{"id":4688,"date":"2011-01-01T01:10:37","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T06:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=4752"},"modified":"2011-01-01T15:01:29","modified_gmt":"2011-01-01T20:01:29","slug":"magickabounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2011\/01\/01\/magickabounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Life Magically"},"content":{"rendered":"

Staying Resolved:\u00a0 Keeping the Magic of Resolutions Fresh and Effective<\/strong><\/p>\n

One year winds down as we look backward and reflect on all we\u2019ve been through and all we\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 It has been a year of successes and joys and it has been a year of sorrows and failures.\u00a0 Such is a life, richly and fully lived.\u00a0 And then we turn towards the New Year and make plans and resolutions.\u00a0 It\u2019s all about change at this turning point of the calendar.\u00a0 What can we do better and how can we be<\/em> better?\u00a0 All seems possible at the birth of the New Year!\u00a0 At the same time, we are saddened that through the years, our lives have become littered with resolutions unresolved and plans partially completed.<\/p>\n

As magical people, we know that change and the ability to make change is part of our essential being.\u00a0 The most often quoted definition from Aleister Crowley, \u201cMagick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will,\u201d tells us that change is fundamental to being a magical, mystical person.\u00a0 With all that power within the scope of our will, how can we make sure that our resolutions are effective and potent throughout the year so we attain our often lofty goals?\u00a0 We can make our resolutions successful and magical by looking at the process as a magical one.<\/p>\n

The key elements of effective magic coupled with good planning and common sense can bring us a year of accomplishment and change; actually good magic is good planning and commons sense.\u00a0 The key elements of successful magic are:\u00a0 desire and need; emotional involvement; knowledge and realistic expectations; belief; ability to keep your counsel; willingness to do what is necessary in the physical world; and gratitude.\u00a0 When you make a resolution, it needs to be something that comes from your heart, and your gut.\u00a0 If you are not actively engaged in this on an emotional and gut level, you will not be able to sustain the energy to change.<\/p>\n

In magic and in resolutions, you will need to \u201cget real.\u201d\u00a0 One time a student asked me if she should take beginning swimming or lifesaving because she really wanted to be a lifeguard.\u00a0 When I asked her how well she swam, she told me she was very afraid of the water.\u00a0 In our conversation, the desire to be a lifeguard was really a glamorized view of lifeguards; and what she really wanted was to date a lifeguard, and a particular one at that!\u00a0 She was not willing to put in the work to overcome her fear of water, to learn to be a strong and competent swimmer, let along develop the strength and sense of purpose needed to be a lifeguard.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t willing to honestly express her desires and at the first challenge, she faltered.<\/p>\n

So it is with magic and resolutions.\u00a0 You need the strength of will and desire to withstand the challenges, to regroup and come back again with alternative options.\u00a0 You need to be realistic and passionate about your goal.<\/p>\n

And in being realistic, you need to let go of the outcomes.\u00a0 This might seem like a contradictory statement to being passionate about the goal, but you need to adopt a stance that allows Spirit the opportunity to work.\u00a0 Sometimes Spirit sees a bigger, more dazzling picture for us than we really dare imagine.\u00a0 If we stay mindlessly attached to particulars, we don\u2019t allow all the possibilities of greater magic to happen.\u00a0 Stay true to your vision, but let go of the particular definitions of success.<\/p>\n

Knowledge about your goal is important.\u00a0\u00a0 The ability to learn as much as you can about your goal is learning about yourself.\u00a0 Together the knowledge, facts, and information you gather couples with your emotion and desire to create a dynamic and effective energy.\u00a0 You can direct that energy towards your goal.\u00a0 It helps you believe in the reality of your goal.\u00a0 In order to sustain belief in your goal you can visualize yourself as that changed person and hold that vision firm and true.\u00a0 If you can visualize it, you can make it happen.<\/p>\n

