Ritual Magic for Peaceful Sleep and Family Harmony

This ancient nighttime blessing ritual can help create harmony and health in a family, with couples or even within yourself. This form of ritual magic is best done at night with the whole family before bedtime. Doing this ritual consistently each evening before bed can help create calm, restful periods of sleep or give you peace and calming anytime you are unhappy or stressed. If you don't have a partner to do this ritual with, you can do it by yourself or with your pets. Here's how to do it:

1. Sit in the South, facing North. Gather and place materials in front of you. You will need:

• Sun Yellow candle
• Paper or wooden matches
• Chalice
• Sea Salt
• Spring Water

2. Charge your Sun Candle:

• Light a sun yellow candle with paper or wooden matches (do not use a lighter)
• Wait until you have a steady candle flame
• Cup your hands around the flame, focusing your attention on the candle and flame
• Say this verse in a voice of command to charge the candle:

"Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish Our Spirits,
And Protect Our Aim."

3. Fill the Chalice halfway with spring water, and sprinkle in some sea salt.

4. Blow Water Blue (bright blue) energy into the Chalice as you swirl the water clockwise.

5. Blow Water Blue into the Chalice and swirl the water clockwise before and after saying the verse below and between saying each line of the verse:

"Water and Earth where you are cast,
Let no spell nor adverse purpose last,
Not in accord with me!
Bless these people and bless their space,
Far from here send baneful trace,
Thus my will, so it be!"

(If you are doing this ritual alone, you can change the fourth line to "Bless this person and bless my space.)

7. Holding the Chalice in your left hand, face the person you are blessing (unless you are blessing yourself).

8. Dip the index finger of your right hand into the water, and draw a vertical line down the center of the person's forehead (or on your own). The line should be 1 – 1 ½ inches long.

9. Draw a horizontal line of the same length from left to right through the center of the first line, forming a cross.

10. Draw a clockwise circle starting at the right end of the horizontal line and touching both ends of both lines. As you draw the circle, say to the person, "For the peach of your mind." (If you're doing the ritual alone say "For the peach of my mind.")

11. Repeat the same procedure on the person's chest (or your own), over the heart. As you draw the circle, say, "for the joy of your heart." (Substitute the words "my heart" if you are doing it alone.)

12. Ask the person to take a sip of water from the Chalice and as they do this, say, "And for the health of your body." (If you're doing it alone take a sip and say "And for the health of my body".)

13. If there are two people participating in the ritual, reverse roles have the person that was just blessed now do the blessing to their partner by repeating the process. If there are many people involved in the ritual, one person can bless everyone, and then one person in the group can bless the first person.

14. You can also use the alternate verses, "For the health of your mind." And "For the health of your Spirit".

This is one of the many rituals presented in our Kindle Book "Witchcraft Spell Books" series Book Three – Learn How to Do Witchcraft Rituals and Spells With Magical Tools. You can check it out as well as the other Kindle Books in the series on Amazon. Try this ritual magic out for yourself with the nighttime blessing ritual and bring peace, harmony and magic into your life and your family's life.

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What Kind of Magic Are You Looking For -- Quick Fix or Lasting Change?

To me, magic comes in two classes: the quick fix and lasting change. The same is true of the people who seek magic. There are those who want magic spells and rituals to produce a quick fix in their lives, and there are those who want a spiritual path that is focused on true conscious development and lasting change in this lifetime and others.

Both Kinds of Magic are Valid
There's nothing wrong with either kind of seeker, or either kind of magic. Both kinds are perfectly valid. It's just good to be clear about what kind of magic you seek.

If you're into the quick fix, then you just need to find a good set of simple magic rituals that you can use on an everyday basis to fix life "accidents" and solve some smaller life problems. These rituals and spells are easy to learn, simple to use, and will stand you in good stead on a regular basis. They also don't require that much of you, in terms of your time, attention, or dedication. You can use these rituals when you need them, and put them on a shelf when you don't.

On the other hand, if you have looked at your life and realized that you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over, or that you keep attracting the same kinds of situations again and again, your Spirit may be calling you to a different path. This is especially true if you are, as they say, "sick and tired of being sick and tired." Smaller magical rituals may help alleviate the situation on a daily basis, but don't ever get to the root of the problem. If this is the case, then you are quite possibly being called to be a serious magical seeker and seer.

There's Always Time
The good news is that regardless of whether you fall into the quick fix or the serious seeker category, there's always time to explore both options, in this lifetime and in coming lifetimes. Myself, I've come to the conclusion that I am no longer interested in repetition. I don't want to make the same mistakes I've made in this lifetime again, either later in this same lifetime or in future lifetimes.

In truth, that's why I teach these courses, especially the more advanced teleconference classes like Psychic Development and Basic Magic. These kinds of classes definitely help the spiritual seeker grow in consciousness and magical ability, but they also keep me connected with the magic that helps me develop on my own Spirit path.

If you fall into the camp of the serious spiritual seeker, I invite you to learn more about Basic Magic. I welcome you to a deeper exploration of the magical worlds!

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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 our online Basic Magic Course. Spellwork is covered in Level 3, but taking the first two levels gives you a solid magical foundation. If you are looking for a more simple solution to spellwork take a look at our Witchcraft Spell Book series on Kindle.



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How to Reboot Your Magical Practice

Is your magical practice feeling stale, or are you not finding the time to devote to it every day? You can reboot your practice and get back that feeling of excitement you had when you first started by using daily rituals with consistency. Daily rituals can be a simple and easy way to add some magic into your day and the key to their success is consistency. Spiritually speaking, doing a ritual the same time everyday can increase the level and quality of connecting with the higher. Some rituals are designed to be done in the morning and others in the evening and some can be done at any time and whenever needed. Daily rituals help open a doorway to the higher, refresh your connection to magic, and are simple to do so they work into your busy schedule easily. What ritual you do is not as important in achieving this as doing it daily. Consistency creates more force, so a simple ritual done daily brings you as much or more than doing a complex ritual or spell sporadically.

