Magic and Monkey Business

"Monkey see, monkey do." Have you ever heard that phrase. Probably. And you've probably heard of that phrase because it works as a formula for learning, whether you want to learn music, mule-busting, or magic.

That's why this year the Esoteric School blog is going to use the "monkey see, monkey do" approach to spread the magic. You see, we have tons of magical material (and when we say tons, we literally mean tons -- we know we because we hauled it all the way over from CO to CA). We weighed the stuff. We have tons, for real.

But us having tons of magical know-how doesn't help you or anyone else in the world who wants to learn, use, and apply magic in everyday life. Hence the "monkey see, monkey do" approach.


What is "Monkey See, Monkey Do"?
So what does all of this blather mean to you, the reader of the Esoteric School blog? It means that we are going to be offering a limited number of magical exercises that you can easily learn, practice, do, and use in everyday life. Most of these exercises will be total freebies, and some of them will require you to download some inexpensive instructions manuals (just to be up front with you 'cause most things on the internet are free, but not everything … and you mostly get what you pay for).

Once you put out the instructions for a particular exercise, we're going to do the exercise ourselves. Then we'll report back on the results, and we hope you'll report back, too. You can best do that by posting comments on the blog so that others can read about your experiences, questions, and comments. Chances are that you are not the only one with questions and comments, and sharing publicly helps the magical community as a whole.

Sound good? Sounds peachy to us.

Getting Started
So if you are into this whole "monkey see, monkey do" practical magic approach to life, then let's get started. We've got a lot of ideas up our sleeves about magical exercises, but this isn't about us. It's about you. So what do you want to learn about? What magical topics are bugging you? What magical procedures do you really want to learn?

Post your ideas in the comment section of the blog and we'll pick the most popular and go with those. If your idea doesn't get picked, don't get offended. We get slammed with hundreds of emails everyday so there's no way that we can answer every single person's questions or concerns, but we'll hit the high spots for as many magical problems as possible.

Good to go? Good … then let's go!

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Photo Credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Don't Know How to Get What You Want? Just Engage!

One of our favorite lines from the sci-fi show "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is Captain Jean-Luc Picard saying,

"Engage!"

While Captain Picard uses the term to send his ship into to explore new dimensions, we spiritual travelers can use the term to explore new dimensions of consciousness and life.

Here's a simple way you can borrow Captain Picard's command to make your own life easier: the next time you don't know how to do something, just tell yourself, "Engage!" In other words, just start engaging with the process in any way you can. Don't worry about whether you know what you're doing. Just do something!

Most of have been taught by society to decide what we want, figure out to achieve it, and then start the process. But according to most ancient creation sequences this three step process is somewhat backward. To create anything, from a cake to a business, the process really looks like this:

1. We want something.
2. We engage with the process and find out more about it.
3. We decide whether we really want it.
4. We figure out how to create it.

In other words, figuring out how to "make it happen" comes after we decide that we really want it. The key to creation sequence is to do just enough poking around (or engaging) to decide whether you really want it, then making a conscious decision that you want it. The "how" never enters the picture until you have made the conscious decision to pursue it.

So the next time you want to achieve or create something, don't worry about how you will do it. First engage with the process and do some research. Figure out if you really want to pursue the project. If so, the answers will come to you. Your desire must and always will bring you exactly what you need to achieve what you desire.

Your job in the creation sequence is to engage with the process, stay open to what comes to you, and most of all to enjoy the engagement with the Universe. We're all on this planet for a certain period of time-it's more fun if we enjoy it!

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Curiosity is the Key to Finding What You Seek

We've all heard the biblical phrase, "Seek and ye shall find." It always sounds very positive and rewarding. But how many of us are so frustrated with seeking and not finding that we'd like to have a serious chat with the author of that phrase (St. Matthew)?

If you've been seeking for a long time but haven't found what you're looking for, don't fret!

If you haven't found what you're looking for, it may not be because you're not looking long or hard enough. It may because the quality or tone of the attention you give to the seeking process isn't quite right for finding what you want.

The tone or quality of your attention can actually be the difference between finding what you want and being in total frustration. It turns out that the best tone for finding what you want is curiosity. If you can maintain the innocent curiosity of a child when seeking anything in life, you will find and get everything you want.

Why is this? Because there is an inverse relationship between attachment to what we want and getting what we want. The more we are desperately attached to what we want (i.e., "I just gotta have it!"), the less we are likely to get it. But, if we can become very curious about what we want without attachment, then we will attract it into our lives.

For instance, let's say you want to bring a certain amount of income into your business. The first thing to do is to tell the Universe in a very clear and precise way. Write down exactly what you want and what you don't want (and by when). Then, adopt a posture of curiosity. It might sound something like, "Hmmm, I wonder how the Universe will bring this about..." As you encounter different people or events in your life, you might ask yourself, "I wonder if this is going to an avenue for what I want?" or "Isn't this interesting?"

