If you spend more than five minutes with me, there’s a great chance you’ll hear me use the word “magic.”
I use it to describe moments of wonder: “Look, girls, the way the light is coming through the trees… I think we stepped into a realm of magic.”
I use this to describe moments of domestic joy: “The kitchen is clean! Someone made magic!” (That someone is always my husband… don’t let them tell you that electrical engineers aren’t mystical creatures!)
I use “magic” to describe any act of creativity and vision made manifest. Sometimes my writing coaching clients may look at me a little quizzically when I exclaim that they performed magic on their latest blog post. Before they get to know me, they may be thinking that the are merely writing and re-writing, not doing alchemy, but trust me… that time and attention is exactly what sets the stage for magic.
OK, time to define magic…
"Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will."
This line is credited to the psychotherapist turned occultist and fantasy novelist Dion Fortune. She dedicated her life in the first half of the twentieth century to the study and creation of magic, and I think there’s much inspiration to draw from this idea.
Let’s unpack this phrase a little bit and think about how it can guide the #7MagicWords Challenge that begins next week.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, #7MagicWords is a weeklong community project. Sign up (it’s free) and you’ll be sent a prompt each day and invited to come up with your own magic word.
The goal is to create space for personal illumination, but it would be wonderful to spread the light wider too. Create an image with your word and perhaps share a piece of the story behind it and then post the image on your favorite social media platform (I’ve been at it all through 2017).
There’s also a Magic Words Facebook group where we’ll be talking about the process and how a daily magic word can help you set a daily intention and/or make time for nightly reflection.
So, back to Ms. Fortune and "Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will."
In the #7MagicWords challenge, let’s make art, invite change, expand consciousness, and exercise will.
Art: If you’ve been following my 2017 journey with #365magicwords, you’ll notice that the art is key to the process. Sometimes, the word finds me and I search Unsplash or my own phone for the image that might compliment it. Other days, the act of take a photograph or doodling in the margins will lead me to the word.
Someday quite soon, I hope to find the perfect word to help me understand why I had to take a dozen shots of this fungus colony. Certainly these little ‘shrooms offered unexpected beauty, but someday, I think they’ll help me understand something about community.
Change: How much will shift between day one and day seven for you? You may have a creative breakthrough that will shift the story you’re writing or the offer you’re making to your clients. Or, you may need to peer closely to catch some subtle shift in the way you look at the world and feel the words as they roll off your tongue.
Transformation in any form is something that magicians and creatives and healers seek and welcome, yes?
Consciousness: This is a big delicious word that holds everything from the state of being awake to something profoundly metaphysical.
Whether tuning into yourself and your surroundings simply makes you feel more aware and alive or whether it connects you to something much greater than yourself, you’re doing it right.
Will: It does take commitment to get from “oh that sounds cool” and entering your email address to actually pausing and finding the words and potentially creating a piece of inspiring art from them seven (or more!) times.
This project is an invitation to show up for yourself and your own creative insights. Commit yourself to show up for seven days and open yourself to the wonderful and unexpected things that will emerge along the journey.
Please join us for the sweet, simple project that begins on the first day of summer
I do hope you’ll join the community of magic makers that is growing as the Summer Solstice draws near. Let me know that you’re in and I’ll instantly send over the brand new e-booklet I put together, Find Your Magic Words: Discover the Words that Help You Tell the Stories that Matter.