Just Do It
Now that you know how to reboot your magical practice, you just need to pick a daily ritual that is simple enough to fit into your day, make the commitment to do it every day and just do it. If you already have a simple magical daily ritual, then you are ahead of the game. Just get going. If you don't then our Daily Rituals for Attracting What You Want ebook can help you out with finding one or giving you guidance on how to make your own. One of the rituals you'll find in this ebook is the Day Greetings which are part of the Navajo Beauty Way.

Day Greetings
This form of the Navajo Beauty Way is a contact ritual that starts your day off with a little magic and helps you establish a relationship with the Four Winds, Sky Father and Earth Mother. By doing this simple daily ritual each morning you will develop trust in your inner wisdom that helps in restoring your personal power, gain a more creative flow in your life, connect with your environment and laws of nature more easily, develop a working relationship with these higher powers and beings, restore balance internally and externally of the feminine aspect of integration and oneness and the masculine aspect of separation and duality, and allow the guidance and support from these beings to start working in your life. That's a lot of benefit from one simple ritual that just takes a few minutes to start your day off magically.

If the Day Greetings don't peak your interest, then try some of these rituals from our blog or get the Daily Rituals ebook. Reboot and fall in love with magic again.

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Not Enough Time for Work and Life? Try Magically Stretching Time

Are there times you wish you could magically stretch time? Does it seem like no matter how fast you run through life, you just don't have time to get it all done? Well, relax, stretching time is just one of the simple things a magician can do. There are actually many ways to magically play with time. One of these is using anticipation. Stretching time with anticipation works based on a couple of magical principles:

1. When you achieve your desires quickly or strive actively or impatiently to bring your desires to you "now," you shorten or compress time.
2.  When you anticipate your desires with patience and enjoyment in the present moment (without hurrying to bring the actual object of your desire into present time), you stretch time.

Compress Time
Universal law states when you want something, you set up a force between yourself and what you want to attract it. The more you desire it or the more impatient you are for it, the faster you will bring it to yourself. Think of it this way. You are standing in the present at this moment and the thing you desire is located somewhere in your future. Bringing yourself and the object that you desire together quickly, compresses the time between your present moment and the future moment where the object exists. By compressing time in this way, you actually shorten or bend the amount of time in your life.

Stretch Time
Now if you are standing in your present moment and instead of being impatient you just enjoy the experience of that object that you desire, you stretch the time out between your present moment and the future moment where your object exists. You still have created a force to bring that object to yourself, but by staying in the present, you expand your perception of "now". You are able to experience your present moment to include what is actually happening in that moment combined with your enjoyment of a future moment. Putting together more perceptions and enjoyment in your present moment gives you more time in that present moment than usual.

Magically Playing with Time: Example
To stretch time in your life just anticipate that which you desire in the future with lots of enjoyment and great patience. Enjoy the present and future experiences at the same time. For example, you have planned a vacation coming up soon. Spend a lot of time daydreaming about your vacation and have as much fun in your daydreams as you will on the actual vacation. Don't get impatient about it getting here if you want to stretch time, just enjoy what is happening for you now and in your daydreams about your vacation.

If in the case of your vacation you want to speed up or bend time, just focus all your attention on the future moment and very little attention on the present moment. Holding the future vacation in mind and making it your main focus, you can pull it to you. As you focus on it, feel it speeding toward you and you speeding towards it.

Whether you want to compress or stretch time, it's all possible magically. Patient anticipation to expand, achievement of desires to compress. Give these a try and have some magical fun playing with time. Then check out our Kindle book, The Complete Guide of Witchcraft Rituals & Spells for Beginners, to learn more simple magic magician's can do. 

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Is Magic Real? Yup, Read Why Here

Is Magic real? Yes, it certainly is and has been around for thousands of years. Everyone is born with the abilities to do magic, but our society doesn't place the importance on it that it once did. This causes people today to wonder... is magic real? We see movies, read books, and watch TV shows today showing wonderful magical feats and want to know if that is what real magic is like. The answer to that is Yes and no. The media gives you an idea of what magic can do, but it's not really accurate. For example, Harry Potter and friends use their wands for all sorts of procedures when in reality a wand is the tool for Air energies and only useful for techniques using air energies. 
What can you do with real magic then? Lots! Here are just a few things that can be accomplished with real magic.

• Manifest what you want in life
• Use magical self defense techniques to protect yourself and your sacred space
• Use divination to see what the future may hold
• Communicate with higher powers and beings
• Create spells and rituals
• Use magical healing techniques

One of the principles we teach by is that students' of magic and shamanism need to experience things for themselves rather than taking anyone's word. With this in mind we'd love you to check out our article "Is Magic Real". There you'll find more topics of what you can do with real magic, some explanations of how magic works and a free magical exercise you can try out for yourself. You can also look at all the other magical articles on our website and our blog to see other things magic can do for you. Consider signing up for our email list and be among the first to receive the latest magical articles. Try out the exercises we give and then it's up to you to decide for yourself – Is Magic Real?

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Psychic Games to Improve Your Psychic Abilities

Using your psychic abilities allows you to communicate with and receive help from numerous types of beings. In our Psychic Development ebook, we cover specifically how to communicate with such beings as Sylphs, angels, animal totems and specific animal Spirits. A fun way to practice developing your psychic powers is playing psychic games. If you are not one of the naturally gifted in using your psychic powers then practicing using your psychic abilities will help you develop these skills. By playing psychic games you take the pressure to perform off yourself and have a little fun at the same time. Here's one you'll find in the ebook that's particularly easy and fun to do when traveling.

