The Magic of Dayenu: It Would Have Been Enough

I'm not active in my Jewish religious practice, but when I was growing up we celebrated Passover, and one aspect of that ritual that has stuck with me is the word Dayenu. Roughly translated, Dayenu means "it would have been enough" or "it would have sufficed."

Earlier in my life, I had no idea what it meant but the thought that something "would have been enough" intrigued me. Now I understand that the magic and meaning of Dayenu is really about the art of happiness, which is made especially clear in today's world.

The Magic of Dayenu
Does it strike you as odd, as you move through the world today, that people seem to be split into two different camps? There are the moaner/groaners who have been hit hard by current economic times (or Mercury Retrograde or their in-laws, whatever!) and are complaining about their situation. Then there are the oddly happy people, many of whom have also been hit hard by the economy, but are having a ball. So what's going on here?

What's going on here is that the people who are oddly happy are practicing the art of Dayenu. They look around at their world and say, "This is enough. This is good. We are happy." Or, to take Dayenu one step further, they say, "Not only is this enough, but the step before this would have been enough." Dayenu specifically says, "It would have been enough," not "it is enough."

So the truly happy people who practice Dayenu look at their lives and accomplishments and say, "It would have been enough, and we can be happy, even if we did not get as far as we are now ... even if we had stopped at the achievement or happy moment before this one." Make sense? If not, here's a great example to make it a little clearer.

An Example of the Magic of Dayenu in Action
I have two friends who continually amaze me-they are married, so maybe that has something to do with why they are so happy. Both were hit last year with acute and chronic physical problems, which not only caused them a lot of pain, but also prevented them from doing a lot of work and earning the same income they usually do. This year, they recovered somewhat from their physical problems, although they still had many doctor visits and healthcare bills. But they are incredibly, oddly, amazingly happy.

I ask them, "What makes you so happy? So much has happened to you."

They reply, "Yes, it has ... good, bad, ugly, and back to good. Look at where we live. It's a chunk of Heaven! That's enough. Just having this place to live is enough."

Explaining further, they tell me that their physical problems have forced them to have down time, which they would never normally take. They have spent this time with their horses, enjoying their land, and NOT working. They used to live in a big city and had to pay big bucks to relax with the help of massages and therapists, and so on. Now, living in the country, they can relax for free. If they had nothing else but this land, they said, it would have been enough.

Do they have physical pain? Yes. Have they had to cut back on expenses? Yes. Do they still have bad days? Of course.

But overall, they are living in the magic of Dayenu. On balance, they look for the happiness that comes from acceptance of current conditions, and appreciation of all that has come before that. They understand that even if nothing more good occurs in their life, all that has been in their life thus far "would have been enough."

But of course, we students of the Law of Attraction, know that this will never happen. The beauty of Dayenu is that by living in appreciation of all that was good that has come before now, we always attract more good in our future. Bumps in the road notwithstanding, appreciation of the past and acceptance of the present always (always!) leads to future good. It can be no other way.

Magic is a precision science and it follows the laws of the Universe without fail. Live in the magic of Dayenu today ... and see the magic of tomorrow unfold before you.

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Photo credit: Free Digital Photos

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

The Science Behind "The Secret"

Some people love the book, "The Secret." Other people hate it. Some people watch the video every single morning. Other people won't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Some people started out watching the video every day, and now won't touch it at all.

I understand all of these reactions. Having read and watched "The Secret," I see how the information contained therein is both insightful and also far too vague to be of use to many people, especially the skeptics. The material presented is familiar ground to people who already believe, and is still "pie in the sky" to people who have never believed. So "The Secret" is very much preaching to the choir.

For those who find this material unbearably vague or totally unbelievable, I suggest a different book: "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot. Talbot ties science with mysticism in this wonderful work, and proposes that the Universe is entirely a hologram. His model encompasses both the new findings of physics and many questions that relate to magic and mind-body connections.

Can You Chop a Salamander's Brain and Still Make it Work?
To back up some of his amazing theories, Talbot cites numerous scientific studies and experiments. The one that so fascinates me is the one where scientists literally removed, sliced-and-diced, and then replaced the brain of a salamander. Amazingly enough, the salamander functioned just fine with his new sliced-and-diced brain, indicating what we have often postulated-that the brain is the analog of the mind, but is not the mind itself. The mind exists somewhere outside the body, yet uses the brain to convey many of its signals and messages.

In any case, the book is a totally worthy read and an excellent source for those who are doubting Thomases. It is chock-full of science and other objective goodies, so read on ... or buy it for your favorite skeptic this holiday season!

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Free Magic Spells -- Good, Bad, or Ugly?

As a magician and shaman, the most frequent request I receive is for free magic spells. People ask me to email them a free magic spell for money, health, love, career, success ... you name it, someone has asked for it. Pick something coveted by society, be it winning the lottery or getting a promotion, and people want a free magic spell to manifest it. There are free magic spells out there, a lot of them, but the question is whether free magic spells actually perform as intended.

