Do you want to know how to do Voodoo? So do a lot people, and most of them particularly want to know how to use Voodoo dolls. The use of Voodoo dolls has become well-known in popular culture mostly through movies, books, and television. Voodoo has also been portrayed as a dark, mysterious, and often morbid tradition. In actuality, Voodoo is simply a West African religion, which is also known by similar names like Vodun, Vodoun, Vodou, Vudu, and Voudou. Voodoo practices include much more than the use of dolls, and involve circle rituals, dancing, singing, drumming, and ancestor worship.
Voodoo Dolls
But let's focus for a moment on Voodoo dolls. If you want to know how to do Voodoo you have to know something about the use of the Voodoo doll. A Voodoo doll, in more normal magical terms, is a simulacrum. A simulacrum is an object that is a likeness of something. In magical operations, if you want to affect a person without direct action, you could choose an object that resembles the person (like a small figurine) and make a psychic connection between the object and the person. To make this psychic connection, also called "keying," you just hold the object in your dominant hand and think of the person. Flow thoughts and energy about that person into the object until the object begins to feel warm or tingly. Now the object is connected to the person and, depending on how strong the connection is, anything that happens to the object also happens to the person.
For a simulacrum you can use photographs, pictures, dolls and other small models, lists, symbols, Tarot layouts, and other objects as simulacra. You can also use chess pieces or objects made of stone, ceramic, wood or glass. If you use wood be sure it is fairly dense otherwise it will not easily key. Plastic and rubber do not key well so don't use them. According to the Law of Similarity, the greater the likeness between a simulacrum and that to which the simulacrum is keyed, the greater the psychic connection will be. Photographs and pictures have a great likeness to the original subjects and they already access the original subjects. So now you know a little more about how to do Voodoo, or at least the principles of how Voodoo dolls work.
Be Careful with Simulacra
Of course, be very careful about keying simulacra. If the connection between the simulacra and person is very strong, anything that happens to the object happens to the person. If something accidental happens to the simulacra and also happens to the person, according the Rules of the Road (the laws that govern magical practice) the Universe will hold you responsible. You really don't want that kind of karma on your hands. For instance, once a practitioner keyed a figurine to a person and then left the figurine on a table. While the practitioner was out of the house, his cats began playing with the figurine, batting it about and throwing it in the air. The person to whom the figurine was keyed felt horribly nauseous and dizzy until the practitioner returned home and rescued the figurine. Take this example as a warning if you want to learn how to do Voodoo. Don't key anything for which you don't want to be ultimately and forever responsible!
A blog where everyday people can learn real stuff about magic and shamanism. Visit our website at www.shamanschool.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
How to Figure Out If Your Magic Spell Will Work
This may seem like a "Well, duh!" title but you would be surprised at the number of people who write and launch magic spells without first figuring out whether the spell will work. My question to those folks? Why go to all the trouble to do a spell when you don't even know if it will work? It seems like a waste of time and energy.
The good news is that a little divination is all you need to figure out whether your magic spell will be effective. The type of divination you use should depend on the size and complexity of the spell you want to launch. Here are three types of divination that you can use to predict the effectiveness of your spell, listed from simplest to most complex:
1. Pendulum
2. Question Circle
3. Tarot Reading
Pendulum
For simple magic spells, you can use your pendulum to do simple "Yes/No" testing on whether your spell will be effective. You can also use your pendulum with a 1-10 scale and ask it to tell you the level of effectiveness of your spell for solving your problem. To do this, you will need to swing your pendulum over a sheet of paper with 1-10 arranged in a circle. Be sure to be clear whether 10 means least effective or most effective. Ask your pendulum to rate the effectiveness of the spell and then decide whether the spell is worth your effort.
Question Circle
With a question circle you can ask the Winds of the four directions about the effectiveness of your spell. There are a lot of ways to do question circle, but here are the basic steps:
Tarot Reading
For the most complex spells a series of tarot readings always helps you determine the exact effect of your magic spell. Tarot readings, especially 12-card types, will show cause-effect flow lines. You will be able to determine exactly how the spell will work (i.e., which part of your situation will be most affected and how) and how effective it will be. If a cause-effect flow line in the reading shows very little change or a lot of resistance that cannot be overcome, you will need to change your spell to address these issues. Tarot readings are best for single and multiple candle spells that handle many complex issues. I also recommend that you do tarot readings on any symbols, chants, or litanies you are going to use in your spell.
