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Day 31
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MAGIC IN YOUR MAILBOX - Exercise 31
What's the Difference Between Exit Rituals and
Day Greetings and Endings?
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Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic
http://www.shamanschool.com
http://shamanmagic.blogspot.com
info@shamanschool.com
Happy Morning to All!
We had a wonderful series of thunderstorms last night and I sat up
late communing with the storm spirits, of whom I have grown rather
fond despite their occasional brusque attitudes. I enjoy communicating
with storm spirits, as well as other nature spirits, because it keeps
my lines of communication clear and clutter-free. That's what you're
doing, too, when you use the Navajo Beauty Way.
Today's tip isn't so much of a tip. It's a series of questions for
you, the magical researcher, to investigate, ponder, and consider. As
magicians, your work isn't just to do rituals as they are given, but
also to investigate the whys and wherefores behind the rituals. So I
invite you to dive right in, devour the questions with your full
attention, and be prepared to amaze yourself with your answers!
Ready? Go!
In Magic,
RavenWindStar (a.k.a. Alan Joel)
>> Got Questions? <<
Email them to me at info@shamanschool.com and I'll answer them in
upcoming installments of Magic in Your Mailbox!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now that you are doing both the Day Greetings and Endings and the Exit
Ritual, ask yourself the question, "What is the difference between
these two forms of the Navajo Beauty Way?" How do Day Greetings and
Endings differ from the Exit Ritual?
As you recall, there are three forms of the Beauty Way:
- Exit Ritual
- Day Greetings and Endings
- Walking Litany
We'll cover the Walking Litany next, but before we do that it's
important to understand that each of three forms of the Beauty Way
serves a different purpose. Each has a different effect.
Now that you have been doing two of the forms of the Beauty Way for a
while, can you sense the difference between the two? Can you
differentiate the effects of one from another? Can you think of
reasons the Navajos would have created three separate forms of this
ritual? Remember that the Navajos used the Beauty Way when they were
being forced from their native lands onto reservations.
If you are totally clueless, that's all right. Ask the Winds of the
four directions or Sky Above and Earth Below. Perhaps they can shed
some light on the issue. Ponder these questions a while, and then drop
me a line and let me know your thoughts. I'd love to know what you
come up with.
Day 32
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MAGIC IN YOUR MAILBOX - Exercise 32
Adding Beauty to the Navajo Beauty Way
======================================
Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic
http://www.shamanschool.com
http://shamanmagic.blogspot.com
info@shamanschool.com
Good Morning!
In my experience there are two kinds of magicians: those who do magic
and those who read about it. Which one are you?
We've been sending out tips on magic, magic rituals, and magical
practice for a decade now, and it's always crystal clear from the
emails we receive which of the two camps people fall into.
Serious magical practitioners ask questions about their experiences
and observations. Their questions sound like this: "I followed the
directions for x ritual and I ended up with y results. I expected z
but got y instead. I think this is what happened. Can you help?" In
other words, these people have taken the time to do the magic over a
period of time, and are asking cogent, intelligent, fully-formed
questions that express their desire to delve deep into the art.
The second group of people, the ones I call dabblers, send emails that
sounds like this: "Please send me some free magic spells so I can win
the lottery." As you can imagine, we don't respond to these emails
except to direct them to our library of free articles on magic via
autoresponder. In the library there are articles on why winning the
lottery using magic is possible but improbably, given all the built-in
resistance present.
Magic is both an art and a science, and like anything, takes
dedication and practice to produce expertise. People who wish to
practice magic as a part of daily living will produce results that
are, well, quite magical. Others will send out the occasional random
email asking for a spell, and then fall back into ordinary life,
wishing for something different but never having the impetus to do
more.
Which kind of magician are you? Always something good to ponder!
