Revisiting "Act As If"

I posted a short bit about the magic principle or "acting as if" on Feb. 2, 2010. I think it is a good time to revisit that principle. In that previous post I used examples of going after goals I had clearly in mind. But there are times when despair hits because you do not have your goals well formed. Since magic is well formed you may feel that magic has abandoned you. That is a good time to call on the "As if" principle. I know my ultimate goal but not the way to get there. I was feeling a bit of despair until I remembered the 'as if' principle. I began to act as if I would find a way to meet my ultimate goal and I immediately began to get ideas of things I could try. Research and getting feedback are part of the way to go along your path. Then I got an e-mail that vindicated the usefulness of one of my ideas. That indicated I may, after all, be on a good pathway. Just the remembrance of the principle seemed to give me courage, seemed to hook into the energy of the magic that surrounds me. I was able to sort out possible actions to take, prioritize them and make plans for implementation. Now it will be easier for me to act as if I will achieve my goal. May you also be able to reach out for your goals. May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Brain Power

You can learn to use your brain better just like you can improve your singing or running. I am going to give you the rules for a solitaire game that improves the ability to think sequentially. This is a skill very useful in planning. The game is Trefoil or La Belle Lucie. Use a whole deck of cards. Lay all the cards out, face up, in piles of three. Only the top card of each pile can be moved. The object is to build on the aces from ace to king in each suit. The way you get to these aces, if they are not already on top of a pile, is to move cards and build them down on the same suit. A three of hearts will lay on a four of hearts. You must always have in mind the concept, 'if that then this.' Leaving the aces and any cards of that suit you have built up, you can pick up all the piles two times,(you can lay out the array three times altogether) shuffle and re-lay in the piles of three. You are also allowed to 'pull' one card at any time during the game that would otherwise not be available. The more you play this the easier it gets because your mind becomes more able to follow back to what has to be moved in order for something else to be available. Any time you decide to give yourself any kind of skill you are reaching out for that little spark of magic that will improve your life. Skills do make life less of a struggle. May the spark be with you.