Find Yourself in a Magic Mirror!

When I say “magic mirror” you probably think of a smartass talking mirror from a Disney movie.  However, the idea that we can get information from a mirror, or that a mirror can be enchanted, is not just a thing of fantasy.

The “mirror, mirror on the wall” has its origins in ancient magical practices. Today, people all over the world practice mirror magic, with excellent results.

As with any magic that turns a mundane item into a magical tool, the power comes from the Hermetic law “As Above, So Below”. Whatever task that item performs on a mundane level, so it does on a spiritual or energetic level.

So, what does a mirror do?

A mirror reflects.

We see evidence of the magical nature of mirrors in many cultures and practices.

When I was a young girl being initiated into my first Brownie troop, our ceremony involved looking into a mirror as we recited a chant:

“Twist me and turn me and show me the elf, I looked in the mirror and saw myself”.

In that ritual, we used the mirror to find within us the Brownie we were becoming.

Many people use mirror-gazing, or scrying, as a divination method to reflect truth.

A mirror becomes a focus point for concentration and inner reflection in group practices such as dance, and Bikram Yoga.

In Feng Shui, a mirror reflects a noisy neighbor’s disruptive energy back to them.

We can energetically send a psychic mirror to folks in need of enlightenment. This will cause them the painful-but-necessary experience of seeing the truth about themselves that they have been avoiding.

We can also use a mirror to help us heal from self-doubt, uncertainty about our skills, low self-esteem and lack of confidence.

If you are not aware of, and confident in, your skills and abilities, or if you can’t see your own awesomeness, try a magic mirror to help you see your own beauty and value, and to help others see it as well!

You’ll need a small compact or hand mirror. You can use a treasured heirloom, a cheap mirror from Walmart, or a leftover mirror that came with makeup.

If you like, you can decorate your mirror with symbols that resonate for you, and represent you.

To begin, you must “charge”” your mirror. Other words to describe this process include “enchant” or “dedicate”.

You can do the charging ritual as formally or as casually as you like. If you choose to perform a formal ceremony to charge your mirror, choose candles, incense and colors that support self-esteem, self-love, personal enlightenment and general success.

The core of the ritual, and the only truly necessary part, is that you must write a dedication for your mirror, and speak the dedication as you hold your mirror.

Your words will charge the mirror with your intention. Your intention is to look into the mirror and see within it your skills, your talents, your beauty, your connection to Spirit and your purpose on the planet.

Your words can be simple or elegant. You may write a rhyming dedication if you like. What is important is that you clearly state, see and feel your intention.

Here is a rhyming dedication, or incantation, you can use if you like.

I charge this mirror with an awesome task
To without delay do as I ask.
When I gaze, allow me to see
All that is valuable within me.

Once you have charged you mirror, you may use it in meditation whenever you feel the need for a confidence boost. Use you mirror to help you find the courage to pursue your dreams and desires.

Simply sit quietly and breathe. Ground yourself to the earth, and set your intention in your mind.

Now gaze into the mirror, and quiet your mind.

Focus on your breathing, and allow your gaze to soften as you continue to stare into the mirror.

What thoughts or inspirations come to you?

What do you see about yourself that you didn’t see before?

As you gaze into the mirror in a meditative state you may ask questions about your life, your journey toward self-acceptance and success. Wait for the answers to present themselves to your heart.

Let your magic mirror help you see what is special, unique and precious about you!

Energetic Cures for Obnoxious Neighbors

Whether you live in an apartment or out in the country, there is always a chance that your peace at home will be disturbed by your neighbors.

Often, when usual attempts at resolution don’t work, folk remedies such as protection magick and Feng Shui become reasonable options, even for people who don't normally seek energetic fixes.

Tarot clients ask me, in desperation, what to do about their horrible neighbors. Often these problems can be solved on an energetic level, but we have to change our energy by changing our attitude about the problem, first.

Here are some suggestions that often work.

1.       Don’t give the problem the weight of your anger.
If you spend time and energy on moral outrage, you are adding fuel to the fire. Your outrage may be justified, but it doesn’t help. Recognize that the problems might stem from cultural differences, mental illness or a host of reasons more complex, and more deserving of compassion, than your neighbor simply and willfully being disrespectful.

2.       Install better barriers.
Robert Frost was correct when he said “good fences make good neighbors”. If you have the wherewithal to make some structural changes that will give you more privacy, security or peace, by all means do. When you do, do it with gratitude rather than resentment. Be grateful that you have the ability to make this change, rather than being angry that you found the change necessary.
This technique also has an internal component. The more internal barriers you have against your anger and frustration, the more quickly you will be able to resolve the situation.

3.       Discover the magickal properties of salt.
Whether you use black salt, pink salt, sea salt, kosher salt or a packet you saved from McDonald’s, salt is a great way to energetically discourage people from coming into your space. Sprinkle a line of salt in front of your doorsteps, and around the perimeter of your property. Do this regularly. As you do, think about how much you enjoy your home, and what you want the energy of your home to be.