In Magic,
RavenWindStar (a.k.a. Alan Joel)
>> Got Questions? <<
Email them to me at info@shamanschool.com and I'll answer them in
upcoming installments of Magic in Your Mailbox!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Until now we have been doing the simplest forms of the Beauty Way. We
have been making contact with Sky, Earth, and the Winds of the four
directions. We have greeted each of these beings, and waited for a
response.
Now we're going to add a twist to this. We are going to add a phrase
into the greeting that can and will have a profound impact on your
life and your state of being. Now, when you do the Exit Ritual and Day
Greetings and Endings, you will add the phrase "In Beauty."
For the Exit Ritual, the new form goes like this:
Sky Above and Earth Below
In Beauty, I Greet You.
For Day Greetings and Endings, the new form goes like this:
Winds of Knowledge
In Beauty, I Bid You Good Morning/Night.
Winds of Power
In Beauty, I Bid You Good Morning/Night.
Winds of Feeling
In Beauty, I Bid You Good Morning/Night.
Winds of Strength
In Beauty, I Bid You Good Morning/Night.
Do this new form of greeting for a few days and see what changes you
notice, both at the time that you make contact with powers and beings,
and throughout your day. Look for changes that are both subtle and
obvious ... they will be magical!
Day 33
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MAGIC IN YOUR MAILBOX - Exercise 33
Using Fall to Release Summer and Prepare for Winter
======================================
Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic
http://www.shamanschool.com
http://shamanmagic.blogspot.com
info@shamanschool.com
Good Magical Morning to All!
It's a beautiful cloudy morning here in Colorado and today the tip is
about Fall, since Fall is definitely in the air! Enjoy the tip and
incorporate the information into your Beauty Way rituals if you feel
it is appropriate.
Also, at the end of this I answer a lot of questions that have been
piling up. My apologies - we've been tied up with a local workshop
here and so not as up on the email as we usually are. So, thanks to
everyone for sending in your questions, comments, and insights. I
enjoy connecting with each and every one of you! The list is growing,
by the way, so keep sending people who want a little magic in their
lives to the list. The more the list grows, the greater our collective
magical effect!
In Magic,
RavenWindStar (a.k.a. Alan Joel)
>> Got Questions? <<
Email them to me at info@shamanschool.com and I'll answer them in
upcoming installments of Magic in Your Mailbox!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Fall is definitely in the air and the change of season reminds me that
it's time to release the passing season and prepare for the coming
season, as tribal people have been doing for centuries. Investigate
the customs and rituals of various tribal people from around the world
and you will discover that many of them take the time to celebrate the
changing of seasons. Some do it with drumming and dancing, others with
quiet meditation and vision quests. The goal is the same, though: to
release any energies from the passing season and to prepare for the
coming season.
Fall is a time of gathering, preparation, and completion of unfinished
tasks before the coming of winter. This is also the perfect time to
complete unfinished tasks since we are in the middle of Mercury
retrograde, in which it's not useful to start new projects but good to
finish current ones. Fall is a magical transition between the high
energy and activity of summer, and the quiet contemplative meditation
of winter. It's a good time to consider and appreciate all that has
been accomplished thus far, and to formulate issues that need to be
considered this coming winter.
For instance, what issues have you been unable to resolve? Would this
winter be a good time to contemplate what kinds of magic would help
you make those changes? If so, are there any preparatory actions that
you have to take this fall?
Or, are there events that have happened this year that you would like
to release before going into winter? Fall is a great time to do basic
rituals of release. Sometimes it's as simple as meditating on a
situation, writing on paper what you want to release, and then burning
the paper. It's a simple form of voodoo or simulacra magic.