To keep your counsel is to keep silent.\u00a0 I tend to think that means no bragging.\u00a0 If you need help with something, ask the right person.\u00a0 Don\u2019t second guess, don\u2019t brag, and don\u2019t constantly worry it in some kind of esoteric \u201care we there yet\u201d litany. For the most part, just keep it a private matter until the work is done. \u00a0It is between you and the gods and it becomes a magical contract honored on both sides.\u00a0 Once a spell or ritual is completed and the magic is set into motion, you need to be willing to show the gods you really meant it.\u00a0 Some call this \u201cbehaving as if\u201d the magic is already complete.\u00a0 It means that you are willing to back up your magical work in the physical world.\u00a0 The magical work you did on the astral plane will resonate strongly when echoed and mirrored on the physical one.\u00a0 Magic is a work of co-creation, what happens below, happens above; and what happens above, happens below.<\/p>\n

Finally, be grateful along the way not just at the end.\u00a0 Thank Spirit and your companions on the journey.\u00a0 Find a way to practice gratitude daily.\u00a0 Thanking Spirit, your gods, your spirit guides for the moon, the stars, and the skies.\u00a0 Being grateful for everything even the small everyday things like your car starting in the morning is an excellent practice in actively acknowledging that our lives and everything in it is sacred, magical, and special.\u00a0 Gratitude makes you smile and activates joy!<\/p>\n

A Year Long Spell for Invigorated and Successful Resolutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the New Year, make two lists:\u00a0 the first is all the unsuccessful resolutions of the past and anything else you\u2019d like to let go of; and the second is a list of your resolutions for the coming year.\u00a0 Burn the first with words of gratitude and blessing and then bury the ashes in a pot of soil or in the earth.\u00a0 You will need the second list all year long.<\/p>\n

Each Month at the New Moon<\/span><\/p>\n

You will need your resolution list, pen and paper, an envelope with your name and address on it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Make an appointment with yourself to refresh your resolutions. \u00a0Choose a place of comfort and relaxation, surrounded by objects that remind you of your sacredness.\u00a0 Read your resolution list and make a note of accomplishments from the last time you read it and make changes to keep your goal in keeping with your changing vibrant self.\u00a0 Take a deep breath and meditate on your desire to accomplish your goal.\u00a0 Go to your sacred place on the astral plane and create a vision of what you will accomplish in the next month.\u00a0 Ask your spirit guides for wisdom.\u00a0 Then leave with thanks and blessings.\u00a0 Come back to your space in the present time.<\/p>\n

Now write yourself a note and in that note include the following elements:\u00a0 praise yourself for what you\u2019ve done so far; set a goal or two for the month; and what you are grateful for.\u00a0 Put the note in the envelope and seal it.\u00a0 Place the note on your altar.<\/p>\n

Each month at the Full Moon<\/span><\/p>\n

Visualize yourself as having accomplished your goals set at the New Moon.\u00a0 Stand before your altar; do an altar devotion, presenting yourself to the elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.\u00a0\u00a0 Cleanse and consecrate yourself in their energies and ask for their aid in creating your visualized change.\u00a0 Call upon the gods who help you to witness your journey, to help you, and to protect you as you go forward.<\/p>\n

Make an offering of food and drink for the spirits of the land.\u00a0 It can be some bread crumbs, bird seed, corn meal, or sacred tobacco.\u00a0 Say thank you for the world you live in.\u00a0 If you have difficulty accepting where you live, choose one thing you appreciate and focus your thanks there.<\/p>\n

Returning to the New Moon Again..and again<\/span><\/p>\n

At the next full moon, open the envelope addressed to yourself and read it with an open mind and full heart.\u00a0 Focus on your successes.\u00a0 Repeat the process again, taking into consideration any changes you need to make.\u00a0 Was there a new message from spirit or your life that has caused you to revise your resolution?\u00a0 Write yourself another note repeat the ritual process each month.<\/p>\n

