Magically Reaching for Inspiration

Do you ever wonder why inspiration sometimes just comes to you but other times you can't find it on a bet? And do you ever notice how when you are inspired everything is easier? Work is easier, play is more fun, and magic is more accessible. The question then becomes, "How can we be more inspired more of the time?" Are there magical means for reaching the muses of inspiration?

To ferret out the answers to these questions we first have to know something about inspiration. What is it? We can sometimes identify the situations in which inspiration strikes us -- like during a red-hot brainstorming session or the runner's high after a good long jog or even while singing in the shower. Inspiration and solutions to life problems simply come to us in these situations.

What these situations share in common is the level of our energetic vibration. At times like these our energy is buzzing at a very high and very refined level. The vibration of inspiration is also a high frequency, so when we get that "runner's high" we are a match for the energy of inspiration. In other words, the key to getting inspired is to get happy or energetically high.

Dianetics founder L. Ron Hubbard cataloged our various emotions into what he called the Tone Scale. From this scale you can see how different emotional states are ranked in terms of energetic vibration, from Apathy to Enthusiasm, with Enthusiasm being at the top end of the scale. Here is a partial list that you can use as a reference:

4.0 ENTHUSIASM (Cheerfulness) A lighthearted soul with a free mind. Flexible. A winner.
3.5 INTEREST (Amusement) Actively interested in subjects related to survival. Doing well.
3.0 CONSERVATISM (Contentment) The conformist. Don't rock the boat. Resists change. Not too many problems.
2.5 BOREDOM The spectator. All the world is a stage and he's the audience. Neither contented nor discontented. He endures things. Purposeless. Careless. Not threatening. Not helpful.
1.8 PAIN Touchy, irritable, scattered. Striking at source of pain.
1.5 ANGER Chronic distemper. Blames. Holds grudges. Threatens. Demands obedience.
0.5 GRIEF The whiner. Collects grievances and old mementos. Dwells in the past. Feels betrayed. Everything painful.
0.05 APATHY Given up. Turned off. Suicidal. Addict, alcohol, gambler. Fatalistic. May pretend he's found "peace."

You can see how tones like Pain and Anger would be far from the high pure energy of inspiration while tones like Enthusiasm and Interest would be a match. Now that we know something about the energetic vibration of inspiration, the aim becomes getting ourselves into the tones of Interest or Enthusiasm.

Too hard, you say? Rest easy. Here are simple ways for raising the level of your vibration:

– EAT IT: For those on the run, sometimes ingesting high vibration foods is the best way to get your energy to that high fast rate because you are what you eat. Organic foods or foods prepared with loving care have higher vibrations than ordinary food. AFA bluegreen algae is one of purest foods with very high vibrations. Learn more or order online here:
http://www.prosperity-abounds.com/order.html

– COLOR IT: Wearing Sky Blue or Water Blue can help you more easily access the energy of inspiration. These colors nourish the Spirit and the emotions and can support a high emotional state throughout the day.

– LISTEN TO IT: Listening to inspiring music or a great speaker can help. We recommend the monthly CD program from Abraham-Hicks. Get a free sample by going to their website (http://www.abraham-hicks.com).

– BREATHE IT IN: Our experience shows that breathing deeply and consciously can help you feel good. That's one of the reasons that esoteric teachings have long recommended breathing exercises.

Enjoy these simple methods for helping yourself feel good. Remember, with magic it's never too late to have a happy childhood no matter what age you are!


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Magick to the Rescue Part 7: Lost? Find Your Way with Magickal Bread Crumbs

Earlier in this series Magick to the Rescue:
Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

The Esoteric School receives frequent requests from people asking for guidance and answers along this life journey, be it answers to questions about career and family or guidance on Spirit paths. While many schools of magickal or esoteric teaching tend to charge high prices for such services, the Esoteric School is more about offering many different wants for the "every man and every woman" to find their own answers through simple magickal rituals and options. Through our blog and newsletters, our article library, and inexpensive self-paced courses, our goal is to allow as many people to bring magick into their lives as possible.