I love fall. Magically, it's a great time of transition and a lot of
change is possible during this time. Take some time out of your busy
life to contemplate the changing of the seasons, what you want to
release, and how you want to prepare for winter! If you're not sure
about any of this, consider asking the Winds of the four directions,
Sky Above, or Earth below to assist you. After all, you've been
communicating with them for quite some time now so they should be able
to offer you some concrete help!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>> Question 1 <<
Hello Alan,
This is Meenakshi from India. I'm very interested in magic from
childhood and I believe in sprituality. When I was searching about
real magic I came across your site. I'm following the Navajo Beauty
Way. I lost my job 3 months ago. When I tried the beauty way while
going to the interview for the first time I have tasted the magic. I
was really shocked by the results, Though I didn't get the job but the
way I faced the interview was really awesome. I thank you for giving
such good way of living life. After that no major changes in my life.
I'm not doing sun candle ritual, every time I go for it I'm distracted
by some work. But I'm doing beauty way. I really want to follow all
the rituals from magic in mail box. I don want any thing which comes
without hard work. I believe in hard work. I m not doing all the work
regularly. I'm repenting for it. Please Help Me In Doing All Rituals
Regularly.
Thanks,
Meenakshi H N
>> Answer <<
Hello Meenakshi ... I'm so pleased that you were able to feel the
power of magic when you went to your job interview. It's great that
you are doing the Beauty Way on a regular basis and I encourage you to
continue doing so. It's an easy magical ritual to integrate into your
daily life, simpler than some. Don't worry that you are not doing all
the rituals from this email series. I would, however, suggest that you
do the Sun Candle ritual at least once. When you find there is some
resistance to doing a particular ritual, you can gain force by taking
the time to do the ritual and overcoming the resistance, even once.
It's the same thing as stopping your car by the side of the road and
getting out to do the Exit Ritual when you have forgotten to do so. In
any case, enjoy the magic. There's no need to repent ... but always
enjoy! Do the best you can with what you have and, as your magical
force grows stronger, you'll find it easier to do more rituals. In
Magic, Alan
>> Question 2 <<
Happy Alan, I am very grateful for the Magic in the mail box and would
to point that I find a lot of similarity between what you teach us and
what our grandfather practices though sometimes they interchange the
direction correspondences with the sacred mountains names in those
directions. For slaughtering goats and cows they teach us to do it
while facing West. For burial we bury our dead when facing west. For
the purpose of staring the day the house door faces East. Thanks
Raven.
P/s Kindly assist me in picking my Magical name and describe how to do
it . I would like to ask help from beings using that name and can it
make a difference. Raven Viz AViz Alan. Kamau, Central Kenya
>> Answer <<
Hi Kamau, I'm glad that there is so much similarity in what we teach
and what your grandfather practices. Tribal traditions are pretty much
the same all over the world. It's interesting that for practices
related to death (slaughtering and burying the dead) the direction is
West. This makes sense to me, as the sun rises in the East and sets in
the West. Being that each day is a microcosm of our lives, it makes
sense that we start the day with East, where the sun rises, and end
the day (and lives) facing West, where the sun sets. With regard to
your magical name, what qualities do you want to gather to you as a
magician? And do you have special words in your language that express
that? Tell me more and I can help you more! In Magic, Alan
>> Question 3 <<
Hi, I just have a small quarry. There are loads of Crows and Ravens
where I come from, I've been around them since I was born, and, even
with the morning ritual I find that life has not changed much, though
before I sent this e mail, I received a e-male telling me that
"miracles happen all around us, we just don't see them". Also
something quite unexpected, like rainfall, or thunder showers, usually
causes a halt in my plans as if that was not supposed to be. How can I
tell if this is a sign or if I'm doing something wrong or if I'm just
not looking? Thanks for reading and entertaining my seemingly idiotic
question, but I'm really confused. thanks again- Xenia
>> Answer <<
Hi Xenia, you pose an excellent essential question in magic: what
should you do if you don't understand what's going on? The simple
answer to this question is that you ask for clarification, just as you
