Follow The Magical Golden Thread

Many fairy tales have a golden thread as part of the story. This thread leads the hero or shero
to their ultimate happy destination. In our daily life we may feel unraveled and in need of a magic thread to stitch together the creative projects we are trying to craft. If you pause a bit, catch your breath away from this unraveled feeling you may discover that all the disparate parts and different pathways you have been scurrying down actually do have a common thread. I have been trying to be more commercial about my teaching skills but it seemed that there was too much to learn, too much to consider. I was getting to the point that I wanted to totally give up. Then I realized that 'magic' is the common thread for me. Students I have who are preparing to take the GED test need to feel the zing of confidence in their ability to learn. I can give that to them. I can do the same for women exploring new business ventures, or people who need to improve their ability to speak English. I can note the frustrations of each of the people I am working with and help them find a way to glory in their ability to succeed. That for me is the common thread, the genius within each person. If you are feeling that you have lost your sense of purpose, that you are no longer following your bliss I suggest you step back and look for the thread. More than likely you have been expressing your inner self in ways you didn't realize before. A well crafted meal can be the work of an artist as well as an oil painting. The thread of magic and genius runs through your work. Find it and appreciate it. May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Purpose

For several months I have been studying the field and practice of public speaking. Part of what I had to do was to identify the subjects I am most passionate about and know about. The speeches I will write will not be children's imaginative stories. But I realized that I understood my purpose in what I write as fiction in a better way. In fairy tales and movies that involve magic we often see a magic want whipped out on the spur of the moment to do a bit of magic. But that brief bit is part of the bigger purpose of what a wizard is all about. The wise magician must be prepared and know what he/she means to do in his/her life. So take some time and explore your passions and values. It will make your connection to magic that much richer and more effective. Whims are passing fancies. The good life, one enriched by love and magic is deeper and long lasting. So reach out to the magic that surrounds you and discover your purpose. May the spark be with you.

Meeting Magic Halfway

Sometimes you will be overcome by a strong yearning for outside help. You really need a bit of zing, an intervention, magical help. Sometimes you need a figurative Mom to just sweep in and take over. At times like that you can't rush out and grab a bit of magic. You are too overwhelmed. But you can meet magic halfway. I had a bit of writer's block and I just started mulling around the problem. After a bit of picking and shuffling my creativity kicked in and I was doing some good original work. You can pick at any problem and eventually solutions will start to come to you. There is a do-list technique that is old but useful I want to mention here that seems to be kind of magical. It's the do list for your slow helper. Give the helper a name. Admit he is slow. Break down the list in tiny parts. Like (1) find scrap paper for list. (2) see if you have the needed tools for the task. Then, when the list is very large, realize that your slow helper may be insulted by how simple the steps are that you are saving for him. Do the easiest steps while you wait for him. Keep this up until your slow helper has arrived or until the whole task is finished, whichever comes first. It is your creative playful self that is the source of your magic. Do all you can to hook into it. Perhaps you may want to put on a costume before you tackle your overwhelming task. Perhaps you may want to make up a work song. Today is Valentine's Day. Maybe you need to hook into magic today to show your loved ones you care. Color and other sensory experiences help bring the realm of magic to you. Today is a very good day to meet magic halfway. It will sense you are reaching out to it and come rushing towards you. Enjoy the experience. May the spark be with you.

Casting Spells- Part Two

Because of the importance in getting help from your inner self in bringing forth anything into fruition I want to add a bit to the previous post. To recap, make a spell as clear, as personal, and as lyrical as possible. In addition realize that the word 'cast' is an operative word. Cast the spell out into the world as something that is essentially yours,something deep and dear to you. That visualization of 'casting' it out will give it a bit of oomph and pixie dust. It will also get your inner self to commit to it a bit more. A spell is a ceremony of commitment. Just like standing up and committing to a relationship with another person by saying 'I do' you are committing to results when you 'cast' a spell. Do not treat the casting of spells like wishes offered by a genie from a bottle or a whim. They can too easily go off target, have no power, or bounce back on you to your hurt. In some ways a spell is nothing less or more that fully saying "I will." That act of saying 'I will' embodies the faith in your ability to receive, achieve and deserve. I will become a published writer. I will buy a car. I will lower my blood pressure. I will get a college degree. Anytime anyone has said anything like that they have not modified it by 'I think' or 'maybe'. When you are planning you spell decided if you need to break you big spell down into little spells. Maybe you need to say thing like; I will get into college, I will raise the down payment for a car, I will take up aerobic exercises. Again I want to emphasize that the main point I want to make in this post is about the mental act of 'casting'. Do that with strength and flair. Reach out to the magic that surrounds you to help you get the energy for a good spell and cast it for all you are worth. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of The Other

