I’ve always been interested in magic. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in and around Salem, with all its references to witchcraft. As a kid I loved stage magic, or magic tricks. As I got older, I lost interest in tricks and became interested in what I think of as real magic, often referred to as “magick” (to distinguish it from the other form).

Magick was defined by the occultist Aleister Crowley as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.”[i] He’s also the guy who stuck the K on the end of magick. In Paganism, magick refers to the “ritualization of one’s spiritual intentions . . . . aligning oneself with natural forces to manifest an intention.”[ii]

From here on, I’ll dispense with the K, but know that when I say magic, I’m talking about a way of living that consciously honors and utilizes the spirit and natural forces that pervade our world. It’s not just a spiritual life, but a life in which we actively seek to recognize the magic that surrounds us, to see beyond the mundane, and to harness what’s available to us.

I have books on talismans, alchemy, and esoteric ceremony, but to be honest, I believe some of the strongest and most accessible magic is the art of optimism. We might call it the magic of selective perception and language.

Ritual, training, and initiation may help, but they aren’t required. The difference between a magical and non-magical life largely comes down to consciousness. It’s worth asking yourself: How am I choosing to perceive life today? and What do I choose to focus on?

If you’ve ever practiced visualization, you’re familiar with sitting down, closing your eyes, and imagining life the way you’d like it to be. Ideally, you’re even feeling it, hearing it, tasting it, and talking about it to yourself. This is a great practice, and it can be much more powerful if we take it out of this compartmentalized form. To be truly revolutionary, it needs to be a way of life.

All day long, we’re selectively focusing on a certain view of reality that goes along with our story, and we’re narrating it accordingly (both in our minds and our conversations). When the view and the narrative change, life changes.

I’m sure you’re familiar with this idea, but I ask you to give it fresh consideration.

There are 5 parts to this practice.

1. Choose the new story you want to be living. On a regular basis, think about it, write about it, clarify it, and imagine what it will feel like.
2. Throughout your day, find evidence that your life is moving in that direction, and in fact, that the feeling you seek is already available to you. If you look for the magic, you can find it. Practice optimism.
3. Acknowledge and express gratitude for all the good. Talk about it to others and talk about it to yourself. Most importantly, you’re changing the way to talk to yourself. You’re powerful. You’re fortunate. You’re connected. You’re alive at an incredible time. You are surrounded by opportunity.
4. Don’t indulge in thinking or talking about your old story. Honor your word and your attention. Don’t focus on what’s wrong. Stop complaining (both internally and aloud). Catch yourself, pick up your attention and put it on something else. You can also try telling yourself, “I don’t indulge in negative thinking,” and/or “I choose to look on the bright side.”
5. Make an agreement with yourself and the Universe that this is a magic ritual that will move you and your life toward greater alignment with your new story. You’re going to fully participate in these practices to the best of your ability, and in response the Universe (God/Goddess, Spirit, Highest Self. . .) will support you. Just keep your agreement, do whatever it takes to remind yourself throughout the day that you’re working on this, and watch what happens. (Also, forgive yourself if you forget.)

I encourage you to try this practice for a week. As you do it, don’t just think of it as a psychological exercise, treat it as magic. Then share with us in the comments section below.

Love,

Peter

[i] Skinner, S. (2021). Aleister Crowley’s Four Books of Magick: Liber ABA. National Geographic Books.

[ii] magick. (n.d.). The Pluralism Project. https://pluralism.org/magick