Talk to a Sylph
First, what is a Sylph? A Sylph is the elemental being associated with the element Air. It is a living being that is made of pure air. Sylphs are around 3-18 inches long, twisty shaped and they move in spirals. Sylphs move quickly and while they like to communicate, they have short attention spans. You often see them in dust devils or swirling smoke such as from a cigarette or around shiny or bright objects like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Sylphs are curious and like to be around people and you may sometimes feel them as a light brush on your face. Since Sylphs do have short attention spans you have to be in their state to communicate with them. Here's a travel game to play to practice talking to sylphs and improving your psychic abilities:

1. You can request a Sylph to come to you either aloud or in your mind. In your mind works better sometimes because the spoken word is too slow. Then state your request. For example, you might say, "I request a Sylph to appear to tell me what the road conditions are like on this road for the next 15 miles."

2. Wait for a response which might be a quick, light breeze against your cheek or you may just feel a presence.

3. Once you sense a Sylph has presented itself to you, make your request quickly since these beings do not have a long concentration period. You might say something like, "Sylph, thank you for appearing to me. I would like to know if any road conditions exist in the next 15 miles on this road that would slow my travel. Thank you in advance for your help and I await your report."

4. You will not have to wait long for your answer as Sylphs move quickly and exchange information among themselves. Answers will be short and to the point. For example, you may "hear" with your psychic abilities, "road construction 8 miles ahead."

5. Be sure to once again thank the Sylph for the information. Then keep engaging with your Sylph by asking for more information until the Sylph loses interest and moves on.

6. Once that Sylph moves on, request help from a new Sylph and keep practicing. Think of other questions you can ask about your trip (ie. – "Is there anything at my destination that would cause me to have trouble finding parking?" or "Is anything causing a delay in travel for the people I am meeting?" or "What are the weather conditions like over the next 15 miles on this road?")

Sylphs are just one of the many beings that can gather information for you and by using your psychic abilities to communicate with them, you can extend your reach past what you can observe with your five senses. So the next time you are on a trip, instead of playing the License Plate game, give talking to Sylphs a try. You may be amazed at what you can learn from these air elemental beings and amazed at how your own natural psychic powers improve the more you play with them.

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A Simple Magic Ritual to Help a Suffering Friend

This is one of the great magical rituals we cover in our Everyday Magic Email Course. It is a good magic ritual for when you need to help a friend with magical means. Most of us have experienced times when we see a family member or friend engaging in some type of behavior that is damaging to themselves or others. Talking, begging, persuading, threatening or other similar types of intervention can't deter them from their course and we often find that the more we do to try and steer them from this path the less effective we are. Those of us on a magical path at that point usually look through our magic bag of "tricks" to see if there is something we can do magically to help a friend.

We often encounter the problem in doing this of going against the Rules of the Road (magical rules that govern magical practice). These rules say that unless the person is doing harm to us, we are not allowed to do most kinds of magic on them. We must have their permission to intervene and in most cases such as this we are not going to get that permission. So how do we magically help a friend in a case like this?

These are instances where we can use the Law of Resonance. Here's a simple magic ritual you can do using this Universal Law that will allow you to help a friend and not go against the Rules of the Road.

1. Think about the person, their circumstances and what they are doing that is harmful.
2. Look back through your memory and find a similar action or experience that you have experienced.
3. Hold the memory in present time for a few moments.
4. Let the memory go.

This simple magic ritual allows for a doorway to open that the other person can use to step through the experience without doing additional harm to themselves or others. The memory that you come up with doesn't have to be exactly the same; it just needs to have the same overall effect. For example, let's say your friend is overreacting to being chewed out by his or her boss and has decided to quit his or her job. You've tried reasoning with him or her and are just not getting through. Use your memory to find a time that you overreacted to a situation. Remember the way you felt, the angry words you expressed and how others tried to reason with or talk you out of the action you wanted to take. As you hold the memory in present time for a few moments and then let it go, by the Law of Resonance, your friend will benefit from your experience and may not have to suffer all the damage associated with it.

The next time you want to help a friend in trouble, try this magic ritual and see for yourself if your friend can hear you through Spirit when they can't hear you with their ears.

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Ten Magical Ways to Get a Grip!

We've been flooded with requests for help – specifically, for magical ways to "get a grip" in life. Whether it's hurricanes or other weather conditions 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 Chestnuts 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). For a more detailed ritual, check out the article HERE.

#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 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. For details on how to do a question circle, see the article HERE.

#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!

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Magic Spells in Baby Steps

When people come to me with spellwork problems, there are some common errors that I see over and over. See my recent article about the three most common spellwork problems.

One thing that I notice on a regular basis with people who are not having success with magic spells is that they ignore a key magical principle crucial to a successful spell. It's this principle:

"A small change in the present creates a larger change in the future."

What Does a Small Change Mean in a Magic Spell?
When people first learn how to create and launch their own magic spells, they usually get so excited that they try to change the world overnight. I can tell you it's not going to happen. Magic can achieve a lot, but biting off more than you can chew can mean a failed spell.

So what does it mean to take baby steps when it comes to magic spells? It means casting a small spell, waiting to see a change, and then casting the next logical spell in the chain until you get to your desired result.

