“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” Meister Eckhart
I was thinking a lot about new beginnings recently when I came across this quote. Seems like many people around me are undergoing major life changes - separations and divorces, moves, unexpected pregnancies, lost jobs, businesses closing, family upheavals, deaths of loved ones. Many of these changes appear to be negative, bringing pain, confusion, sadness, stress, self-doubt, anger, disillusionment, and disappointment. Yet, all these changes have the potential to become positive, life-affirming and inspirational. Most of the negativity that surrounds change stems from fear and when we fear change we cannot view it as something magical.
Fear is normal and healthy, in the correct situation and with the right amount of restraint.
Fear is a warning that an action, situation, desire, or even a thought could produce danger and requires further consideration, or in already dangerous conditions, fear warns us that immediate action is required. Fear has its place but being in fear should not be anyone’s daily state.
If you are in a situation that is truly dangerous, such as an abusive relationship, try your best to find a way out - ask for help, go to the authorities, search for a way to remove yourself from the dangerous circumstance. If you are in a dangerous place, such as a crime-ridden neighborhood, you may not be able to leave right now, but you can take many steps to keep yourself as safe as possible and perhaps work toward moving somewhere less dangerous in the future.
But, the fear that surrounds endings and new beginnings is a different type of fear. Sometimes we just overreact to situations. We worry incessantly about something that we cannot change or that we cannot even predict. That form of fear is irrational and extremely unhealthy, often leading to a myriad of illnesses. Being cautious when dealing with changes, even obviously happy ones, is commendable, but being actually fearful, when you have no identifiable and rational reason for the fear, is not. Fear holds us back, keeps us stuck, halts our growth and progression, blocks prosperity.
I know a great deal about fear. I spent most of my adult life fearing change. I did not look or seem fearful and no one would have described me that way, but fear was my constant companion. Even recognizably good changes created pangs of fear deep in my core. Due to fear, I held back, lived small and too cautiously, and watched life pass me by. Fortunately, I believe I am past that now. Changes can still cause that catch in my throat, the one that happens just before you muffle a cry, or keep me awake until I hear the morning newspaper delivered at 4 AM, but, it feels more like worry and less like fear. Worry is not much better than fear, but I find I can control worry more easily than fear. Fear tends to paralyze me, even when I know what I should do or least when I know I should be doing something, but worry just consumes and annoys me for awhile and disrupts my balance and then usually I can brush it aside and move on.
The people I know going through all those changes have experienced some fear and worry, plus many of those other emotions I named, but they are moving forward, taking positive steps and looking for ways to resolve or accept their situations. Some dealt with the negative emotions more quickly and more efficiently than the others. Those who muddled through at a slower rate had bigger lessons to learn, I believe.
The real challenge is knowing “it’s time to start something new” and trusting in the “magic of beginnings”. I know I tend to concentrate on the ending, rather than the beginning. A marriage is ending, but a new phase of life is beginning. A job has ended, but the possibility of a new, better job is beginning. Focusing on the new beginning can make the ending easier to assimilate. I know, all that positive thinking stuff is hard to wrap your head around when you are worried about where you will live, how you will pay your bills, and all the many other concerns that come along with changes, especially unexpected, and perhaps unwelcome, changes. If someone says, “Think positive” you probably want to positively punch them in the gut.
“Think positive” has become trite and annoying. Perhaps “think magical” is better and more genuine. I mean, truly, when you are faced with what seems to be a horrible, uninvited, undesired change, thinking positive either seems hopeless or wimpy. But, “thinking magical” is, well, magical. We cannot really predict what sort of action or occurrence might happen that could be called magical. We don’t know how to make magic happen, so we have to let go and let God or The Universe or Source or whomever or whatever take over. We have to BELIEVE that somehow, someway everything will work out well for all those involved and that in the process we will learn the lessons we need to absorb to move forward in our spiritual progression.
Why is Disney World/Land so popular? Because it is magical. You leave your cares and concerns at the gate and enter a place where imagination and magic rule. I have no idea how all those fun and fantastic Disney experiences are produced, but I don’t need to know nor do I want to know. If I knew, that wonderful feeling of magic would evaporate like snowflakes on a sunny day. Sometimes believing in and relying on magic is just what we need.
Of course, we don’t live in Disney World, so walking around we our heads in the clouds thinking that all of our problems will magically go away is not advisable. We can think magically, meaning that we leave our minds open for unexplained and seemingly magical resolutions to our problems, but we also need to be ready to act when some magic comes our way. Magic may bring an unbelievable job opportunity to your doorstep, but magic will not give you that much needed job if you do not make the effort to obtain it. Magic may arrange for you to meet the man/woman of your dreams in the most unlikely of places, but magic cannot create the relationship if you don’t open your mouth and have a conversation. Thinking magically does not mean thinking stupidly or thinking passively - it means thinking creatively and passionately - being open to new and different ideas, solutions, suggestions and experiences.
My grandchildren think magically every day. Some of their imaginings are the nonsense of childhood, but some are the thoughts of innocent minds that have not been bullied, beaten down, disappointed and disillusioned - the thoughts that say, “Why not?” or “I believe I can.” or “Who says I can’t?” They believe in angels, super heroes, fairy princesses and princes and all the wonderful things that go along with those characters. They believe that good prevails over evil and that there is always a happy ending. Naive and simple, yes. But, to me, their innocent beliefs are also inspiring. Evil may win a lot, happy endings are not promised and fairy-tale characters almost never come to our aid or befriend us, but does it hurt to think that some of those things may happen? I believe that each of us deserves and receives magic in our lives every day. When we stop believing in that magic, when we stop looking for it and welcoming it, when we stop being grateful for our daily dose of magic, we lose touch with what is the most special and spiritual part of existence. And, then we lose touch with our humanity.
I want to look at life magically. I want to think magically. Maybe I am being naive, but maybe I am just being hopeful - hopeful that something I cannot reason my way through, something that causes fear in the pit of my stomach, something that changes my life in ways I cannot immediately accept can magically turn into good. I want to proactively think magically, too. I want to believe that magic can create something wonderful in my life. Manifesting Mount Dora is definitely magically thinking and I am alright with that. I choose to think magically and manifest magically and that is how my home in Mount Dora will be magically created.
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