Of course, if you feel lost in your life then browsing through our online article library can seem a big overwhelming task. Knowing where to begin in your use of magick can be as important as the use of magick itself. The following section offers five different ways you can discover answers and find your way on your path magickally, step-by-step... or if you are into fairy tales, bread crumb by bread crumb. If and when you feel lost, scan through the following list and find the option that attracts your attention. Your attention--and your intention--will get you started in the direction you need to go. Then all you need to do is follow the first bread crumb to the next, and the next, and the next... and before you know it you will be striding with confidence down a pathway lit with magickal help and guidance!

Magickal Solution #1: Follow the First Answer You Hear
Whether you are completely lost and have no idea what you want in your life, or you are just a little muddled about your next step to reach your goal, the Universe is always happy to deliver answers to you instantly. Many students have tried this approach with surprisingly positive results. The Universe will answer any question you ask deliberately with an immediate answer.

The steps to this ritual are simple. Simply say to yourself or out loud in a voice of command: "Universe please provide me an answer to the question I will ask. I will follow the first answer I hear, trusting that you know exactly what I want and will not lead me astray. [Ask your question here]." You don't have to use these exact words, but follow the intent of the words and phrases, and announce to the Universe that you want and need guidance to a certain question. The question could be as big as a new direction for your career and as small as to whether you have a cup of coffee in the morning.

The key is to follow the first answer that the Universe provides, which will be the first answer you hear. You might hear the answer as a voice in your mind (and even in your own voice). You might hear a snippet of a conversation from a passing group of strangers. A song lyric may possess the answer you seek. The important thing is to take and follow the FIRST answer you hear. The answer may seem crazy at the moment or not in sync with your question, but just use your best judgment as to how to use that answer. You will be amazed at the results. At the next crossroads on your path, ask the Universe the next question. This will lead you from bread crumb to bread crumb until you find your way along your path. More importantly, you will have developed a relationship of trust with the Universe. You will have greater trust with each answer you receive, and proceed with ever greater confidence!

Magickal Solution #2: Pick a Card, Any Card
Just as a magician doing stage magic might invite you to pick a card, any card, and then guess the card without looking at it, the Universe also invites you to pick a card to find answers to questions you seek. Only there's no smoke or mirrors when you play the "pick a card" game with the Universe... just the answers you seek. You can use Medicine Cards, Angel Cards, Tarot Cards, Sacred Path Cards... whichever set of cards calls to you.

First, ask your question to the Universe, either out loud or in your mind. Next, pick up your deck of choice and shuffle the deck until the mix feels "right" to you. Then fan out the cards on a table and choose a card. Or cut the deck and take the top card. Or use any method you like. Just remain consistent in your approach.

This card is your "theme of the day" as well as the answer to your question. Most of these decks come with books that explain the meaning of each card, often with each card having two different meanings depending on whether the card is upright or reversed. Choose your card, note its position (upright or reversed) and then read the meaning of the card. As with all the methods offered in this article, follow the advice offered by the card as best you can. Most of the time the answer will mesh neatly with the question. If not, hold the answer in mind as you go about your day. Chances are that the meaning of the card will appear more clear as the day goes on. If not, sleep on it and see what your dreams tell you about the card. Answers may trickle through your mind and consciousness in the most amusing and interesting ways.

Magickal Solution #3: Create Your Own Method
Ancient proverbs, wise gurus, and other spiritual teachers have often said that we know what is best for ourselves, and that the answers we seek can be found within our own hearts. If this be true, one of the neatest magickal ways to gain answers is to create your own method for the Universe to deliver answers. One person took seven different books, opened each book to a random page, and underlined a word or phrase. She then arranged the seven books in an ordered stack. Finally, she opened each book to the page she had marked and wrote down the word or phrase. The combined words and phrases from the seven books made up her "answer" from the Universe. Invariably, though there were missing words, the message was quite complete and readable. More importantly, the message made perfect sense to the person. She continues to use this method to this day to gain the answers she seeks. Other people have asked people they encounter what's happening in their lives. The answers may be deep or shallow (depending on whether the people were strangers or friends), and the answers have always shed light on the asking person's situation. The person may have had to "dig" or "decipher" the meaning, the answer was always there to find.

