Magick to the Rescue Part 4: Heads Up Procrastinators!

Earlier in this series Magick to the Rescue:
Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3

Have you been a chronic procrastinator all your life? Or maybe you are just facing a truly mountainous task and you have no idea where to begin... so the best solution seems to be to not get started at all.

Welcome to the world of procrastination. Some of us have been citizens of this nation for decades while others just stop in on travel visas from time to time. Regardless, when you are in the land of procrastination you usually feel stuck, unmotivated, clueless, and guilty, yet not guilty enough to get you motivated to start on the task.

Heads up procrastinators! Feel guilty and stuck no more. In this article we will explain the most common reasons for procrastination, as well as a magickal solution that will kick you into gear so fast that your head will spin!

Common Reasons for Procrastination
As you might have already guessed, one of the most common reasons for procrastination is not knowing where to start. If you don't know how or where to take the first step, the second and third steps are definitely out of the question. If you have ever sat in a 12-step meeting, you will often hear the slogan, "You only have to take the first step to begin." While that is certainly true for 12-step programs, which have 12 neatly outlined steps, this offers little hope for those of us who don't have such a handy list... either for life or for a particularly nasty task.

Another group of procrastinators suffer from "list phobia." List phobia is simply the act of reading down a list and immediately getting stuck on the first item that you don't understand. Suppose you are given a list of seven instructions on how to perform a specific task. You might read through steps one and two just fine, because you understand what each step is asking you to do. But step three may turn out to be the show-stopper of the century for you. If you don't understand step number three, and you have list phobia, chances are high that you will never even read steps four through seven. Your mind will be so busy spinning around trying to figure out step three that you don't even remember steps one and two.

The third group of procrastinators get stuck when they can't figure out every single step required to complete a task. Suppose you are asked to put together a bridal shower for a co-worker. You might know most of the steps, but there are a few tasks that still baffle you. Perhaps you can't figure which types of flower arrangements would be best, or whether your co-worker would enjoy the usual bridal shower games or not. Or maybe you are not sure whether you should invite certain guests, and whether one or more people would get their feelings hurt if they were not invited. These are just examples of decisions that baffle this third group of procrastinators. The members in this group can't proceed until they have every single detail figured out. Flying by the seat of their pants is definitely NOT an option.

There are, of course, other reasons that people procrastinate. However, from a magkical perspective, almost all procrastination stem from a single misunderstanding. The easiest way to handle all forms of procrastination, then, would be to clear up this misunderstanding so that all of us in the nation of procrastination can migrate to the land of motivation and action.

The Magickal Cause of Procrastination
Although there appear to be multiple reasons that people procrastinate, magickally there is only one single reasons for this delaying tactic. The reason comes from a misunderstanding of the steps of the Magickal Creation Sequence. The Magickal Creation Sequence is just what it sounds like--these are the steps any magickal practitioner takes to create anything in life... from wealth and love to a harmonious family life or a fulfilling career. The order of steps in this sequence is unknown to most people in the world, hence there are a lot of procrastinators in the world!

So what is this big magickal mixup? The confusion arises from people putting two important steps in reverse order. These two steps are called the base decision and the control decisions. The definition of these two steps is simple.

Base Decision = The Yes/No decision to move ahead with the project or task

Control Decisions = The detailed decisions required to carry out the various action steps in the project or task

In our society, most of us are taught that we must first create a complete and thorough action plan before we decide whether to proceed with a project, a new business, or a marriage proposal. This principle of placing control decisions (the "how to" steps of an undertaking) before making the base decision (the "Go/No Go" decision) is the basis of most business plans. In today's world you have little hope of getting a bank loan or investor funding for a new business unless you have created a business plan that thoroughly outlines all the control steps that will be taken to ensure the business is a success.

Unfortunately, from a magickal standpoint, the creation of a business plan before deciding whether to proceed with creating the business is putting the cart before the horse. In magickal circles, the Creation Sequence tells us that we must make the base decision first. In other words, we have to decide whether we want to start a business or not before ever even thinking about how we will go about starting that business or making it a success.

While the idea of putting the base decision before the control decisions might seem a little reckless and irresponsible, it makes more sense when you consider the sequence from the Universe's point of view. While we humans like to think that we are the masters of our kingdom, the fact of the matter is that we could achieve barely one-hundredth of what we achieve without the co-creative help of the Universe. Certainly elbow grease and sweat equity plays a big role in the success of any enterprise, but how many of the people who are at the head of such enterprises have not prayed or asked for help from some higher being? Very few, if any.

The magickal reason to put the base decision before the control decisions is that the base decision alerts the Universe that we have a desire, and we invite the Universe to help us fulfill that desire with as little heartache and as few headaches as possible. By announcing our desires by making a positive base decision, we empower the Universe to get started right away in helping us fulfill that desire.

If, on the other hand, we get bogged down in control decisions, with no small amount of confusion, the Universe can't really decipher whether we really want to fulfill a desire or we are just playing around with ideas. Once the Universe gets the message that we have made a "Go" base decision, it immediately begins aligning the necessary resources, events, interactions, and other "coincidental" happenings that will help us fulfill our desire. With this kind of Universal orchestration, the number of control decisions we need to make along the way diminishes drastically. The Universe actually takes over the lead in the co-creative dance, and we simply need to remain open and aware to the many forms of guidance and help the Universe constantly drops on our path.

If you really like the feeling of your own sweat, blood, and tears, then by all means play with your control decisions before making your base decision. But if you prefer to tell the Universe, "I want this!" and then have the Universe help you make the necessary control decisions along the way, then choose to make your base decision first. You will work less and achieve more. You will produce more and enjoy more. Work will become play and play will become work. And procrastination becomes something you used to do. What more could you ask for?

Ready to stop procrastinating about making the decision to introduce magick into your life? We have plenty of free resources, online courses, ebooks, and Kindle books to help you get on the magickal road to making life easier and more joyful.


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Magick To The Rescue Part 3: Find Your Spirit Path

Earlier in this series Magick to the Rescue:
Part 1 
Part 2 

"If you don't know where you want to go, anywhere will do." -- Chinese Proverb

For many highly-driven people in today's society, not having a goal and direction and purpose is the equivalent of walking blindly through life. Many of us are taught from childhood to always know where we want to go and what we want to do. What if we don't know? Horrors! The shame of it all!

The funny thing about many people who claim that they know where they want to go and what they want to do is that they may know the "where" and "what" of their life, but these may not reflect their true desires. Maybe they are doctors, lawyers, consultants, software programmers, or commanders in the military. And maybe holding such valued positions makes their parents happy. And maybe making their parents or spouses happy makes them happy. But are these people who know the "where and why" of their lives really and truly happy? Or do they simply feel less pressured because others are not constantly pushing them to hold higher and better positions.

The real question is this: Are these people not only happy, but are they walking their Spirit path?

What Is Your Spirit Path?
 This is a question that few people ask themselves. What, indeed, is one's Spirit path? The answer is simple. From a magickal and shamanic point of view, a person's Spirit path is the path they chose to walk this lifetime. This choice was made during the interval between the last lifetime and this lifetime. Or, depending on whether one believes in multiple lifetimes, one could simply say that this choice was made before incarnating in this lifetime.

Having and following a Spirit path does not mean a person is fated to do certain things in this lifetime, with no choices or options. Instead, a Spirit path is designed so that a person encounters certain circumstances, events, people, and dilemmas. The confluence of all of these factors are designed to allow that person to learn certain lessons, complete certain entanglements with other people, clean up old fears, pay old debts to others, and any number of other lessons.

