The Magic of Talking to Your Plants

On the surface you might say that talking to your plants is not magic but simply breathing out carbon dioxide, which plants breathe in, and taking in oxygen, which plants breathe out.  It is so much more.  When you talk to your plants you tend to voice your inner thoughts, which gives you direction for the actions you will take to work magic, or bring better things into your life.  Plus, being aware of plants makes you aware of your place in the cosmos.  You are not alone, but part of the web of life. Dialogue with your plants, the loving ears that are always there for you, is dialogue with your inner self.  This brings balance and wisdom to your life.  Remember, magic is well formed.  Talking things over with yourself is one way to discover how to form things in a good way.  So I say to all wise magicians out there,  find a plant to talk to or a tree to hug.  The life force they carry will energize you and help make your magic more well formed.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Cross Training

"Cross Training" is a term from sports but it has handy applications for ordinary, or perhaps magical, life.  Cross training is when a skill you develop in one sport can be used in another sport. For working magic in your life you can take the skill of the aura or feeling that fits with one activity and take that aura to another activity.  For example, being lonely makes it hard for me to work by myself.  I'm just a little bit more enthusiastic about life when I'm around people I like.  So I soak up this enjoyment when I am around my favorite people.  It is a skill to be able to enjoy other people.  Then I bring this skill from the social game and let this golden aura help my solitary writing game.  I say to all wise magicians, look for things in one area of your life that help you function at a high level.  Then see if you can transfer that to another part to help you function in that other aspect.  Let's use magic in any way we can to win at this game of life.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic You Keep is the Magic You Grab

Being willing to reach out to make change is a form of working magic.  Action is a type of magic wand. Dreams and hope are good.  But to stand up and say, 'I am, I can, I will, I deserve it.' is what brings about the needed changes. Real magic doesn't live in a fairy tale world.  Ordinary people can bring about extra-ordinary change. But there are strong barriers.  Big lies are told to us and it is comfortable to believe them.  It takes courage, and a willingness to work magic, to question the lies.  We may not know they are lies.  But if you get in the habit of healthy doubt you will learn to have a sense of lies versus truth.  Lies often are told in an effort for the evil sorcerers to keep their power.  Denial of climate change is one such lie.  Right to work is another.  As if having good working conditions in a factory were a bad thing. Doubt every slogan and label that comes your way until you have checked it out.  Thinking, logically and critically, is the ultimate magic wand.  So I say to all wise magicians, go ahead and overcome your conditioning.  Bit by bit see what you can do to make this world a better place. Magic abounds.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of the Second Round

A championship boxer does not expect to win his fight in the first round.  It has been done but it is not the expectation.  The first round is for checking out the situation,  getting to know the opponent, so to speak.  We get the big idea, then we have all the energy from that big idea as inspiration.  Next we have to look at the big picture.  That is the first round of our boxing match with life.  The real heart of the boxer is revealed when, maybe with some aches and bruises, he climbs back into the ring.  The second, and subsequent rounds are where the attention to detail, the previous training and the character of the boxer take over. The magic is in climbing back into the ring and continuing with the task until that task is done, hopefully with the awards of championship.  I say to all wise magicians, if you quit early you have no chance of a win.  Climb back into the ring and continue the fight.  Go into your subject or task in greater depth.  You are a winner just by continuing the fight.  Keep on trying until you win.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Engineering

All too often we get an idea, a marvelous world improving idea.  We glory in the rush of adrenalin and dreams of a better future.  Hard on the heels of this happy idea is the tiring realization that between the idea and realization of the idea is a deep canyon.  The gap of not having a smooth road to this wonderful future can shut us down completely.  There are so many problems to solve, so much to discover that we may be in danger of giving up on our genius idea.  Fortunately for wise magicians we know to search for all the magic wands that humanity has discovered over the centuries.  One such magic wand is 'engineering'.  Engineering is the practice of planning, of astute problem solving, of building connections, of experimenting until we find a workable solution.  We can build bridges.  We can make connections.  We can see what works.  Look at the great engineering marvels of the ages.  The cathedrals, the dams, the great bridges, the canals, were not built in only a day.  Nor did the builders give up on finding a solution.  New techniques were created when needed.  Knowledge was shared.  Many people worked together.  So I say to all wise magicians out there: "Cherish your idea and engineer a way to bring it to fruitful reality.  May the spark be with you."

Let Magic Find You

Recently I was feeling that edginess that makes me want to feel a spark or magic, to be aware of the sacred that mixes in with the mundane in our world.  I was at work so I couldn't go make a phone call or listen to music or do anything to draw magic to me except in my thoughts.  I let my mind wander in search of joyous thoughts.  I thought how nice it would be to visit with my favorite three year old little boy.  Suddenly I no longer had to search for magic.  It had found me.  Not only did I experience the joy of love for that child, I was also open to an understanding of the resources that humanity has.  Each person has the ability to love and feel that life is sacred and divine.  So I say to all wise magicians that you do not always need to seek to work magic.  Magic is and it will seek and find you if you will be still and allow it to come to you.  Part of the need I was feeling for magic came from several days of observing a co-worker who causes discomfort to others because of her problems with her ego.  I was musing on how shallow humanity might be and how I wondered about inner resources people may have.  After I had felt the joy of magic I became reassured that an appreciation of the spark of magic, an awareness of the sacred, is possible.  Magic to life is like salt to food, it is a wonderful flavor enhancer.  Later I spoke to the man who is the brunt of this woman's jibes and I again felt the spark when his eyes lit up at my gift of understanding to him.  I saw I had added to his sense of self-hood.  That also gave me a lift.  So, if you need a bit of magic today, be still and allow it to find you.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Review

There is a tradition of the creative one looking at that which was created and finding it good. It is always good to take joy in one's creations.  But what about the times of dissatisfaction, when one needs to draw down magic?  That is a time when review can also bring forth magic.  Review is sometimes going back to square one, back to the drawing board.  Sometimes it is just looking for the places you need to tweak.  But if you take the willingness to start over to every review you will have a sense of freshness.  Be willing to move back down to a lower step to find what worked.  When you are safely at the platform of what worked you have gained a bit of comfort.  You know that things can work.  Then you can go forward from there.  Going forward might mean taking advice, re-evaluating your efforts, even accepting that you have to make some big changes.  Acceptance can be hard but if you are in a safe place when you have to do it, it isn't so hard after all.  You want to work magic.  Magic is well formed.  If you are pushing beyond what can be supported or work smoothly, review will help you recognize that. You have freed yourself from anxiety by finding the platform of what works.  Now you can look for what has to be newly created in order to move forward.  A side bit of magic, or energy that will fuel further efforts is the joy of discovery of self that comes from review.  You will find yourself saying, "That was pretty good, wasn't it?".  So I say to all wise magicians out there, when you feel the need for a bit of magic, for the spark that will ignite a greater flame, try review as a magic wand.  Review where you are.  Explore what is.  You may find delights and ideas beyond what you expected.  May the spark be with you.