I was supposed to speak at a conference this coming weekend but it was cancelled. I was disappointed because I liked my topic and wanted to share a bit about my experiences in hopes of suggesting ways of making life just a little bit easier and more meaningful.
So my lemonade moment is editing the presentation to create a blog post. Here is:
Unfolding Everyday Magic
It’s been my experience that if we can take a moment to slow down and take even one breath – often seemingly impossible to do – something fascinating happens. Because just beneath the surface of our everyday lives there is magic waiting to be discovered and it only shows itself when we take that one moment to shift our awareness and “notice.”
This magic shimmers in our memories of our nighttime dreams, in the surprising synchronicities that catch our attention as well as in our personal feelings and responses to disturbing community and world events.
And, surprise! You can transform your inherent magical qualities into “superpowers” that you can – that you must! - bring into the world in whatever way is possible for you. It is at one personal and communal, both private andglobal in nature. When you access everyday magic, it stretches your worldview by tapping into your boldness to face the unknown with pragmatic curiosity rather than contracting without thinking into judgment and fear.
Where can I find these superpowers you may ask. Well, I have found that they are very close at hand in your earliest childhood memories and repetitive dreams.
Many schools of thought in psychology, spirituality, personal development and mystical knowledge recommend going deep within the self in order to discover and transform what disturbs you into the energy of pure gold.
So, just think about an early memory or dream.
For me it was a repetitive nightmare where I was riding on an out of control roller coaster. As I rode up and down, around and around all alone, I became more and more scared and panicked. Who would help me stop this crazy ride? At the time, my solution was to pry my eyes open with focus and determination and wake myself up! It worked! I woke up but was still scared and went to find my parents.
By delving into this dream again and again and mining the power of its symbols and hidden messages, I’ve recognize my tendency to be sensitive to my environment and learned to use the essence of that “crazy ride” to awaken to my power to cultivate inner and outer chaos into a process of awakening.
Then, find the most mysterious, disturbing or strange part of your dream, gather up your curiosity and courage and become that unfamiliar energy - that experience you identify as being “not you”. Imagine - really shift - into this experience, take the energy as fully as you can into yourself. Sense and feel that you become “it” while retaining a bit of your objective self. As you do, you can discover the inherent power of this unknown part of yourself and begin to distill and integrate it’s magic into fuel for your day-to-day life.
Chaos can become power and focus. Anger or fear can transform into determination and clarity. Fascination with the unseen can fuel seeing beneath the surface of what you are told is real. Only you can say what is true for you.
Delving into your own profoundly magical stirrings gives you irrefutable experience of your inner truth – your essence. And it has been my experience that the magic that each person holds inside of them in essential to the weaving our shared consensus and deeper realities. As you bring this inner experience into the world with awareness it becomes your superpower – maybe even the reason you are here.
Now, one more thing - and I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. You don’t have to be “big” to be essential to life’s beauty, diversity, and purpose. You simply need to be present. Remember the taking a breath moment we started with?
Forget being a (insert your favorite social media name here) influencer with thousands or millions of followers or a famous or well known person of any kind. No! This is a diversion in which the dominant paradigm is trying to tangle you. Don’t fall for it.
Being present in your family, workplace, community or inner world as an independent, aware being is what is vitally important. Show up, bring your magic with you to the party and use it.
And finally because we live in a quantum world in which we are all entangled, by being present we can each weave together the strands of our lives, amplify their power with intention and offer this energy to nourish the planetary quantum field.
When you do this in your meditation practice, with a simple heartfelt thought sent to the world, in your movement or sport practice, in whatever intentional way that occurs to you, the consciousness of the world grows richer and more diverse and magic shows itself in more wonderful and helpful ways than you can possibly imagine.
The world invites you to unfold your magic and let it shine!