The channeled teacher Abraham tells us that "genius is nothing more than continued attention on the same thing." In other words, the longer you direct your attention positively toward something, the more you're a genius in that area. The same thing is true about curiosity. The longer you can maintain a child like curiosity about what you want, the faster that which you want will come into your life.

So the phrase "Seek and ye shall find" is most definitely true, but only if you learn to seek as a child would seek-with wonder, delight, and joy in the process. Anytime you find yourself getting obsessed or frustrated with the process, just go back to that light hearted curiosity. The Universe will always bring you what you want, and that child like curiosity will keep the doors of your life open to receive it.

Enjoy the journey!

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Do You Have an Unwanted Spirit in Your House? What to Do

Do you keep losing your keys and other small objects? Hear cabinet doors slamming in the middle of the night? Is something causing your dogs to bark at nothing at all?

If so, then you may have one or more unwanted spirits in your home. This is not unusual, nor anything that you need to particularly fear. Many times spirits who have not "moved on" hang around a house, either because they are familiar with the house or simply because they like something about the house.

For instance, when we moved into our current house, we would often see a spirit sitting in an old barrel chair in our living room, particularly during our morning meditations. When we described this spirit, a very thin old man wearing jeans and a red checkered shirt, to one of our neighbors, we discovered that he used to live in our house. He simply "hung around" during meditations, liking the feel of the barrel chair. Eventually, though, he made my wife uncomfortable so we gave the very old chair to the pastor of a church. The spirit of the old man never returned.

What to Do if You Have a Spirit in Your Home
So what should you do if you have an unwanted spirit in your home? There are multiple options, none of which are difficult or scary. You might try one of the below options.

1. Learn to Live with the Spirit
Our neighbors live in a very old farmhouse, which is inhabited by a spirit who is mischievous rather than dangerous or harmful. He likes to slam kitchen cabinet doors at night, when the house is dark and quiet. What do our neighbors do? Nothing too drastic. When they hear him banging the doors, they just yell "Stop that!" or "Cut it out!" Oddly enough, that's all it takes to keep him quiet. Since he doesn't get up to any other kind of trouble, they leave him be the rest of the time. Most spirits don't like yelling or loud noises, so this often works when a spirit is up to naughty tricks.

2. Talk to the Spirit
Many spirits have no idea that they no longer have bodies and are "hanging around" where they are unwanted. If you can see, sense, or feel the spirit, then you can talk to him or her. You hold a conversation with a spirit just as you would with another person. There are two main differences. First, some spirits are quite "down tone" and may not respond to you right away. Don't worry. Just keep asking questions and talking to the spirit until you get a response. Second, the spirit's "answers" may sound like a voice in your head rather than an actual voice. This is perfectly normal since the spirit doesn't have a body, so can't speak out loud.

Once you engage the spirit in conversation, start asking questions about the last lifetime in which the spirit had a body. Ask for a name, the time period in which he or she lived, and other relevant details. Finally, bring the conversation around to the happiest time the spirit can remember in that lifetime. This memory of a happy time should bring the spirit up the tone scale, and allow him or her to move on. You may want to help the spirit by asking him or her to move on, or offer to help him or her find a new body (in a tree, cloud, or rock, for instance).

3. Banish the Spirit
This option is a last resort, and should only be used if the spirit in your home is really bothersome or harmful. While these kinds of spirits do exist, most spirits are relatively harmless. One way to discover whether a harmful spirit is inhabiting your space is to cut a clove of garlic in four equal sections, and place one section in each cardinal direction in your home. If the hearts of the garlic cloves turn dark within 24 hours, then you do indeed have a darker spirit cohabitating with you. At this point, you will need to either do a banishment or have someone do a banishment for you. Shamans, magicians, and other spiritual practitioners can do this using a keyed athame and electric blue energy.

Explore these three options if you have an unwanted spirit living with you. As discussed earlier, most of these spirits are fairly harmless, and will move on if you simply ask them to leave. Good luck!

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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/piccadillywilson/212999782/

Life Boot Camp ... from a Magical Point of View

What kind of attitude did you wake up with this morning?

Did you have the Monday morning blues or did you charge out of bed anticipating everything that life has to offer you today?

In the usual course of life many of us feel as if we are fighting a defensive battle, constantly defending our sanity, peace and freedom from life interruptions. We are constantly retreating and hunkering down until the storm has passed. The problem is that retreat and backward progress aren't exactly great measures of life growth and joy.

So how can you reverse your retreat from life? What if you were to enroll in the equivalent of boot camp? Not Army boot camp but life boot camp. At this boot camp they don't teach you to handle weapons or neutralize incoming physical attacks. Instead they teach you to neutralize and transform life events.

What if you woke up at boot camp this morning instead of in your own bed? Suppose your drill sergeant told you that you would be practicing life drills today, and that he would be throwing all kinds of challenges and distractions at you. Suppose he also told you that your mission was to stick to your goals today regardless of what appeared in your life. Would that change the way you handle the situations that crop up in your life?

Does knowing that the distractions and challenges are just practice drills lessen their impact on your life? Try living just one day in life boot camp and see if it changes your attitude about life events.

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