The Secret to Lasting Love!
“The secret of lasting love, in shared dreams we confide,
Through all life’s seasons, by each other’s side.”
Greetings friends,
We wanted to share the real magic secret to long-lasting love and happiness with you. Such secrets are hidden in the word-spells of this sweet letter from my love Abigail – the day of our anniversary!
My Dearest Jeff,
Here are my musings on being connected to you for thirty-one years, living with you for twenty-six years, and married for twenty-two years, tomorrow! Being friends for so long with you first, Jeff, was a huge key. Getting to know the man behind the mask, both onstage and offstage meant that, years before I even kissed you, I knew some things.
Things I Know
I know when your blood sugar gets low, you get cranky, which means that if I walk in the door, “Hi honey, I’m ho-ooome!” and you snarl in my general direction, I don’t take it personally. “Why are you being so mean to me? I didn’t even do anything! You’ve hurt my feelings!!” I recognize, “Ooh, somebody is hangry,” and slap a piece of cheese on a couple of crackers and put it in easy reach of your grouchy self, and hey, presto! That guy disappears, and my sweet man returns, just like magic.
I also know that before a show, or a lecture, or a class, or a trip, as you’re packing things and condensing your materials, your energy also gets rather condensed. You focus in on the one thing you’re trying to do or prepare for, and that’s not the time for me to come in and ask where we’re going for dinner. That’s the time for me to do something I enjoy doing, like read a book, or have a snack, or practice an instrument, or sit in the hot tub – and when you’re finished with whatever it was, you’ll come to me, “What should we do for dinner, love?”
I know that if I ever want your undivided attention, all I have to do is pick up a deck of cards and ask if I’m doing this Sibyl cut properly (ok, ok, it’s really only a Charlier, but still), and I’ll have your full focus.
Things I Love
I love being your Muse. I love that you’ll come to me when you’re seeking inspiration about what to perform, how to respond to a difficult situation, choosing a focus for a class, or wondering which piece of music to use. You let me help you, and you make it easy for me to do so.
I love that we share creative pursuits, my darling man. Wonderground is returning in September for a special one-time reunion show, and we have been collaborating on how to make it amazing and fun for us, as well as for everyone else. Friends, you’ll see us playing on-stage together, and yes, we’re just that way off-stage too.
Holding the center of the Vegas Vortex gives us ample opportunity to co-create magical experiences where the gold always outweighs the lead. Creating events here at the Magic & Mystery School where we both shine, is an amazing experience I love doing with you, too.
I love how brilliant you are with your students. Just about every private lesson I hear you teach in the other room, there is a moment of “Holy Wow!”, when your wisdom shines through and the student has a magical epiphany. Whether it’s someone preparing for Penn and Teller, or someone getting ready to launch their cruise ship career, you always know what they need, and give it to them in ways they can handle. You’re an amazing teacher, and you inspire me.
I love how gentle you are with me. You know just how I like to be touched, and you are considerate and patient with me when I get snarky or sharp. You’re not afraid to ask for what you want and need, and you know how to respect my “noes” and celebrate my “yeses.”
So Much Gratitude
I am ever grateful to David Ganesh, of blessed memory, and to Alan Tauber, for bringing each of us to that epic Rites of Spring in 1989 when our hearts caught fire. I am thankful to Mike Breene for telling you to marry me (take away that question mark!) and I am thankful for every one of the partners we had before we got together, so we could learn and practice and grow as we prepared for each other. I am grateful to Gay and Katie Hendricks, to Scott Catamas and Marshall Rosenburg, who all have influenced our marriage in good ways.
I have loved you, Jeff, for more than half my life. Together, we have seen hundreds of sunrises together around many a sacred fire. We have shared our dreams each morning more times than I can count. I love being married to you. I love our life together, and am so incredibly thankful for the years we have shared. I look forward to many more and to continue growing in love with you.
Happy anniversary my love,
Abigail
Thank you Abigail for sharing your magical heart song with all of us! I will miss you when I fly off to the east coast for the upcoming New England WizardFest & Magic Convention. I wish you could fly on your broom with me!
Harry Potter Meets a Magic Convention!
The New England WizardFest & Magic Convention takes place August 25-27 at the Boxboro Regency Hotel in Boxborough, MA, just outside of Boston. Here you will find magic, celebrity guests, family activities, vendors selling magical wares, licensed merchandise, and memorabilia from famous literary wizard brands, such as Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Merlin the Magician, and many more, plus vintage and modern magic artifacts, tricks, autographs, posters, books, and pop culture collectibles.
More information and tickets are available here – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-england-wizardfest-magic-convention-august-25-27-2023-tickets-595427990147?mc_cid=4739704e33&mc_eid=31257f253d
Meanwhile, Back in Las Vegas…
When I get back home, Abigail and I will be hosting a few of our friends and students at our September classes – https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/events.
Inspiration for Magicians and Leaders
This letter just came in from my friend and student Braden Daniels. Braden is known as “The Thought Leader – Mind Reader!” I so enjoy introducing our readers to top thinkers in their field. Braden emphasizes that true leadership is an ongoing journey of skill development, rather than expecting instant results. Listeners will walk away with actionable tips for strengthening abilities like effective communication, staying disciplined to long term goals, prioritizing self-improvement through reflection, and cultivating supportive relationships.
Braden says, Hi Jeff! I wanted to share with you and fellow MuseLetter subscribers that our Lead Like A Magician™ podcast was unveiled this week. I believe many of your readers will enjoy listening to this magically inspired content.
Our aim is to provide powerful strategies for embodying the archetype of the wise leader every month. In the premiere episode, we draw parallels between magicians and leaders, highlighting how both serve as guides who walk between worlds and mentor others. We discuss the four essential elements of leadership. This insightful podcast equips listeners with frameworks for taking their leadership to the next level. New episodes will be released every month. Subscribe now on Spotify and YouTube to develop your skills and “Lead Like a Magician,” so you never miss this content.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK8PKP2pYmI&t=47s
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/leadlikeamagician
Here are a few early reviews:
“This is so professional and polished, Braden! Great work! I wish you all the best with this new project!”
– Geoff Grimes
“Great new podcast by Braden Daniels. Well done and informative.”
– Frank Zazanis II
Final Thoughts
My teacher Eugene Burger said, “The goal of the teacher is to help students transcend the teacher.” We know how wonderful it feels to see our community of magic students achieve their goals. George Bernard Shaw spoke the following words that touched my heart.
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations.”
Yours in the mysteries of love and magic,
Jeff and Abigail