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.

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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?

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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!

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The Day You Stop Believing is the Day a Little More Magic Dies

It is not unusual for magical practitioners, especially beginners, to lose faith in magic.

Does that sound familiar?

Maybe you cast a magic spell and your life hasn't made the 180 degree turn you were hoping it would make.

Maybe you started practicing meditation but you haven't hit upon enlightenment yet.

Maybe you did practiced some magic rituals and you want life fixed now ... and it hasn't happened yet.

So maybe you start losing faith in magic, miracles, impossible dreams. Maybe you start thinking that ordinary life is all there is, the daily grind, day in and day out.

You know what I say to that?
It's a crying shame the day you lose faith in magic.

Why is Losing Faith a Crying Shame?
Why? Because every time someone (that's you) stops having faith in magic, stops doing daily magic rituals, a little more magic dies in the world. A little magical flame gets blown out. The critical mass of belief that allows magic to exist on this planet shrinks a little more. Magic becomes harder for the other beginners out there to practice.

You know what I say to that?
Don't give up five minutes before the miracle happens.

This happens over and over. Magic happens, always and without fail. But it usually happens when you least expect it. When you're not looking. When you're not waiting for that watched pot to start boiling. Magic lives in the "in betweens" of our lives. It slips in through the cracks. It often happens but goes unrecognized. So instead of giving up on magic and magic rituals, go with the Winston Churchill approach:

"Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never!"

Want to know why you shouldn't give up on magic? Here's a short list of what magic has accomplished for people, including ourselves, in recent times:

- psychically removed a golf-ball sized tumor from under a horse's jaw
- restored a person's rightful ownership of a family farm
- helped another person receive the financing to buy their dream farm
- brought an unemployed person a new job right before bankruptcy
- healed a person's pimple in 1 hour (hey, little magic counts, too!)
- reunited a person with her long-lost brother (map divination)
- healed a wounded hawk
- doubled one business' cash flow
- helped one woman get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby
- supported a grieving man in finding peace despite apparent injustice

These things have all happened within the last few years ... mostly with the use of spells and magic rituals. You'll notice what is missing from the list. No one has won the lottery. No one has struck it rich overnight. But magic supported the endeavors of each of the people who believed in and used magic, and eventually brought them their heart's desire.

Magic isn't free. There is a price to be paid for everything, be it the effort in creating a magic spell or the perseverance to practice a magic ritual on a daily basis. But magic does work, always. Don't give up ... be one of the flames, the lights, of magic on this planet today.

Don't give up on magic and magic won't give up on you!

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What to Do If You Were Born with Magical Gifts

While it is true that there is no actual distinction between so-called muggles and magicians, there are certain people who come into this lifetime with more magical skills than others. These skills are usually the result of magical practice in past lifetimes.

Whether you are particularly sensitive to psychic vibrations, can read other people's thoughts, or can heal with energy, developing your magical gifts is important. It will probably also be easier for you than for the average Joe.

How to Further Develop Your Magical Gifts
For most people born with magical gifts, control ends up being the main problem. For instance, if you have the magical gift of hearing other people's thoughts, you may feel overwhelmed every time you step into a crowded situation. If you can heal with energy, or manipulate energy, you may be adversely affected when you come in contact with someone who has negative energy.

What's happening?
Instead of you using your magical gifts, your magical gifts are using you. Not good.

So control is the key. And how do you develop control? There are three magic rituals that can help with control.

Magic Ritual #1: The Electric Blue Spiral
Electric blue is the energy that forms galaxies, and is also the energy associated with most psychic vibrations. It is the same color that is at the base of a gas flame, very bright and very intense. If you have trouble controlling your magical abilities in certain situations, you can focus on electric blue energy to stay in control.

Specifically, you want to see an electric blue spiral spinning inside your chest, near your heart chakra. If you were to "look down" at the blue spiral, you want to see is spinning clockwise. Some people see a laser-like spiral while others see more of an amorphous flame. The goal is to focus all of your magical energy into that spiral.

When you focus on the spiral, your attention (and your energy) is fully contained within yourself. You are shielded, both from projecting your energy outward and from absorbing unwanted energies from other people. This is a useful magical ritual for helping just about anyone control and focus their magical gifts.