For most spells simple divination will do the trick. A little extra planning and guidance before you launch your spell can save you the hassle of having to take down a good spell that has gone bad and prevent you from wasting your time on a spell that won't work. Good luck!
The good news is that a little divination is all you need to figure out whether your magic spell will be effective. The type of divination you use should depend on the size and complexity of the spell you want to launch. Here are three types of divination that you can use to predict the effectiveness of your spell, listed from simplest to most complex:
1. Pendulum
2. Question Circle
3. Tarot Reading
Pendulum
For simple magic spells, you can use your pendulum to do simple "Yes/No" testing on whether your spell will be effective. You can also use your pendulum with a 1-10 scale and ask it to tell you the level of effectiveness of your spell for solving your problem. To do this, you will need to swing your pendulum over a sheet of paper with 1-10 arranged in a circle. Be sure to be clear whether 10 means least effective or most effective. Ask your pendulum to rate the effectiveness of the spell and then decide whether the spell is worth your effort.
Question Circle
With a question circle you can ask the Winds of the four directions about the effectiveness of your spell. There are a lot of ways to do question circle, but here are the basic steps:
- Cleanse the area by smudging or using some other method
- Formulate the question you will ask each direction, such as, "How effective will this spell be and what can I do to make it more effective?"
- Starting in the east, go to that direction and sit facing the direction. Ask the question out loud and have pen and paper ready to record the results.
Tarot Reading
For the most complex spells a series of tarot readings always helps you determine the exact effect of your magic spell. Tarot readings, especially 12-card types, will show cause-effect flow lines. You will be able to determine exactly how the spell will work (i.e., which part of your situation will be most affected and how) and how effective it will be. If a cause-effect flow line in the reading shows very little change or a lot of resistance that cannot be overcome, you will need to change your spell to address these issues. Tarot readings are best for single and multiple candle spells that handle many complex issues. I also recommend that you do tarot readings on any symbols, chants, or litanies you are going to use in your spell.
For most spells simple divination will do the trick. A little extra planning and guidance before you launch your spell can save you the hassle of having to take down a good spell that has gone bad and prevent you from wasting your time on a spell that won't work. Good luck!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Why Good Magic Spells Go Bad: The Role of Directors and Limiters
It happens all the time. You get a perfectly good spell and you cast it. The spell has been proven to work for other people. The spell has worked for your friends. It's a good magic spell and it seems to be working … and then it goes bad. Why do perfectly good magic spells sometimes go bad?
There is just one answer to that question: directors and limiters. Directors and limiters are specific instructions on what a spell should and should not do. Directors tell the spell what to do. Limiters tell the spell what not to do. Directors and limiters are often more important to a magic spell than any other ingredient.
If you want to launch of spell of any magnitude or power you had better write some directors and limiters to tell the spell exactly what to do. Most people think that the power in the spell is in the chant, the candles, or the herbs. Some power may be in those ingredients, but the guidance for the spell starts with directors and limiters. If you think of a magic spell as a rocket then the directors and limiters are the guidance system. When we teach students in Basic Magic to create and launch spells, always start them with practicing directors and limiters.
What could happen to your magic spell if you don't write directors and limiters for it? The spell might bring you exactly what you ask for but in a way that you might hate. One practitioner launched a generic job spell to get her a dream job. The spell worked like a charm. She got a great job with excellent benefits, amazing salary, and plenty of flex time to spend with her family. The only catch, which she discovered a few months into the job, was that she was working for a mob family. Not good.
This practitioner actually had half the equation right when she launched this spell. She had written a list of directors. She specified the exact parameters of the job she wanted. She told the spell what she wanted it to do. She forgot the limiters, the list that tells the spell not to bring jobs that fall outside the law, or cause death or loss of property. Limiters for magic spells sometimes contain the most significant details!
Luckily, the practitioner was able to write another spell, this time with full directors and limiters, to not only safely get her out of the job with the mob, but also get her another job, this time legal. Tip: no matter what kind of magic spell you use, if it has much power at all write directors and limiters for the spell as insurance!
There is just one answer to that question: directors and limiters. Directors and limiters are specific instructions on what a spell should and should not do. Directors tell the spell what to do. Limiters tell the spell what not to do. Directors and limiters are often more important to a magic spell than any other ingredient.