An Example of a Chain of Magic Spells
So here's an example. Let's say that you want to attract your soul mate into your life. You've been dating but haven't found the right person yet. In fact, all you've found are a bunch of the wrong people. Now you want to apply spellwork to the problem. How would you take baby steps? Here's a series that might work for you:

1. Realize that your soul mate is out there. Nothing in the Universe is impossible. You may want to incorporate an affirmation related to this in your daily life or meditation.

2. Define your soul mate on paper. List all the qualities that you want and don't want in a soul mate. In terms of a magic spell, this list is called Directors and Limiters. Put the list in a safe place to use later.

3. Law of Attraction tells us that if something isn't happening (like your soul mate hasn't shown up yet), that we are somehow blocking what we desire. Do some simple spell work to change yourself so that you are better able to attract your soul mate into your life. Hire some angels, use some flower essences (cayenne for rapid change, walnut for life transitions, mimulus if you have a specific fear of relationships, for example), or choose some magic symbols that will break down your resistance. One gal listed all her barriers to a soul mate on a sheet of paper (including her general air of pessimism about the subject and her fear of rejection), then burned it every day for 40 days as part of her morning meditation. She was literally burning up her barriers to a solid relationship with her soul mate. This worked well for her, as she met and became engaged to her soul mate within 3 months.

4. Now pull out your "soul mate" Directors and Limiters list and do some simple magic spells with it. You can put the list on a keyed plate under a strong magnet to attract that person to you. You can do a small ritual that involves tying the list to a helium balloon and literally "launch" your wishes into the sky. You can put the list in your "God Box" or "Universe Box" and let it do its thing.

In other words, do lots of little magic and allow the changes to happen over time. A small change in the present creates a larger change in the future. Each small magic spell or magical act you do will bring your soul mate closer to you. Take time between magical acts to let the spells you do take action. Allow the Universe to do the bulk of the work. Put your focus on relaxing and allowing, between-times. Most of all, enjoy and anticipate the magical result that is on it's way to you.

Want Help with Little Magical Acts?
Little magical acts, added up, are sometimes more effective at creating life change than the big spells. If you want some ideas on how to create and use your own little magical acts, check out the Quick Fixes and Daily Rituals ebooks. They have tons of little magical rituals and spells that produce big results. You can download a free copy of the Quick Fixes ebook at https://shamanschool.com/.

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How to Open a Channel to the Universe

What do you do when you've absolutely got to "be in the know," but you don't seem to be able to access the information you need? Open a channel to the Universe! The Universe is filled with every piece of information we'll ever need, and is simply waiting to communicate with us. Sometimes we're just blocked and not able to hear what the Universe is saying.

The good news is that there are hundreds of channels of communication that you can easily open to get the information you need. Here are four simple ones:

MEDICINE CARDS: If you need to know what quality you most need to handle a situation in your life, draw an animal card from the Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson. Sams and Carson use animal totems to exemplify characteristics such as persistence, courage, use of magic, and more ...

PENDULUM: Dowsing can be a simple way to get the answers you need. All you need is a pendulum and some questions to ask.

SMOKE SIGNALS: Whether you're lighting a smudge stick, burning botanicals in a firebowl, or smoking sacred tobacco in a pipe, smoke is a way for you to communicate your desires to the Universe, and for the Universe to answer you. Send your wishes up with the smoke, then look into the smoke as a form of divination. Images, ideas, feelings, and answers will come to you.

PICK UP A BOOK: If you desperately need answers but you don't have time to use any of the tools mentioned above, just ask the Universe your question, pick up a book (use your intuition to pick the book), and open it to any page. The first word, phrase or picture is your answer!

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The Magic of Dreams

You probably already know this, but some dreams are a form of magic. For many people, dreams are just "something that happens" at night when they are asleep. But for others, those who actively use and guide their dreams, dreams have magical power.

It is said that we are fated to live the dreams that we do not remember. This is certainly borne out by the experiences of many magical practitioners. The practice of dream remembrance and interpretation is a powerful form of magic, and one definitely worth studying.

The Magic of Dreams
The magic of dreams, the power of dreams, is there for the taking if people would but seek to remember their dreams. But even those who remember their dreams often don't believe them or act on them ... to their own detriment.

As Ebenezer Scrooge said to the ghost of Jacob Marley: "You may be a bit of undigested beef, a blob of mustard, a crumb of cheese. Yes. There's more gravy than of grave about you."

Nope, Scrooge certainly didn't see the power of dreams, at least not early in the movie. But dreams have many powers and purposes. Aside from the everyday dreams that are just rehashes of our everyday life, dreams can be:

• messages from our higher selves or guides
• a movie of future events that have yet to occur
• answers to problems we have been puzzling over
• foretelling of opportunities to which we should remain alert
• warning messages telling us what to avoid

In other words, the power of dreams lies in their ability to share information that is not otherwise available to our normal five senses. That is the magic of dreams. More importantly, that magic is available to us with very little effort ... a lot less effort than many forms of magical practice.

The Power of Dreams--Remembrance
The first step in accessing the power of dreams is to remember them. Edgar Cayce, the healer, gave many readings on the power of dreams. He also had recommendations on how people could more easily remember dreams. His suggestions included:

• As you are falling asleep, tell yourself that you will remember your dream when you awaken in the morning
• Keep a notebook by your bed and if you awaken during the night, jot down any bits and fragments of your dreams. Reread them in the morning and try to recollect the dream as fully as possible.
• Discuss your dreams with others. Some find the stimulus of conversation to be useful in remembering more of a dream.

Remembering a dream is the first step to accessing the power of dreams. Start this practice now. In future ezines, we will discuss how to interpret dreams and how to act upon them for your benefit. For now, take the power of dreams seriously and your dreams will reward your efforts.

And ... as always, have magical fun with your practice!