Magickal Solution #4: Reach Out and Touch Someone
This method is similar to the one just previously discussed. Only, this time, instead of asking a bunch of different people you encounter about what is happening in their lives, you reach out to a person with whom you have not had contact for a very long time. Perhaps a friend who was also a neighbor moved away and you lost contact over the years. Or maybe you changed jobs, and you now move in different social circles. Dig back through your old contacts and see if one jumps out at you. If so, then ask the Universe your question and request that the answer come from the conversation with the person with whom you are about to speak. Then pick up the phone and reach out to that person. However you go about choosing a person from your distant past, the Universe will find a way to send the answers you seek humming across the telephone wires or into the internet chats. The Universe encompasses all methods of technology, new and old.

Magickal Solution #4: Astrocartography
Those who have been members of 12-step programs have probably often heard that "geographic moves" won't solve life problems since "everywhere you go there you are." It is true that we carry ourselves and unique personality quirks with us wherever we go. At the same time, it is also magickally true that there are different places on Planet Earth that are more or less beneficial to us in a variety of ways. Some places are better for our health, while other places are better for finances or relationships. Spiritual development can be easier in certain locations, while our careers may flourish in yet other locations. Some locations have multiple benefits with few drawbacks.

Astrocartography, which is the science of mapping our astrology onto a global map, can help us find the best places for certain areas of our lives. Astrocartography can help us locate "power places" for various aspects of our lives. Many sites on the internet offer this service, and the cost is inexpensive. Some sites offer you readings on three places around the globe, while other sites offer you a global reading, which tells you where different lines from your astrological chart cross on the globe, and offering pros and cons for each location. If you are looking for a new and interesting method of finding magickal answers to your questions, consider browsing around astrocartography sites to see if they pique your interest!

Magickal Solution #5: The Good Old Coin Flip
The Universe is just as happy to offer answers through complex rituals such as Question Circles as it is through simple methods such as flipping a coin. If you are looking for a simple "Yes or No" answer, sometimes flipping a coin is the way to go. One of our students uses the coin flip for the most important decisions in his life. And guess what? The answers have never led him anywhere other than where he wanted to go. You, of course, may not be ready to put major life decisions in the result of a simple coin flip. Instead, start small. Prepare your coin by holding it in your dominant hand and flowing energy into the coin until the coin feels warm, energized, or charged. Decide which side of the coin means "Yes" and which side means "No." Also decide how you will flip your coin. Will you flip the coin with one hand, catch it in the same hand and then place the coin over top of your other hand? Or will you simply catch the coin in the same hand and see which side faces up? As with all of these magickal "bread crumb" methods, choose a method for your magickal work, and then consistently use this method every single time. Now you are ready. Ask the Universe your question, again aloud or in your mind, and flip your coin. Note the answer and go with it.

Even if the answer seems contradictory to what you expected, follow the answer that appears. Along with following a consistent magickal procedure, trusting and following the answers provided by the Universe will help you develop a strong relationship of trust with the Universe. If you second-guess every answer you receive through these methods, then you might as well seek the help of a counselor or business coach. All of the previous methods, like much of the magick we teach, is aimed at helping you develop your own personal relationship with the Universe, without the need to seek the help of a magickal practitioner. While there is certainly a time and place for seeking guidance and help from others, how much more magickal would your life be if you could directly ask the Universe for the answers you seek? Wouldn't life be so much more magickal, more fun, and more miraculous?


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Magick to the Rescue Part 6: Accept Where You Are

Earlier in this series Magick to the Rescue:
Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Most of the time we humans tend to think that we are in control of our lives. And for the most part the Universe (substitute the name of the Higher Being closest to you) allows us to have that illusion of control. And then just when we think we have our lives just how we want them (or not), those pesky higher beings sweep in and change our lives, often quite drastically. The results can be devastating. Sometimes we end up with debt up to our ears because a law was passed in a country halfway around the world. Other times some sort of freedom is taken away from us, be it the bars of a jail or the loss of freedom of movement due to paralysis of the body. Yet other times a person we love is taken from us.

No matter what drastic event has occurred in your life, you are left high and dry in a very sudden way. The landscape looks bleak. You probably feel shell-shocked with no idea how to proceed, or even what to do when you get out of bed each day.

