The Magic of the Long Moment

Time travel, or the manipulation of time, has long been a shaman's tool for healing or research. For instance, a shaman might take a person back into a past life event so that person can understand what happened, or a shaman might travel into the future to explore possible what-ifs. For shamans and magicians time is elastic: it can be stretched like taffy, compressed like cotton or frozen like ice.

One of the simplest ways to begin playing with time magically is to practice the art of the long moment. The art of the long moment is simply the ability to slow our perception of certain events so that we can really see what is happening in present time. It's called the Cortothalamic Pause. Why do we need such a pause? Because we normally rush headlong through life events at the speed of sound, which doesn't give us optimum time to respond appropriately.

Here's the 3 step process that normally happens in any life event:

1. We receive an incoming perception: A person speaks loudly to us

2. The perception is immediately routed by our flow of associations to a certain place in our memory: In this or a past life, we have memories of loud voices and anger.

3. The perception is assigned a meaning: The person is angry with us.

These three steps happen in less than a second. Less than one second after we receive an incoming impression, we have assigned a meaning to the perception and are already beginning to react. We will assume that the person is angry with us regardless of what the person is actually feeling.

In the regular course of things, our time is compressed in this way. There's no time to really evaluate the incoming perception and respond appropriately. Do you ever overreact in the heat of the moment and wonder why? It's because you had no Cortothalamic Pause. You reacted based on memory. In other words, most of us are interacting with life using mechanical reactions from memory - we are hardly ever in the "now."

That's where the long moment comes in. If you can slow yourself at the moment you receive an incoming piece of data then you can stretch time. In this long moment you give yourself the power to evaluate the information you have received and give a true response.

How can you practice the art of the long moment? It's not hard. Twice a day practice the Cortothalamic Pause. When someone asks you a question or asks you to do something, stop everything inside yourself for 2 seconds. Stop all thought and consideration. Get quiet. Then respond to the person. For a long time you won't actually be able to stop your internal thoughts, but you will be able to see all the mechanical reactions and thoughts that immediately spring up. You'll be truly surprised at the massive and often chaotic activity that happens inside yourself. It will give you true insight into the way you interact with life.

To enhance the probability of having a long moment, you can include these flower essences as part of your daily regimen:

• Lavender and Chamomile for calming
• White Chestnut for reducing repetitive thoughts
• Thyme for helping to manipulate Time

For more study on living consciously with magic and escaping your mechanical reactions to life, check out our Witchcraft Spell Book: The Complete Guide of Witchcraft Rituals & Spells for Beginners Kindle book.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

How Do We Download Psychic Information?

We begin to notice in many of our experiments with "extra-sensory perception" that our data emerges through our bodily senses or our mind. In the case of dowsing, either with "L-rods" or with the pendulum, our bodies become part of the tool for scrying, or finding the answer to our questions. When we use astral temple techniques or thought-form transmissions, also known as mental telepathy, it is our minds that provide us with the link. Considering that our Spirit, with its 35 plus perceptics, is the originating information gatherer, we cannot help but wonder how the "download" of information occurs, even speculating that discovering the process could help us improve our use of these techniques.

Let's examine one possibility of "download." This is a Spirit-to-body-to-mind transmission. When Spirit has extended its perceptic apparatus into the outside world psychically, it enters the "zone" of heightened awareness and begins sending messages to body. Correspondently, there is a similar state which body goes into as our nerve cells begin to utilize a much higher degree of their "receptors," which habitually are dormant. This we can verify by noticing such physical stimulus as "hairs standing up on the backs of our necks" or even a slight internal quivering, as though a state of excitation has been reached. Now through the use of neuro-peptides, the nervous system sends it messages into the brain, but how is this done, and how is it then translated into coherent messages for the mind?

To answer these perplexing questions we turn to the science of holography as laid out in "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot. On page 27 we find information about "Fourier Transforms." Fourier developed a mathematical way of converting any pattern, no matter how complex, into a language of wave forms, and conversely back into their original patterns. Just as television images in a camera are converted into electromagnetic frequencies that are sent out through the air or along a cable to be reassembled into pictures by our TV set, this is much the same process utilized by our nervous system in relaying information to our minds.