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Your Reality: Cause or Accident?

Do You Live by Accident or Intention?

Are you the creator of your own reality? You may have read in various esoteric sources that you can be the creator of your own reality. However, just because you CAN be the creator doesn't mean that you ARE. Why?

Because there are two different ways you can live on this planet - you can live under the Law of Accident or the Law of Fate. Most people on this planet live under the Law of Accident, which means that they don't control their reality but are simply bounced from one life event to another like a pinball in a machine. However, there are a select few people who live under the Law of Fate, who understand and use the laws of the Universe to create and shape their own reality. These people create lives of harmony, abundance, peace and joy.

If you do nothing to improve, refine and control your inner life (that is, your thoughts, emotions, etc.) then you are living under the Law of Accident. Life just happens to you. Life is in the driver's seat.

If, on the other hand, you focus on controlling the use of your inner attention you begin to live under the Law of Fate. What does it mean to control your inner attention? It means being very deliberate about the thoughts, moods, words, activities and desires to which you give your attention.

In our society we accept many forms of interaction which distract the attention and cause us to live under the Law of Accident. For instance, consider gossip, TV, negative thoughts, commiseration, fear, negative emotions, newspapers, world events and so forth. Almost everyone indulges in these activities so we don't think twice about them. But would you consider not doing them if it would mean the difference between creating a life of peace, harmony and abundance or living under the Law of Accident (in which lots of accidents occur)? Hmmmm….food for thought. Happy considering!

Five Steps You Can Take to Create Your Own Reality

1) Accept on a trial basis that you can create everything in your reality. You will experiment with this hypothesis to see if it is true in your own life.

2) Decide on something you want to create - prosperity, a harmonious relationship, the achievement of some goal. NOTE: Start with something small. For instance, if you choose prosperity, choose to have enough money to pay your bills next month instead of lifetime prosperity.

3) Choose that your creation be reality. You can either speak it aloud or say it silently inside. For instance, you might say, "I choose to have enough money to pay all my bills in the month of June."

4) Relax internally. Rest inside yourself in the knowing that what you have chosen is already happening.

5) Think, feel and act as if that which you have chosen has already manifested. Resist worrying or fretting about it. Do what you need to do on the material level to achieve the goal, but leave it alone internally. When you find yourself thinking, worrying or wondering about your aim, do whatever is necessary to distract your mind and emotions from it. The more superbly you can live in the assurance that your goal is already manifesting, the easier it will manifest. This is the step where you begin to deliberately control that which you give your attention to. This is the step where you GET OUT OF THE WAY!!


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How Long Does Change Take?

How often have you started a new program of change in your life only to feel discouraged three days later that "nothing is happening"? Or maybe you actually stick with a new ritual or a new diet for a whole two weeks and you see some change … but it's not happening fast enough.

A Small Change Now is All It Takes
What do you do? Before you decide that everything really is hopeless, take a moment to look at the process of change with the help of this magical principle: "A small change in the present produces a larger change in the future." This is the basic principle we use in spellwork and it means that if you make even the tiniest change today you will see bigger change in about a week. And that bigger change will lead to an even bigger change in about two weeks. And so on.

So let's suppose you've started working with a new magical practice. Say you've decided to start meditating for 15 minutes each morning--nothing fancy, just sitting quietly and clearing your mind as much as possible. On the first morning of meditating you will probably notice an immediate change because your mind is quiet at a time when it normally is not. You're content that your new program of meditation is going to be useful and helpful. More importantly, a small and highly contagious molecule of change has been born.

Nothing Happening?
Now what happens a week after you start meditating? Maybe you've had a really hectic week and you feel tired and irritable. All of sudden it seems like the 15 minutes of meditation is too much--it takes too much time when so many other things are pressing on your time. It seems like nothing is happening, no change is occurring.

But "nothing's happening" hardly describes what is going on inside you. That highly contagious molecule of change that was born the day you began meditating has been busy reaching out and touching and transforming other molecules inside you. Now a greater percentage of your molecules than ever before has the quality of quiet that you create during your meditation. The more quiet you have inside you, the more you're able to listen to your inner intuitive voice, the better your work will be, the better your life will be … but it's still too small a percentage for you to notice.

It's Like the Penny Doubling
But if you stay with your new meditation practice that small sense of quiet will begin to spread. It's like the example of starting out with a penny and doubling it every day for 31 days. Here's what you get at the end of each week:

Day 1: $0.01
Day 7: $0.64
Day 14: $81.92
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 31: $10,737,418.24

So at the end of the month you have over $10 million. The same is true with your new meditation practice but the key is how long it takes you notice. If you ever take the time to observe your life you will be amazed by how easily you are hypnotized by the incessant buzz and hum of daily activities. There's voice mail and email, gossip, your car running low on gas, the need to feed the cat, or all of your troubles at work. There are a million things that take up your attention while this small quiet molecule formed by your daily meditation goes around and changes you from the inside out.

Be Aware of Change
The difficulty lies in being aware of change. In the example with the penny doubling, it may take you 31 days--when you already have $10 million in your pocket--before you notice that something has shifted and life is different. But it's worth it, right? I'd say $10 million is worth it. So, as they say, don't give up on change five minutes before the miracle happens. Stick with whatever you've decided to do to change your life and prepare to be awestruck!

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Ten Truths About Transformation

Are you ready to transform your life? Not sure how to go about it? Check out these 10 Truths about Transformation:

1. Transformation happens when you're not looking for it (translation: wish for transformation and then look somewhere else for a while).

2. Transformation is the result of working with higher powers and beings…we can't do it by ourselves. We need angels, totems, and other helpers.