Participation. Love. Connection. Interaction. Being invested. Communion. All of these words refer to a particular experience that cannot be well expressed in words. It is a magical time when the person, craft or project is influencing you as you are influencing it. It is a truly two way experience. In this state you have lost distrust and ego. The welfare of the other is bound up with your welfare and a feeling of faith and trust tells you that the ultimate goal will be right and well formed. This can happen to an artist, a therapist, a writer, a mother, a lover or even an athlete as they practice their craft. I doubt that it can happen to a rabble rouser or a demagogue. The wise magician strives for that state because it brings the power of the magic that surrounds us into play. I believe that is why the term 'as above so below' is used as a mantra in working spells; to refer to the sacred aspect of magical and/or spiritual endeavor. This state is not achieved by simply willing it. It is rather a release of will. It is a meditative state. The exercises that some use when meditating or trying to go into the alpha state can help. Some simple ones are to tip your head back a bit and roll your eyes up. Or to block off breathing through the right nostril for a second or two. Deep breathing also helps. But the feeling of love or connection is a long term feeling or state. Some even refer to it as eternal. When writers feel that their characters have come alive and are helping to tell the story it is a manifestation of this connection. The willingness to prune, to rework, to be patient or experiment to find what brings about the desired beautiful result is what brings about this connection and is also a result of it. Magic, good relationships, good health, well crafted works are all a well formed expression of love, connection, or whatever word you find for this state or experience. Let magic help you to reach out to experience love and connection in many aspects of your life. May the spark be with you.

The Magic Of Readiness

Teachers talk to parents about reading readiness, meaning that children need to experience and develop things that will make them ready to read. This could be concepts like the direction in which pages are turned, that stories go from top of page to bottom, what letters are, that letters make up words and so on. Yet readiness is necessary in most learning throughout life. We recognize this when we start a race off with "Ready, Set, Go." To develop readiness there is first awareness, then a sense of relevance. Next comes willingness to attempt the learning and being able to have trouble with the doing at first. Then comes the connection between the learner and what they are learning. After that can come mastery. Mastery is acknowledged when there is a flow or well formedness to the doing of the skill. A writer may put out words, facts, ideas that show a plot and sequence of events that lead to a conclusion. But unless there is flow, unless the listener or reader is drawn into the story that writer is not truly a storyteller. Look to the way you live out your own story. Do you enjoy flow? If not perhaps you are still in the learning stages of what you are attempting. Allow mistakes and be willing to work on the tiny details of your craft. When mastery comes flow is there. The magic wand in this case is twofold, the connection between learner and subject and the willingness to go over and over the tiny details that make up the whole before everything is put together. Reach out for readiness and mastery of the skills for your good life. May the spark be with you.

The Golden Thread

In many tales the magician uses a thread to do some magic or weave a spell. I have had a problem that has been hanging over my head for several months. One I knew I had to deal with eventually. Today it occurred to me that it was interfering with my peace of mind because I didn't know how to approach it at all. It was sitting there in a big tangle of knots. When I realized that I suddenly knew how to approach it. Knots, whether of string or rope, have an end to them, a way to untie them. You just have to find the end of the thread. With that I started picking at the knot and eventually found the end of the thread. I haven't completely dealt with the matter but it is no longer a problem. Now I know the steps I have to go through in order to handle it and have started the process of doing so. I suggest if you have some dark cloud hanging over your head reinvent it as a big knot. Then find the end of the string so you can start to untangle it. The energy of the magic that surrounds you will help you persist until you are on your way to the success you deserve. A dropped and tangled ball of yarn can be difficult to untangle. But once it is untangled you have something you can use to make something good. The metaphors in which you think can influence your moods and actions. If one isn't working for you, rework or reword it. Think about the difference between 'untangled' and 'unraveled'. Both involve smoothing out yarn or thread. But they have different connotations. You can do a lot to help yourself by the way you tell yourself things. Find golden threads to weave yourself a joyous life. May the spark be with you.

Your Own Little Secrets

Your mindset is your key to success or failure. But you may not always know your thinking patterns. A helpful thing to do is to find role models. Actions and thoughts are closely linked. The people you wish to learn from will say and do things that will reveal how they think. Then you can learn from that. At times you will say to yourself, "I don't agree with that." Delve down into your reasoning process and discover why you disagree. Perhaps you are right, perhaps you will discover that a change is in order. Affirmations are an old but useful tool for changing your mindset. You write or say "I am...(followed by what you are trying to become).." When you have a negative reaction such as 'I cannot do this' look at that as housecleaning of the mind. Just bless it and let it go. Conversations with true friends will also help you identify your mistaken mindset and thus enable to adopt a more successful one. James Allen wrote a book in 1903 As a man Thinketh, That is very helpful along these lines. The way the spark of magic can help you here is to give you that extra bit of energy to root out the negative, adopt the positive and gain success.

Finish Up Your Magic

Magic is well formed. A sloppy magician will be a failed magician eventually. To make sure that the spark is not wasted you must train yourself to tie up loose ends.
Read over what you have written. Listen to what you say. Clarify conversations with others. Make sure bills are paid. Look over a job or task you have finished to see if it seems well done. The spark can help you in this. When I had a cleaning business I would wait for the zing of satisfaction to hit me as I looked back over my work. If it felt good then I knew I was done. Tie up your loose ends in a craftsman like way rather than in a dutiful way. To do things with joy, in a musical rhythm will help the spark of magic enter into your daily activities. Good manners are part of this magical flow. Do more than tie a simple good-enough knot to your loose ends. When you can, give things a bit of flair. When you see a mint on the pillow and toilet paper ends folded under in a triangle when you enter your hotel suite you feel as if all the cleaning was well done. Look for ways to tie things up with a flair in your daily activities. It will express your inner self and make it stronger. Magic is much more than simple cause and effect. Let your self shine forth. That will be a spark of magic that will bring you benefits from unsuspected sources.