The Magic of Expectation

   Many creative people get excited by their ideas and that high keeps them working until the idea is made real.  A writer will continue to pour out words even if fingers are cramping around the pen.  A painter will paint until the picture is done, even if eyes are bleary and the brush falls from stiff fingers. As the faint glimmer takes form the work feeds on itself and the energy is good.  This is the best scenario.  Idea.  Energy to keep going.  Finished creation.  But this is not always the reality.
   All people are creative, whether they label themselves so or not.  But all too often an idea comes to one.  Or a goal.  The excitement happens.  But there is a gap.  The goal or idea exists.  But the way forward is unclear.  Then the energy fizzles.  This is the more common scenario.  Idea-gap-fade...
  For decades I have been aware of that gap, painfully so.  Sometimes I have bridged it but all too often I have not.  I have discovered that many others have the same life experience.  But again I have hope that there is a way over this gap.  I am actually excited about this possibility.  In the last issue of O magazine, Oprah Winfrey's platform, I was reading her interview with Brendan Burchard.  He is the founder of The Experts Academy and author of several books about growth.  His latest is "The Motivation Manifesto".  In this interview, in one small sentence, he mentioned the power of expectation.  He didn't use the word 'power'.  But I will.  Expect something to continue, to turn out well and it is likely to.  That sense of expectation is like the tendril a climbing plant throws out.  It takes a while for it to find the support it will climb on but it keeps reaching out, learning as it goes, until the way becomes well established. This is a powerful idea for me.  A magical one.  I intend to make this my spark of magic mantra for reaching my goals. "Expect the way to open up."  I intend to replace the sense of hopelessness I have had at facing the GAP and learn to expect the way forward to be shown to me.  I hope all of you can also expect the way to open for you.  May the spark be with you.

The Magical Power of Consolation

At times your world may turn so grey that you think you can never catch a spark of magic again.  But I suggest to wise magicians that this is a signal to stop and ask a few question of yourself and the universe. Suppose you are just worried about another person's troubles and don't know what you can do to make it better for them.  Suppose all you can do is have faith in them and give them a hug or a pat on the back.  As you think about consoling your friend you may realize that you need a bit of consolation for yourself. The magic of consolation is that it buys a bit of time and it hooks into the belief that things actually can get better.
So go ahead and say to your inner child something like this: "There, there.  I know that skies are grey.  I know that you have lost a sense of sparkle.  I know that you have worries.  It is okay.  If you hang in there a bit you can praise yourself for hanging in there.  Won't that be a bit of magic when you can praise yourself?"
This might make you smile a bit at the way you have turned the tables on the inconsolable part of your character.  I don't deny that there is awful tragedy in life.  But they pass.  Love yourself and others and give support in coming through the storm back into the magical world of sunshine and flowers.  Be consolable. Give comfort.  It is deserved.  May the spark be with you.

Seek Out the Sparkle

Sparkle is a very important part of magic.  Think of the stories and movies you have read and watched.  The good witches and wonderful fairies were all bright and sparkly.  There is a reason for this.  Sparkle is a part of the life force.  Sit back and contemplate any mundane object in front of you.  Now let the sparkle of that object come through.  You might perceive a richness in the color or texture of the object. Or you might be reminded of rich experiences that said object has given you.  I see a small web cam in front of me.  I have captured some pictures for my Wordmaeven page with it.  I am reminded of the large and exciting world of communicating with others.  A book may remind you of all the wonderful worlds you can enter by reading about them.  As I contemplate the objects in front of me I feel energized. Looking for the extra aura of things is a way to hook into more life energy.  Another aspect of "sparkle" is to bond you to things or people.  The throw I use to keep warm when I am watching TV on cold Winter nights offers me more than warmth.  I also like the tactile pleasure it gives and the rich color of it. I am bonded to it.  So I say to all wise magicians, 'Seek out the sparkle in yourself.'  You can look in the mirror and note your expressions as you tell a funny story.  You have adopted voice inflections, hand gestures, and figures of speech through the years.  This is part of your sparkle.  Appreciate your sparkle and feel free to develop more.  Your are a lively, magical being, a valuable part of the Universe.  Enjoy your place.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Standing Back