3. Transformation occurs when you love, esteem, and have compassion for yourself.

4. Transformation can take place only when we actively engage with life, not when we shrink away from it.

5. Transformation doesn't go any faster when we push on it, it goes slower.

6. Transformation can take place only when we accept where we are in the present moment. When we abhor where we are, we can't move forward.

7. Transformation is an abundant part of nature, from the hatching of an egg to the passing of the seasons. We are part of nature, so transformation is a natural part of our process.

8. Transformation is the outer result of our inner spiritual journeys. It cannot occur without spiritual work.

9. Transformation in even one tiny part of our lives affects every part of our lives (so work on one small area first!).

10. Transformation is just life happening and us allowing it to happen. If we enjoy the process, it happens so much more quickly.

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Healing Spells: Keying a Sun Crystal for Life and Death Emergencies

A sun crystal can be used for healing spells or in protection magic and can literally save your life. If you are going to have surgery or are traveling, keying a sun crystal beforehand allows you to draw energy safely from the Sun in case you are in an accident, have surgery complications or any life and death type situation. This is one of the many magic that works lessons you will find in our How To Do Voodoo ebook.

About the Sun Crystal
This magical tool is called a Sun Crystal because it is made of lead crystal and acts as a transformer for the Sun's energy. The voltage of the Sun's energy is too strong to use directly in a safe way for magic that works. Using this crystal ball allows you to gather the Sun's energy and draw on it when you are in times of stress, trauma or danger. When choosing a Sun Crystal, look for a 2 ½ inch size ball made of German or Austrian lead crystal with a stand. Be sure that you don't get a ball made of acrylic or quartz. Quartz balls can be dangerous and explode or can pull everything towards its center. When your Sun Crystal is not in use you can store it by wrapping it in a cloth of natural fiber and put it in a drawer or it can be left on the stand and put on your Plate (magical Earth tool) on your altar.

Keying a Sun Crystal
After you get your Sun Crystal, you will need to key it to yourself or a particular person. Here's how:

1. Cleanse the sun crystal as you do with other tools with your Firebowl and Chalice.
2. Use your Athame (Fire tool) to sweep the crystal with electric blue.
3. Place the crystal on its stand and light a Sun Candle.
4. To key the crystal for your own use, get down level with the sun crystal until you can see the flame from the Sun Candle through it (the flame will look upside down).
5. Use your intention to pull the flame into the ball until the flame completely fills the ball (this may happen suddenly as a sunburst). Your sun crystal is now keyed to yourself. 
6. To key the sun crystal to another person, position the person so that they put their face opposite yours, with the sun crystal in between you. When you see his or her face in the crystal, push energy through the crystal at them, and have them pull energy towards themselves. The sun crystal then becomes keyed to them. If the person is not present, simply picture the person's face and see it in the sun crystal with your intention.

Using the Sun Crystal
Once the Sun Crystal is keyed, it is ready to be used for protection magic or healing spells. If you find yourself in a life threatening situation where you feel your life force draining, you can pull Sun energy safely from the crystal to renew your energy loss. When you feel your energy has been replaced, simply stop pulling energy from the crystal. You do not have to have the Sun Crystal physically with you to use it. You can picture the crystal and pull energy from it anytime you need to replenish your life force energy. If you have keyed the crystal to someone else, tell them to picture a glass ball filled with sunshine and to pull that sunshine towards them. In a real emergency situation you can tell the other person that if they are afraid or feel they are dying, to see the glass ball glowing and pull that energy towards themselves. Even if the person is unconscious, you can give them these directions three times in a voice of command and their Spirit will hear you. When someone is pulling energy from the Sun Crystal, it will begin to actually glow. The Sun Crystal is an especially good magic that works technique to use in these life threatening type situations, but really it can be used any time you feel that you need some extra energy.

Extra Tips on the Sun Crystal
A few more things to know about the Sun Crystal are: 

1. Do not ever push or pull electric blue energy into the Sun Crystal as it can cause it to explode.
    
2. Never leave your Sun Crystal out in direct sunlight as this can also cause it to explode.
    
3. If you need to unkey a Sun Crystal from a particular person, you can cut lines on it like you do when cutting psychic lines on a person and use your Athame to give it a blast of electric blue energy. When you do this, it is still a Sun Crystal, it just is no longer keyed to any particular person.
    
4. To totally unkey a Sun Crystal and make it just a normal glass ball again, bury it in the Earth for a moon cycle.

You now have a new magic that works technique that you can use for healing spells or protection magic to add to your magical toolbox. This one is literally a life-saver, but needs to be in place before it is needed. If there is a chance that you will find yourself (or someone you know) in a life threatening situation, now is the time to get your Sun Crystal and key it. Even if you don't end up in a dangerous situation, it is always good to have a keyed Sun Crystal around to give yourself some extra Sun energy when you are dragging. 

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Expand Your Psychic Powers by Learning to Psychically Read People

Each and every one of us has psychic powers or psychic abilities. Some people are naturals at accessing information through their psychic powers and others have to develop these skills. In our Psychic Development ebook, we offer exercises that help develop one's psychic abilities for those who need practice. Below is one of the exercises offered in this ebook that gives you practice using your psychic abilities or Spirit abilities to access information that you can't access with your five senses. Since we are all made up of a physical body, a mind and a spirit, you want to by-pass mind and by-pass the body's senses so as to receive information from Spirit. This exercise isn't about getting anything "right" or "wrong", it is simply about practicing using your psychic abilities and psychic powers. Follow these steps for this exercise:

1. Gather a pen, paper and timer (or you can use your watch).

2. Go to a public place with lots of people. Restaurants, airports, malls, or a public park are all good places.

3. Pick a comfortable place to sit and where you will not feel self-conscious or obvious. If you feel like you will "stick out" or think others will think you odd for looking at them, this can interfere with the exercise.