The Spirit path is full of choices and options and lessons. Some of these will be easy and some will be more difficult. Some of these lessons can be so difficult that a person may choose to "opt out" of this lifetime, either to try again in another lifetime or abandon this lifetime altogether.
The most important factor to remember about one's Spirit path is that one can always do a "Stop-Change-Start." A "Stop-Change-Start" is exactly what it sounds like. Suppose you can't handle a lesson that you designed for yourself on your Spirit path. The lesson is too difficult and you cannot find your way through the lesson. No problem. At any point on your Spirit path you can opt to do a "Stop-Change-Start," That is, you can decide that you want to stop the progress of a particular lesson, change the circumstances so you take a detour on your Spirit path, and start walking a new Spirit path. As humans, one of our greatest gifts (and greatest curses) is that we have complete free will. While we may have thought that a particular lesson was the perfect idea between lifetimes, we may start learning that lesson during our current lifetime only to discover that the lesson isn't appropriate at all. That's when we exercise our free will and change the circumstances and walk a different route on our Spirit path.

Regardless of whether you follow the Spirit path that you designed prior to this lifetime or not, as long as you walk your Spirit path you will get a lot out of it. Whether you learn certain lessons, clear up old karmic debts, undo old entanglements with others, or discover new Spiritual skills and talents, walking your Spirit path will give you a major Spiritual boost and advance you along your Spiritual development so that you ascend one or more levels in your Spiritual evolution.

How to Find Your Spirit Path
 How does one go about discovering one's Spirit path or find out whether one is already walking one's Spirit path? There are as many different ways as there are Spiritual leaders, books, and so forth. But you don't need a guru to help you discover your Spiritual path, although you will most likely encounter many angels and higher beings if you invite them into your life to help you. Here are some simple ways to discover your Spirit path.

#1 -- Revisit Your Old Wounds
 One of the best indicators of the lessons you are meant to learn on your Spirit path is the wounds you have encountered so far in your life. These wounds are usually mental or emotional, or sometimes physical. Look back to when you have felt most wounded by some situation. Often the situation feels unfair and unjustified. For instance, perhaps you were laid off from your job or passed over for promotion. Perhaps your child was born with some terrible illness requiring constant care, preventing you from following your dreams. Or maybe you had an encounter with a series of people that hurt you emotionally, so much so that you think of it often or cannot sleep because of it.

Whatever your old wounds, these are indicators of lessons you are to learn. How can you get past the heartache and pain that these old wounds have inflicted upon you? If you can find no way to get around such pain, ask an angel or the Spirit of Owl for help.  If you are not sure how to work with these beings take a look at our articles - How to Amp Up Your Relationship with the Universe, Spirit Guides: Guardian Angel Prayer and Another Magical Ritual to Help You See Your Financial Blind Spots. Or get a deck of Medicine Cards (easily available online) and do a spread as instructed in the book. Or simply shuffle the deck and pull the first card that calls to you. Read the meaning of the particular animal card you chose and read the meaning in the book. This simple method is often enough to give you the information you seek.

#2 -- Use the Conscious Choice Exercise
 The Conscious Choice exercise is exactly how it sounds. You simply go through your day and make Conscious Choices. This type of choice, as opposed to the choices we make by habit each day, is a way of receiving direct communication from your Spirit.

Start this exercise with small choices in your life. For instance, use this exercise to decide what you will eat for breakfast each day, or what clothes you choose to wear. To do this exercise, simply make a choice by first saying, "I will now make a Conscious Choice. Do I choose to ...[put the choice here] or choose to... [put second choice here]." Then follow the first response you receive. You may hear the choice as your own voice in your mind, or you may hear some commentary on TV. However you get your answer, just know that you will get an immediate response. Even if the answer is simply a feeling, follow that response. The key to this exercise is that you MUST follow the first response you get. The choice has been made. This is the reason for starting with small decisions. After all, how much heartache can you suffer from eating cereal rather than toast for breakfast?
After you have done this exercise for 7 or 11 days, and feel comfortable, move on to bigger decisions. Depending on your level of comfort with risk, upgrade the level of your decisions at a rate that is comfortable with your level of risk. As you move to bigger and bigger decisions. The bigger decisions will guide you with certainty along your Spirit path. You will begin to recognize when you are following your Spirit path by a feeling or inner taste. Trust this and you will walk your certain path with no problem.

#3 -- Do Something You Fear Each Day
 Eleanor Roosevelt was famous for saying this. And she was right. Fears are the markers of lessons we need to learn or debts we have to pay. As with the Conscious Choice exercise, start small and work your way up. Start with small fears, such as wearing socks that don't match or speaking up in a group setting when you would normally remain silent. As you gain confidence that you have the ability to walk where you feared to walk in the past, move slowly up the levels of fear. Learn to trust the fact that though fear may always be present, it no longer needs to block your path or prevent your forward progress on your Spirit path. Instead, let fear simply remain in your life, but ask fear to walk beside you instead of in front of you. In this way, as you move up the ladder of fears, as you feel comfortable doing so, you will begin to see fear as a friendly companion, marking the way along your Spiritual path. Let fear become a beacon, guiding you from place to place, walking beside you, now acting as a lighthouse rather than a barrier.
Often fear is a marker of a lesson that we must learn. Yet fear remains fear, and often we cannot face fear without the help of others. Seek out the type of help that most suits you. Read stories of people who have conquered greater fears than you have ever imagined... and you will find that your fears shrink to a manageable level. Seek help in flower essences such as Mimulus, which is a wonderful essence to help you get past known fears. Hire an angel--there are always hundreds begging for you to ask them for help. Or,even better, use the Conscious Choice exercise to discover tools and skills to help you put fear in its proper place--as a companion who walks with you and helps rather than hinders your progress on your Spirit path.

At the End of the Day
 There are more ways to find your Spirit path than can be described in a single article. For more ideas, browse through our library of articles and find dozens of different magickal techniques to help you. For more tips delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter list. Or check out our books on Amazon. Or simply pick up any book, flip it open to a random page, and follow the guidance of the first sentence or phrase that you read. The Universe is always coordinating events so that the perfect guidance and ideas show up to move us in the right direction along out Spirit path. Most of all, enjoy the journey. Joyfulness, perhaps more than any emotion, will keep your progress along your Spirit path smooth, fun, and a boon to others who walk with you on your path!



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Magick to The Rescue Part 2: When Life Isn't Fair

See Part 1 of Magick to the Rescue HERE.
 

Have you ever had an experience that made you stomp your foot and say, "Life's not fair!"? Most people have, and the fact of the matter is that often life isn't fair.

So what can you do when life has dealt you an unfair event, and it appears that you have painted yourself into a corner with no way out? How about when you find yourself in a situation where there seem to be no options, no recourse?

Look to magick, of course! One of the best things about magick is that there are very few situations that magick cannot fix. There are some situations, of course, where magick is not recommended because of karmic debt, life lessons, and certain other specific situations. For the most part, though, magick can create wonderful and surprising outcomes out of situations that are downright unfair. When you find yourself stuck in an unfair situation, consider the ritual outlined below as a possible option. You may have to do a little creative adjustment to the steps since this writeup is short, so it is not possible to cover every unfair situation in life.

Step #1: Divine the Players and Factors
While you may already know who is involved in putting you into this unfair situation, doing a divination to discover all the possible players and factors contributing to your situation is always a good idea. When you know all the players and factors involved in your situation, you will more easily be able to handle the situation thoroughly in the following steps.

