by Carolyn | Magic
Greetings my Friends,
‘Tis the season to find your magic!
Here we are, well into the month of October which is often thought of as the month of colorful leaves, cool crisp air, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and Halloween.
We also tend to think of magic— witches with broomsticks, the conjuring up of a witch’s brew for the making of magical potions, and casting spells, haunted houses, ghosts, and creatures of the night.
Hmmm, would casting spells and making magic potions be what is meant when someone says, “Work your magic,” or “She/He has their own Brand of Magic?”
I am thinking not! Therefore, let’s start with the definitions of “Our own brand of Magic,” or “Working our Magic.”
“Working our magic” means that we are performing a task better than anyone else at that moment. We are excelling and bringing about a very desired outcome by using our natural and learned talents. We are using our personnel and unique abilities to excel at a task.
Knowing one’s personal brand of magic is knowing oneself, one’s talents, one’s passions, and one’s abilities in accomplishing tasks and easily handling events within our private and professional lives.
Many of us have probably heard someone say, “They worked their magic, and just like that we got into the show!” or “They worked their magic and bingo, we are done and out of here!” or as I have said, “we need (so and so) to work their magic so we can be done with this project!”
This “brand of magic,” reference is generally used when we need to bring someone into our fold to accomplish something the rest of us either cannot do or everyone thinks cannot be done.
There are so many ways to say that we have our own brand of magic. Especially when we are needed in accomplishing a task no one else seems to be able to do or at the very least can do well.
Society has many terms for this personal magic such as:
In my wheelhouse,
Up my alley,
Bailiwick,
It’s my special talent, or
It just comes natural to me.
Today my oldest Granddaughter and I were talking about technology and social media. She was trying to explain to me how to better use Instagram to which I responded, “geez, I am really going to need help with this. While it seems to be in your wheelhouse, it is definitely not in my wheelhouse.” Meaning, of course, that it is far out of my expertise, and knowledge for that matter.
(Oh, and by the way, the term “wheelhouse” was originated in baseball— being in one’s wheelhouse meant that a pitch was within the zone for a batter to hit a home run.)
When we hear someone say, “that isn’t in their wheelhouse” it means it is out of their expertise or if they say “let me have a go, it’s in my wheelhouse,” it means it is in their line of expertise or knowledge.
Finding your own brand of magic is a personal journey, one that is quite fun to embark on if you don’t already know what your magic is or you feel you have added to your magical abilities.
Knowing your own field of magic does not always mean that things you are good at becomes your own brand of magic.
While I was very good at accounting, even though I attended college to enhance my accounting knowledge and performance, accounting was a major stress factor for me.
Selling, as long as I believed in what I was selling, appeared to come easy for me but, again, selling was NOT something I wanted to do forever.
Everything I did and was pretty good at did not seem like magic to me. I was trying to find my “Magic Brand” niche in things I was able to do fairly well but did not enjoy.
In my head, heart, and soul I kept going back to wanting to work in Psychology. Finally, I was able to do so and found that it came easy to me and I felt I was in my wheelhouse with my own brand of magic, helping others be successful in setting their intentions, goals, and visions for their lives.
My point is that it is very important to know yourself and to know what comes either easily, effortlessly, or at least with little struggle to you. Look for the talents and abilities that make you feel you have found your brand of magic.
Find your magic doesn’t always come easy. It pays to take the time to ask yourself some of the following questions.
* What do you most love to do?
* What do you do in your spare time?
* What abilities, talents and knowledge do you think lands within your “Brand of Magic?”
* What talents and abilities do you consider in your wheelhouse?
*What are your natural talents and abilities?
*What abilities and talents come naturally to you?
*If money was not an object of concern what would you be doing?
*List 5 abilities and or talents that you would list under “ My Brand of Magic”
*List 3 times that you were called in to solve some sort of issue either personally or professionally that it seemed only you could solve.
*Make a list of abilities and talents you know that others count on you to provide.
Be clear here, I am not asking what you are good at, I am asking what you are known for or love to do that can be considered your “Brand of Magic.”
I wish for you to find your magic and have a very Magical life doing what you know brings magic to others.
Hugs,
Carolyn
by Carolyn | Magic
Greetings, my Good Friends….. Hope this finds you all well and safe.
Have you seen my latest WHY NOT??? post on my Facebook Author page? If you have, then you know I have dyed my hair a very vivid purple at the request of my teenage grand-girls. Yes, I have jumped “head first”, no pun intended, into the world I have waited a long time to enter…. I have earned the right to be as eccentric as I want to be, purple hair and all. LOL
Well , now, take it easy on me. Don’t judge me. Instead, come along with me and enter the magic portal of fun I am bringing to my life, where it is okay to play, to have music on all the time, and be absolutely crazy about life. At my stage of life, I can definitely tell you that life is very, very short and somewhere along the way, many of us have forgotten how to bring out the fun side of ourselves and just play.