If you want to launch of spell of any magnitude or power you had better write some directors and limiters to tell the spell exactly what to do. Most people think that the power in the spell is in the chant, the candles, or the herbs. Some power may be in those ingredients, but the guidance for the spell starts with directors and limiters. If you think of a magic spell as a rocket then the directors and limiters are the guidance system. When we teach students in Basic Magic to create and launch spells, always start them with practicing directors and limiters.
What could happen to your magic spell if you don't write directors and limiters for it? The spell might bring you exactly what you ask for but in a way that you might hate. One practitioner launched a generic job spell to get her a dream job. The spell worked like a charm. She got a great job with excellent benefits, amazing salary, and plenty of flex time to spend with her family. The only catch, which she discovered a few months into the job, was that she was working for a mob family. Not good.
This practitioner actually had half the equation right when she launched this spell. She had written a list of directors. She specified the exact parameters of the job she wanted. She told the spell what she wanted it to do. She forgot the limiters, the list that tells the spell not to bring jobs that fall outside the law, or cause death or loss of property. Limiters for magic spells sometimes contain the most significant details!
Luckily, the practitioner was able to write another spell, this time with full directors and limiters, to not only safely get her out of the job with the mob, but also get her another job, this time legal. Tip: no matter what kind of magic spell you use, if it has much power at all write directors and limiters for the spell as insurance!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Magical Kindergarten
In the pursuit of esoteric, magical or shamanic training, there is something that must be explained to all prospective and interested students. It's a condition created in our instant-gratification society by movies such as Harry Potter or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." In these movies the high arts of advanced sorcery, magick and wizardry are taught from the beginning. Harry Potter goes to school and is immediately taught alchemy, transforming objects from one form to another. He can fly on a broomstick right away. In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," almost all the characters know some form of Kung-Fu, and can levitate and fight with a great degree of skill. While all of this makes for great movies, it seriously misrepresents the learning process for magical knowledge. These movies portray in two hours what can take decades to learn, if at all.
Having said all that, let's now talk about magical kindergarten. There is a kindergarten for magical learning just as there is a kindergarten for public school. In every form of learning, you must master the basics before you can move on to more advanced techniques. Many fantasy novels do a much better job of portraying the process of learning than current movies. For instance, in a fantasy series like "The Belgariad" by David Eddings or a novel like "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. LeGuin, the period of early learning and apprenticeship is spelled out in more detail. In both of these books, young magicians-to-be balk at having to learn the fundamentals of magick before being able to cast spells, shape-shift or levitate. But in all cases, the masters force their young apprentices to learn the fundamentals, sometimes for years at a time. In this early process, they are teaching their apprentices the skills of seeing, stalking, will and control. A person's knowledge can only be matched with his level of being, and all of these skills contribute to the level of being. You can have a person with a lot of magical knowledge and no being (a powerless magician), or a person with a very high level of being but no knowledge (a stupid saint). In either case, neither will be very effective in the worlds of magick and shamanism.
So if and when you embark on a journey to learn the arts of magick and shamanism, be patient with the process. Learn the fundamentals well because you'll need to know them instinctively later on. If you are going to do a banishment and you encounter a being who could be either a ghost or an archetype, you'll have to know immediately how to distinguish them because you won't have time to think! A ghost can be banished with a blast of electric blue, but an archetype will fight back and send 10 times the blast of electric blue back at you. It sometimes takes years before you understand the implications of the knowledge that you already have, and this is a rightful part of the magical journey. An author who does a great job describing this path is Tom Brown, Jr. His books include "This Vision," "The Tracker" and "The Journey." If you want to get a real sense of what magical kindergarten looks like, read his books, then add about 15 years to it, since he started when he was 8 and most of us don't start this journey until much later.
Does the thought of magical kindergarten sound boring and interminable? It is in some ways because we don't get to satisfy that need in us to do something really big and glorious in the magical realms. At the same time, though, remember that kindergarten was a lot of fun. In kindergarten, you get to play a lot, and you're not required to do much. As you take this journey, the path keeps getting narrower and narrower, so enjoy the path while it's big and wide. Kindergarten is kindergarten, whether you're 5 or 50. Enjoy!