Magic Ritual #2: The Electric Blue Bubble
Another way to use electric blue energy in a protective magic ritual is to visualize yourself completely enclosed in a whirling electric blue bubble. Once you can visualize the bubble, see unwanted energies from other people bouncing off this bubble shield.

If you easily read thoughts but don't want to hear anyone else's thoughts in a crowd situation, visualize those thought forms hitting your bubble and bouncing off. This kind of visualization "programs" your shield to protect you against specific things, like thoughts or negative energies. Thus you want to be specific when visualizing what is bouncing off your shield.

Magic Ritual #3: Wear a Faery Star Psychic Shield
The Faery Star is a seven-pointed star, unlike the five-pointed star of the pentagram. The star is created by combining a four-pointed square with a three-pointed triangle in such a way to that it creates a constantly circulating shape, or a constantly circulating shield.

The Faery Stay psychic shield is a useful tool because, once keyed, it becomes an eternally spinning shield. Unlike the pentagram, which always requires a "push" from outside to set it in motion, once set in motion (by keying it with electric blue energy) the Faery Star never stops rotating.

Also known as the Elven Star, this septagram symbol is sacred to many Wiccan and tribal traditions because the number seven is sacred. The number seven is related to the seven planets, the seven notes of the diatonic scale, the seven directions (North, South, East, West, above, below, and within), and the seven colors of the rainbow.

Once keyed, the Faery Star can be used at any time to help you control your magical gifts. Use it as a talisman. Whenever you feel your energies spinning out of control, just reach for your Faery Star pendant (most people wear it on a chain around their neck) and it will ground your energies as well as protect you from unwanted energies.

See a Faery Star psychic shield here.

These three magic rituals have been helping people control their magical gifts for centuries. They take practice, but you'll find that if you start using these rituals regularly they will become second nature after a while, and you won't have to focus so hard to use them. In fact, they will become almost automatic responses in your magical repertoire.

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The Magic Ritual of the Coin Flip

When you have a really crucial decision to make, what do you do? I don't know about you, but I use a very deep and complex magic ritual:

I flip a coin!

Of course I'm being a little sarcastic here, but the truth of the matter is that I do resort to a coin flip as one of my magic rituals of choice when I have to make an important decision.

Why? Because I figure the Universe knows better than I which decision best fits my needs and desires, so I let the coin guide me to the "correct" decision.

Why Trust Important Decisions to This Silly Magic Ritual
This magic ritual definitely sounds a little trite for big decisions, I'll grant you, but you have to see the coin toss for what it really is:

A channel through which the Universe communicates with us.

It is a way for the Universe to offer very clear guidance. After all, the coin toss can only have two options, heads or tails.

The relatively silliness of the coin toss also works in its favor. It's silliness takes the pressure off the decision, so to speak. If you use a really complicated magic ritual that takes a lot of planning and a lot of effort to do, you may end us being too "invested" in the outcome. Plus, a ritual that takes a lot of planning gives you many opportunities to "skew" the results with your own energies of fear, worry, and anxiety.

Most importantly, the coin toss is a sign that you "trust the process," so to speak. By entrusting an important decision to an utterly simplistic magic ritual like the coin toss, you are announcing that you trust:

1. the Universe to provide clear and correct guidance
2. your own ability to follow that guidance

The Coin Toss Magic Ritual Builds Trust
The Universe unfailingly provides us with clear and correct guidance, but often the answer we get isn't the one we necessarily want to hear, at least in that moment. So we tend to second guess ourselves, perhaps by tossing the coin a second or third time, or resorting to a magic ritual which has results that are more open to subjective interpretation, such as meditating with the firebowl.

But if you really want to learn to trust the process, try the coin toss, at least once on a truly important life decision. If you manage to see the decision through, based on guidance from the coin toss ritual, you will be surprised at the twists and turns of your path, and no doubt pleased by the result.

Dare you risk it? I would hope so ... trust is what magic is all about!

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Why There are No Muggles, Only Magicians

Are magicians born or made?

Good question. Lots of people ask this question.

Answer: Neither.

Sorry to disappoint all you Harry Potter and Charmed fans out there, but magicians are neither born nor made. In other words, there is no division between magicians and non-magicians. Everyone has the power and ability to be a magician and to practice magic. Everyone!

Magic is the birthright of every planetary citizen. That means you.