Magick to the Rescue: Accept Where You Are
Magick can help you get out of life's messes with amazing speed and miraculous results. But before you can move on, you first have to accept where you are. Using magick to change your life is very similar to looking at those giant map kiosks at the mall that show the location of each store and restaurant. But the map cannot help you in the slightest until you find the bright red arrow or dot that says, "You are here."

So whatever drastic or tragic life event has happened, find the place inside yourself that says, "I am here. This is what has happened to me, and I accept that, for now, my life is x, y, and z." Be as factual in your description of your current life situation as you can. Avoid using negative adjectives. For instance, if you have accumulated a lot of debt, instead of saying, "I have such an enormously shameful amount of debt," use a statement that is more factual, such as, "The current amount of debt to my name is $x." Thus you are not shaming, blaming, or complaining about the debt, but are simply stating that the debt associated with your name is x amount. Notice how the statement also did not say, "My debt is x, y, and z." While it is true that you are the one who will have to pay back the debt, you don't really want to claim it the way you claim your favorite little black dress or your best set of golf clubs. The goal is to accept the level of debt without adding greater personal attachment to it.

Magick to the Rescue: Create a Practical Plan and Test It!
When confronted with a drastic life change, the idea of creating a practical plan can seem ridiculous. After all, there is panicking to attend to, who has time to create a practical plan? You do. And you must. If you don't create a practical plan to hoist yourself out of hot water, who will?

Luckily, magick can also help you with the practical. The process is a simple combination of a number of rituals. Ready? Good. You will need a bright yellow candle, paper or wooden matches, a pen, and paper. Here's how you use your magick to create a practical plan to get you out of hot water, bit by bit:

1. Give you and your Spirit Guides a spiritual boost by charging a Sun Candle (this is a mini candle spell). Get a bright yellow candle (no orange overtones), preferably in glass for safety. Sit in the South facing North with your candle in front of you. Use your paper or wooden matches to light your candle. When the flame becomes tall and strong, cup your hands around the flame, and then say in a voice of command:

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

2. Now set the candle to the side, send up a short prayer of thanks and request for help to the higher (if you like), and pick up your pen and paper. Think about your current life "problem or situation" and spend no more than five minutes writing a list of practical action steps that might improve your life situation. Write anything and everything that comes to mind, whether or not the idea seems useful, practical, distasteful, or impossible. Simply write. Don't think. Allow ideas to flow through the pen from higher beings onto paper. Consider your writing channeling rather than thinking. Allow the higher beings you invited into your sacred space with the Sun Candle and your request for help to flow their creativity and ideas through your pen and onto the paper.


3. Once you have completed your writing, you will now dowse your list to determine which items are meant for present use, which ideas will come in handy later, and which items you may never use. To begin, start with your non-dominant hand. Touch the tip of the index finger and thumb of that hand together so the fingers form an "O". Ensure that the other fingers are pointing slightly up so that they don't interfere with the space inside the "O" shape. Now put the index finger of your dominant hand in the center of the "O" formed by the fingers of your non-dominant hand. Say in a voice of command, "Show me Yes!" Then with force use the index finger of your dominant hand to try to break the bond of the fingers forming the "O" shape. If you are successful, then each time you are able to break the bond of the fingers forming the "O", the answer to the question you ask during dowsing is "Yes." Now repeat procedure this time saying, "Show me No!" The opposite action should occur. If the fingers parted for "Yes," they should hold together for "No." Practice this a few times so you are clear about the signals for "Yes" and "No."


Don't worry if you get conflicting signals at first. Simply practice the "Yes" and "No" a few times and use the most common results for "Yes" and "No." For instance, if the fingers part most of the time for "Yes," then this becomes your signal for the answer "Yes," and closed finger means "No." Don't spend a lot of time worrying about this step. Just get a feeling for the signal for each answer, and then move on to the next step.

4. In this step you will combine the list you wrote with finger-testing. For each item on the list, ask the following questions:

"Is this item likely to be useful in solving my life situation [describe your life situation in a few words] at all in the future?"

"Will this item be useful in solving my life situation [describe it using the same words] either in the present or in the near future, [state a time from such as "three to six months from today"]?"

"Will this item be useful in solving my life situation [describe it using the same words] in the far future, [state a logical time frame such as "six more months from today"]?"