A question circle is one of the best ways to gather as much information about your situation as possible. Question circles empower you to ask for help and information from the four directions, as well as Sky and Earth. There are many forms of question circles, but in this case all you need to use is a simple circle. Gather a notebook, pen, and bright yellow sun candle plus wooden or paper matches. You will also need a fairly open area for the circle, a space at least seven feet across. Finally, you will need to know the four cardinal directions of East, South, West, and North. If you are unsure, take a compass outside to figure out which direction is which. Do not attempt to use the compass inside as there is too much electromagnetic energy that interferes with a compass reading.

Now you are ready to start your question circle. Enter your circle from the East and sit in the center of your circle, sitting in the South facing North with your Sun Candle in front of you. Light your candle with wooden or paper matches, and wait until the flame is tall and strong. Then cup your hands around the flame and say in a voice of command:

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

Now focus on the candle flame and become very curious about and interested in discovering all the players and factors involved in your situation, along with possible solutions or loopholes. Sit in meditation about this for two to three minutes. Then leave the Sun Candle in the middle of the circle (perhaps surrounded by glass or on a plate for safety), and walk clockwise around the circle until you reach the East.

Seat yourself comfortably in the East, facing East (the outside of the circle), and take a moment to breathe slowly and relax. Focus on the problem at hand. Then, with your pen and pad ready. say in the voice of command, "Winds of the East, Bearers of Knowledge, I request your help with [briefly describe your situation here]. Please tell me all the factors, players, and other issues related to my situation in a way that I can clearly understand. I thank you in advance for your help." Then be prepared to write like crazy. The Winds tend to deliver information in bulk and with speed. Sometimes you may have to simply jot down keywords and fill in the blanks later. Once the flow of information has stopped, you may do two things. If there are items on your list that are unclear, you may ask the winds to clarify by saying, "Winds of the East, Bearers of Knowledge, I thank you for this information. I ask if you could clarify [name the item here]." Then write more until the flow of information stops. You may ask for clarification up the three times. When you are done, say, "Winds of the East, Bearers of Knowledge, I give great thanks for the information you have given me today." Wait a few moments and see if you feel the Winds acknowledging you. Some people do, some people don't. Either way, waiting for a response is polite. Take the time now to fill in your notes before moving clockwise to sit in the South.

Repeat the same procedure for the remaining three directions, using the following forms of address:
"Winds of the South, Bearers of Power..."
"Winds of the West, Bearers of Feeling... "
"Winds of the North, Bearers of the Strength... "

Once you have completed those three directions, walk clockwise around the circle and seat yourself in the center, facing East. Now put your attention first up toward the Sky and perform the same sequence of steps as you did with each direction. Then put your attention down into the Earth, again following the same steps. Use the following forms of address:
"Sky Beings Above, ..."
"Earth Beings Below... "

Finally, sit in the center of your circle and sort through your notes. Jot down and highlight the most pertinent points. Then move on to Step #2.

Step#2: The Effect of Others and Your Own Effects
From the copious amounts of information, you should be able to identify which people are affecting your situation, as well as which of your actions are negatively affecting you situation. Your job is now to write a list of all the people and factors (aside from yourself) that are causing your unfair life situation. Make a second list of all of your own actions and habits and behaviors that are affecting the situation.

You will deal with the people and factors on the first list in the next step. In this step, think about how you can change the way you behave and think about the unfair life situation. Is there any way to think about the situation differently? Could you reframe the situation to say that it is certainly not fair but it is equal? After all, not all of us are dealt the same hand of cards. If you simply carry a lot of negative energy with you, consider carrying a hematite or Apache Tear obsidian stone with you. Every time you feel negative, hold the stone in your dominant hand and flow all of that energy down your arm and into the stone. The stone will send the energy to the half world, never to return again. If you decide to change one small aspect of your behavior, perhaps create a keepsake to remind you of your commitment. For instance, if you decide not to engage with a particularly obnoxious co-worker, carry a small angel charm or wear a ring to signify your commitment to change this one small thing. Hold the charm or ring in your dominant hand and flow your conviction to keep this commitment into the object. Once done, carry this item around with you always. When you feel the need to tangle with this particular co-worker, hold your talisman and remember your promise to yourself. You will find your commitment easier to keep.

Now that we have addressed your effects on your situation, move on to the next step to learn how to deal with the other people and factors that make your situation so unfair.

Step #3: Magickally Handling Outside People and Factors
To deal with outside people and factors affecting you situation, return to your question circle. Light and charge the Sun Candle as you did before, using the same charge verse "Child of Wonder..." Now look at your list. Take the first person or factor on your list. See the person standing just outside your circle, trying to get in. Point your finger at that person and say in a voice of command:

"I am neither your creature nor your get
To be ruled by your whim or your let
I go my own way by night or by day
To serve my own purposes yet!"

As you say the verses, see the person melt away or fade away or run away. Then move on to the next factor or person. When dealing with factors, use the best image that represents that factor. For instance, if you are dealing with a law, then see a law book or a scroll on which the law is written. Use your imagination. This is your protection circle so use the imagery that is most meaningful to you.

At the End of the Day
Most of the time doing this ritual once takes care of most situations. However, if your situation is complicated or changes constantly, then you may want to repeat this ritual as much as possible. The good news is that the more magic you use in your life, the more force you will gain in your level of being. The more force you have in your level of being, the less unfair situations will be foisted up you! It's magick to the rescue every time you find yourself stuck in a seemingly hopeless situation! You can get more magic rituals to work on issues in your daily life in our ebook Daily Rituals for Attracting What You Want in Life or in our Kindle book Witchcraft Spell Book: The Complete Guide of Witchcraft Rituals & Spells for Beginners.

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Magick to the Rescue Part 1: Breaking Down Brick Walls

Does it sometimes seem like no matter how hard you try to achieve some goal in your life, that you keep bashing your head into a brick wall? If so, then you know how frustrating it is to throw every ounce of energy into creating something or achieving something, only to run into a seemingly insurmountable obstacle at every turn.

Don't worry. You are in good company. The "brick wall syndrome" has happened to almost everyone on the planet. Just look around you and you'll see a bunch of people with bashed in heads and headaches that won't go away.

Luckily, for those who stop banging on that brick wall long enough to consider their options, there is always a wonderful solution: solve the problem at a higher level.

Albert Einstein was right when he said, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

What's that higher level? Magick is certainly one of the easiest ways to solve your brick wall problem from a higher level.

Using Magick to Break Down Brick Walls
There is a simple three step magickal ritual outlined in the following section that will help you understand the nature of your brick wall, and also help you break through that wall (or at least go around the brick wall, which may be a smarter option!). For this ritual, you will need a cold cup of black coffee, a journal and pen, a hematite or Apache Tear stone, and a pendulum (which can be purchased online or in stores that sell magickal items).

Step #1: Release Your Frustration
Nothing clouds your judgment like frustration. If you have been beating your head against your personal brick wall for a while then chances are good that you feel frustrated every time you think about the brick wall problem. So the first thing to do is to clear yourself on all levels of that frustration. The easiest magickal way to do this is to flow your frustration into a magickal stone. The stones that most easily pull negative energies out of your chakras, energy field, mind, body, and Spirit are hematite and Apache tears (a form of obsidian). You can find both of these easily online or in any good rock shop.

Choose your stone carefully. Pick one that sits easily in your hand and has enough heft to feel significant. At the same time, you want to choose your stone so that it is small and light enough to carry with you in your pocket. Some online stores sell these stones attached to a chain, so you can easily wear it around your neck under your shirt.

