The Magic of Willingness

How much do you LOVE it when you sit at the feet of a guru and he tells you that the secret to a happy life is something you totally don't do well? Like care more, or love more, or let go, or ... I know, wish for world peace?

I used to absolutely hate that. You?

Enter Willingness ...
Luckily, one of my spiritual teachers along the way taught me about the magic of willingness. He used to say to me, "You don't have to let go right now. You just have to be WILLING to let go. Can you be willing?"

Maybe I could be willing. I wasn't sure.

His response? "OK, if you're not sure you can be willing, how about being willing to be willing?"

Now any idiot can do that. I was willing to be willing to let go. And guess what? The Universe took care of the rest. Circumstances and situations changed, over time, without my even realizing it. I woke up one day and realized that something in me had "let go" of the situation with which I had been struggling.

Change happened while I wasn't looking ... all because I had been willing to be willing to let go.

Why Willingness is Magic
So what makes willingness such powerful? After all, just being willing to be willing doesn't sound like a lot of effort. In fact, it's kind of like slacking off. You don't have to care or love or let go or want world peace. You just have to be willing. Is that slacking or what?

Yup, that IS slacking, and therein lies the magic of willingness. When you focus on willingness, you take your attention away from whatever situation is bugging you and put all your energy into willingness. This is exactly the "crack in the doorway" the Universe is waiting on.

Once you have managed to drag your attention away from the situation, the Universe can get to work. It can do what it does best: magic, miracles, that kind of stuff. Why? Because you aren't wasting time worrying, fretting, and basically focusing on what's not working. So then, by Law of Attraction, you make room for the Universe to bring you what you DO want.

Silly But True ... That's Magic for You!
Silly, I know, but then again, most of magic is very, very simple when you get right to it. Magic is nothing more and nothing less then following the operating laws of the Universe. When you do that, you get magic. When you don't, you get ordinary life.

So if you want a really, really simplistic magic ritual, check out the magic of willingness. Or even the magic of being willing to be willing. It really helps when you've got something you just can't let go of, no matter how hard you try. Just be willing to be willing ... be willing in your heart ... and the magic happens.

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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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Have Your Animal Totems Been Going Nuts?

Is it just me or have the animal spirits really been going out of their way to reach us with their messages? I've always had a lot of contact with animal totems, especially the ones close to me, like Raven and Eagle, but it seems to me that these days they are really going nuts!

For instance, the other day I was out gathering wood and a brilliantly-colored Red Fox strolled right by the woodpile. He stopped, turned and looked at me for a minute, before casually strolling off. A few days later I watched in fascination as a Bald Eagle played with a Raven. These are not typical playmates.

Finally, this morning, a tiny, tiny spider crawled repeatedly all over my computer as I tried to write. At first, I put up with her meanderings, then I tried to gently remove from my computer and put her elsewhere on my desk. She kept coming back until I stopped to ponder her message.

Spider carries many messages, but her message for me had to do with creativity, as Spider represents the energy of creative force. Her message was for me to be creative in finding alternatives to a current impasse in my life ... and to never forget that I can ALWAYS start a new phase in my life, much as Spider weaves a new web frequently.

It All Makes Sense
This went along with the daily quote I received in my inbox from Abraham, one of my favorite spiritual teachers:

"In your action, you lose sight of the vision, you lose sight of your trust in the process, and you just bang around in your sense of futility ... Hold the vision and trust the process."

Suddenly, everything fit together! I realized that instead of being resourceful and creative like the Spider, I was spending a lot of time "banging around," as it were. I was making a lot of noise but not getting very far. I needed to be cunning like the Fox, and use magic like the Raven. And Eagle? Eagle was reminding me to take heart and be courageous in the face of spiritual tests. Wow, what a message from all of these animal totems.

What Are Your Animal Totems Saying To You?
Have you been seeing a lot of animal totems turning up in strange places in your life? If you live in a city, you may seem some quite odd creatures showing up in the cityscape. If an animal totem who normally does not roam the city streets takes the trouble to travel all the way into the city to send you a message, it is best to take heed. If you don't know what the message may be, you can:

1. Meditate on the message yourself
2. Consult a book, like "Animal Speak"
3. Check out the meaning of various animal totems online
4. Ask the Universe for more clarification (with the Navajo Beauty Way perhaps)
5. Learn to communicate directly with animals and totems with our Animal Communication Ebook.

