A teacher to a student:
“What’s the matter?” “I’m worried. I just don’t know what’s going to happen.” “Do you have to know? “Well, no. I don’t know. It’s just that…” “What will knowing give to you? And what will it take away?” “It would give me a sense of clarity, I suppose. And security.” “Predictability.” “Right.” “And what will it take away?” “Anxiety, I guess. The fear of what may happen, and if I’m doing the right thing. The uncertainty.” “Precisely that. Herein lies the danger. For it is only in the raw energy of uncertainty that magic can take place. It is the missing ingredient in so many lives. Everybody has uncertainty in life. But when a person looks down uncertainty's dark corridor, one of two things happens: Either they turn and run, retreating to the tiny room at the end of the corridor in which they exist…” “Or?” “Or, they breathe deeply, take hold of their faith and walk away from their safe but rigid confinement. They go free.” “And what if they walk into a bad situation, find themselves in some kind of trouble they could never have prepared for?” “I see you left your faith in the other room.” “I’m only being realistic.” “You’re being short-sighted. You’re forgetting that there are other conditions that must be met in order for the universe to orchestrate her magic, offering help and protection.” “Such as?” “For a man to carry on in good faith he must know two things firmly. The first is that the path he follows has heart. How does one know this? One just does. Listen to the body; it will never lie. Visualize the path in your mind’s eye. Can you picture it with some clarity? Or is it only vague? Once your vision of the path is clear, hold focus and pay attention to your chest and gut especially. Has your pulse increased? Can you feel a wave of lightness spreading through your body? Does your heart flutter?” “Flutter?” “You will know it if it does.” “Right.” “Then there’s the gut. Feel for the weight of it; watch to see if it grows deep like an ocean or if it sits still like the reflection on a puddle, undisturbed. Does it move you? Or does it leave you feeling indifferent, uninspired? This is how you know if a path has heart. And if you see that one doesn’t, you change paths immediately.” “I think I understand.” “Don't think, accept. Now, on to the second. A man must be aware of his state of being. Not only must he travel a path that he has determined has heart, but he must do so in a ready state. It is a man’s responsibility to ensure his energies are balanced, that his mind, body and spiritual plane are maintained and healthy. Firstly, he must be aware that these aspects of Self exist and then he must work every day to better himself in these areas. This does not mean a man must be perfect, balanced or enlightened. Far from it. Magic helps those who are ready. But to be ready one must be doing the work. And the work is never finished.” “Doing what work?” “Spiritual maintenance! Self-maintenance. Living in truth and authenticity, with eyes wide open to the reality he creates for himself both inside and out. Awareness is key. Even a man who is making poor choices and living an unbalanced life but is aware of his state and is doing the work to break free is more ready than a man who is living a conventionally healthy and moral life but is unaware of the Self and its many aspects laying dormant within.” “I see. How could a man like that even recognize that magic happened, if it did?” “Exactly. You’re getting it now.” “I think—no. I know I am. I can feel it.” “That a boy.”
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AuthorChicago-born citizen of the globe, rich in the things that really matter. Let's get weird. Categories
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January 2019
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