Once you have your stone, find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Hold the stone in your dominant hand (the hand with which you write or point). Now think about and feel every negative aspect of your "brick wall problem." As these thoughts and emotions and physical sensations arise in you, flow those into the stone. Since these stones are magnetized to pull energy, you don't need to think about the process of flowing those energies into the stone. Just allow those negative energies to travel down your arm and into the stone. Keep flowing those energies into the stone without allowing your mind to interfere with stray thoughts. When the stone feels heavy, hot, charged, or otherwise energized, you have flowed enough negative energies into the stone for the moment.

For the next seven days, flow energies into the stone at least once a day. Also flow energies into the stone whenever you feel frustrated. Keeping the stone in your pocket is a good idea so that you can unobtrusively flow energies into the stone simply by sticking your hand in your pocket and holding the stone. With this method you can flow negative energies into the stone anywhere and anytime in public without anyone being the wiser. People who practice this technique become so proficient at it that they can flow negative energies even when conversing with another person. This can be a useful skill when you are talking to a person who is part of your "brick wall syndrome" since that person is likely to be a source of frustration.

Once you have practiced this technique consistently for seven days, move on to the next step. However, keep the stone with you at all times, and continue to flow energy into the stone whenever you experience negative energies. These stones channel the energies into the half worlds so you don't have to worry about the stone becoming too full of negative energies. Some people like to change to a fresh stone every lunar cycle or so. If you choose to change to a new stone every lunar cycle, bury the old stone in your garden for a full moon cycle. This allows the earth to cleanse the stone so it will be ready to use again after one moon cycle.

Step #2: Discover the Root of the Problem
Now that you have cleared yourself on all levels of negative energy, the next step is to discover the root of the "brick wall" problem. One of the easiest ways to discover the root of any problem is by using the magickal technique of scrying. While there are many complex magickal rituals for scyring, by far the easiest method involves using a cup of cold black coffee. Simply make some coffee (any kind will do -- filtered or instant) and wait for the coffee to cool down to room temperature. Put the coffee in any cup or mug that suits.

Once your cup of coffee has cooled down to room temperature, sit in the South facing North with the cup of coffee in front of you. If you are unsure of the cardinal directions, use a compass outside to figure out the directions. Do not use the compass inside as most houses tend to have too many electrical and magnetic energies that can distort a compass reading. Once you are sure of the directions, seat yourself in the South facing North with the cup of coffee in front of you. You may want to set the cup of coffee on a small stool or table to keep the surface calm and quiet. Be sure you will not be disturbed for at least 30 minutes since scrying requires concentration and a quiet space.

Once you are comfortably settled, gently place both hands around the cup of coffee. Flow some energy from your dominant hand through the cup of coffee into your non-dominant hand. Continue to flow that energy up the arm and shoulder of your non-dominant hand, then across your back, then down the arm of your dominant hand. Keep flowing energies in this circle for a minute or so until the coffee cup feels charged or energized. You are now ready to scry.

Scrying is nothing more than asking the Universe to provide you with the information you seek. Since you are asking for information that pertains to you personally, there is no need to worry that you are invading anyone else's privacy. Before you begin, you may wish to invite angels, spiritual guides, or other higher beings to help. Or simply ask the Universe to provide answers. Thank all beings or the Universe for the help they are about to provide before you begin scrying.

To obtain information about the root of your problem, calmly and quietly look into the surface of the coffee. Softly unfocus your eyes while still looking into the surface of the coffee. Next become very curious about the roadblock that keeps getting in your way. Allow questions about the brick wall to float softly through your mind as you continue to look into the coffee cup. Ask questions such as:

• What is at the root of this brick wall?
• What could help me get over or around this problem?
• What am I not seeing that is preventing me from moving forward?
• Is there a reason I should not take this path? Could the brick wall be a sign that another path is better for me?
• What thoughts or beliefs are keeping me from moving forward?

Use the questions that come naturally. The list of questions above are generic. You may want to use these questions in addition to queries that are specific to your problem. Keep asking these questions softly in your mind, allowing your eyes to remain unfocused and allowing answers to drift into your consciousness.

Be prepared for answers to arrive in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes you will see images from your past. Other times you will experience feelings and sensations that call up memories. You may also receive short phrases, images, ideas, physical jolts, or long strings of information. Do not worry about writing these down. This information will remain in your consciousness long after you stop scrying.

Once you have enough information--or the flow of information stops--thank the spirit beings, guides, angels, or the Universe for the information that you have received. Now take the time to jot down all the information you received. Don't worry if the information doesn't make sense right now. You will find that the pieces of information you received will form a cohesive picture in the days to come. If the information makes sense to you, move on to the next magickal ritual. If the bits of information are not clear to you, simply read the notes you jotted down each day and ask a higher being to help you clarify the information you received (always thanking them in advance for the help you are about to receive). Keep asking for help and guidance. Within seven days you should have clarity about the root of your problem. Thank the higher beings for their help and move on to the last step.

Step #3: Unwind Your Problem
This last step is one of the most carefree and fun magickal rituals that you can do. You will need a pendulum for this step. You can easily purchase one online or in most stores that sell spiritual or magickal items. Once you have your pendulum, hold it in your dominant hand and flow energy into it. When the pendulum feels charged, then you can use it to perform this last step in your ritual.

Hold the pendulum in your dominant hand and begin spinning it in a counter-clockwise direction. Now invite higher beings to help you unwind the root of your problem. As you spin the pendulum, see it unwinding the root of your problem so that you can move forward on your journey. If the problem is with a co-worker at your job, see the disharmony between you and your co-worker unwind and dissipate. If the root of your problem is an old belief system or habit, see the pendulum unwinding those beliefs and watch those beliefs float away. If the root of your problem is that you are taking the wrong path, which means the brick wall was put up to prevent you from walking this path, see the pendulum unwinding your desire to walk this path. Whatever your problem, the pendulum has the power to unwind it.

Once you have clearly unwound your problem (you will know when the problem is unwound when you see the problem melt or float away), stop swinging the pendulum. Now begin to swing the pendulum in a clockwise direction. Ask higher beings to help you use the force generated by the pendulum to move you forward on your path. This forward progress might take you through or around the brick wall, or it may take you on a completely separate journey. See the force of the pendulum taking you where you want to go. When you feel that the force of the pendulum has moved you from "stuck" to "striding forth," stop swinging the pendulum.

Wash, Rinse, and Repeat
Feel free to use any or all of the three steps of this magickal ritual anytime you feel that you are running into a brick wall--either the same brick wall or a new one. Just as you may need to use your chosen magickal stone to rid yourself of frustration, you may also need to use scrying and the pendulum to learn more about your path and the blockages that exist. This ritual is a very useful one to have in your magickal toolkit because it can help you learn about, understand, and solve just about any brick wall that appears on your journey through life!

Be sure to follow the rest of this 7 part series as it comes out on our blog  over the next few weeks or even better subscribe to the blog to get the articles posted there direct to your email. You'll also find a variety of pendulums, journals, and other magical necessities in our online magic store at www.shamanschool.com.

The X Factor in Magickal Healing

If you have tried your hand at magickal healing, you have probably discovered that sometimes the healing works, and other times it doesn't. Or sometimes the person is healed for a period of time, and then "relapses" back into the same illness or discomfort. When faced with a mix of success, failure, and partial success, any magickal healer can become somewhat confused, and even discouraged.

