Tuesday, March 30, 2010

How Magic is Like a Candy Bar ... and Why the Candy Bar Approach Won't Bring You What You Want

For a lot of people magic is kind of like a candy bar. It is an "impulse" kind of thing. As you stand in line at the check stand, you see rows of candy bars and, on impulse, buy one and eat it. If you hadn't been staring at all the candy bars, you probably wouldn't have bought or eaten one.

Magic is kind of the same way for many people. Something goes wonky in their lives and no immediate solution is apparent. All of sudden they think,

"Maybe magic will fix this."

So they fire off a question to us, a group of magical practitioners, and then forget all about it. When an email response arrives back in their inbox, 90% of the people ignore it, even though it contains valid magical information.

Why?

Because the impulse to "do magic" has been satisfied by sending off the email, just as the impulse to "eat something tasty" is satisfied by downing a candy bar. That's all, it's done. As a result, a lot of people either think that magic doesn't work or that magic isn't real. They think, "Oh, I checked it out but nothing much happened."

Hmmm...

The Problem of Mixing Impulse and Magic
Impulse and magic go together about as well as oil and vinegar ... they don't. Impulse is by definition a short-lived spurt of action that comes and goes in a blink of the eye.

Magic, on the other hand, is the art and science of intention and attention. To do magic successfully, you have to develop the ability to focus your intention and attention on what you want for rather long periods of time. That doesn't sound much like impulse, does it? And yet, impulse is the doorway through which many people approach magic. No wonder people think that magic isn't real or doesn't work.

What Makes Magic Work?
So if impulse is not the best way to approach magic, how should one approach magic so that it actually works? It's simple. Like everything else, magic takes practice. That's why most people who are involved with magic say they have a "magical practice." To be successful, magic has to be practiced the way you would practice the piano or yoga.

Magic takes practice because while every single person on the planet is born with magical abilities, we don't tend to use those abilities (called Spirit perceptics) in everyday like except at a very subliminal level. Occasionally, we may receive "premonitions" about something or experience "deja vu," but for the most part we don't exercise our magical skills much. Hence, when we go to use them by the sheer force of impulse, nothing much happens.

To "practice" magic the way you would a piano, you use daily magic rituals to help you exercise your magical skills and keep you in contact with magical beings. The magic rituals don't have to be complicated, and in fact it's better if they are simple.

A Simple Magic Ritual for a Magical Practice
There are thousands of magic rituals you could use as part of your magical practice, and here is a very simple one to get you started. This ritual will help you exercise your Spirit perceptics, but won't be so difficult that you will avoid doing them.

This ritual exercises both your ability to attract your desire into your life as well as your ability to "see" when something has manifested. To do this ritual, spend 5 minutes each morning sitting quietly. Envision a single thing that you want to appear in your day. Whether you choose a green marble, a handsome man, or a rainstorm, choose something concrete. Spend the 5 minutes of your sitting asking the Universe to bring that thing into your life today.

Oh, and pick something small and insignificant so that you don't overburden yourself with expectation. Don't pick "the love of my life" because that has too much expectation on it. Stick with little things, like a blue bird or the hiccups ... things you don't care much about one way or another.

During your day, keep your eyes, ears, and Spirit sense open for that thing. Many times, it will appear in a form that you least expect. For instance, suppose you chose to call a green marble into your experience. Depending on how specific you were, you may end up standing on green marble tile, or you may hear someone say the word "green" and read the word "marble" in a magazine. At first, your attempts to use this ritual may bring you somewhat "splintered" results, but be sure to acknowledge all of these results and thank the Universe. Your results will get more specific over time.

If at the end of the day you feel you still have not "received" that which you asked for, do another short meditation. Review your day and ask your mind for a "print out" of all possible events that might match your desired "thing." You'll be surprised at how much this "print out" will reveal to you about what you missed during the course of your day. Your mind records everything, and if you review its data carefully you will most likely find what you are looking for.

Do this magic ritual for 40-days in a row and jot down your results daily. Even if you get no results on a particular day, just keep doing the exercise. This magic ritual becomes an anchor-point of intention that will transform you into a powerful manifester. The whole goal of this ritual is to help you hone your intention and attention by starting with small objects. It's simple but ingenious.

Got it? Good ... now go try it!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lollaping/ / CC BY 2.0

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

How to Live a Magical Life: Stop Being a Control Freak

I bet you are a control freak, at least in some areas of your life, even if you don't admit it to yourself. That's all right. I think we're all control freaks.

My wife calls me a "just so guy," because there are certain areas of my life (like my cigars) where things have to be "just so" or I pout.