Having said all that, let's now talk about magical kindergarten. There is a kindergarten for magical learning just as there is a kindergarten for public school. In every form of learning, you must master the basics before you can move on to more advanced techniques. Many fantasy novels do a much better job of portraying the process of learning than current movies. For instance, in a fantasy series like "The Belgariad" by David Eddings or a novel like "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. LeGuin, the period of early learning and apprenticeship is spelled out in more detail. In both of these books, young magicians-to-be balk at having to learn the fundamentals of magick before being able to cast spells, shape-shift or levitate. But in all cases, the masters force their young apprentices to learn the fundamentals, sometimes for years at a time. In this early process, they are teaching their apprentices the skills of seeing, stalking, will and control. A person's knowledge can only be matched with his level of being, and all of these skills contribute to the level of being. You can have a person with a lot of magical knowledge and no being (a powerless magician), or a person with a very high level of being but no knowledge (a stupid saint). In either case, neither will be very effective in the worlds of magick and shamanism.
So if and when you embark on a journey to learn the arts of magick and shamanism, be patient with the process. Learn the fundamentals well because you'll need to know them instinctively later on. If you are going to do a banishment and you encounter a being who could be either a ghost or an archetype, you'll have to know immediately how to distinguish them because you won't have time to think! A ghost can be banished with a blast of electric blue, but an archetype will fight back and send 10 times the blast of electric blue back at you. It sometimes takes years before you understand the implications of the knowledge that you already have, and this is a rightful part of the magical journey. An author who does a great job describing this path is Tom Brown, Jr. His books include "This Vision," "The Tracker" and "The Journey." If you want to get a real sense of what magical kindergarten looks like, read his books, then add about 15 years to it, since he started when he was 8 and most of us don't start this journey until much later.
Does the thought of magical kindergarten sound boring and interminable? It is in some ways because we don't get to satisfy that need in us to do something really big and glorious in the magical realms. At the same time, though, remember that kindergarten was a lot of fun. In kindergarten, you get to play a lot, and you're not required to do much. As you take this journey, the path keeps getting narrower and narrower, so enjoy the path while it's big and wide. Kindergarten is kindergarten, whether you're 5 or 50. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A Real Book of Shadows – What Is It?
A lot of people wonder, "What is a book of shadows? Is it fact or fiction?" In fact, thousands of people type in the search term "real book of shadows" every month to try to find out. If you watch the TV show "Charmed" then you'll know that the Halliwell sisters have a giant book of spells written by their ancestors called a book of shadows. Others will take a hint from the title of the second "Blair Witch" movie, despite there being no actual book in the movie. Still others think a book of shadows is something of a personal journal for Wiccans, an idea popularized by Gerald Gardner, who brought Wiccan practices to public attention with his book "Witchcraft Today," published in 1954.
Obviously the definition of a real book of shadows varies widely in popular culture, and it does among magical and shamanic practitioners as well, depending on which tradition they practice. However, most practitioners agree on three common usages and purposes for a real book of shadows.
** 1. Record Spell Details **
A real book of shadows is used to record all the details of spells that have been cast, including the divinations used prior to casting the spell, the directors and limiters (or parameters) of the spell, the actual methods used in the spell, the results of divinations to check the progress of the spell, and any results of the spell. These details are crucial in case a spell ever goes wrong and has to be taken down. The way a practitioner takes down a spell that has already been cast depends on the way that the spell was cast. For instance, if a spell was cast using a carved candle then to take down the spell the practitioner could break the candle used in the spell and bury the remnants in the garden for a moon cycle.
** 2. Track Magical and Shamanic Research **
Magical and shamanic practitioners are often engaged in research. This research can be to discover facts about past lives, divine future events, try out new techniques, or travel to different planes. For instance, magical practitioners in our tradition will record the results of walks in the black mirror, which is a portal to other planes of existence, commonly called the half-worlds. When walking in the black mirror, the practitioner needs to use a litany or chant to direct the walk and keep from getting lost. After returning from such a walk, not only will the practitioner record the results of the walk in a real book of shadows, including any new facts or revelations, but will also record the effectiveness of the chant so that it can be used again or fine-tuned for future use.
** 3. Preserve Magic and Shamanism for the Future **
Of course, one of the most important purposes of a real book of shadows is to preserve magical and shamanic knowledge for future practitioners. Practitioners of most traditions "stand on the shoulders" of those giants who have come before. There's no real reason to keep re-inventing the wheel. A real book of shadows, which can contain the research and results of multiple generations of practitioners, is usually handed down through the generations. Each generation of practitioners (who are not necessarily related) adds their experience to the book. In fact, the material in a real book of shadows is often so voluminous that the "book" becomes a multi-volume set.