Why There are No Muggles
The reason there are no muggles is the same reason that every single person on this planet can practice magic. Here's the reason: magic is nothing more (and nothing less) than following the laws that govern the universe. It's as simple as that.

For instance, once you learn how to use the four magical elements that form this universe (Air, Fire, Water, and Earth), you can do a lot of powerful magic rituals. Here's just a short list of things you can do just using hand magic and the four elements:

• psychic communication
• heal sprains, bruises, and more
• safely get rid of anger, anxiety, and depression
• divine the future
• put up energy and psychic shields

And yes, any old person on the planet can learn to do this kind of magic, nothing to do with magical parents or anything like that. Past lives can give a person an additional magical boost, however. For instance, if you studied magic in your last 17 lifetimes, chances are that the knowledge will come to you much more easily, and your magic will probably be more powerful than that of the average Joe.

Everyone Can Be a Magician
So now that you know that there is no division between magical and non-magical people, there's no excuse not to practice magic. The key word in that last sentence is, of course, "practice." Magic is an art and a science, and like everything else, if you want to be good at it, you need to practice.

Start small, with some daily magic rituals or with our home study courses. We also always have new teleconference courses starting. Check out these resources and see what kinds of magic rituals tickle your fancy:

Free "Real Magick" Ezine
Magic Ebooks
Magic Home Study Courses
Magic Email Courses
Magic Article Library
Current Teleconference Magic Courses

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Grounding Magic Rituals: The Power of Hematite

Are you feeling a little neurotic or out of sorts? Maybe feeling both wired and tired at the same time? It sounds like you need a grounding magic ritual to restore your balance.

These days it isn't unusual for people to be feeling a little crazy. The magical date, somewhere around 2012 is coming up, the economy is going up or down (depending on when you tune into the news), and people are being hit hard with all kinds of crazy events.

If you need balance in your life, now is the time to get grounded, magically, with some magic rituals that connect us with Earth energy.

Using Hematite for a Simple Magic Ritual
Hematite, like the Apache Tear, is a grounding stone that easily "pulls" and attracts energy, making it the perfect magical tool for grounding out unwanted energy. Hematite has long been known as an excellent stone for energy work, energy rebalancing, and it's powerful attractive force.

If you're feeling a little crazy, all you need to do is this simple magic ritual, which dumps all that crazy energy into the hematite stone.

1. Hold the hematite stone or wand in your dominant hand (the hand with which you point).
2. Flow unwanted energies into the hematite stone or wand. This is not a thinking exercise. Just will it and it will happen.
3. When the stone feels tingly or warm, you have grounded the unwanted energies into the stone. The magic ritual is complete.
4. Wrap the stone in a natural material, like cotton or wool, to store it safely.

You can do this simple magic ritual many times a day. A hematite stone or wand can usually store energy from this kind of magic ritual for about a month. After that, you need to cleanse the hematite to prevent the unwanted energies from coming back to you. Many magical practitioners bury their stone in the Earth for a moon cycle to cleanse it.

Others use a four-element cleansing with the firebowl and chalice. Either way, it's nice to have a couple of hematite wands handy so that you can use one as you cleanse the other. I have found that carrying a hematite wand carried in a velvet bag is a very effective yet discreet way to do this magic ritual.
Enjoy!

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Magic Rituals for Communicating with Sylphs and Other Elementals

Sylphs are wonderful magical allies to call upon in these times, when the world is topsy-turvy and you need immediate information to make quick decisions. Sylphs are the magical elementals associated with the element Air.

Sylphs are living beings made of pure air, and they specialize in communication and knowledge. That makes them very handy to have around in this day and age.

More About Magical Sylphs
A sylph is a living being, pure air, 3 to 18 inches in height, twisty in shape, and can be seen in dust devils or swirling smoke from cigarettes. They are clumsy and curious like young kittens, and hang around people a lot. Watch for sylphs around light objects like tinsel on a Christmas tree. You may also experience them as a light brush on your face. They are very quick, like to dart around and to move in spirals.

Sylphs love to communicate. They are very quick with short attention spans so you must be in their state to converse with them. It's best to communicate with mind because the spoken word is too slow. When you're traveling, you can talk to sylphs to get weather and road reports.