would in the physical world. For instance, when people ask for a sign,
say from the Owl totem, and they get a sign that they don't
understand, it's perfectly all right to go back and ask Owl to
clarify. Ask Owl to send a sign that you, personally, will easily
understand. Powers and beings don't get upset when we don't understand
something the first time. They know that the evolution of humanity as
a whole is a very slow process, and, like patient teachers, are quite
happy to keep explaining it to us until we do understand. In fact,
they are particularly happy to communicate with people who bother to
make contact with them. So what I would do, Xenia, is to ask the Winds
during your Day Greetings and Endings to clarify the meaning of a
particular sign. Choose an event, say a thunder shower that caused a
halt in your plans, and ask the Winds of the four directions to
clarify the meaning of this event. Expect four different kinds of
answers when you ask, because each direction has a different
perspective. Each day, if you're still not clear, ask again. Keep
asking for a week. If not results, write me back and tell me what you
did get for answers. I'll help you interpret! In Magic, Alan
>> Question 4 <<
Hey Alan, I just got my internet back up and was catching up on the
past few weeks I really enjoy the series but I am curious and there
may be others curious as well. I work the graveyard shift I would
think the day beginning and ending pertain to my waking and going to
bed but I am curious if I'm wrong. Peace and blessings to you, Kevin
>> Answer <<
Greetings Kevin ... you are totally correct. Day Greetings occur when
YOU start your day, even if that is in the middle of the night. Same
with Day Endings, which correspond to the end of your day, regardless
of what the clock says. Enjoy the Magic, Alan
>> Comment <<
It seems simple. Doing the morning and night greetings allows us to
become more aware of daily cycles/beginnings and endings/ the coming
and going/ breathing in and out/ rhythms.... reconnecting to this
physical reality after sleep and after a busy day. Exit rituals help
us to reconnect/stretch/open up/ spread our wings after being
inside/cramped/cut off from nature. :)Jes
>> Answer <<
Hi Jes, thanks for taking the time to answer my question about the
difference between Day Greetings/Endings and Exit Rituals. You are so
right. Day Greetings and Endings do very much correlate with cycles.
As each day is a microcosm of our lives, so each Day Greeting is like
a birth and each Day Ending like a death. Very rhythmical. And yes,
the Exit Ritual is a contact greeting of reconnection that is very
related to stretching out and releasing Spirit from a cramped life
environment. I am most impressed with your insight! Thank you for
sharing your wisdom and knowledge! In Magic, Alan
Day 34
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MAGIC IN YOUR MAILBOX - Exercise 34
What Does Beauty Mean to You?
======================================
Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic
http://www.shamanschool.com
http://shamanmagic.blogspot.com
info@shamanschool.com
Greetings!
Today's tip looks at the meaning of beauty ... it's fun one so enjoy!
Also, just in case you think you are the only one who doesn't do the
Exit Ritual and Day Greetings and Endings consistently, rest assured
that I fall into that category as well. This morning I had an early
appointment and rushed out of the house. I managed to remember my Day
Greeting, but forgot to do my Exit Ritual both when I arrived at my
appointment and when I left my appointment. I had to pull over into a
grocery store parking lot and get out to do my Exit Ritual. Even the
most experienced magical practitioner finds that daily life gets in
the way of daily rituals! The important thing is to remedy the
situation as soon as you realize it!
In Magic,
RavenWindStar (a.k.a. Alan Joel)
>> Got Questions? <<
Email them to me at info@shamanschool.com and I'll answer them in
upcoming installments of Magic in Your Mailbox!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have been doing the Navajo Beauty Way for a while now, and we just
introduced the "In Beauty" phrase to the Exit Rituals and Day
Greetings. So it's the perfect time to ask yourself:
"What does beauty mean to me?"
Based on the responses and effects that you have gotten doing the
Navajo Beauty Way recently, do you have a good idea of what beauty
means? Is it outer beauty, in the way that supermodels are considered
beautiful? Is it the beauty of Nature? Is it inner beauty? Or is it
something else altogether?
It's not important whether you tell anyone what you discover about the
nature of beauty, but it is important to take the time to consider the
question. You will get a lot out of the consideration, and chances are
that you will see the world in a different light.
