The Magic of the Mind in the Moment

Greetings Magical Friends,

Abigail here, writing from the House of Mystery on a peaceful morning in the desert. I have been thinking these past few weeks, about my mind and how mysterious and magical it is.

“…the magic show takes place primarily in the spectator’s head…. Nevertheless, the wizard may exert a certain degree of control: he determines what the audience shall not pay attention to (a process known in conjuring as misdirection), and he restricts so far as he can, the ways in which each onlooker shapes his own private performance. What you must realize is that your game is angling, not shooting. You don’t propel, you lure. The “fly” is in the trout’s appetite, not on the hook.”

 -Henry Hay, The Amateur Magician’s Handbook

I’ve come to the realization, as the sages say, that I am not just my mind. Not only that, but I now know I don’t have to believe everything I think. My mind is brilliant, and finds patterns and tells stories, and remembers and plans for the future, and can be a two-edged sword, of both discernment and distraction. When I find my mind is not acting like my good friend, I remember that I have a choice.

Abbi WG Sword

“Words and magic were in the beginning one and the same thing.”

–Sigmund Freud

When my mind is dragging me out of the moment, into regrets of the past, or fears of the future, I have an option. I can use my senses to get out of my head, and into my body, and back into the moment I am actually inhabiting, the present. I am embodied, alive and breathing in this moment, so I have the option of using my eyes to look around and notice what I am seeing. I can use my ears to be aware of what I am hearing. I can notice the taste inside my mouth, the scents in the air around me, the sensations I am feeling through my skin… I can notice how I am breathing, and I can choose to deepen my inhales and lengthen my exhales. When I control my breath, I control my heartbeat, and this influences my state of mind.

Abbi Cage

“It is important as a mentalist to notice small things… little things such as being able to tell if someone is right or left handed by looking at which way their belt is pointing. Looking at a book of matches will tell you if they are right or left handed by the side the matches are removed…. It’s important to notice these things because the more you do, the more you will realize that each person has little psychological nuances that tell you a lot about the individual. Doing so will tremendously sharpen your skills.”

 -Banachek, Psychological Subtleties

When I do turn my awareness to these things, I return to the actual “real” world of here and now. When I find myself not in the present moment, then, as Fritz Perls would say, I can recognize that I am in “fantasy land.” If I’m going to go into my fantasy world, then I may as well make it a good fantasy, and imagine the best possible outcomes, the nicest things happening, and how good I could feel. Of course, I can always choose to step out of the present moment, if there is something that actually needs planning, but now I know it can always be a conscious choice.

Spinner Many Arms

Being present is where the real magic happens. Not too long ago, I wrote a song called Right Here, Right Now. You can check it out right here, it’s #7.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/asmcbride2

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