4.       Install mirrors.
The idea is to reflect your neighbors' energy back at them, or, to cause them to see themselves as you see them. Install a mirror of any size, either outside your home facing the neighbor, or, inside, on the wall (or floor or ceiling) that faces the neighbor, with the mirror facing in, toward the neighbor. You can be creative about how you do this. The size of the mirror is not important, but a round or octagonal mirror is better than a square or rectangle.

5.       Manifest great things for your neighbor.
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but when Jesus said “Love thine enemies” he may have known of this self-interested side effect of compassion. You want your neighbors to go away, or at least to desist certain irritating activities. Rather than wishing them ill in anger, wish them great fortune that will change their circumstances, and therefore yours. Cast a spell, say a prayer or set an intention that will help them, and you, at the same time! A great new promotion that causes an out-of-state move, or a whirlwind long distance romance that ends in marriage, might solve everyone’s problems.

Our relationships with other people always include an energetic component. When language and legalities fail to fix a problem, changing the energy around the situation often will.

Three Things I Learned from Donald Michael Kraig

I am saddened by the news of the death of one of my favorite Pagan authors, Donald Michael Kraig.

I met Don a couple of times in the late 1990s, when we both were presenters at American Tarot Associations conventions in Albany. At the time, he was already a well-known author.

Over the years we had a few phone conversations and exchanged a few emails. I had always assumed our paths would cross again one day.

That Don passed on March 17^th strikes me. Many modern Pagans celebrate March 17^th as “All Snakes Day,” in recognition of the stories of St. Patrick’s atrocities toward Irish Pagans.

Although there are reasons to doubt the historical accuracy of those stories, All Snakes Day has become something of a modern Pagan holiday. I don’t know if Don celebrated it or not. I do bet that, over the next years and decades, many Pagans will take a moment to honor the life of Donald Michael Kraig each and every March 17^th as part of their All Snakes Day celebration.

I often quote Don in my classes. Although we didn’t spend any significant time together, I learned a lot from him. Here are three things I learned from Donald Michael Kraig.

1. It’s human nature to act against the advice of divination, and that’s ok.

   Readers so often bemoan the fact that clients don’t take our advice. Don assumed and accepted that we have the prerogative to do what we want, regardless of the information we receive from divination. To me that has always been very freeing and affirming. It allows us to use divination in a more proactive way.

2. Divination and magick are linked.

   Don’s books really helped me understand the way magick and divination work together, and the way tarot fits into all of that. Without his work I would not have been able to do mine.

3. Teach with your whole self.

   Don was a truly great teacher. I was fascinated by his stories. When Don taught a class, all of his body, mind and spirit was focused on the task. He would jump up and down and wave his arms around, gesturing wildly. He managed to be funny, grounded and wise. I try to do the same.

I’m grateful that I had a chance to meet Donald Michael Kraig. I know that through his books, and through the people he taught, his wisdom will continue on forever.

During Don’s struggle with pancreatic cancer a fund was established to help with expenses. Please considering making a donation in his memory.

Every Year the Nations on Earth do Magick Together

Those who study astrology and honor the movements of the sun, moon and planets as powerful times and times of spiritual and magickal opportunity often poo-poo the change of the calendar year. Our calendar is contrived, and not based on anything truly “natural.” It’s a young calendar, too. Many spiritual people find more power in older measurements of time like the Chinese New Year or the Jewish New Year.

Nonetheless, many astrologers found the New Moon in Capricorn on January 1, 2014 to be an auspicious start to the calendar year, although most were quick to say the changing calendar is simply an artificial marker and means nothing.

I disagree.

Sometimes magick is not only what we observe in the movements of the heavens. Sometimes power comes from what we ourselves do.

As a planet, we have all agreed to our calendar. We have all agreed to the date and time that marks our new year. More importantly, even the most secular of us have agreed that the change of the calendar means something. What does it mean? It means an opportunity to let go of the past. It means a time to celebrate past accomplishments. It means a clean slate for the future. It means a time to be optimistic about what might be, and a time to take control of our future by manifesting different behaviors and reaching for different ideals.

That so many people across the globe have agreed to this is what gives the concept of the New Year its magickal power. That we all put our energy into this is what makes it meaningful and valuable.

That’s a way magick, energy, spiritual power – whatever you want to call it – works.

Every year our planet collectively creates the intention of a wonderful new year. Magickal practitioners might see this as a creation of a “magickal child” or an “artificial elemental.”

Tracking the New Year ringing in across the globe is like a “Rolling Thunder” spell, which increases power each time a time zone is added.

Every magickal ritual needs a point of release, where the collective energy that has been built during the ritual into a fervor is sent into the Universe all at once.  At this moment our intentions are sent out to be made real.

When people say that their NYE experience was “magical,” they may be more accurate than they think!

So often we focus on the terrible things that have happened and are happening on our planet. On the other hand, it could be a lot worse.

What if this global magickal spell for a great year which we perform annually is actually working to help keep us in balance, and safe from global catastrophic events?