Well done!" then wait for awhile and say to ourselves, "You are great but look at your work to see if you can be greater". We can also be proud of ourselves when we have to throw out something we have done when we realize it is not our best work, or even worthy of being called our work at all. The reality check helps us do that.
I have been putting forth that magic is well formed. So the wise magician tries to put magic in his or her work. We deserve to do no less. So let reality give you a needed jolt so you can do magical work. May the spark be with you.