In this analogy, the brain is only serving the function of a TV tower - broadcasting the signals. Mind then receives these images and we, as Spirit, can ask mind to give us a "print out" in a form that can be recognized and understood by our various personalities that we use to deal with our life situations.

This, of course, is the one point where problems arise. Mind, for most of us, is not trained to provide an accurate "print out" unaltered by past history or beliefs. So this is where special training comes in. You can practice exercises such as the ones found in our Psychic Development ebook to fine tune your psychic abilities and enhance your psychic skills.


If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Truth, Justice, and the Magical Way

Jesus called it the Golden Rule and shamans says "As above, so below." More commonly, this ancient truth has been expressed as "What goes around comes around." Heard any of these before?

If you've ever fought against injustice or untruths in your life, here's something for you to chew on: We create the truth and justice in our lives (or lack of them) in the way that we treat others. In other words, what goes around really does come around.

Now if you've ever thought about this little truth, you can probably come up with several examples of how it has worked in your own life. For instance, if you mistreated a friend in a fit of anger chances are that you got mistreated the same way a little later. If you lie, cheat or steal, then expect other people to lie, cheat, and steal from you. If you are kind, sweet and gentle in your actions and in your heart, then others will do the same for you.

But let's get a little deeper here. Let's dig down to the level of our beliefs and see what's really there. Instead of looking at single instances let's look at the overall pattern of how we perceive the world. In general, do we expect an eye for an eye? Do we feel that people owe us something? Do we expect others to be perfect? If we do, then we'd better be ready to give up an eye for an eye, be indebted to others, and live the perfect life.

This isn't a judgment or moral issue at all - it's simply the manifestation of the "As above, so below" law, which can also be stated as "As within, so without." So think about it this way. Living in an "eye for an eye" world can be very tedious. You have to keep track of who owes what to whom. You have to work very hard to make sure you get paid every last penny of what is owed to you. You have to chase people down all the time to make sure they appreciate and thank you. It's a lot of internal bookkeeping. From a magical standpoint, this is living in a very heavy, physical reality that has little opportunity for magic to do its work.

On the other hand, if you relaxed your grip on life a little and allowed more slack to enter your interpretation of other people's actions, then the Universe gives you the same benefits. Here's the perfect example. Say you observe a rebellious child who is flunking out of school. If you judge this child harshly and say, "You'll never amount to anything unless you straighten up and fly right. You are no good," you are judging that child according to a very conventional view of the world - a view in which no magic can happen. It's all about hard work and elbow grease. There's no magic. And no magic in his world equals no magic in your world.

But if you can find something, anything, to appreciate in that child then you're home free. If you can even imagine a story in which he magically blooms into the person he wants to be then you've seen the magic. If you can see a possible transformation for that child that has nothing to do with logic or reasoning, then you see the magic. And then you've opened the door to magic in your own life. How you see him (and anyone else) is how the Universe sees you. It always comes back around.

When you hold people to a very strict moral or behavioral code then you have to follow that same code. When you appreciate something in everyone you meet and when you can see the magic in their lives, then you have magic in your life too. Allowing the rebellious child his rebellion and not forcing him (in your mind) to "straighten up and fly right" means that you don't have to pay so much for your own "mistakes" as you experiment with spiritual growth. In fact, it gives you the freedom to experiment with less pain and more magical joy.

When you can, take a light touch in dealing with the world and the Universe will always return the favor!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Ten Magical Ways to Get a Grip!

We get lots of requests from people asking for magical ways to "get a grip" in life. Whether it's a traumatic weather event wreaking havoc, unexpected deaths in the family, or just general chaos, we thought this would be a good time to put out some quickie magical "fixes" that you can use any time you need to bail yourself out of a tricky situation. Here's our Top 10 List:

#1: Stay in Present Time
There's no time like the present. To drag yourself out of either the past or the future, look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself this command in a powerful voice:
"Come to present time!"
This snaps you back into the present moment, where you can exercise the most power.

