The Magic of Lighting a Candle

When you light a candle you are making a strong action.  You are also making a magical action.  Remember that magic is the act of bringing more goodness into your life.  A candle invokes the energy of fire, with the warmth and light of fire, but without the destructive aspect.  However, you can also light a candle to remind yourself of the way fire cleanses and brings forth new beginnings.  Many times we get caught up in a life of habitual actions, of just passively going through motions.  We must combat the ennui that can result with a decisive act.  A symbolic way to declare that we are going to be more active in shaping our own destiny is to light a candle.  A candle can shine in dark places.  A candle can be a beacon of hope in dark times.  A candle can remind us to draw on the energy of the magic that surrounds us.  A candle can be lit to dispel fear.  A candle's light can be shared with other people. I suggest to all wise magicians that you look at your life and see if it would be good to boldly light a candle for yourself and the world.  You can stand up for your own truth.  You can be warmed by the gentle warmth of a candle's flame.  If you have been living in the shadows you can bring yourself into a better place by this simple action.  Light a candle and you will find it easier to do other things to bring goodness into your life.  May the spark be with you.

Magic And Responsibility

Responsibility is absolutely key to working magic. Now I have to pause and laugh because a visual picture or movie clip just came to me. Remember Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer's Apprentice? He wasn't responsible about his magic and got himself into a lot of trouble. But he learned by doing. He learned he didn't have all the skills he needed. The ability to respond is a wonderful thing. The ability to decide what to respond to is also a wonderful thing. Deciding is a big part of responsibility. A person, or wise magician, can decide to delay an emotional reaction. A decision can be made to energize oneself to face an important task. A decision can be made as to how to approach a certain problem. Responsibility is basically deciding what you want to happen and doing what you can to cause that to happen. The wise magician is the one in charge. Being in charge doesn't just mean being in charge of the situation or project. You also must be in charge of yourself. You must use your critical thinking skills. One aspect of critical thinking is self regulation. You must regulate yourself by nurturing yourself when needed, by feeding yourself well, by noticing when your biases are causing you to go against your higher values, by drawing out your ideas and questions.
Some people may be afraid of the whole idea of responsibility, thinking of how hard is is to pay rent, go to work every day and so on. The wise magician will choose a task or project, such as raising a family, to be responsible for. Then the wise magician will act or respond to the needs of that situation in ways that will bring about success. Creativity, choosing happiness and hooking into the energy of magic will all be helpful in bringing about that success. Choosing to do a certain thing, or to nurture something does not need to be a burden. If it is your wholehearted choice you will find ways to get through the hard times. Magic will help. 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.