And, of course, if you do want to share your insights and revelations
about beauty with the group, feel free to email me and I'll post your
stuff in one of the upcoming tips!
Day 35
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MAGIC IN YOUR MAILBOX - Exercise 35
The Walking Litany Form of the Navajo Beauty Way
======================================
Esoteric School of Shamanism and Magic
http://www.shamanschool.com
http://shamanmagic.blogspot.com
info@shamanschool.com
Good Afternoon!
Wow, it's been a whirlwind weekend and a big magical startup to the
week. Are you guys noticing all the magic that's been happening around
you? We've had so many magical experiences, in spite of Mercury being
in retrograde, that I am pleased, amazed, and happy as a clam. Here
are just a few examples:
- a sighting of 2 bald eagles, one chasing the other
- 56 new signups for Magic in Your Mailbox (woo-hoo!)
- the completion of four major projects here at the farm (completion
is always good in Mercury retrograde)
- the discovery of some amazing new magical tools that will soon be
available in the store
- a garden harvest worthy of the Gods!
What about you all? How is the experience of "beauty" working for you
in terms of the Exit Ritual, Day Greetings, and Day Endings? Many of
you have shared - thank you! If you haven't, please do so the rest of
the group can learn, share, grow, and (best of all) increase the magic
in the world! Here's a great comment from Jes regarding the nature of
beauty, which we can all appreciate (thanks Jes!):
"A way of being. It is the graceful nature one can feel, think and
express with. There is beauty in everything. It is one's perception of
goodness. To someone everything is always beautiful. To others
perhaps, only when "gentleness" (or another form of "good") is
perceived is beauty also recognized. I believe beauty is just another
label, another word to describe our experience with. Everything is
infinite and all qualities exist in everything. However, even after
one can realize this, words such as "beauty" are very useful in
expressing our thoughts and feelings. To me "beautiful" means I
appreciate, deeply, what I am experiencing. In Beauty i bid thee good
morning. xo Jes"
In Magic,
RavenWindStar (a.k.a. Alan Joel)
>> Got Questions? <<
Email them to me at info@shamanschool.com and I'll answer them in
upcoming installments of Magic in Your Mailbox!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
At last! We are at the final form of the Navajo Beauty Way - the
Walking Litany. The Walking Litany, unlike the other two forms, Exit
Ritual and Day Greetings/Endings, is a walking spell that affects you,
the magical practitioner.
Just so we are clear, here is a little clarification on the nature of
litanies and chants. Many people confuse litanies with chants; they
are not the same. A chant is any set of verbal commands or
instructions to create a magical effect. A litany is a chant that is
used to affect the operator or person saying the litany. A chant is
used to affect the environment.
So when you do the Walking Litany, you are in effect using a
continuous spell that affects you. As you know, by Law of Attraction,
when you are affected or changed, your life is affected or changed.
Another way of saying this is captured by this esoteric quote: "The
level of your being attracts the level of your life." When you do the
Walking Litany, you change your level of being, which means, by
universal law, that your life must change as well. If you want your
life to change, the Walking Litany is the perfect magical avenue.
So we will start with the short form of the Walking Litany. Here's how
you do it:
1. Before you begin, take note of your current condition. How do you
feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? This is
important because the Walking Litany will generally change your state.
2. Walk for at least 2 city blocks (longer if you like) as you say
this litany. Say the litany in time with your footsteps, and use a
strong voice of command.
3. Repeat the following litany in time with your footsteps:
With beauty around me, I walk in the world.
With beauty within me, I walk in the world.
4. On completion of the litany, again take note of your state. What
has changed? What is new and what is no longer there?
You have just completed a power walk. You can use the Walking Litany
any time you feel a loss of personal power or to create a more
positive state, much as you do when you "restart" your day by doing
the Day Greeting over again.
Do the Walking Litany at least 3 times and then share your results!
The longer form will be shared in upcoming tips!
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