Not to worry. One way to get around this problem is to understand the X Factor of Magickal Healing.

The X Factor in Magickal Healing
What is the X Factor in Magickal Healing that can explain why a healing session (or even a series of healing sessions) produces total success, while at other times the same techniques end up in relapses, partial relief, or even total failure (that is, no change in the person's health condition).

What could you be doing wrong that would cause these kinds of mixed results? NOTHING. If you have done a magickal healing to the best of your ability and with the utmost concentration and sincerity, then you have done nothing that would cause poor results.

Many factors play into the success or failure of a magickal healing. For instance:

• the recipient of the healing may not actually want to be healed
• the magickal healing resolved the symptoms but was not able to address the cause, leading to relapses
• the recipient has history in this or past lives that could interfere with your healing
• the recipient of your healing "needs" their illness to learn some lesson this lifetime

The list could go on forever as to the factors that affect the success of a magickal healing. So what is a healer to do? After all, seeing mixed results all the time can cause a healer to question whether their skills at magickal healing are "up to snuff."

The one way to escape the burden of success or failure is to understand the X Factor of magickal healing. The X Factor was explained to us by a wonderful and talented dowser named Harold McCoy. Harold started the Ozark Research Institute, and while he is no longer with us, his teachings live on. The most important thing that Harold taught us was the X Factor, although he never called it the X Factor. He said:

"As healers, we do what we do, and what happens happens."

That's it. If we follow this doctrine in our magickal healings, then we are relieved of the burden of responsibility when it comes to success or failure. We acknowledge that we have done the best we can. We acknowledge that we are not privy to all the factors in a person's life--both this lifetime and past lifetimes. We acknowledge that the person is ill so that he or she can learn some valuable spiritual lesson. In other words, we acknowledge that we are not omniscient or omnipotent. We simply apply the healing tools and techniques as we see fit, and then release ourselves from the result. To have offered a healing to someone is a form of giving. What the recipient chooses to do with that healing energy is up to him or her. We are not responsible. We are only responsible for doing the best we can with the greatest sincerity and compassion we can offer.

If you are able to abide by the X Factor of magickal healing, then you will find yourself much more light hearted as you apply your healing to others. As a result, your healing forces will become much more focused and powerful because you are no longer concerned about whether the person will receive a complete healing or not. You will know only that you have done the best you could, and that is a gift that is sufficient unto itself. We can no more bind people in healing than we can bind others with any magickal work. We simply offer what we have, and allow people to take what they like. In this way, each gets what they need and want. We call that a magickal win-win situation!

If you are looking for a wide range of healing techniques to add to your magic toolbox, our Energy Healing for Self and Others ebook can help you either get started on a healing path or add to the techniques you already have.

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Discover the Meaning of Your Dreams

Dreams are funny things because they can either be messages of great importance or simply the conscious mind's way of dumping the trash. If you remember your dreams, you'll probably discover that your dreams can range from truly meaningful to highly absurd. But what can you do if you feel a dream is very meaningful but can't seem to decipher what it means?

You could, of course, look up the generic meaning of certain dream symbols in dream dictionaries. But we have discovered that a person's dreams, especially those that are meant to be messages from Spirit, are highly personal and not likely to be interpreted using the generic definitions offered in dream dictionaries.

What other magickal methods might be available? There are many. One of the more comprehensive ways to learn the meaning of your dreams is to use a cup of cold coffee. Yup, cold coffee.

Using Cold Coffee for Divination
What does cold coffee have to do with dreams and magick? Cold coffee possesses one main attribute that makes it an excellent receptor for divination: a flat dark surface. By looking at the surface of a cold cup of coffee, you will be able to "divine" the meaning of your dreams.

We used to like to sit in truck stop diners and use cold coffee to do divinations for ourselves or others. Once we learned to tune out the noise of the diner, we found that cold coffee made for excellent divination.

To divine the meaning of your dreams with cold coffee (this process is also called scrying), pour yourself a cup of cold coffee. Sit down at a table and place the cup of cold coffee in front of you. Wait until the surface is completely calm and quiet.

Now become very curious about the dream in question. Allow the images from the dream to play across the coffee's surface, much as they would if projected onto a screen. Do not think about this process, just do it. Thinking interferes with this process so keep your mind as quiet as possible. Allow the images to appear in whichever sequence that occurs. Become very curious about any and all images from that dream.

As you are observing the surface of the coffee and the images playing, ask this question in your mind: "What is the message for me in this dream?" Choose a similar question if you like. Allow this question to become a mantra in your mind as you watch the images float across the surface.

Once you have chanted the above mantra for a few minutes, you may see other images appearing on the scrying surface. Allow these images to appear as they may be images from life events (this life or others) that are related to the message in your dream. You may also receive information as a gut feeling or simply a "knowing." Once you receive a substantive message from your scrying, stop chanting the mantra. Allow the images playing across the coffee's surface to dwindle and dim, until all you see is the black surface.

Piecing Together the Meaning
Jot down any impressions, gut feelings, and information you received from this scrying session. Again, do not think. Simply write. Thinking interferes with recall so keep your mind as quiet as possible except for recall.

You may not immediately understand the meanings you gained from the scrying session. However, if you are thorough in your recall, you will eventually be able to piece together the message. The message may become more clear as your day unfolds. If you still want other information, consider calling on the Spirit of Owl for help, or using a Question Circle. You can also repeat your scrying session for a few days to see if more information becomes available. The good news is that you can do this type of scrying almost anywhere that coffee is available. To learn more about the fascinating magical topic of divination and other methods of divination, check out our Psychic Development ebook and learn many different ways to get all the information you want and need.


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The Power of Magickal Tools

If you have watched any television shows or movies about magick, then no doubt you have seen characters do all kinds of wild and wonderful things with Wands, potions, herbs, Athames (magickal knives), Chalices, and more. But since these tools are being used in a fictional setting, you may wonder what magickal tools really can and cannot do.

For instance, you may wonder:

• Can you really throw a lightning bolt with a Wand? (Nope)
• Do magickal potions really exist and do they work effectively? (Yes, if created correctly)
• Can you ride a broomstick to the moon? (Nope)
• Does telekinesis, the ability to move things with the mind, really exist? (Absolutely)
• Is it really possible to read someone's mind? (Yup)

Magickal tools do have immense power if formed and used correctly. In fact, most magickal tools are simply extensions of the self. For instance, any well-trained magickal practitioner can throw lightning bolts using only his or her bare hands. However, if you add an Athame, or magickal knife, into the mix, a practitioner can throw a lightning bolt much further and with greater power than by using only bare hands. The same with the Chalice, a tool that allows a practitioner to see into the future or the past.

But for magickal tools to have power, they must: 

1. Be correctly formed or "keyed"
2. Be used properly

While many magickal tools could serve double duty as ordinary objects -- such as a Chalice that resembles a wine glass or an Athame that looks like a hunting knife -- the difference between an ordinary household object and a magickal tool is the process of "keying."

Keying a tool so it becomes a magickal tool accomplishes three tasks: 

1. Cleans the tool of any junky or unwanted energies
2. Aligns the energy of the tool correctly so it can be used magickally
3. Personalizes the tool to your specific energies so others cannot use your magickal tools without your consent

Once a magickal tool has been keyed, it is ready for use. To maximize its power, the practitioner has to use it as it was intended and "keyed." For instance, although Harry Potters sends lightning bolts through his Wand with no trouble, in the real world sending Fire energies such as lightning bolts through a Wand would cause the Wand to catch on fire or explode. Wands are meant to handle Air energies, which are associated with communication, planning, breathing, seeing, enlightenment, and understanding to name a few. If you want to throw lightning bolts, then you need to use an Athame, the metal of which is designed to handle Fire energies without catching on fire. So choosing the right magickal tool to do a specific ritual or spell is as important as properly keying a tool.