So we are all control freaks in some way or other, and that's fine because it helps us feel in control of something, especially when other factors in our lives (like the economy) seem to be spinning out of control.

Too Much Control Leads to Too Little Magic
But, being too much of a control freak can really get in the way of living a magical life. Trying to control events all the time keeps the magic from happening because magic mostly happens when you're not looking.

Personally, I feel that phrases like "a watched pot never boils" were created to help us control freaks who so badly want to live magical lives, but just can't seem to get there. That's 'cause we are trying to control the process.

So how do you live a magical life if you are a control freak? Give it up already!

Three Magical Rituals to Help Control Freaks Let Go
Control freaks have such a hard time letting go of stuff that they literally leave claw marks all over their lives. I ask you, how can magic operate in a space filled with claw marks? It can't. So ... to help control freaks unclench a bit, here are some great magic rituals that will help anyone let go so the magic can happen.

Magic Ritual #1: The Coin Toss
People have been flipping coins since the dawn of, well, coins to determine the outcome of certain events. For control freaks, using a coin toss to make a decision is like walking out in front of a beer truck--a guaranteed disaster. Only the coin toss isn't a disaster, it's a great way to let go of control and let magic take you for a little ride.

The next time you have a big decision come up, instead of weighing all the pros and cons and trying to make the decision based on logic or control or whatever other mental stuff is running around your brain, whip out a coin and make the decision based on the coin toss. Decide ahead of time the meaning of both "heads" and "tails." Then flip it!

Whatever the coin tells you, follow that decision ... immediately. Do not pause for consideration, do not pass "Go," and do not collect $200. Just do it.

It may sound crazy, but the universe will reward you with some pretty big magic if you can manage to follow through on this. Why? Because by letting go you allow the Universe to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. You open up space for the magic to appear. You are allowing the magic to lead you where you have always wanted to go ... only you couldn't figure out how to get there. It's one darn simple magical ritual that will help you lead a magical life and teach you to let go.

Magic Ritual #2: The Three Day Test
This ritual is another oldie-but-goodie. Actually, most of these rituals are quite old and date back to tribal times. In any case, this one's simple, too. When faced with a decision that you can't make, use the three day test.

To start the ritual, ask the question aloud to the Universe. Then, for the next three days, don't even think about the question. Don't let your mind touch the topic. Don't talk about the question to a single person. Leave it alone. This is the hardest part of the ritual.

At the end of the third day, ask your question aloud to the Universe again. Then, wait for the answer. Go with the first answer that comes to you. As with the coin toss, do not stop to think it over, ponder it, or otherwise mess with the process. Follow the guidance from the Universe and see what magic unfolds for you. Beyond that, actively look for signs of magic. They will be there ... you just have to be on the lookout for them. They will amaze you.

Magic Ritual #3: Decide That All Decisions are Right
This magic ritual is more of a meditation. It can be done as a silent sitting meditation, or as a more active writing meditation. It is very simple. Before you make a final decision about something, stop and do this meditation. Use this mantra:

"All decisions are right. All decisions will lead me to where I want to be. There are no wrong decisions."

You can either repeat this manta silently during a quiet sitting meditation, or write it forty times in a row during a more active meditation. I personally find that the act of writing does something magic to me. It shifts my place of being from mundane to magical, so I often tend to write mantras rather than repeating them silently to myself.

Once you have completed the meditation, go ahead and make your decision ... and then run with it. You can use either of the two magic rituals above if you have difficulty making your decision. If you encounter doubt after you have made your decision, or at any point along the journey, then repeat the meditation.

Magic Rituals Are Simple
See how simple all of these rituals are? I like simple magic because it's fast, immediate, and is an act of power. Any act of power restores personal power. When you are operating from a space of personal power, you can't make a wrong decision. You really can't. Plus, you will feel so positive that any decision is bound to be successful.

For more simple magic rituals, check out our magic rituals ebooks.

Now it's up to you. Try these magic rituals and let the magic guide you. Trust the process. Trust the magic.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/candees/ / CC BY 2.0

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

A Quickie Magic Ritual for When You Feel Like a Nut

If you are person who does not like to be told what to do by other people, then this magic ritual is custom-made for you.

With this ritual, you tell yourself what to do ...

It's pretty hard to ignore advice from yourself, right?


Feeling Nuts? One Magic Principle You Must Know
When you feel like you are going crazy, and a lot of people feel crazy these days, here's a magical principle that you have to understand:

Any form of craziness exists in the past or the future.

Think about it. When you feel nuts, what is really happening? You are doing one of two things. You are:

1. Reliving past negative events that have already happened
2. Projecting about future negative events you fear may occur

If you don't believe me, just think back to the last argument you had with someone. What was the REAL content of the argument about? While there may have been a present-time event that triggered the argument, the stuff that gets brought up is usually a rehash of old history, right?