Hope these resources give you a "leg up" when the animal totems start showing up everywhere. Magic is speeding up all around the globe and we need to be more aware, more conscious than ever. To that end, animal totems, angels, guides, and other spiritual beings are upping the ante on their messages to us. So listen up ... or be prepared for that universal two-by-four to come swinging at you, repeatedly!

But most of all, enjoy and be appreciative of those spirit guides. They love us, support us, and help us as much as we allow them to. Feel lucky, even if you do get hit by a spiritual two-by-four because a lot of people are not able to make use of this kind of guidance, and suffer all the more because of it.

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How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells Voodoo Style

Voodoo magic often uses simulacra magic, or the magic of using objects with a "likeness" to something in the outer world, to create an effect in the outer world.

For instance, one magical practitioner took revenge on another by "keying" a figurine to that person, and then shipping the figurine around the world on a slow ship. Needless to say, the victim of the voodoo magic spell was nauseous and dizzy for about a month (the length of the voyage). This is an example of an effective voodoo style magic spell.

How to Cast Stronger Voodoo Spells
In the case of simulacra magic, as in the use of voodoo dolls, many magical practitioners fail achieve strong results. Then they think that voodoo magic doesn't work. Not so. However, there are reasons that simulacra magic does not work as well as it should. Normally, there are three reasons that simulacra magic doesn't produce as strong a result as it should.

1. The Voodoo Object Is Not Similar Enough to the Real Thing
As the name implies, simulacra magic means that the object used in the spell should be as "similar" as possible to the object of the spell. If, for instance, you are going to use a simulacrum in a map spell, to move a naughty neighbor out of your area, then your best bet is to choose a "voodoo doll" that is as similar to your neighbor in looks and personality as possible. If your neighbor is tall, gaunt, and hunched, then look for a figurine that is tall, gaunt, and hunched over. A short fat figurine won't work, nor will a ballerina figurine. It always amazes me how many people pick any old figurine to use for a voodoo spell. If you want to cast stronger voodoo spells, be very specific about the object used as the simulacrum.

2. The Material of the Voodoo Doll or Object Won't Hold a Key
"Keying" is the magical process by which you connect the object of a simulacra spell to the object it represents in the real world. For instance, in the case of the map spell, keying is the process by which you connect the figurine to your naughty neighbor. Assuming that you have chosen a figurine that closely matches your neighbor in looks and personality, you next must be sure that the figurine is made of a material that will hold the "key," or connection to the real world person.

Materials such as wood, metal, glass, and ceramic work well. Plastic, rubber, and modern composites tend not to hold a key. If you want to cast stronger voodoo spells, make sure your voodoo doll or object is made of the right materials. For most simple voodoo magic spells, you can key a figurine just by holding it in your dominant hand and flowing energy into the object as you think about the person. Once the object feels warm and tingly, it is keyed. Just be careful: once keyed, whatever you do to the object you do to the person and you are karmically responsible! Read about Rules of the Road on our website for more information about the universal laws that govern magical practice.

3. The Voodoo Doll or Object Was Not Cleansed
Cleansing a simulacrum is very important prior to use in spellwork, especially if the object is not new. Objects pick up vibrations and energy when they are handled, so you want to cleanse these from the object before using it in your spell. A basic four-element cleansing with a firebowl and chalice usually does the trick (learn how to do basic cleansing with out Firebowl and Chalice ebooks). Once an object is cleansed, it's ready for use in spellwork, and you avoid any "side bands" that might have been generated from previous handling of the object.

Simulacra or voodoo magic is a powerful form of magic. If you are not getting the intended results from your voodoo magic spells, check these three points to see if your spell is leaking energy. If so, as demonstrated in the three points above, remedying the situation isn't difficult. As Reverend George Dew of the Church of Seven Arrows always used to say:

"Take your time, think it through, and do it right!"

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