Here's a sneak peek at what magickal tools can do: 

• Firebowl: Send a message to higher beings and Spirit guides by burning your written request and letting your wish ride the currents of smoke upward until they reach the higher beings

• Wand: Create communication between two people who refuse to speak to each other by using the Wand to create a "communications link" (the Wand uses Air energies, which govern communication)

• Athame: Banish any unfriendly beings from your sacred space in five minutes or less

• Chalice: See into the future or past by putting a dark liquid into your Chalice, giving the Chalice a command, such as "Show me .." and then watching the show play out on the surface (this technique is also called scrying)

• Pantacle (plate): Heal broken bones or soft-tissue injuries far ahead of any doctor's predictions by focusing and gathering the power of the Earth element into a cone of energy projected by the Pantacle

• Pendulum: Got trouble? Swing your pendulum counter-clockwise to "undo" your troubles

These are just a few of the things that a properly keyed magickal tool can do when used in an appropriate manner. If you want to learn more about magickal tools, delve into our tools ebooks. Read more about those ebooks HERE.

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Have No Fear of Fear

"Fear is the emotion that comes forth when you are choosing a thought that is not up to speed with the desire that you hold. You're going to feel it and you're going to feel it stronger. It is the reason that the word "terror" or "terrorist", or "terrorizing" is such an appropriate word. It is not only in the action that you witness, or that you hear about, it is in the speculation that begins to run rampant. The power of the terrorists is much greater in things that never come to be than it ever is in the things that do come to be."

---Abraham

Fear comes in all shapes and sizes, just as people come in all shapes and sizes. We all have fear, although many of us are unwilling to face our fears, or even admit that we have fears. Most people consider fear to be a sign of weakness, a vulnerability to be covered up as much as possible. But you have probably noticed that fear is one of those emotions that you can run from... yet you can never truly hide from fear.

Fear shows up in those pre-dawn hours as nightmares. Fear shows up in specific phobias. Fear is the driving force whenever we avoid anything in our lives, whether we avoid social situations or the entanglements of certain types of relationships.

The good news is that fear is a useful sort of beacon in our lives. Fear shows us where we are "stuck" in our lives and gives us a chance to face the factors that keep us from moving forward to the next phase of our lives.

Magickally, fear can be faced, addressed, and released in many different ways. One of the best and most satisfying methods is to use the "Big Burn" ritual. The Big Burn ritual is great for literally "burning away" anything unwanted, including negativity, fear, and other factors in life that are no longer useful. Here's what you will need to do this ritual, along with how to conduct the ritual.

The Firebowl
A Firebowl is just what it sounds like--a large bowl made of a sturdy material. Brass, cast iron, and ceramic are best. Hardwood, like iron wood, also works. Although Firebowls can vary in size, the most convenient size seems to be 4-6 inches wide and 4-6 inches deep. This size can easily be carried from place to place as you do this ritual. One important consideration is to choose a Firebowl that has a slight curve inward at the top, and then a slight outward flare above that. This shape allows the smoke from the Firebowl to rise upwards in a nice column. In addition to your Firebowl, you will also need:

• Self-starting charcoal discs (can be found in many religious or New Age stores)
• Wood chips to insulate the charcoal from resin or incense and facilitate burning
• Pine resin
• Unscented kitty litter or gravel or fire clay
• Finely ground or rubbed sage
• Sun Candle (any candle of bright yellow will do)
• Pen and plenty of blank paper
• Optional: set of prongs to hold the charcoal discs during lighting (prongs used in ice buckets are ideal)

 Preparing for the Ritual
Once you have gathered all of your materials, find a quiet place in your house to do this ritual. You will need to sit in the South facing North with all of your materials in front of you. If you don't know which direction is South, you may need to use a compass to locate that direction. Use your compass outside for best results and least interference from electrical and other power-related sources inside your house.

Once you are comfortably seated in the South facing North, sit down and write a list of all the fears you are ready to release from your life. You can write a comprehensive list and do this ritual once, or you can write a shorter list first to see what happens. You can always repeat this ritual at any time, so don't worry if you leave anything off the list. In addition, we often recommend that people do this ritual multiple times even with a complete list. Fears take many years to settle into our lives, so it may take some repetition to truly remove those fears from their entrenched places.

Once your list is complete, your next step is to prepare your firebowl by putting the kitty litter (or gravel or fire clay) at the bottom of the firebowl. Add at least two inches to prevent the Firebowl from getting too hot at the bottom.

Next, use paper or wooden matches to light and charge your Sun Candle with the following verse:

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

Charging the Sun Candle is the equivalent of telling the Sun Candle what you want it to do for you.

The Big Burn Ritual
The following directions will take you through the rest of the Big Burn ritual.
1. Wait for the Sun Candle flame to settle into a nice tall "working flame". A "working flame" is tall, steady, and strong.

2. Use a wooden or paper match to light the charcoal, using the flame of the charged Sun Candle. Alternately, you can also hold the charcoal in a set of prongs and light the charcoal directly from the Sun Candle flame. The charcoal should begin sparking and growing warm immediately.

3. Once you are sure the charcoal is lit, place it in the center of the Firebowl. Blow Sun Yellow energy pulled from the Sun Candle onto the disc until the charcoal is burning strongly. Don't think about "how" to pull energy from the Sun Candle and blow it at the disc. Your body and higher self already know how to do this. Simply feel the energy radiating from the Sun Candle, allow it enter your body, and then feel the same energy going out with each breath as you breathe Sun Yellow onto the charcoal.

4. Once the charcoal is burning well (you will see areas of orange and yellow), add wood shavings to the charcoal. Once the wood shavings have started to burn, add the pine resin and the rubbed or powdered sage until the Firebowl is producing a strong column of smoke.

5. Use the verse below to charge the Firebowl (to program the Firebowl for a specific purpose). Blow Sun Yellow energy from the Sun Candle into the Firebowl before and after each verse:

"Fire and Air where you are cast,
Let no spell nor adverse purpose last,
Not in accord with me!
Clear from my life these unwanted matters,
Send far from my life these negative factors!
Thus my will, so it be!"

Now you are ready for the Big Burn part of the ritual. Place your Firebowl in front of you (be sure your Firebowl is large enough to accommodate the burning of the paper on which you have written your list – if not, move the entire operation to the sink or some other place that is safe for burning).

6. Hold the list of fears you want to release in both hands. Take a moment to focus on the list, and focus on the fact that you are ready to release these fears. To assist you in this process, feel free to call upon angels, spirit guides, or any other spiritual helpers who might assist you in releasing your fears. Once you feel your intent is clear, and you have asked for any assistance you feel may be helpful, you are ready to move to the next step.

7. Light your list from the flame of the Sun Candle. If you have more than one sheet, start with the first sheet and burn only one sheet at a time. Once the sheet has caught flame, put the burning list in the Firebowl and watch it burn. Say a mantra if it feels right to you, or just visualize your fears going up in smoke. Repeat the process for each page of your list of fears.

If the fears on your list have been in your life for a long time, or if you simply feel right in doing so, repeat this ritual for 40 days in a row. You can write a new daily list of fears or you can burn the same list for 40 days in a row. The act of repeatedly releasing fears through this process for 40 days is based on the fact that 40 is a spiritual number, and we have witnessed the power of repeating a ritual for 40 days in a row.