Jot down the Yes/No answers for all three questions for each action item or possible solution you listed.


5. Rewrite your list into three separate lists, separated by whether the item on your list will be helpful in the present or near future, helpful in the far future, or not helpful at all.  Don't throw away the list of items that are ostensibly "not helpful at all" because the future is always changing. A decision or action you take now or in a few weeks could move an item from one list to another.

6. Now place just the list of items that your dowsing deemed useful for the present and near future. Using the same finger-testing method, ask yourself:

"Are there other ideas or solutions that would be helpful to me now or in the [state your time frame for "near future" here] that are not yet on this list?"

If the answer is "Yes," then ask an angel to help you complete your list. Say aloud or internally,

"I would like to request the help of an angel of Sun Yellow, Water Blue, Grass Green, and Sky Blue who specializes in [state the problem for which you want the angel's help]..." 

 [pause here for a few seconds to allow the angel to appear]...

"Angel of Sun Yellow, Water Blue, Grass Green, and Sky Blue who specializes in [state the problem for which you want the angel's help], I would like to request your help in completing this list of items that will help me in the present and near future so that I can move forward in my life and solve this particular problem. I thank you in advance for your help!"

Always thank higher beings in advance for their help. It is a show of good faith and is also a polite way to interact with higher beings. Then be prepared with pen and paper handy because chances are high that the angel will absolutely flood you with information, ideas, strategies, tactics, and insights that will amaze you! Once the flow of information has stopped, thank the angel again for the help--again, appreciation is valuable and much loved by higher beings, not to mention the only form of payment they require.


7. Finally, take your newly expanded list of ideas and actions that can help you tackle your sticky life problem in the present and near future. Arrange the list chronologically based on importance and timing. You can put some items concurrently if you feel that working on both items in parallel will help. Finally, if you want to double check your list, use finger testing to ask whether each item is in the correct order. If not, use finger testing to check whether the item should be moved up or down the list, and how far.

Once complete, you now have an action of plan for moving through, around, over, under, or simply beyond the curve ball that life has thrown into your life. You no longer need to feel stuck, helpless, hopeless, or angry about your life. Take comfort in the fact that even though your hands did the writing and finger testing, angels and higher beings were guiding your pen and your fingers every step of the way.

One final piece of advice: magickally, we say, "a small change in the present produces a larger change in the future." That means that acting on even one of the seemingly insignificant items on your list could result in a much bigger change in your future. The future is never fixed but is always dependent on the present. The moral of the story is to check your "present" and "future" and "never" lists frequently to see if items need to be added, removed, shifted in position, or moved to a different list. Your fingers will always steer you in the right magickal direction! To learn more about communicating with higher beings and using divination, check out our Psychic Development ebook.


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Magick to the Rescue Part 5: Stuck or Trapped? How to Think Magickally

See earlier articles in this series:
Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3
Part 4

Who among us has not been stuck or trapped in a situation that seems impossible to resolve? We wonder how we have managed to paint ourselves into a corner... and if even we figure that out, we still can't find the solution. No worries! It's magick to the rescue. One of the best characteristics of using magick while living in the ordinary world is that magick exists on a higher level. That means that seemingly impossible problems are totally solvable by using magick.

With magick, there is always a solution, provided you think magickally. One of the best ways to check whether your mind is stuck on the hamster wheel of the "impossible" side of the problem, or whether you're using a more magickal approach is to go around the Medicine Wheel and check in with the four directions.

Winds of the East
On the Medicine Wheel, the direction East is about thinking, communicating, breathing, meditating, enlightenment, planning, and so on. Magickally, one key thought that comes from the Winds of the East is:

"Nothing is impossible with magick. Everything is possible with magick"

If you find yourself down in the dumps, go outside, face the direction East, and say aloud in a voice of command, "Winds of the East, please help me remember today that nothing is impossible with magick, and that everything is possible with magick. Thank you in advance for your help."

Pay attention to whether you continue to have hopeless thoughts, or whether new ideas, fresh outlooks, and changed perspectives come your way. Thank the Winds of the East again (using the same procedure) in the evening before you go to bed. Appreciation and gratitude are the best spiritual coin for higher beings who assist us.