At the End of the Year<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifty two weeks, twelve months, and 365 days is a long time to sustain an intention.\u00a0\u00a0 Sustaining an intention happens when you adhere to the spirit of the intention and not the letter of it.\u00a0 What did you accomplish?\u00a0 How is it different from your original resolution?\u00a0 What did you learn and how did you change?\u00a0 Each month provided you with evidence of your change.\u00a0 Praise yourself, celebrate who you are.\u00a0 Let go of who you are not, and then step forward again into another year of magic and change!<\/p>\n

Many blessings for a happy new year each and every day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Staying Resolved:\u00a0 Keeping the Magic of Resolutions Fresh and Effective One year winds down as we look backward and reflect on all we\u2019ve been through and all we\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 It has been a year of successes and joys and it has been a year of sorrows and failures.\u00a0 Such is a life, richly and fully lived.\u00a0 And then we turn towards the New Year and make plans and resolutions.\u00a0 It\u2019s all about change at this turning point of the calendar.\u00a0 What can we do better and how can we be better?\u00a0 All seems possible at the birth of the New Year!\u00a0 At the same time, we are saddened that through the years, our lives have become littered with resolutions unresolved and plans partially completed. As magical people, we know that change and the ability to make change is part of our essential being.\u00a0 The most often quoted definition from Aleister Crowley, \u201cMagick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will,\u201d tells us that change is fundamental to being a magical, mystical person.\u00a0 With all that power within the scope of our will, how can we make sure that our resolutions are effective and potent throughout the year so we attain our often lofty goals?\u00a0 We can make our resolutions successful and magical by looking at the process as a magical one. The key elements of effective magic coupled with good planning and common sense can bring us a year of accomplishment and change; actually good magic is good planning and commons sense.\u00a0 The key elements of successful magic are:\u00a0 desire and need; emotional involvement; knowledge and realistic expectations; belief; ability to keep your counsel; willingness to do what is necessary in the physical world; and gratitude.\u00a0 When you make a resolution, it needs to be something that comes from your heart, and your gut.\u00a0 If you are not actively engaged in this on an emotional and gut level, you will not be able to sustain the energy to change. In magic and in resolutions, you will need to \u201cget real.\u201d\u00a0 One time a student asked me if she should take beginning swimming or lifesaving because she really wanted to be a lifeguard.\u00a0 When I asked her how well she swam, she told me she was very afraid of the water.\u00a0 In our conversation, the desire to be a lifeguard was really a glamorized view of lifeguards; and what she really wanted was to date a lifeguard, and a particular one at that!\u00a0 She was not willing to put in the work to overcome her fear of water, to learn to be a strong and competent swimmer, let along develop the strength and sense of purpose needed to be a lifeguard.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t willing to honestly express her desires and at the first challenge, she faltered. So it is with magic and resolutions.\u00a0 You need the strength of will and desire to withstand the challenges, to regroup and come back again with alternative options.\u00a0 You need to be realistic and passionate about your goal. And in being realistic, you need to let go of the outcomes.\u00a0 This might seem like a contradictory statement to being passionate about the goal, but you need to adopt a stance that allows Spirit the opportunity to work.\u00a0 Sometimes Spirit sees a bigger, more dazzling picture for us than we really dare imagine.\u00a0 If we stay mindlessly attached to particulars, we don\u2019t allow all the possibilities of greater magic to happen.\u00a0 Stay true to your vision, but let go of the particular definitions of success. Knowledge about your goal is important.\u00a0\u00a0 The ability to learn as much as you can about your goal is learning about yourself.\u00a0 Together the knowledge, facts, and information you gather couples with your emotion and desire to create a dynamic and effective energy.\u00a0 You can direct that energy towards your goal.\u00a0 It helps you believe in the reality of your goal.\u00a0 In order to sustain belief in your goal you can visualize yourself as that changed person and hold that vision firm and true.\u00a0 If you can visualize it, you can make it happen. To keep your counsel is to keep silent.