I started asking “Why Not” when I was asked to do something fun I had not done before, something out of the framework of being at my stage of life. I have heard others say as we get older that we should “act our age,” especially when we wear something designed for a younger crowd, or when we do something they can’t imagine themselves doing! Seriously, ”act our age” is totally disrespectful. Nobody knows what that means!!!! So, to everyone who says it, STOP SAYING IT.
Come along with me, relax, breathe and smile…..Let’s take a journey down the path of eccentricism and for a while, act the age we feel, not what some calendar or society, whoever the hell “society” is, tells us we are.
I have to say that no matter what age we are, I think that if our minds are still working well, and we have not lost our imagination and playfulness, that we should do as many fun things as we can on a daily basis. I mean, after all, laughter makes a person even look younger, so laugh it up. And it costs nothing to dance, sing, play, and share laughter.
And with that as a start, I have a fun new subject for this blog; another “Why Not” way of thinking.
One thing I have done to keep my mental health in check and bring more fun into my life is to play a few different Role Playing Games (RPG) or tabletop games. I play some fun characters in some fun groups. I have played mind-bending games like D&D, (it is NOT the bad game we all heard it was), Space Adventures, Super Natural, Super Heroes, and open to playing a few more as time goes on.
And before anyone starts being shocked, let me ask how many of you watch Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Lord of the Rings, and for downright magic, how about Harry Potter?
Why I Love Role-Playing Games (RPG)
- I can be a Young Sexy Character
- It gives me the opportunity to be creative in my thinking.
- I have to think on the spot. Invent as I go according to the Game Masters story.
- I belong to a group and a very fun inspiring group.
- I, my Character, is important to the game.
- I learn about different Characters, Scenarios, Logistics, not to mention working as a Team.
- I can also play a grumbling grouchy Character and No one is going to ask me if I need a laxative. LOL
- I can go from a child-like Character to an Ogre to a Sorceress to an Angelic Elf to a Ranger to a Super Hero to an owner of a Magic Shop and on and on.
- I get to spend creative quality time with other players, friends, and family.
- Playing in a group of RPG players brings a great amount of laughter which we all need.
Older people are often ignored and forced to live in loneliness for lack of family, friends, and the gift of being part of a group. Worse yet, older people allow this to happen. If I had my way, every senior center would offer RPG activities and we would stop being the age others think we are. In addition to combating loneliness, RPG activities keep our minds sharp. Mental acuity can wane as we age, and our brains need to be simulated!
Some Links to Explore
10 Celebrities You Didn’t Realize Were Huge D&D Nerds. I mean, come on…. If Judi Dench plays D & D “Why Not” me, right?
Exploring New Hobbies in Retirement: Board Games and Tabletop RPGS
This Ain’t Your Grandma’s D&D! A very funny video of some older folks learning to play D&D.
So, my friends, live life to its fullest, play a little or a lot, laugh every day about something or several times a day is even better, listen to music while you are taking in life, dance and sing whether you are nimble or can carry a tune and above all make note of all you are grateful for every day.
“Game On”…..…” Why Not?”
Hugs
Carolyn
by Nancy Cavillones | Magic
Greetings, my Friends!
I cannot believe we are almost at the end of October and getting ready for Halloween. The “Ber” months are moving right along, some say too fast and some say not fast enough.
We all know that 2020 has been and is a very tough year. With all of the cancellations of events a couple of the big questions that keep coming up is “What about the Holidays?”
By now, many of you know that I am very curious and love finding out the Why, What, When, Who and How of most everything I come across in researching and writing my Blogs. It is not unusual that while I am writing on a specific subject for my next blog, another story relating to my subject pops up and I veer off to look up more information about the additional story.
My last blog had a lot to do with Ireland and lo and behold, the subject of Halloween popped up. I started thinking about Halloween and wondering if trick or treating would be cancelled, as I have heard it might. Then I started thinking that I actually do not know all about Halloween, why and how it started, why we wear costumes and have scary parties. I have always wondered why we give out candy to children, when we tell our kids from the time they can talk to not take candy from strangers, then we personally take them to strangers’ homes to take candy from them???? Wait….What????
The History of Halloween
A complete contradiction, I would say! At any rate, I learned that Halloween started as a Celtic Tradition, yep… Celtic as in; Ireland, Scotland and England. The ancient festival was known as Samhain. During this festival, bonfires would be lit and the celebrants wore costumes to ward off ghosts and other spirits. I know, you probably knew this especially if you watch a show called “Supernatural.” However, I did not know the depth of the back story of Halloween, how we have evolved it into the Halloween we know and take part in today.