4. Pick a person that you are going to observe for 30 seconds.

5. Set your timer for 30 seconds or note the time on your watch and note the time you will stop 30 seconds later.

6. Start writing anything and everything that you can about the person you are observing. Some things you write will be things that can be observed by your 5 senses such as hair color, heavy or thin, type of clothing, or what activities they are doing. The key here is not to think about what you are writing, just write. Do not pause in your writing and write as much as you can, as fast as you can in your 30 second period. This will help you override "mind" and the physical 5 senses observations.

7. After your 30 seconds is over, pick another person to observe, set your timer and repeat the process of writing about this person for 30 seconds.

8. Repeat this process until you have observed 10 different people for 30 seconds each over a 5 minute period.

Here is an example of what your writing may be like:
Woman, red hair, stylish clothes, a mom, stressed out, organized person, has a sister, works indoors, in tune with Nature, born in the West or has a connection to the West, high heeled shoes, talks with hand gestures, sensitive nature, enjoys kids, likes the color green, in her early 30s, blues music, laughs a lot, has kind eyes.

In this description, you'll find several things that can be seen with the five senses such as color of hair and type of clothes and then you will find several things that can't be seen with the five senses such as that she has a sister and has a sensitive nature. Congratulations, those last observations come from using your psychic abilities.

Don't get hung up on finding out if your descriptions are right or wrong. There is no right or wrong at this stage of the game. Right now you are just practicing tuning in with your psychic powers and psychic abilities instead of your usual five senses or mind chatter. The only goal at this point is to practice. The more you practice and get used to using your Spirit abilities the more your observations will improve. A variation on this exercise for those who don't get out much is to use people on the TV. Just turn down the volume and do the same steps as in the exercise above with people you find there. The more you practice, the better you will get at using your psychic powers. So go find some people to start practicing on and enjoy the journey!


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Healing Magic - Moving Energy For Pain Relief

There are several healing magic techniques that can be used for pain relief. Whether we are dealing with an injury, illness or an emotional pain there is a healing magic technique that can help with pain relief. In our Daily Rituals for Getting What You Want in Life ebook, we discuss several healing magic techniques to deal with pain. Here's an easy one for beginner's to use.

Moving Energy for Pain Relief
Sometimes physical pain and discomfort is the result of stuck or stagnant energy in the body. Our energy can get stuck because of a sedentary lifestyle, old injuries, stress, resentments...the list goes on. In short, we can have stuck energy as a result of everyday events and situations, which results in physical pain. The real question is, what can we do about it?

One of the best and easiest ways to clear energy blockages and get your energy moving freely again is to do this simple healing magic ritual taught in many metaphysical traditions. Here's how:

1. Get in a comfortable position and close your eyes.

2. Relax and breathe for a few moments.

3. Begin by noticing feelings or sensations in your left hand. Some people experience a feeling of warmth or tingling. The sensation may be different for you. It doesn't matter so long as you are aware of sensation in your left hand.

4. Gently move that sensation up your left arm, across your back, down your right arm, and onto your right hand.

5. Now reverse the movement and move the sensation along the same path from your right hand back to your left hand.

6. Now put the sensation on your left foot, and move it up your left leg, across your waist, down your right leg and onto your right foot.

7. Now reverse the movement and move the sensation along the same path from your right leg back to your left leg.

8. Finally, put the sensation at the base of your spine and move that sensation slowly up your spine to the top of your head.

9. Keeping that sensation there, say aloud, "I am."

10. Release your attention from the sensation at the top of your head. Relax and breathe deeply for a few minutes. Open your eyes.

Doing this healing magic ritual on a regular basis will keep your body free of most energy blockages, and will have a clam, soothing effect on your spirit.



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Tarot Card Meanings: Not What You Think

You can throw away the book that comes with the Tarot deck; the Tarot is a small mini-version of the Universe so knowing the real tarot card meanings is important. For example, the Death card does not mean physical death. You also many times have to look at the entire line in a reading to get the tarot card meanings instead of just looking at each individual card. For example if you have a line with Moon to Temperance to Star in a reading it is giving you a description of a path of spiritual growth. Knowing the lower level of a particular card or the next higher level can also give you information even if you just see the individual card in a reading. Here are a few examples of tarot card meanings you can get by exploring the cards instead of just reading the "book" description and how looking at the flow lines and understanding the meanings of the higher or lower octave of a card can give you extra information in a reading.

Death
Traditionally in magical and mystical circles, death represents a major, usually sudden, unexpected ending and beginning. This is along the lines of when one door closes, another one opens. It's not just an ending, but an ending which becomes a new beginning. Although it usually applies to something unexpected, it can also apply to something expected. It can be making a real positive shift or a real negative one, depending on how it shows up in the reading layout, but either way, it is a major happening in the spiritual realm, to the being as a spirit. It may or may not affect the physical level, but definitely works on the principle that all endings are beginnings and all beginnings come from endings. The Death card represents transformation and changes of cycles.

Physical death would show up in a Tarot reading possibly as the Ace of Discs reversed second carded by Tower or Sun reversed second carded by Death. The upright Death card could be interpreted as how you deal with change, whether you see change as positive or negative, how comfortable you are with change or your ability to complete cycles. Understanding principles of "As above, so below" would also come under the Death card as would the law of signatures, things that represent things, seeing the equivalency of things. It also could be referring to knowing when to let go, walk away, not repeating the same things over and over again, understanding the cycles and what they are showing you, in other words – "getting the lesson".