Are Free Magic Spells Good, Bad, or Ugly?
The answer is that most free magic spells are none of these things: good, bad, or ugly. Most free magic spells are relatively harmless, good for short-term issues (like temporary pain relief), and not that powerful.

Will a free magic spell help you win the lottery? Nope. What about win the love of the person of your dreams? Nope. How about fix your chronic health problems? Not that either.

So what are these kinds of spells useful for? Well, a spell of this kind might lift your energy so you can beat a traffic ticket in court. This kind of spell might also help you clear junky energies out of your house so you can feel more peaceful and content. If you can't sleep at night, a small candle spell can keep nightmares or insomnia at bay. This is the scale at which these kinds of magic spells operate.

When Not to Use a Free Magic Spell
If you want to create a magical effect on a larger scale, such as healing a chronic health condition or making a truly permanent change in your life, consider using something other than a free magic spell. For this kind of change, you'll either need to hire someone to design a spell for you, or you'll need to design and launch your own spell. For a spell to really work, you need to pay something into the process. What do you pay? Sometimes it is money, and more often than not you pay in effort and attention.

Except in very unusual cases, I don't do spells for other people. As with the adage about giving someone a fish or teaching them how to fish, I find most people benefit more in the long run by learning how to design and cast their own spells. Does it take more time? Yes. Does it take more effort? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Designing Your Own Magic Spells
When you create your own spell that is customized to your personal situation, the spell will be far more powerful and effective than using a spell created by another person. Also, every time you put effort into spell work or magical work of any kind, you increase your personal power and magical abilities. That kind of effort accumulates over time until eventually you are a powerful magician ... perhaps without even realizing it.

Learning the Magical Craft of Spells
If learning to be a powerful magician in your own right interests you, beyond just solving a temporary life problem, I suggest you investigate the Basic Magic course. You can sign up for the full 30-week comprehensive course designed to take novices from learning about the basics of the four elements all the way through the Tarot and spell work or break it up into short courses or Levels 1, 2 or 3 of Basic Magic. Learn more about these online classes here:

Magic Courses

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Magical Remote Healing: A Fascinating Case Study

I have been practicing magical remote healing for a number of years, and am frequently astounded by the results that are produced. I recently worked on a case that was remarkable in that healing occurred despite the subject's long-standing disbelief in magic, prayer, and healing not assisted by a physician.

Case History Prior to Remote Healing
The man I worked on had suffered from colon cancer. Having undergone chemotherapy and radiation, the man also went in for surgery and had all but one foot of his large intestine removed to excise the cancerous tissue. This left him with very little function in his large intestine (since a healthy large intestine is normally five feet in length).

With the help of my Spirit guides and totems, I began working on this man. He told me that he was a confirmed atheist, and asked whether belief in remote healing or magic was necessary. I told him that while belief in magic was always useful, simply being receptive to the remote healing was all that was necessary. He replied that he would try, but that he was a firm disbeliever.

Magic and Remote Healing Techniques
I used remote healing and magical healing techniques on this man for 26 weeks. Each morning I would invite this man's Spirit to my healing meditation. I examined his large intestine (colon) remotely and confirmed that they had removed all but a short portion of it. I then used a combination of magical and dowsing techniques to "regrow" much of his large intestine. As I worked on him through the weeks, I could see his large intestine gaining in length. Although the techniques are too complex to cover in this short article, you can get a great overview of some of the techniques I used at the Ozark Research Institute website.

The Results of the Remote Healing
While I have seen amazing results in many remote healing cases, what makes this case so remarkable is the documentation of the results by physicians in the western medical tradition. This man went in for additional surgery on his colon. After the surgery, the doctor reported that the man's small intestine had increased its length by three times, and appeared to be performing the functions of the missing portion of his large intestine.

When the man reported these results to me, I asked him whether he felt it was possible that the magic and remote healing work had contributed to this result. His answer? "It's possible."

And indeed it is possible. Self-healing and remote healing are very possible in the world of magic. One thing I've learned in my years of practicing these techniques is that a main factor of success is persistence. If you engage in remote or self-healing, don't be discouraged if results don't show up right away. I worked on the man described in this case for 26 weeks. What gave me the perseverance to do so was my experience that consistently performing the remote healing techniques over a long period of time produces result. I didn't work on this man for long each day -- perhaps 20 minutes -- but I did work on him every day. I am pleased to have been a participant in this man's healing, and I hope this case will inspire you to consider how remote and self-healing might be possible in your life.

Discover More About Self-Healing
If you are strongly interested in remote healing, I suggest you investigate workshops offered by the Ozark Research Institute. I am in no way affiliated with this institute, but I have been a participant in their workshops and have gained hugely by doing so. The work is led by Harold McCoy, a thoroughly practical and engaging man who has much to teach.

In addition, if you are interested in learning a far deeper level of magical and remote healing, check out the comprehensive Basic Magic class, a 32-week telecourse for students ready to dig deep and journey far. The next class starts September 2.

Basic Magic Course

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