The next time you find yourself "stuck" in life, held in place by fears, simply do a Big Burn and magickally clear those fears out of your life. You may want to keep a journal to track the appearance of disappearance of those fears from your life. Many people find the Big Burn to be a very satisfying magickal way of releasing anything that is no longer needed in their lives. The Big Burn is a great magickal ritual to use any time you are ready to move into the next phase of your life and need to release the old.

For more great rituals using magickal tools check out our Kindle book - Learn How to Do Witchcraft Rituals and Spells with Magical Tools.

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Self Defense: Do Banishments Affect Friendly Spirits?

This is a great question, and one that we get a lot. Like many self-defense techniques, the "area banishment" is a great technique to use if you want to clear your property of unfriendly spirits, ghosts. thought forms, and other unseen beings. Banishments can even be used to clear out astral projections from other people who might want to invade your space. One of the best benefits of a banishment is that it is particularly effective if you can't pinpoint the specific location of the being or beings you want to cleanse the area of.

But what about spirit guides, animal totems, angels, and other helpful friendly spirits? Do they get swept away by the electric blue fiery force of a banishment? The good news is that they don't. The majority of friendly spirits know when you are going to do a banishment, and tend to leave the area before you use this magical technique. How do these friendly spirits have such knowledge? Because these beings usually reside at a higher level on the hierarchy of beings than humans, so they tend to "know" more and see more than we do. Thus they know ahead of time when a person is even thinking of doing a banishment, and are likely to make themselves scarce far in advance of the actual banishment.

Here is a great story from one of our students that proves that friendly spirits are "in the know":

"I had been communicating with a spirit guide for about a year when my friends and family started questioning whether this being was friendly. After all, every time I spoke to this being directly (he would incarnate for short periods of time), I would be unable to speak afterward for a period of time, lasting from a few hours to a day. In addition, this spirit guided me to forgive certain people that my family and friends found "unforgivable." There were also other pieces of advice and guidance that my "tribe" questioned. There wasn't really any way that I could explain to them that I KNEW this being was friendly. Luckily, at the time I was taking the Basic Magic Class from the Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic, and I was able to ask my teacher about this. He said, 'Just do a banishment. Follow up by either putting up psychic teflon on your house, or putting up an omnil (energy shield) around your whole property. Then see if the being is still around.' So I followed those instructions, using my athame to do a banishment, followed by putting up an electric blue omnil around my entire property. Guess what? The spirit guide reappeared right after I had finished putting up the last circle of my omnil. He was grinning from ear to ear and said, 'You didn't think you could get rid of me THAT easily did you?' He thought the whole thing was hilarious and we picked up right where we left off in terms of the spiritual lessons he was giving me. I was half-relieved that my spirit guide hadn't left, and half-bummed that he was still around because the spiritual lessons he was giving me were difficult at best. Nevertheless, I am glad that he stuck around despite the banishment. I am also delighted that this technique only banishes the unfriendly beings on the property, and that the helpful spirits come right back once the banishment is done!"

As you can see from this student's story, banishments will not affect friendly or helpful beings and spirits. So feel free to banish and put up omnils and shield your house with psychic teflon if need be. The friendly beings won't be in the least bit offended, and your area will be clear of nasty beings who are less than helpful. To learn more about how to use these techniques, along with the specific rules of psychic self-defense, please check out our Self-Defense online course. This course will guide you through the ins and outs of defending yourself magically on multiple planes and against multiple types of beings. It's knowledge worth having for any magical practitioner.

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My Magic Spell Didn't Work -- Now What?

You did all the right things. You did divination before you launched your magic spell to see if it would produce the right results. You gathered the right symbols for the spell. You cleansed your space prior to the launch. Then you launched it ... and nothing's happening.

Now what?

Good question. There are quite a few reasons that magic spells don't work for people, and I've listed the three biggest reasons I see below. Check them out and see if they are true for your spell. If so, you might want to take down the existing one and start over.

1. You Are Trying to Accomplish Too Many Things
A lot of people believe that if they must go to the trouble to design, write, test, and launch a spell, they might as well put all their life's desire into the spell. Spellwork does take a lot of time and energy, so people don't want to waste it. Consequently, they pack it with everything they have ever wanted, from a dream trip to Europe to winning the lottery.

While I can certainly understand the motivation of not wanting to waste effort, I know that this is also the reason that a lot of spells don't work. A spell isn't like a menu, where you can pack in a bunch of different choices. The principle of a spell is more like the main principle followed by military snipers: "One shot. One kill." For a spell, the principle is "One spell. One aim."

If your spell didn't produce the intended results, look it over, especially your list of Directors and Limiters, and see if you packed your spell with too many demands. That might be the reason it isn't performing.

2. You Used Someone Else's Spell
There are a lot of books out there on spell work, and a lot of good spells that you can use to achieve some aim. If you just want to achieve something small, like a better mindset for studying or attracting a small chunk of money owed to you, using someone else's pre-written spell often works very well.

Where I see this approach fail is when people use a pre-written spell to try to create a major change in their lives. For instance, to transform yourself from a poor country mouse to an instant millionaire isn't going to happen if you use someone else's pre-written spell. It also probably won't work if you have someone else launch their pre-written spell for you. If you want to create this kind of change, plan on writing and designing your own spell.

3. You Haven't Waited Long Enough
This one is a biggie. We teach people to specify date ranges in their spells. This gives your spells some freedom in which to work. For instance, you might specify in your Directors and Limiters that you want to your magic spell to produce results between 3 and 6 months from the date of launch. This allows your spell to find that time of least resistance in which to create the desired change.

Having said that, I've seen big spells that don't work in the specified time period, but do eventually work. I launched a big one once to stop a bill from passing in Congress. The bill passed (which meant my spell didn't have the desired effect at that time) but was later over-ridden by another bill. Another example is a big spell my wife wrote to get a farm. She specified that the spell should produce a certain type of farm plus the needed income to buy the farm within one year. We didn't get the farm in one year. Instead, we ended up with a better farm three years later, with more income than was needed to buy the farm.

If you've launched a big spell, by which I mean a multiple-candle or Tarot-style spell, sometimes the results do not happen in the time period you specify, especially if the spell has to overcome a lot of resistance. Be patient. If you want to check whether you magic spell is still working, once your specified date range has passed, do Tarot readings to find out.

The Art and Craft of Spellwork
Spellwork is one of the high arts of magic, and it takes time, practice, and dedication to master, especially if you want to create change on a large scale. It does work. I've seen spells work over and over with good consistency.

Spellwork is also one of my favorite magical arts to teach because the people who are interested in this art are generally talented, interesting, and fabulous to work with. If this sounds like you, and if you are interested in learning the craft of spellwork, you may want to consider the online Basic Magic course. It will give you the deep knowledge to become a competent spell-caster in your own right.

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On the Magic of the "In-Betweens"

Magic lives in the "in-between" moments of our world. Think about it. Do you ever wonder why children can see fairies and angels, but adults usually can't? It's because as adults we have learned to see the concrete fixed objects in our world, not the shadows between the objects. We've learned to focus our attention on the tasks of our day, not the moments between tasks. In other words, we've lost the magic of the "in betweens" in our lives.