A real book of shadows is really a record of magical and shamanic experience that is preserved either for an individual's use or for future use. Some practitioners keep individual books of shadows and never hand them down, either because they have no one to hand them to or because they are secretive. In any event, if you are a practitioner of the magical arts, you should definitely start your own book of shadows. It will help you remember what you have done, track your magical experiments, and possibly create a magical asset for the future.
In Magic,
Alan
Obviously the definition of a real book of shadows varies widely in popular culture, and it does among magical and shamanic practitioners as well, depending on which tradition they practice. However, most practitioners agree on three common usages and purposes for a real book of shadows.
** 1. Record Spell Details **
A real book of shadows is used to record all the details of spells that have been cast, including the divinations used prior to casting the spell, the directors and limiters (or parameters) of the spell, the actual methods used in the spell, the results of divinations to check the progress of the spell, and any results of the spell. These details are crucial in case a spell ever goes wrong and has to be taken down. The way a practitioner takes down a spell that has already been cast depends on the way that the spell was cast. For instance, if a spell was cast using a carved candle then to take down the spell the practitioner could break the candle used in the spell and bury the remnants in the garden for a moon cycle.
** 2. Track Magical and Shamanic Research **
Magical and shamanic practitioners are often engaged in research. This research can be to discover facts about past lives, divine future events, try out new techniques, or travel to different planes. For instance, magical practitioners in our tradition will record the results of walks in the black mirror, which is a portal to other planes of existence, commonly called the half-worlds. When walking in the black mirror, the practitioner needs to use a litany or chant to direct the walk and keep from getting lost. After returning from such a walk, not only will the practitioner record the results of the walk in a real book of shadows, including any new facts or revelations, but will also record the effectiveness of the chant so that it can be used again or fine-tuned for future use.
** 3. Preserve Magic and Shamanism for the Future **
Of course, one of the most important purposes of a real book of shadows is to preserve magical and shamanic knowledge for future practitioners. Practitioners of most traditions "stand on the shoulders" of those giants who have come before. There's no real reason to keep re-inventing the wheel. A real book of shadows, which can contain the research and results of multiple generations of practitioners, is usually handed down through the generations. Each generation of practitioners (who are not necessarily related) adds their experience to the book. In fact, the material in a real book of shadows is often so voluminous that the "book" becomes a multi-volume set.
A real book of shadows is really a record of magical and shamanic experience that is preserved either for an individual's use or for future use. Some practitioners keep individual books of shadows and never hand them down, either because they have no one to hand them to or because they are secretive. In any event, if you are a practitioner of the magical arts, you should definitely start your own book of shadows. It will help you remember what you have done, track your magical experiments, and possibly create a magical asset for the future.
In Magic,
Alan
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tribal Roots of the Modern Holiday
For most of us, the holidays are about exchanging gifts, getting together with family, lighting candles, and generally making merry. It's fun, but it's not life and death. But did you know that the holiday season used to be a life or death situation?
Tribal people feared the loss of daylight in the winter, wondering whether the days would eventually become so short that they would live in perpetual darkness. When they discovered that the Winter Solstice marked the return of the sun, they celebrated with midwinter festivals.
Pagans later picked up this celebration by burning the Yule log at Winter Solstice to emulate and attract the sun. Here are some other great pre-Christian roots of our modern holidays:
Mistletoe: Druids valued this plant for its healing powers and as a symbol of peace. Enemies would stand under Mistletoe to make peace compacts, sealing them with a kiss.
Merry Making: Romans marked midwinter with Saturnalia, a seven day festival of gift giving, drinking, and feasting (typically around December 17). Saturn is the god of agriculture and plenty, and was celebrated after the fall crops had been sown. Gift giving symbolized the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor during the season of hardship.
Wreath: Originally the wreath was a pagan fire wheel made from greens that symbolized life. Some made great wheels, set them on fire, and rolled them down hills.
Tree: The tree was originally Yggdrasil, the World Tree that symbolized life. The roots and branches of the tree were thought the hold the universe together. Early people decorated the tree, which stood before the house of the gods, with small lamps that held bowls of fat and cedar wicks, much as we decorate our trees today.