Do lines like, "You always do that!" or "Oh, I can see this is going to turn out just like xxx did back in 1999!" sound familiar? Present time events pull in memories of past events, and that is what the argument is really about.

Conversely, the argument can be about future events. For instance, let's say you get an unexpected bill in the mail. All of sudden you start projecting out into the future about fearful events, like not being able to pay the bill. An argument begins. While the bill exists in present time, the argument is about a projected future.

Thus, it's common sense, not to mention a magical principle that all negativity exists in the past or future, not in the present.

A Magic Ritual to Bring You Back to Present Time
Once you have this knowledge under your belt, you can use a simple magic ritual every time you start feeling a little nuts. It is really easy:

Just look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself in a voice of command, "Come to present time!"

You may have to say it to yourself several times, but this command actually speaks to your Spirit and your mind. Your body always exists in present time, but the command in this magic ritual tells your Spirit and mind to come back to present time as well. Once you are in present time, you can't be nuts. It's a magical principle. It's a fact.

Try it. How does it work for you?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthandeden/ / CC BY 2.0

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Got Negative Karma? 3 Magic Rituals to Fix Your Karma Fast

The Beatle's weren't wrong about instant karma.

We live in a pay as you go Universe, which means that our karma is fairly instantaneous. The effects of our karma can happen in a week, a day, or a minute. Instant karma is becoming more and more of a reality as we move further into the Aquarian Age.

This is good news. It means that if you have been experiencing some negative karma in your life, you can change it, fairly quickly. You just have to exercise your karma a bit to shift yourself from negative karma to positive.

How to Exercise and Fix Your Karma
Reversing your negative karma by exercising your karma is actually a lot simpler than it might seem. It's certainly a lot easier than running on a treadmill or climbing a stair-climber ... there's a lot less sweat involved. Exercising your karma, from a magical point of view, is basically about emphasizing the positive and releasing the negative. It's simple. Ready? Here goes.

Magical Ritual #1 to Reverse Negative Karma
Magically, any intentional act is a magical act, so by doing an intentional act that exercises your karma, you are doing a magical act, or a magical ritual. Not all magical rituals involve incense, candles, wands, or herbs.

So here's an easy one: do an intentionally good act for someone and don't let ANYONE know about it. By not telling anyone about your act, you ensure the pure goodness of the act. Your silence means that you have not done the act for pride, praise, or vanity.

It also puts a big plus sign in the "good karma" column, which can cause a fundamental shift in your karma fairly quickly.

Magical Ritual #2 to Reverse Negative Karma
This magic ritual is the opposite of the first magical act, above. In this magical ritual, instead of doing something intentionally good for someone, you allow an insulting act from another person to go unpunished and unspoken.

As in the previous magic ritual, silence plays a big role in shifting your karma. When someone does something that you perceive as personally insulting, let it go. Remember the adage from "Course in Miracles" that "all correction belongs to Holy Spirit." This means that each person will suffer their own karma for any acts the do. If they do a harmful act, there's no need for you to correct them with words or actions. Leave that up to Holy Spirit (or any other higher being of your choice).

By not acting or speaking out against a "bad act," you also shift your karma. Another plus sign in the "good karma" column.

Magical Ritual #3 to Reverse Negative Karma
This magic ritual is so simple and so silly, but also very effective. It helps shift you from a negative state of being to a more positive and balanced state of being. And when you feel positive, you are more likely to have good karma. You are also more likely to be able to do the two magic rituals above without a lot of internal resistance.

It's simple. Get on the ground and crawl around. As you crawl around, be sure that your opposite hand and knee strike the ground at the same time, as in left hand and right knee or right hand and left knee. This exercise is called cross crawling and "resets" your brain as well as your emotional tone. People like John Paul Getty have used this exercise (can you imagine Getty crawling around his desk?) to get into a positive mood. It definitely works.

If you want to do the two magic rituals above but have difficulty because you are not in the right mood to do them, try cross crawling first, and then try the rituals again. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Instant Karma, Negative Karma, and Magic Rituals
The more you do magic the more instant your karma becomes. Karma is speeding up for everyone on the planet, but the use of magic rituals will increase the speed of your karma. This is a double-edged sword. The good news is that you have the power to shift your karma very quickly when you focus your intention. The bad news is that when you are not paying attention, your karma can shift into a more negative state just as quickly.

Luckily, if you find yourself in a state of "negative karma," you can easily shift back again. That's the beauty of magic. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_dub_warrington/ / CC BY 2.0