Why Magic Happens "In-Between"
If you read a lot of different esoteric authors, you'll find that most of them tell the same message, which is that magic tends to appear in-between things rather than directly. For instance, Carlos Castaneda writes about how Don Juan taught him to view the world in terms of the shadows that were present, instead of seeing the world of light. Other writers talk about the real essence of music is the space between the notes, rather than the notes themselves. Meditation masters strive to lengthen the gap between thoughts, so the magic can slip in and miracles can happen.

So why does magic happen "in-between"? Because by its definition magic is, well, magical. It surprises and astonishes us. It seems miraculous, impossible, and amazing. By definition, none of the things we can see, touch, and move directly in this world meet those criteria. It's not magic if we take a lot of action and achieve something. It is magic if we wish for something but take no action, and our wish becomes manifest.

How to Expand Your "In-Between" for More Magic
There are lots of magical ways to create and expand the "in-between" moments in your life, so magic can sneak up on you and surprise you. Flipping your world on its head is one fun way to do this. How do you flip your world upside down? Easy. Here are three ways to get you started:

1. See the World in Terms of Shadow
This is the exercise Don Juan gave to Carlos Castaneda. With this exercise when you look at a scene, try to see only the shadows, not the objects in the light.

2. Listen for Silence
We are constantly drowning in sound, even though we may not notice it. During the day, see if you can hear the silence instead of any concrete sound. What is the sound of silence? Many people hear it as a low ringing or buzzing in their ears, and some magical practitioners actually use this sound as a magical power source for spell work and other energy work.

3. Create Pauses Between Action and Reaction
Most of the time, we cruise around the world mechanically, and react automatically to any stimulus that hits our senses. When someone says, "Hi!" we automatically respond with a "Hi, how are ya?" We may not even really notice the interaction, or remember it later. To create more in-between times in your day, create a pause between the time a stimulus hits your senses and the time you respond. For instance, when someone says, "Hey, how are ya?" instead of sending back an automatic reply, take a moment to pause, stop, look the person in the eyes, and then reply. This pause can take all of one second, but the deliberate insertion of a pause between input and output creates an "in-between" moment. You can do the same thing when the phone rings. Stop a moment before your reach out to answer the phone ... wait for a couple of rings ... and then answer.

What kinds of magic will creep into these deliberately created moments between things? Only you will know. Magic can be very personal at the level of these exercises, so how it manifests in your life will also be personal. Be on the lookout for the magic, though, because the more "in-betweens" you create, the more magic will show up in your life!

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The Magic of Flying Blind

The phrase about the blind leading the blind has always been used scornfully to mean that certain people don't know what they are doing. But perversely, from a magical point of view, we often use blindness with purpose, so that we can sharpen our other senses, our spirit senses.

Magic and One Way to Fly Blind
In many self-empowerment workshops you will encounter a very simple exercise that captures the essence of flying blind: it's called the blind date. You partner up with someone and close your eyes. Your partner leads you around by the hand, first at a walk, then perhaps at a jog. You must put your complete trust in your partner not to run you into a wall or other people who are also on a blind date.

If you have ever done this exercise, then you know what happens. After a while, your other senses, like your sense of hearing, smell, or touch, increase to accommodate your temporary lack of sight. The same thing happens in magic. When you deliberately shut off one of your senses, like sight, you have a better chance of improving your spirit senses.

A Very Simple Magic Ritual to Practice Flying Blind
There are many magic rituals where we deliberately close our eyes or use blindfolds, but it is best to start out with a very simple magical exercise. This one can be done anytime you talk on the phone with another person, assuming you are sitting down rather than driving down the road chatting on your cell phone.

As you speak to the person on the other end of the phone, close your eyes. Now visualize what the other person is doing. Are they sitting down? If so, what is their posture? Are they walking around their house? Extend your perceptions. Can you tell what they are thinking or if you can predict what they will say next?

If you have difficulty with visualization, imagine yourself extending your senses through the phone line until they reach the other person. This often helps people get in touch with their spirit senses, which are crucial for most magic rituals.

Jot down any insights, visions, or information that comes to you through your spirit senses. If you like, you can ask the other person a question or two to verify whether your spirit senses are correct. It really doesn't matter whether you are correct in the beginning. The goal is to locate, use, and develop your spirit senses.

Do this exercise for at least 10 phone conversations. You will notice a definite increase in the amount of psychic or spirit-sense information that you receive. If, after doing this exercise 10 times, you don't feel that you have located or used your spirit senses, have 10 more phone conversations with your eyes open. You might be surprised at how much physical sight interferes with your spirit senses. Most people receive far less spirit-sense data when they have their eyes open.

Make sense? Have fun with this. For more fun and practical magic rituals and exercises, check out our ebooks, and our online courses.

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What Harry Potter Doesn't Know About Magic Tools

In the Harry Potter movies, Harry uses his wand for every type of magical act, from throwing bolts of lightning to using it underwater. Unfortunately, the Wand is an Air tool and is best used for acts such as magical communication, message-sending, and Air-type healings. But not to criticize Harry too much since he is entertaining and we enjoy his stories; even most Tarot decks use Fire colors for Wands and Air Colors for Swords or Athames, which is completely backwards. So what are real magic tools and what elements do they conduct? Here's a short list of the tools for each of the four elements and what types of magical operations you could expect to use each of the magic tools for.

Wand – Air Element Tool
The Wand is the magic tool that is designed to conduct Air element energies. It would be used for:

• sending messages to others in the Air colors clear, white or sky blue
• constructing Air element omnils and shields for doors and windows
• putting up Air element half shields for protection
• healing techniques including sweeping with Air colors, pulling Air colors and Touch Assist

Athame – Fire Element Tool
The Athame is a magical knife designed to conduct Fire element energies including the colors of Sun Yellow, red-orange, yellow-orange, bright red, red-purple, and electric blue. It would be used for magical operations such as:

• creating Fire element color door and window shields and omnils that last longer than Air shields
• putting up Fire element half shields for protection
• banishing unwanted spirits from a space
• cutting psychic lines
• healing with fire energy including sweeping Fire element colors, pulling Fire element colors and using beams of Fire energy to breakup and remove problems (i.e. – kidney stones)

Chalice – Water Element Tool
The Chalice or Cup is the magic tool designed to conduct Water element energies. It would be used for such magical techniques as:

• Four Element cleansings of an area, person or object
• Nighttime Blessing ritual
• throwing bolts of water energy
• making a standing shield similar to an ominil to capture watchers or archetypes or for protection for small objects to keep negative energies away or for simulacra
• sending messages that affect others on an emotional level
• creating a psychic communication link with another
• healing by flowing water energy to flush something out of the system or dissolve something such as calcification in arthritic joints, and pulling excess water energy from someone

Plate – Earth Element Tool
The plate or pentacle is the magic tool designed to conduct Earth element energies of grass green and earth brown. It can be used for magical operations such as:

• shielding
• cutting psychic lines on yourself
• healing by using beams of Earth energies
• keying Tarot cards and for use in Tarot readings
• making a plate and chalice protection

Basically anything you can do with your hands and the elements magically, you can do with tools. The magic tools just help you extend your reach and often give more strength to your technique. You do have to be sure you are using the right tool with its corresponding element however or your results could fail or even worse you could damage your magic tools. If you are ready to move on to using magic tools and learn all the techniques mentioned above and more, our Magic Tool ebooks might be just what you've been looking for. There is an ebook in this series for each of the magic tools that correspond to the four elements as well as for using the Firebowl. Learn how to select or make each tool, key it to your own energies, align its elemental energies, and techniques for using each tool on your own schedule in your own time. It's a great way to extend your magical practice and bring more magic to your life.

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 Image courtesy of  Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net