Lets talk Magic
I read this poster on my brother's wall the other day that said "Magic is something you make" and I was like "yes, exactly, so simple" but I realise that many people either think magic does not exist, its total woowoo BS, or that they are not capable of it... I am here to illuminate this topic for you in a real way.
So, What is Magic?
Wether you are aware of it or not, you are, in some form or another, doing magic daily...several times a day actually. I'm going to go through a few forms of magic and you can think about how much you are using magic daily - and what you are using it for.
Inner Magic
This is probably the most important place to start because this is the spring from where your rivers will flow. And if you are the master of your inner workings then you have much more power in the outer world.
Breath In ......... Breath Out
In yoga your breath is a primary source of prana (vital life force) which is the same as Qi in Chinese medicine. Practices like Pranayama and Qigong help us to acquire energy, harness it, transform or sublimate it and expend it or use it.
Breath-work hands us the reigns to our mind, body and emotions, so we can steer in the right direction.
Mind Control
I don't think any of us are unaware of how much our thoughts affect us, but many of us are unaware of where they come from and how to control our thoughts. The mind is a vast labyrinth and we can go much of our lives without being taught or learning how to even begin mastery of our minds. Meditation is a great practice to start demystifying the mind.
But suffice it to say, if you are not controlling your thoughts, they are controlling you.
Riding the Emotional Waves
Emotions = Energy in Motion.
Emotions are very much linked to thoughts and energy. Think of these 3 things as a triangle that feed eachother.
Emotions can add vast depth and colour to our lives, but they are also influential, and when we are not consciously working with them they can overwhelm and overpower us. This is dangerous territory.
Becoming a slave to the way we feel can have disastrous affects.
Outer Magic
How well we are doing mastering our inner magic is going to affect how well we navigate our outer magic.
Words are Spells
When looking for a very really and very powerful tool for magic, look no further than 'words'. With your words you have a lot of power and its something we overlook. You can use your words to uplift someone or hurt them. You can use words to inspire or destroy. You can use words to share ideas or ruin someone's life.
How often can you remember something someone said to you from years ago, even your childhood, and it still haunts, delights or affects you in some way?
How much do the words of others affect you? Praise for achievements. Insults in an argument. Kind words in times of despair.
What about these phrases, how much do they conjure up feelings in us when we read or hear them?
I love you.
I'm sorry.
Please help me.
Maybe there are some others you can add to this list that you know would cut you to the core if you heard them - especially from someone you love.
Or silence when we so much need to hear something.
What about songs? Right now you could probably recall lyrics of songs that have struck a chord deep in your physche.
Script is Forever
Very much related to the spoken word, but the written word has more reach and longevity. When we put words down in writing we are a bit more deliberate about it and these word could, especially with today's technology, live forever. They could last well beyond your own life and even further. Someone could read your words in 1000 years from now and be affected.
Writing is a way of creating something with words, it is an action with intention, and as we will come to see, when clear intention meets with action - we make magic.
Hands are Wands
Our hands are some pretty powerful tools of creation. With them we can put our thoughts into words, create or destroy, love or harm, make food or poison, invent, steal, rescue, restrain etc.
Indeed much has been done at the hands of 'man'.
Even the smallest of things done with hands can be powerful. A gesture. A handmade gift of a child. A painting. Music. Massage. Murder.
That's right, hands can make life rich and pleasurable but hands can even take life away.
So, how do we use all this?
Creating Spells
Okay, so know that we have covered Inner Magic and Outer Magic, lets talk about how much of this we are using - consciously. To be clear we are all using magic but probably not with very clear intentions and probably rather clumsily.
I also laid out the order of the Inner Magic and Outer Magic very deliberately so that we can see the path to mastery more clearly. Where to begin and how to progress.