Winds of the South
On the Medicine Wheel the direction South is about action, motivation, courage, movement, desire, and so forth. The magickal phrase that is often paired with the Winds of the South is:

"There are no wrong actions when guided by magick. Action is movement, and movement is life. The more alive you are, the more magickal your being becomes."

As with the Winds of the East, you can ask for help using the same procedure whenever you feel the Winds of the South can be helpful. Call on the Winds of the South when you feel stuck, frustrated. unmotivated, fearful of taking action, or unsure of the next step. Face South rather than East, and use the same approach given previously. As with the Winds of the East, thank the Winds of the South ahead of time, and again at the end of the day. As you move through your day, notice whether you feel more motivated, moved to action, and less fearful about taking a misstep. If so, the Winds of the South are working in your life.

Winds of the West
The Winds of the West, on the Medicine Wheel, stand for feelings, emotions, passions (especially when combined with the fiery energy of the Winds of the South), and the language of Spirit. The key phrase for the Winds of the West is:

"When I listen to my feelings I am guided by my Higher Spirit. All is well and will continue to be well so long as I follow the guidance of my Higher Spirit."

Magickally, you are not your body. You are a Spirit who has a body and a mind. Your Spirit lives in both the ordinary world and the Spirit realms. As such, your Spirit has access to more information about the lessons you are to learn this lifetime, the goals you set for yourself this lifetime, the experiences you hoped to have this lifetime, and more. Thus, listening to the guidance of your Higher Spirit via your emotions is an excellent way to navigate your way through life. Use the same ritual given previously to ask for help from the Winds of the West.

Winds of the North
Strength and perseverance are the hallmarks of the Winds of the North. While the Winds of the South represent the fiery essence of power, the staunch Winds of the North represent the strength to endure life's hardships and suffering. The key phrase used with the Winds of the North is:

"I have the strength to endure all that is in my life as I await the results of the workings of Spirit, magick, the Universe, and all higher beings I have asked to help. Higher help always comes to me, and until then I have the strength to endure."

When life seems unfair, or sorting your way through life's problems seems to be taking an interminable amount of time, ask the Winds of the North to bolster your strength and endurance. The Winds of the North can make staunch allies when the going gets tough.

Why Magick Does Not Work Immediately
One of the most common misconceptions about magick is that it can and will "instantly" fix life's problems, large or small. Magick is not an instant parlor trick. Rather, magick is a living energy that we beings tap into for all the attributes listed in this article: knowledge, power, guidance from Spirit, and the strength to endure.

Magick CAN and DOES solve those problems that are seemingly impossible to solve with ordinary means. At the same time, magick is neither instant nor free. While anyone is free to tap into the giant wave of magick that exists on this planet and throughout this Universe, magick requires payment in knowledge, learning, skill, power, appreciation, and practice. Those who practice magick on a daily basis will gain in force on an exponential level. Those who simply dabble with magick will gain magickal help in small increments, but will not be able to cobble together enough force to perform the more complicated and powerful magickal rituals.

Magick is a living force in our world, just as any part of Mother Nature is a living, breathing force. One of the most important goals of practicing magick is to develop a strong and unshakable relationship with the different spirits, guides, totems, guardians, and beings on the Hierarchy of magickal creatures in this Universe. Just as any banker who is a total stranger may lend you a small amount of money for some enterprise, a personal banker who has come to know and trust you will not hesitate to lend you much larger sums of money based mostly on trust and mutual respect. The same is true of the magickal beings in the Universe. Trust and respect are built over time through the diligent practice and working of magick on a daily basis.

The motto of the story is this: Magick will always come to your rescue if you so allow. The degree of help you gain from the forces of magick is dependent on the depth of your relationship with these forces. Like any good relationship, your relationship with the living power that is magick--and the specific magickal beings in the Universe--must be cultivated and tended to over time. Such relationships are developed, deepened, and woven tightly day by day, magickal act by magickal act. This, then, is how one truly thinks as a practitioner of magick. If you are ready to start on a magickal path, our Witchcraft Spell Book: The Complete Guide of Witchcraft Rituals & Spells for Beginners Kindle book can help you begin. See all our Kindle books and magickal ebooks.

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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