While the Christian holiday traditions are far from the only traditions celebrated around winter solstice, they are very predominant in Western society. It's good to know where these traditions come from and what they originally meant. In all, these celebrations stood for peace, honoring, revival of life, and the return of the sun.
Let's celebrate!
Alan
Tribal people feared the loss of daylight in the winter, wondering whether the days would eventually become so short that they would live in perpetual darkness. When they discovered that the Winter Solstice marked the return of the sun, they celebrated with midwinter festivals.
Pagans later picked up this celebration by burning the Yule log at Winter Solstice to emulate and attract the sun. Here are some other great pre-Christian roots of our modern holidays:
Mistletoe: Druids valued this plant for its healing powers and as a symbol of peace. Enemies would stand under Mistletoe to make peace compacts, sealing them with a kiss.
Merry Making: Romans marked midwinter with Saturnalia, a seven day festival of gift giving, drinking, and feasting (typically around December 17). Saturn is the god of agriculture and plenty, and was celebrated after the fall crops had been sown. Gift giving symbolized the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor during the season of hardship.
Wreath: Originally the wreath was a pagan fire wheel made from greens that symbolized life. Some made great wheels, set them on fire, and rolled them down hills.
Tree: The tree was originally Yggdrasil, the World Tree that symbolized life. The roots and branches of the tree were thought the hold the universe together. Early people decorated the tree, which stood before the house of the gods, with small lamps that held bowls of fat and cedar wicks, much as we decorate our trees today.
While the Christian holiday traditions are far from the only traditions celebrated around winter solstice, they are very predominant in Western society. It's good to know where these traditions come from and what they originally meant. In all, these celebrations stood for peace, honoring, revival of life, and the return of the sun.
Let's celebrate!
Alan
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Practicing the Art of Happiness
'Tis the season to be jolly! And are you jolly, happy, and joyful? Probably so (unless you're bogged down with too much holiday shopping, food, and family!). And isn't it easier to be happy during the holidays because we have so many fun distractions. We get time off work, we get to see friends and family we don't often see, and we have permission to celebrate. In other words, during this merry season it's easy to practice the art of happiness.
And that's great, but what about the rest of the year? How well do you practice the art of happiness the rest of the year?
That might sounds like an odd question, but it's not. But it might be easier to explain why with a simple analogy that comes from dog trainers. Dog trainers tell us that we are always "training" our dogs with our every action, command, attention, or lack of attention. What this means is that you don't train your dog only during official training sessions, you train your dog every time you interact with him. Training is always occurring whether you mean it to or not. For instance, if you always push your dog away while you are working in your home office your dog eventually learns that you are "unavailable" when you are in your office. Having been "trained" in this way, he may not come tell you he has to go outside when you're in your office, even if that means that he has an accident somewhere in the house!
The same thing is true of your emotional and mental states. You deliberately "practice" a peaceful state during meditation. That's easy to see. But what about the rest of the day? What if you spend the rest of your day feeling anxious, worried, angry, frustrated, or upset? Then you are practicing those negative states all day long. So while you may practice peace for 30 minutes a day during your meditation, you may be practicing negative emotions for the majority of the rest of your day.
Most of us want to be happy and prosperous but we won't achieve that state if we spend most of our time practicing how to be in a negative state. You have to practice being happy before it becomes a natural state for you. Sure, you might practice being happy and peaceful during your morning meditation but how do you practice that during the rest of your day?
Here are three things to get you started:
1. Make being happy the most important goal in your life. Period.
2. Blow off steam magically when you do feel negative to restore happiness. Get directions HERE.
3. Remember that nothing lasts forever, not even a negative state. Wait out negativity until happiness returns. If you need a quick fix to help you go from sad and blue to happy and in-the-groove, check out the Quick Fix Ebook.
In Magic,
Alan
And that's great, but what about the rest of the year? How well do you practice the art of happiness the rest of the year?
That might sounds like an odd question, but it's not. But it might be easier to explain why with a simple analogy that comes from dog trainers. Dog trainers tell us that we are always "training" our dogs with our every action, command, attention, or lack of attention. What this means is that you don't train your dog only during official training sessions, you train your dog every time you interact with him. Training is always occurring whether you mean it to or not. For instance, if you always push your dog away while you are working in your home office your dog eventually learns that you are "unavailable" when you are in your office. Having been "trained" in this way, he may not come tell you he has to go outside when you're in your office, even if that means that he has an accident somewhere in the house!
