Wait a minute! I've been here before!

Talk about being trapped in a cycle. I am creating a book which pulls together essays from my blogs and journals, and had to browse through them to pull out the appropriate material. Most of my journals have mundane stuff and griping. Its how I relieve stress sometimes. But what was glaringly obvious is that, even after 5 years, the issues which I had then are the same issue I have now.

I haven't grown? I haven't moved forward? Such a revelation gave me another headache instantly! As if I hadn't already been battling headaches enough!Themes which came forward are:
1) Didn't like managing and working for people
2) I wish for enough money (in the millions) so that I could pursue my dream
3) The blissful state I feel when doing my biggest love and wishing I could do it full time

You know, I could kick myself. I haven't done anything in five years to say that I have moved on from those issues or grown. I saw where I kept going around and around in circles. Leaving the job, trying to start a business, not having enough money, having to go back to work, hating the job, leaving the job, trying to start a business, not having enough..... you get the point.

I know that I have to work for myself. I know that I can. What I have to plan is the products which I can create using these images that I paint. I also need to find some way to cut down my expenses to make it more feasible. Hmmm.... I must break this nightmarish cycle. Its starting to feel like a really bad dream.

The ritual of stagnating yourself.

With exuberance, many people jump into witchcraft feet first eyes open and learn all the ways to perform the correct ritual, the perfect spell, and learn how to do it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their backs.

They challenge each other about whether air should be in the west or east, or north, and which incense is the correct one for what etc etc. If you are so bent on perfecting the ritual by the books you are reading, then Magick will never help you, neither will Wicca, witchcraft or any other spiritual path for that matter.

Lets take a look back in time. Imagine if you will, that we have no thinkers of scientific theory. What would life be like without the wheel, without running water, education, internet?

The human race is constantly evolving, changing and developing. The individual, led my their minds also constantly changes and develops. Life becomes difficult when we struggle against it due to lack of acceptance or inability to accept changes. There is no benefit to us in stagnating ourselves.

Indeed, when we decide to clamp down barriers in our minds, like say refusing to consider that alternate rituals are possible; we are committing to ourselves the greatest injustice. You would not like anyone to put you in a 10" square room and order you to live out your life there. Why then, do you put your mind in a limiting position and want to stay there?

Our minds should always remain open. Our thoughts and desires are allowed to change. Its what Free Will is for. Its the ability to think "Where can I grow?" next and continue to make changes in lifestyle until your are happy in yourself. Life is about experiences, and if you desire an experience in an area...and can see you will grow from it, why hold yourself back?

Magick only works if you can relate to it. Which is why you have to know yourself. No sense doing a cleansing ritual using salt when the granules make you feel dirty. Your attempt is to condition your mind. Thats what the rituals are for- to condition your mind into believing that it is so, your are clean. Follow your gut, take your first instincts with something and use it. Remember always, that you are developing a system for you and you alone. Yes coven work helps, but your personal system is the best for you. Practice, change, adjust, use what pops into your mind.

Learn everything, try it out. Then throw the whole thing out the door and go with your gut.....fly on your own......fly in your own.

Magickal Mind 2 - Changing your belief.

Spells, Runes, Tarot cards and the like are all interesting. But what captures my attention most is how the mind processes information when working magick. Actually, learning Magick really assists you in focusing, and learning how to differentiate between fact, and opinion. When you can analyze your thoughts to the point where you know which thoughts are fear based, and which thoughts are "truth for all people" your world really opens up as you realize that the possibilities for the individual are endless. The only thing we have to fear is..fear.

I can bring to mind many instances where I have believed in something, and haven't discussed it with anyone (to be silent) and the thing came to pass. However I noted that when I believe something is possible, and have to share that belief with someone who thinks it is not, then the probability of it happening diminishes.

The belief in something, is directly proportional to its manifestation. Also, there is a process which you can undertake to "change your beliefs." People have serious doubts that this is possible. The number one rule to remember is " Anything you can imagine can be made manifest." Keep that statement. Hold it, repeat it, remember it when things are not going your way.

Lets analyze how to change your belief. Write down your goal. Then honestly write down all the thoughts that come into your head, positive and negative; about your goal. All...everyone. The mind has a tendency to look at all aspects associated with the belief and labels every statement that matches as confirmation of the belief. Those that don't match are labelled "execptions to the rule." It never dawns on us that if exceptions exist, then the opposite of what we believe is also true.

The next thing you are going to do is to take every negative statement and find an example which makes the negative untrue. If you can find more than one statement, fact, or example, so much the better. Write down all those too. Then ask yourself. "If this is truth for these people, in theses instances, how can I make it truth for me?" Find ways in which the thing you want can come to pass. Use your imagination...."It can happen if........."

Lets take an example: Winning the lottery.
I like to use this because it resonates with so many people. We never believe that we could win the lotto. Yet people win every week. As a matter of fact there are 104 winners every year. A minimum of 104 million dollars are given away to Average Joe person every year...here...in Trinidad and Tobago. Why do you believe that it can't happen to you? Work on changing those beliefs.

Now think about the goal again...have your beliefs in the possibility of its manifestation changed? If not, you need to go back to the thinking board and write down all the statements you have associated with the thing in the past. Look for the things that echo from your upbringing. "Money doesn't grow on trees." or the classic, "only people who do illegal things have that amount of money."
Follow this exercise with any goal working that you are doing. Declare waht you really want always, make steps to change your belief in the possibility. Know, that if your inner critic keeps coming up with every thought of what you want, then you really don't believe its possible.

When you state your goal......and there is nothing but a smile, and a "hell yeah, that would be cool!" from your inner voice; then you know you have indeed changed your belief.