So many fairy tales and movies have the magician get into a hard spot then get out of it with a swoosh of a magic wand.  Our mind set can get narrow that way.  We can believe that every discomfort can be changed by the wave of a magic wand, by getting "Mommy or Daddy" to fix it, or by throwing money at it.  But if we don't stand back from the problem we may not even know what it is that needs to be changed, or solved. Standing back also brings about a shift in the time frame. The wise magician will realize that a decent problem needs a decent amount of time to be dealt with.  I say to all wise magicians, if you need a change take the time to decide what the best change would be.  Then stand back and decide what to do.  Stand back to gain confidence and clarity about working at what you want to have happen until you get it.  I have seen people need a change but they have a pattern of showing irritation too soon, then after the blow-up, settling back into acceptance of the way things were.  I have noticed that the people around them then didn't believe they really wanted that change, so they didn't continue to help them achieve it.  Step back, look at you life, see what changes you need, see what you can do and do it.  May the spark be with you.

Magic and Minor Phobias

Minor phobias may not even be on your radar.  You may avoid certain things just because you always have, you don't even know why.  I suggest to all wise magicians out there that you have yourselves an adventure.  Explore whether or not you have a couple, or a couple of dozen, phobias.  I recognize one I have, it is the filling out of forms.  Somehow I don't fit myself into little boxes, check here, very well.  A lot of things in life are gained by filling out the applications for them.  I have missed some opportunities by seeing the form, then feeling overwhelmed by looking at it, and putting it to one side.  Just for a while turns into, "Oh, oh, I forgot about it."  Discover a teeny phobia then devise a spell to deal with it.  Let your sensory self, and your sense of humor, conquer this "thing that blocks you from a better life". Here are a few phobias people may have: filling out forms, learning about political issues, going to a barber, shopping, washing dishes, going to a doctor, admitting mistakes, saying I don't know, saying that you want something, getting things taken care of for your car, writing thank you letters, being realistic about a budget, exercising, etc., etc.
You get the point, you are procrastinating and probably are missing out by doing so.  I remember a Political Theory class I took in college.  The author of one of our readings said "Laziness is pathology". He said that people were not naturally lazy and if it seemed like they were the social scientist needed to search out what was holding them back. Listen to you little nagging "shoulds".  Maybe they have validity. (Maybe they don't, too.)  You will only know if you examine them.  Make your decisions for your self.  Don't let your phobias do it.  You deserve a rich and full life.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Lemons

"Lemon Tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat" so the song goes.  I am sorry but I don't know who recorded it or wrote it.  I hope I am not breaking any laws by not citing more.  I love all things lemon and sometimes I delight in being handed a lemon by life because it gives me a chance to make lemonade.  Many creative projects or businesses have come out of a situation in which a person had a problem and then solved it by seeing it as an opportunity.  Right now that is what is going on in my life.  I am trying to develop workshops and sell information products based on how we use our inner dialogue and do, or do not, access the skill of critical thinking.  I had some trouble with a service provider and found myself delighting in analyzing all the things they were doing wrong.  Their client service was faulty and yet I wasn't angry, I just wanted to help them improve. They no longer serve me but I have learned a lot about  what quality in a service business is all about.  I also under stand what a worker might go through as well.  The dignity and pride of provider and client are both important.  So I say to all wise magicians: take your magic wand to your problems and see if you can get a bit of lemonade out of them.  I find I can usually get a dinner table joke or conversation out of my suffering.  That is something, I hope.  But magical solutions are also possible.  Look for your chance to see opportunity is all things.  May the spark be with you.

The Magic of Focusing on the Small

So often we are told to look at the big picture, or to go beyond the big picture and think outside of the box.  That is often good advice.  But I say to all wise magicians, "What next?"  Part of setting goals is so decide on an action plan.  Plans involve steps.  Each step is a small part of the big whole.  Learn to take the step after the big picture and hone in on the small picture.  The left brain is thought to be out of the realm of magic but I believe that left and right brain work together to bring good things into your life.  Imbue those small steps, which might be tedious, with joy because of the reward they will eventually help us bring.  Pat yourself on the back for getting started.  Look for the small key that will unlock the door you need to enter. Search out the small limb that you can pull out of the log jamb to send those logs on down the river.  The center of a target is small.  Chipping away at your anxieties and blocks can be small victory by small victory.  When you bring your sense of joy or well being to small steps, small tasks, or small accomplishments, all these small things become glorious big things.  A small insight can unlock a door to a bigger world.  Don't get stuck on the small, but focus on it as a way to bring more magic into your life.  May the spark be with you.