#2: Stop Obsessing
If your mind has jumped on the hamster wheel and is going around in circles, a few drops of White Chestnut flower essence will work wonders. White Chestnut calms the mind and quiets repetitive thoughts. Add 4 drops to spring water and sip continuously for an all-day effect.

#3: Bring in Sun Energy
The light of the sun nourishes your Spirit. To bring the sunlight into a focused presence indoors, burn a sun candle (either a bright yellow candle or a candle with a sun image on it). Or try out this more detailed ritual.

#4: Switch Hands
Sometimes you need to switch hands to switch your focus. Choose something you normally do with your dominant hand and do it with your other hand for the day. For instance, if you normally open doors with your right hand, start using your left hand. This forces you to be present to yourself and causes you to have an interval of consciousness in an otherwise mechanical day.

#5: Swing Your Worries Away
Sometimes a little action is called for. If you're in a sticky situation and you can't find an exit, use your pendulum to clear the air. Find a quiet place and sit in the south facing north. Begin swinging your pendulum in a clockwise direction. Allow the pendulum to continue swinging until it stops naturally - it will stop swinging when your situation has cleared. Then wait patiently for a door to open.

#6: Ask and Ye Shall Receive
If you're not sure what forces are behind your sticky situation, do a question circle to find out. A question circle gives you answers from four different perspectives - thought, action, feeling, and manifestation. Check this article for how to do a question circle.

#7: Don't Forget to Breathe
Your body will keep breathing regardless of whether you are paying attention or not, but taking the time to do some conscious breathing will open up a space in your life where the Universe can assist you. It's impossible for you to get "caught up" in a situation when you breathe consciously. Take a few minutes to find a quiet place and do some deep breathing. It will oxygenate your body, occupy your mind, and free your Spirit to clearly communicate with the Universe.

#8: Rescue Yourself
One of our all-time favorites is the Bach Flower Remedy called Rescue Remedy. It's a unique combination of five flower essences that will restore a sense of peace and stability in any situation. It works for mental, spiritual, and physical trauma. Rescue Remedy is also called Five Flower Essence and is available in most health food stores.

#9: Feel Your Body
No matter where your mind travels, your body stays in present time. If you're having trouble staying in the now, anchor yourself by becoming aware of a specific part of your body. For instance, notice the back of your left hand - feel a slight warmth or tingling or weight there. Now stay in touch with that sensation as you do other activities. You'll stay in your body and in the now, which will go a long way toward clearing up any messy life situation.

#10: Be Powerful
There's nothing like an act of power to get you back on track. How do you do an act of power? Simple. Decide what you're going to do and when. When the time arrives, do it! For instance, you might decide to get up out of your chair in 2 minutes and do a yoga stretch. When the time arrives, get up and just do it. It's the quickest way we know to restore personal power.

#11: Bonus Tip - Hire an Angel
There are hundreds of thousands of unemployed angels just waiting to help you - just ask. Request an angel that specializes in what you need (like a parking angel), ask for what you want (be specific about time, place, amount, etc.) and thank your angel in advance. Then, when you get what you want, thank them again. It's as simple as that!

Got some great magical tips and tricks for getting out sticky situations quick? We'd love to hear them. Please email them to us at info@shamanschool.com or leave a comment below. And if you don't have any of your own, get our free 10 Magical Quick Fixes ebook for more quickie magic.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.

Magic Powers: Are Yours Stuck in Park?

One of the most frequent complaints we hear from new students in our online magic school is that they don't feel that their magic powers are increasing fast enough. They definitely see some magical results, but they want to see much more magic, much faster!

Isn't that just human nature? It's never fast enough?

But that's OK. We get it. We, too, have been impatient with the expansion of our own magic powers. We understand the desire for results. So we have 3 simple tips for you if you feel your own magic powers are "stuck in park," so to speak.

