Where Do You Live? in the Magic or the Mundane?

As I stood outside at dusk one evening just before the light faded, I suddenly felt the movement of air on my cheek. And there, swooping in front of me was an owl! He circled round right in front of me and then flew up into the tree.

Strange, an owl, here in town.

Meditating one morning later that week I hear a knock at the front door. I decide to stay put, hoping they'll come back later. But no, the knocking continued. I realize it sounds like a child's knock and peek from the window where I can see the front door. It's no child; there's a crow knocking at my door!

To a local medicine woman these events have great significance in my life. Each one is a message from the natural world that I need to pay attention to. Owl medicine has to do with wisdom and deception. It asks what we are in the dark about. Crow medicine teaches us how to bend the laws of the universe using magic.

Indigenous people, pagans and the ancient teachers have told us since the beginning of time that the world is speaking to us. That we are all connected to each other and to all things. The energy flowing through the pebble is the same energy flowing through the lion and through us. Nothing is separate, all is linked.

Science has finally caught up with what the ancient masters.

Physicists studying the world on the quanta level now say that everything, including ourselves, is composed of energy vibrating at different levels/speeds.

What does this mean for us? That at any given moment we can open ourselves to the energy of the universe and gain information, get a sense of who we are and connect to every living organism within the world.

For me and others, it allows us to live in a world of Mystery, Magic and Miracles. Everyday I get to wake up and decide if today will be a world of the mundane or will it be a world of Magic. Most days I pick the Magic. And when I do, all kinds of fascinating things occur.

The shaman views the world as alive with Spirit---animal, mineral, or vegetable. Each offers a different form of consciousness available for wisdom, power and energy. As everything outside us is the same as everything inside us then the role of the shaman is to bring to consciousness that which we already know.

Whether it's gleaning messages from crow cawing overhead to understanding the power of the ocean, the world is viewed as energy in a constant state of relating.

This intimate relationship with nature can be experienced by a simple exercise in "intention". For one day (or more) ask a question of the universe and set your intention to pay attention to everything the universe offers you. As you go through your day, notice even the smallest event. For instance, do you find yourself seeing butterflies or dragonflies? Does the cawing of the crow get your attention?

How about your awareness being drawn to certain signs or billboards?

Notice what and where your "attention" goes. Then ask yourself what's the overall message begin delivered--how is your question being answered? You can even go so far as to go on the computer and search the meaning of certain animals appearing in your life (search animal totems).

If, as the quantum physicists and the ancient masters say that the world is more a mass of energy than solid structure and everything is connected, why wouldn't our attention being drawn to the appearance of an owl be significant? We might look at it as a way for our unconscious to communicate with us utilizing what's available on the outside and bringing it to consciousness!

And, you just might discover that the world we live in truly is a magical place.

c) 2006 Debra Fentress. All rights reserved

To find out more about creating magic in your life please visit http://www.debrafentress.com. For information about magical journeys check out the Lessons of the Shamanic Masters taking place on the island of Kauai in December at http://www.debrafentress.com/ShamanicMasters.html.

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end).

As co-partner and director of The Performance Partnership Limited (U.S. office), Debra is dedicated to assisting people to create lives of love, joy and happiness on a moment-to-moment basis. She has coached CEOs, government agencies, corporations and individuals to improve their lives, both professionally and personally. Karlyn Blog29455
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