Real Magic

When I was a kid in the 70’s I enjoyed TV immensely. A lot of reruns from the 60’s and all the TV shows that were out then. Baretta, Starsky and Hutch, and Kung Fu. In the early part of the decade, there was always excitement for me, about Saturday morning cartoons. I watched TV as much as I was allowed - and more. I enjoyed variety shows like Sonny and Cher, and magic shows were a personal favorite. Sometimes they would have magic on The Gong Show. Other times magicians like Doug Henning or David Copperfield had their own shows.

There were all kinds of tricks: making objects (or an assistant) disappear, or cutting the assistant in half, and putting her back together again. Sometimes they would make themselves disappear. However, even when the magician does this amazing trick, a big ego does not disappear. The audience is fooled, and maybe the magician even fools himself, but has not done real magic.

Real magic is developing a discipline in which we do practice even though it means giving up how we manipulate the world. Where we are hiding ego? In what activities? What area of bias? What is the coping technique we use? Is it anger? Fear or shame? With what do we find ourselves preoccupied?

It - real magic - can even be found in grief.

As much as we want to feel better, some part of us does not want to change, does not want to become something new. It is not a bad thing. We can realize that we are not turning our backs on our experience, and gradually build our commitment to grounding and calming practice. It is easy to do, not hard.

A two-minute daily of the practice of paying attention to every subtle thing you can, will change your life. It is so remarkably easy, yet so hard to do because it requires consistency - and patience. You can do this. Why not give it a try? Simple practice, done with commitment. If you do this, the little self you think you are can disappear, and become the great blue sky.