Magic Powers: 3 Tips for Getting Up to Speed
Magic is all around us in the Universe, and whenever we ask for the magic to appear in our lives, it rushes to us, regardless of whether we witness the occurrence or not. Believe it or not, there are so few people who actually ask and expect to receive magic, that magical beings are literally thrilled when we ask for their assistance. So magic does happen in our lives, as fast and furious as we could ever expect (but never faster than we can handle).

So how can we see the magic happening in our lives? How do we get out of that metaphysical feeling of being "stuck in park"? Here are three very simple techniques that have worked for hundreds of our students. Try them and see what effect they have on your own magic powers.

Tip #1: Journal about Your Magic Powers
There is magic just in the act of committing thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensations, and experiences to paper. When a non-visible "thing" like a thought is made visible by being written on paper, it becomes more real, more concrete, more manifest. Have you heard the expression, "Thoughts are things, and words have wings"? Well, it's true. A thought is already a thing that exists in the magical world, as are spoken words. And when you put a thought about magic onto paper, it becomes a more real magical item. So there's definitely magic in writing about your experiences with your magical powers ... even the most minor of experiences.

But there's more magic to writing than simply making your thoughts and experiences more real. Journaling is a way to chronicle your magical journey so that you won't forget where you started, and you can re-experience the wonder of any magical doorway or threshold you have crossed simply by reading your journal. For instance, consider the magical path our students normally experience with the Navajo Beauty Way. Here's what usually happens ... Students will:

1. Notice external events, such as a bird flying by or the sun becoming brighter
2. Feel internal shifts, such as mood changes or a new perspective
3. See changes in their lives over time, such as others responding differently
4. Receive the magical gifts they have requested
5. Begin to live a magical life, 24/7, and not simply when practicing a magical ritual

If you don't write your experiences with your magic powers in a journal or Book of Shadows, you may never notice these five transitions, from newbie to naturally magical. You won't notice that problems that have bugged you in the past no longer appear in your journal entries. You may not be aware that magical rituals that used to have "no effect" are now taken for granted as an effective and necessary part of your life.

If you DO journal, you will notice how the practice of magic moves from the awkwardness of learning new dance steps to a way of life. Magic is no longer something you do, it becomes part of who you are. Journaling is important for awareness. Just ask any healer. Almost any healer will tell you that many patients fail to notice when negative symptoms fall away. Until the healer questions the patient about some negative symptom, such as headaches, the patient may not even notice that she has not experienced any headaches since the last visit. She may simply be focused on the next "problem." The same is true with your magic powers. If you journal, and then re-read your journal on a regular basis, you will realize that your magic powers are always growing and are never stuck in park. It's just a matter of awareness.

Tip #2: Practical Daily Magical Rituals
Of course, for your magic powers to grow you need to keep magic in your life as much as possible. Daily magical rituals are a wonderful way to "walk in magic" throughout your day. Whether your daily dose of magic takes the form of a morning meditation, Day Greetings/Endings to the Winds of the Four Directions, or healing work for yourself and others, the practice of daily rituals keeps you immersed in magic. Need some tips? Check out our free ebook "10 Magical Quick Fixes". You can also check out our Daily Rituals ebook.

Tip #3: Ask for a Sign
Asking for a sign is an old standby whenever we feel a little "lost" in our magical world. Any time you need to make a decision and haven't a clue which way to go, ask for a sign. Any time you need guidance for a tricky situation, ask for a sign. And, of course, if you feel your magic powers are stagnant, ask for the Universe to show you that they are not. Use a daily ritual to ask or simply step outside and address any powers and beings with whom you have formed a relationship.

Talk to the Winds of the Four Directions. Hire an angel to bring you a sign (they work for appreciation!). Ask the Universe at large. Write your request and burn it in your Firebowl, letting the smoke carry your request to the Universe. Holding the request in mind at regular points in the day will also do the trick.

And finally, stay open. When you ask for signs and guidance, stay open to messages from the Universe. These messages come in all shapes and sizes. Random bits of conversation, a phrase in a book, a sudden insight, or simply an inner knowing. Be open to the unexpected and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Enjoy the upcoming moment of surprise and the Universe won't disappoint you!


If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.