Moon
The Moon card represents the beginning of the spiritual journey. It shows a spiritual being, crawling out of the sea of emotion and embarking on the middle way spiritually. At this level, you can either begin spiritual progress or fall back into emotionalism. It is not a straight and narrow path but rather one that zig zags. The Moon card speaks of transformation of the emotions from lower levels of passion and greed and neediness to a higher level of compassion and understanding. At this level beings are more open and able to give from the heart, without expectations and manipulation. The Moon card showing up in a reading could indicate that a being has crawled out of turbulent or chaotic emotion, the living in drama, and embarking on the "middle road" in regards to the Tree of Life. The road ahead will have many perils as the being must face his issues and confront his fears, let go of self-absorption and crave something higher. It is the beginning of the journey for example when someone knows there is something higher but not sure what it is. It is the beginning of being open to intuition, the heart, all the water characteristics and letting go of expectations and manipulation.

Temperance
Temperance deals with the idea of balance being maintained. In the card, he is walking the tight-wire and you notice that his balance is internal. He has his emotions in balance and they are being held in place by a combination of intellect, will and feeling. He has to be constantly focused to keep that balance and make small motions to adjust, just as the guy walking the tight-wire in a circus. A certain level of self-observation and vigilance is implied and not from a place of apprehension, but a desire for something higher and the wish to be impeccable. He has to really pay attention and concentrate on what he is doing. This is the next step above the Moon card, mid-way up the spiritual pathway. Maintaining balance requires a lot of use of the will and constant alertness, it is not a natural state yet. The Temperance card represents a level at which constant choices are being made on a spiritual path. It's a spiritual choice card similar to the Two of Discs and Three of Swords on the mundane level.

One of the laws of Tarot says that a small change in the present produces a larger change in the future. When we are at the level of Temperance and walking the tightrope, we are making small adjustments, which produce larger changes in the future. Acts of power are ruled by Temperance as are attention or holding of intention. You have to let go of something lower to gain dominion over something higher. Willingness is important here.

The Star
The Star card is another issue of balance and is a step above Temperance. This card however refers to a person who has attained a point of spirituality where the balance is automatic. He does not have to pay the same kind of attention now as when walking the tight-wire as he is at a higher place inside. As a spiritual being, he is now in balance and this is reflected out into his external world. The Star is a balance card where conscious attention has now been acquired through past efforts and the balance is maintained as a part of the process of inner work. The effort and attention that were needed in Temperance are not needed here. The spiritual path has become a central part of the person's being, there is more of a sense of relaxation in efforts made. This card implies a huge level of spiritual attainment, the balance is much easier and instead of it being an internal issue, it is a radiative issue in that he is definitely affecting the outer world a lot. This card shows the beginning of true flow of manifestation. It is the point where we can start to project what we have to guide others.

So the next time you work with Tarot cards, really examine the cards and listen to what they have to say. Just taking the literal meaning from a book can often lead to misinterpretations and lead to disappointing readings. You can learn more about tarot card meanings and doing readings using Tarot cards in our Online Tarot Course.

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Is Real Magic Black, White or Something Else Altogether?

If you go to Google or Yahoo and type in the word "magick," you'll get a lot of listings for black magick, white magick, chaos magick, sex magick and thousands of other kinds of magick. And if you type in the word "magic," you'll get something entirely different. So what is magic (or magick)? Is real magic black, white or something else altogether?

In the experience of most magicians with some level of training, magic is neither black nor white, good nor evil. Instead, magic is an unchanging set of operating principles that are in effect whether you know them or not. Magical laws are like physical laws - they are impersonal, fixed and completely immune to bargaining.

One of our favorite authors, Paxton Robey, explains it so well in his book "No Time for Karma." He says, "The Universe and its rules must be seen as impersonal principle if we are to become self empowered beings. Remember the law of gravity. When you jump out of the window, you will go down. On the way you, you might remember about gravity, but the earth will not care one way or the other. Gravity is impersonal so it will not say, 'She is a pretty good person so maybe we should let her down easy.'" While the idea of impersonal magical forces can seem cold and unfeeling, the good thing about it is that it's very, very reliable. You'll never go to make use of magical principle and find that it's no longer there.

What Makes Magic Black or White?
What makes magic so-called "black" or "white" is our intent. Remember that magic is the study of intention. Our intention and attention are what direct the forces of magic in one direction or another. So what do you do when you stumble on a website offering black, white, chaos or sex magic? Use your own experience and observation to decide if whatever they are offering is really right for you. All types of magic are valid. What's right for you depends on your goals as a magician.

In reality, all forms of magic are just specializations in the same field. Magic is such as vast area of study that every particular branch is just a focused shot in the dark, trying to find out more about this area or that. Voodoo magic is about using the law, "as above, so below" to create effects in the world. What you do to a voodoo doll (as above), you likewise do to the person the doll represents (so below). Chaos magic is about using extreme methods to create heightened states of awareness and consciousness. Love magic is often attracting the right person to you.

Magical Side-Bands
And that brings up another interesting point. Above, we said that all forms of magic are valid. They are. But some have "sidebands" or side effects that you might not want in your life. For instance, if you cast a love spell that's supposed to make another person love you, you are binding that person. Binding is a magical problem that causes a backlash. You see, the Universe operates on the principle of reciprocal maintenance, which means that whatever you do to others will also happen to you. So if you bind another person with a love spell, you can be sure that you'll find your own freedom bound in some way, against your will.

Got it? Good! Check out Rules of the Road, a list of cosmic governing laws put together by George Dew of Church of Seven Arrows. It provides some good rules of thumb when you're trying to decide whether one form or magic or another would be fun to play with.

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