A Magic Ritual to Help You Communicate with Sylphs
So how do you communicate with a sylph? It's pretty easy. You follow a magic ritual similar to that of calling upon angels. Here's how:

1. Sit quietly and close your eyes, if possible.

2. Think the words, "I request the help of a sylph for [state your reason]."

3. Wait a second and the sylph will be there, though you may not be able to see it.

4. Quickly communicate your request with a thought, such as, "I need a weather report on the next 50 miles of this road. Thank you advance in for your help." Appreciation in advance of the sylph's help is key.

5. Wait a few more seconds. The sylph will return quickly with your answer. The answer will be a thought in your mind, possibly in your own voice. Don't dismiss it, trust it.

6. Thank the sylph again for its help.

The key to communicating with sylphs is to use your mind rather than spoken words to communicate. Sylphs are fleeting creatures with short attention spans. Your mind communicates much faster than your mouth, so "think" your requests when communicating with sylphs.

As always, appreciation is key when working with powers and beings in magic rituals. Always thank the sylph after you make your request and after you receive your response. The more appreciation you express, the better the results of your magic ritual.

You can also communicate with other elementals associated with Fire, Water, and Earth. These are salamanders, undines, and gnomes. The communication methods are different, and each serves a different purpose. All are useful to have as magical allies. You can learn more about each magical element as well as their associated elementals in our Four Element home study courses.

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Magic Rituals for Winter Weight Loss

If winter hibernation tends to pack on the pounds, take heart. There are some simple magical steps you can take this winter to prevent yourself from gaining weight.

Even though it's a "natural" process to put on weight during the winter, it's not all that pleasant. So check out these simple magic rituals that create winter weight loss magic:

Magic Ritual #1: Wear Red
The color red is pure fire energy and it will literally melt fat. Add red to your wardrobe. For great weight loss while you sleep, wear red bicycle pants to bed (if you have weight around your belly and butt) or red pajamas. If you start to get too hot or a racing pulse, just wear red during the day.

Magic Ritual #2: Dowse
You can use your pendulum to get rid of fat by swinging it clockwise to remove the negative thought forms from your body that cause fat. Keep swinging until it stops. This will also keep you from focusing on any excess weight and creating more negative thoughts about the subject.

Magic Ritual #3: Bless Your Food
Before you put anything in your mouth, bless it. Thank the beings who have made your food possible, and ask that the food to be raised to its highest vibration. Ask that your body retain only what is necessary for you to stay at your ideal weight. You can even hire an angel to increase the power of your intention!

Magic Ritual #4: Find Out What's Up
Ask yourself what is causing you to hold onto your fat or gain weight. You might write "What am I holding onto that is causing weight gain?" with your dominant hand, and answer with your other hand. The answers are usually quite interesting. Once you address the issues at hand, you'll have an easier time shedding weight.

When working with weight loss, just remember the law of "as above, so below." Your physical weight is usually tied to your emotional and mental baggage. Shed one and you'll lose the other. You can either start at the physical end, or at the mental and emotional end. Enjoy the journey!

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Why is My Magic All Wonky? Pluto at Work

"Why is my magic all wonky?"

I love when I get questions like this via email, and believe me, a lot of magical practitioners are finding that their magic is indeed a little wonky these days. Magic spells are going off track, astrological effects are hitting harder than ever, and divinations are often "hinky" at best.

So what the heck is going on with the magic?

Wonky Magic and the Pluto Return
The short answer to the question is this: astrology. Astrological factors are at work here. In particular Plutonian effects are at work. My sense of things is that globally we are experiencing a Plutonian return. Pluto, called by many astrologers the Lord of Karma, completes its orbit every 248 years.

Basically, we are receiving the results of whatever was occurring around 1761. During this period, the French-Indian War occurred, the Seven Years War ended, the Western Territories changed hands and the colonies experienced an economic slump. Then, of course, the difficulties with Great Britain began during this period, ending with the war for independence in 1775. So, here we are again.

Pluto has returned to the same position it was 248 years ago, and we are reaping the karma that has accumulated during that time.

What's Happening on the Individual Level
On the individual level, adaptation, acceptance, and change are being called forth. To the majority this appears to be a threat to survival, whereas to some it presents an opportunity for innovation. There will be possibilities galore for exasperation and anger, but also a lot of impetus for change that we have been, until now, too stuck, lazy, tired, or unimpressed to make.