The same thing is true of your emotional and mental states. You deliberately "practice" a peaceful state during meditation. That's easy to see. But what about the rest of the day? What if you spend the rest of your day feeling anxious, worried, angry, frustrated, or upset? Then you are practicing those negative states all day long. So while you may practice peace for 30 minutes a day during your meditation, you may be practicing negative emotions for the majority of the rest of your day.
Most of us want to be happy and prosperous but we won't achieve that state if we spend most of our time practicing how to be in a negative state. You have to practice being happy before it becomes a natural state for you. Sure, you might practice being happy and peaceful during your morning meditation but how do you practice that during the rest of your day?
Here are three things to get you started:
1. Make being happy the most important goal in your life. Period.
2. Blow off steam magically when you do feel negative to restore happiness. Get directions HERE.
3. Remember that nothing lasts forever, not even a negative state. Wait out negativity until happiness returns. If you need a quick fix to help you go from sad and blue to happy and in-the-groove, check out the Quick Fix Ebook.
In Magic,
Alan
Friday, December 19, 2008
Is Magic Real?
We get so many questions and emails about this that we thought it was time to post a reply!
In the Harry Potter movies we watch children play Quidditch on a broomstick and little wizards and witches casting quick spells here and there with their magic wands. In the movie, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” we watch martial arts heroes literally flying among the trees to fight. These days we’re flooded with all kinds of movies that bring magic into our lives. With all this new found interest in magic, most people are asking, “Is magic real?” What do you think? Is magic real and can you really have magic in your life?
Yes. Magic is very real and has existed as a precise science for thousands of years. Whether you call it magic, magick or majick, it is real. Every single person can learn to do magic. We were ALL born with the talents and abilities that empower us to do magic. The only reason that magic seems so, well, magical is that this society no longer teaches the art and science of magic. In the distant past, magical study was just as important as math, science or the arts. Even the miracles that Jesus performed were based on the use of magic. In fact, magic was and still is the birthright of EVERY planetary citizen.
Can you learn to do the kind of magic portrayed in the movies? Yes – and no. The movies are great at giving you a taste of what you can do with magic, but they aren’t very accurate. In the Harry Potter movies, for instance, the characters use their wands for every magical operation. In reality, you can only use the wand to handle air energies. Your wand would actually explode or catch fire if you tried to use it to throw firebolts and fireballs like the characters do in the movie.
So what can you actually do with magic? Quite a lot. Here’s a short list to get you started:
- Balance your energies for healing and manifestation
- Change old beliefs
- Defend yourself against physical and psychic attack
- Heal yourself and others
- Find hidden information and see possible futures
- Psychically communicate with other beings
- Create sacred space
- Find lost people and objects
- Manifest what you want and need in life
At the very basis of magic is the understanding of the four elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Called elemental magic, these foundational elements are real. Air, Fire, Water and Earth are part of our natural everyday environment. What makes them magical is the understanding of how they operate not just on the physical level, but also at the levels of mind and Spirit.
For instance, while on the physical level Air is just the stuff we breathe, on the magical levels Air is the conduit of psychic communication, enlightenment, understanding, dreaming and more. If you want more of any of these things in your life, then you need more magical Air. How do you get more magical Air? Wear more Air colors, including white for communication and sky blue for enlightenment and understanding. To take this one step further, you could also take on more Air to make your body lighter.
By just extending your understanding and use of the basic ingredients of nature, you are doing magic! Seen in this light, magic isn’t all smoke and mirrors, nor is it the result of Hollywood special effects. Magic is the result of truly understanding and working with the very elements that are all around you.
One final note: Many masters, including Wayne Dyer, have said, "You'll see it when you believe it." The same is true for magic. In other words, the suspension of disbelief and the willingness not to exercise contempt prior to investigation are requirements for magic to be “real.” Magic is all around us, and always is, but our ability to perceive and use the forces of magic depends on our willingness to be open. No one else can show it to you, only your direct experience and observation can “prove” or demonstrate to you that magic is real.
We’ve found that one of the simplest ways to experience magic (and your own magical abilities) is to work with clouds. Clouds respond to your intention, and you can easily move, shape and manipulate clouds from a great distance. And moving clouds that are suspended hundreds of feet above you is quite magical, isn’t it?
To start playing with clouds, send a blank email to clouds@shamanschool.com. We’ll email the instructions to you ASAP. Have fun!
Alan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)