\u00a0 I tend to think that means no bragging.\u00a0 If you need help with something, ask the right person.\u00a0 Don\u2019t second guess, don\u2019t brag, and don\u2019t constantly worry it in some kind of esoteric \u201care we there yet\u201d litany. For the most part, just keep it a private matter until the work is done. \u00a0It is between you and the gods and it becomes a magical contract honored on both sides.\u00a0 Once a spell or ritual is completed and the magic is set into motion, you need to be willing to show the gods you really meant it.\u00a0 Some call this \u201cbehaving as if\u201d the magic is already complete.\u00a0 It means that you are willing to back up your magical work in the physical world.\u00a0 The magical work you did on the astral plane will resonate strongly when echoed and mirrored on the physical one.\u00a0 Magic is a work of co-creation, what happens below, happens above; and what happens above, happens below. Finally, be grateful along the way not just at the end.\u00a0 Thank Spirit and your companions on the journey.\u00a0 Find a way to practice gratitude daily.\u00a0 Thanking Spirit, your gods, your spirit guides for the moon, the stars, and the skies.\u00a0 Being grateful for everything even the small everyday things like your car starting in the morning is an excellent practice in actively acknowledging that our lives and everything in it is sacred, magical, and special.\u00a0 Gratitude makes you smile and activates joy! A Year Long Spell for Invigorated and Successful Resolutions At the New Year, make two lists:\u00a0 the first is all the unsuccessful resolutions of the past and anything else you\u2019d like to let go of; and the second is a list of your resolutions for the coming year.\u00a0 Burn the first with words of gratitude and blessing and then bury the ashes in a pot of soil or in the earth.\u00a0 You will need the second list all year long. Each Month at the New Moon You will need your resolution list, pen and paper, an envelope with your name and address on it. Make an appointment with yourself to refresh your resolutions. \u00a0Choose a place of comfort and relaxation, surrounded by objects that remind you of your sacredness.\u00a0 Read your resolution list and make a note of accomplishments from the last time you read it and make changes to keep your goal in keeping with your changing vibrant self.\u00a0 Take a deep breath and meditate on your desire to accomplish your goal.\u00a0 Go to your sacred place on the astral plane and create a vision of what you will accomplish in the next month.\u00a0 Ask your spirit guides for wisdom.\u00a0 Then leave with thanks and blessings.\u00a0 Come back to your space in the present time. Now write yourself a note and in that note include the following elements:\u00a0 praise yourself for what you\u2019ve done so far; set a goal or two for the month; and what you are grateful for.\u00a0 Put the note in the envelope and seal it.\u00a0 Place the note on your altar. Each month at the Full Moon Visualize yourself as having accomplished your goals set at the New Moon.\u00a0 Stand before your altar; do an altar devotion, presenting yourself to the elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.\u00a0\u00a0 Cleanse and consecrate yourself in their energies and ask for their aid in creating your visualized change.\u00a0 Call upon the gods who help you to witness your journey, to help you, and to protect you as you go forward. Make an offering of food and drink for the spirits of the land.\u00a0 It can be some bread crumbs, bird seed, corn meal, or sacred tobacco.\u00a0 Say thank you for the world you live in.\u00a0 If you have difficulty accepting where you live, choose one thing you appreciate and focus your thanks there. Returning to the New Moon Again..and again At the next full moon, open the envelope addressed to yourself and read it with an open mind and full heart.\u00a0 Focus on your successes.\u00a0 Repeat the process again, taking into consideration any changes you need to make.\u00a0 Was there a new message from spirit or your life that has caused you to revise your resolution?\u00a0 Write yourself another note repeat the ritual process each month. At the End of the Year Fifty two weeks, twelve months, and 365 days is a long time to sustain an intention.\u00a0\u00a0 Sustaining an intention happens when you adhere to the spirit of the intention and not the letter of it.\u00a0 What did you accomplish?\u00a0 How is it different from your original resolution?\u00a0 What did you learn and how did you change?\u00a0 Each month provided you with evidence of your change.\u00a0 Praise yourself, celebrate who you are.\u00a0 Let go of who you are not, and then step forward again into another year of magic and change! Many blessings for a happy new year each and every day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4688\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}