What seems to be working for us, and for many magical practitioners, is to avoid confrontation on the worldly level and to create change on the magical level. In other words, if a physical event occurs that angers you, don't go immediately to action. Instead, focus on using daily magic rituals of maintenance to create an inner sacred space. From that sacred space, do whatever magic you choose to effect change, whether this be a spell, some simulacra magic, or a ritual offering.

For those of you who aren't sure what magic to use to create inner sacred space, check out the "Magic in Your Mailbox" series. It's an email serious that helps people formulate and use basic magic rituals as a part of daily life.

Sign up for "Magic in Your Mailbox" here.

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

Which Magic Rituals Should You Do Now?

It's amazing how, during this economic downturn, people are suddenly confused about what kind of magic spells and rituals they should do now. Sure, more people are unemployed, the economy is pretty rocky, and times seem uncertain, but in actuality nothing has changed.

Here's the deal: we are all students in the Earth school and there are a limited number of problems we need to learn to solve while we're in school. The basic lessons are health; wealth and career; and relationships and sex. Sound familiar? Just about everything else can be put under these basic categories. And, here's the real kicker: we get happy and graduate when we solve these problems.

Your Big Life Lesson
Each person usually has one main lesson to learn in Earth school. If you look back on your life, you can probably easily figure out which lesson you signed up for. You can look at your friends, and do the same. For instance, you probably have one friend who has never had relationship issues but can't seem to get healthy. Then there is your friend who has money problems like crazy, but is as healthy as a horse, which is good because he can't afford to go to the doctor.

No matter which life lesson you have, chances are that the world economic situation hasn't really changed it, right? Maybe the lesson or "problem" has intensified, but it's still the same old problem. In the worst-case scenario, you might still have your major life lesson, but now you have a minor in some other life lesson, too. If health has been your main lesson, maybe the economic crunch has now made it more difficult for you to get the healing you need. But the bottom line is that health is still the main issue.

In short, nothing has really changed.

Magic and Your Big Life Lesson
So what kind of magic rituals or spells should you do now to help you learn about your life lesson? Your first magical act should be to meditate on the fact that, magically, size doesn't really matter when it comes to problems, or their solutions. As our teacher Abraham-Hicks is fond of saying, "It's just as easy to manifest a button as a castle." By the token, it is just as easy (or difficult) to magically solve the problem of unemployment today as it was when the economy was going strong. Your big life lesson is the same as it always has been. So, if you are feeling depressed, fearful, or pitiful, stop it. Get off the pity pot. Nothing, regardless of the gloom-and-doom of predictions of economists, is any worse than before.

The Sun Candle: A Magic Ritual for Today
Now that you've discovered that you are no worse than before, it's time to start using a magic ritual that will help you stay positive, and make forward progress toward learning your big life lesson.

One of the simplest magic rituals you can do to help you stay positive is to use the Sun Candle. Burning the Sun Candle with the appropriate litany on a daily basis will not only nourish your spirit, but give you tangible magical act to do, so you feel like you "doing something" about your situation.

Here's how you use the Sun Candle.

You will need a pure yellow candle (a bright yellow that is not too orange) and wooden or paper matches. You can find pure yellow candles at most grocery stores in the section with the religious candles (in glass containers).

You will also need to know which direction is South. To create sacred space with the Sun Candle, you will need to "charge" it, or program it to do so. Here's how:

• Stand or sit in the South facing North with the Sun Candle in front of you
• Light the candle using wooden or paper matches (do NOT use a lighter)
• Wait until the candle flame is steady and tall
• Hold your hands up to and around the flame, focusing your attention on the candle and flame.
• Say the charge verse below in a voice of command (a strong, powerful voice)

Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish My Spirit,
And Protect My Aim!

If there are other people in the room with you, you can change the "My" to "Our" and the word "Spirit" to "Spirits." Leave the candle burning in the room for at least 30 minutes (be sure the candle is on a protected surface such as a plate and is not a fire hazard).

At the end of 30 minutes or when you feel ready, blow out the flame (don't snuff it). Spend a moment or two in the area to see if you can detect a difference in the level and quality of energy. The area should feel lighter, more harmonious and/or more peaceful to you.

Have fun using this daily magic ritual to regain balance!

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Photo credit: Scent of a Candle Sunflower