Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Matters of Willpower

     There is, I think, a certain mindset with which it is tempting to approach magick. And in that mindset, it is stripped of its true potential. It is easy to see magick as a quick fix for any problem or challenge we may face. As if one could literally just wave their wand, and watch all the struggles and complexities of life disappear, in a single instant. This is not what magick does. Rather I think it helps us bring our will to bear on just such situations.

     Energetically, we may be harnessing and directing that source, but they key ingredient to those workings is willpower. Without an external force of resistance, we would have nothing to direct our will towards, no obstacle to move. Just as a body-builder grows stronger as he lifts heavier weights, it is a continuous and conscious process of choice to live by intent. To push ourselves. To make decisions that are in accordance with our desires. Even when it is not the easiest option. And that involves discipline.

     The magick doesn't just turn off when the circles come down, and the athame goes back on the shelf. The real focus should be to continue channelling that power. It is in the manner of our existence, in our expression of thought and action, combined, which transmutes the "mundane" into actual, physical change. Every decision is an act of creation. Every idea can become a manifestation. To write a poem. To dance. To sing. To sculpt. In the doing, the magick is wrought.

     It is not sitting around and waiting for something to happen. It is bringing your whole self into alignment with your purpose(s.) Which means taking risks. Daring yourself to dream. Seeing things through. Not allowing yourself the luxury of excuse.

     The key is not in stripping away the pain, the loss, the frustration. (Those things will never go away completely.) It's in viewing everything as an opportunity for growth. In having the ability to see the magickal within the ordinary. Nascent. Hidden. Malleable. Moments of inspiration are (usually) rare, and thus cannot be depended upon. Sit down and write the book. Pick up the guitar. Set reachable goals. Take small steps. It's better than taking none.

     Very seldom is it, that anything of tremendous significance is accomplished overnight, as a certain Horned friend incessantly reminds me. We must allow ourselves, and the undertaking, the latitude to grow. Maturation is a steady endeavour. In today's society, we are often of a mind to recieve everything right now, as quickly as possible. And when we do not, we vindicate ourselves with, "I don't have the time," or "I'll do it later." (One attitude contradicts the other, by the way.)

     Not everything can be pre-packaged, bought, and driven home in our cars for easy consumption and convenience. The developments of character and skill even less so. The present holds lessons of its own. It is no more, or less, than the future we await, and the past we have lived. And truly, there is no better moment for things to end, while others yet begin.

     What could you bring to fruition, if you shifted your attention to the parts of your life you've been ignoring? What could you build if you acted as if success were the only outcome? Who would you reach out to, if you thought it could make a difference? For them? For the both of you?

     There is no fault in falling down. But there can be no victory if you do not stand up.

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