Halloween was once called All Hallows Eve. November 1 was named All Saints Day by Pope Gregory III in the 8th Century. November 1 was also the day that Celts celebrated New Year’s, and the night before, Samhain, was a time when the worlds of the living and the dead crossed paths. It was a night when Druids could make predictions about the year to come. Wow, right up my magic alley!
Because Samhain and All Saints Day were back to back, the traditions of the two began to blend together, and the evening before became known as All Hallows Eve, then Halloween.
Scare Away Negative Energy
During this time, what traditions can we take from the ancient ritual? Perhaps we can tap into the spirit of Samhain to wish away any negative energy that may have come into our life this year. It certainly has been a long, strange year. We are still wondering if trick or treating and Halloween parties will be cancelled for this year, due to this virus crisis. Whatever the decision, please take precautions and stay safe.
xoxo
Carolyn
by Carolyn | Magic
Greetings my friends, I hope this finds you all well, safe and happy. This blog is on a couple different genres than I normally write about and I hope you enjoy them and find them as intriguing as I do.
I more than understand that many, who will see this blog do not believe in Numerology, Angel Card Readings, Mediums and the World of Magic, whatever that world is that one deems as Magic. Therefore, please just pass this blog by and any future blogs about the World of Numbers, Magic and Angels. I will have more about these magical forms of communications on my new Facebook page, website and as I write my new book. I respectfully thank you so much for reading my book reviews, life coaching tips and research posts and hope you stay with me for that content.
Numerology and Astrology
A couple years ago, while researching astrology, numerology kept coming up. Acknowledging the fact that I am addicted to knowing the “What’s up” scenario of many subjects, I set out on the journey of researching numerology. I found that many who practice numerology also pay attention to the alignments of our planetary system, along with one’s date of birth and, how the planets were aligned at the time they were born, just as experienced and trained astrologists have done for centuries.
I know there are those who are not only skeptical but a bit frightened about the use of numerology, astrology and using one’s astrological birth sign as a tool for understanding who they are. I get it and understand it. For a long time, I was a bit leery as well. However, for years the thought of having my numbers calculated kept coming to me and encouraging me to just give it a try.
Through conversations with several colleagues, I found that numerology was a tool many have used with their clients, especially when we spoke about the use of, and teaching of, vision boards for creative and visual goal setting. Through my research, I met a Quantum Numerologist. After a couple years of listening to her podcasts and interacting with her through Zoom conferences, I gave in and had my Numbers and “Divine Purpose Blueprint” calculated for me. If you have ever read your horoscope then you have shown some interest in using these tools for predicting your daily or yearly Life Path.
Through this Divine Purpose Blueprint, I learned that my Life Path number is 7.
“Exploring the mysteries of life gives the 7 path its purpose. These are very inquisitive people with an insatiable need to delve into any topic in search of answers and truths.”
I certainly cannot argue with this description of Life Path 7. This is a solid truth for me I am and will always be a forever student of the Who, What, Why, How, and Where, of living life, as anyone who reads this blog knows!
Keep in mind that Astrology and Numerology are based on two different strategies.
Astrology is studying the movement of planets and their influence on our lives and is related to Astronomy. Numerology is the study of numbers and their influence on one’s life path.
When my husband and I had a husband and wife radio show, one of my segments on the show was to read horoscopes. This became one of the most popular segments of our morning show. A very large number of people are intrigued about the magic of thinking they may know what might come in their future or be warned to pay more attention to their surroundings, thoughts and attitudes. I read the Western Horoscopes and the Chinese Horoscopes, both very popular and if we, for some reason, like a commercial overload, skipped the horoscope segment we received a mass of calls, the phone rang off the hook ( I know I am dating myself as most will not have a clue what it means for a phone to “ring off the hook” LOL…..) until we read the horoscopes. This, of course, was one of my favorite segments to do on our show.
More about Numerology:
How Numerology Works from HowStuffWorks.com
Numerology 101: How to Figure Out Your Life Number from CBS19News.com
Folklore, Mythology and Angels
I love research and I must say it has led me to some very interesting journeys. I will start on one subject and end up going into a whole different direction from where I started, because of connecting stories to the one I am researching. I have been brought out of my “self – help” world and introduced to the magic worlds of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and superheroes by my kids and grands. My youth was sprinkled with tales of Fairies, Tinkerbell, the Tooth Fairy, Elves, Mermaids, Mermen, Pixies, and Gnomes to name a few. As a child in Missouri, when the fireflies (or lightenin’ bugs as we called them) came out at night, we were told they were fairies lighting our way through the dark.
Then one day I was doing research on Ireland and an article came up about Ireland’s folklore, and yes, off I went into the world of myths and legends.
My first intrigue about Ireland and its stories of fairies was when I saw a movie in 1959 at the age of 12, called Darby O’Gill and the Little People. I loved the leprechauns; however, one scene scared me to no end. A banshee flew across the skies in a horse-drawn carriage letting out a horrible shrieking sound and that’s when I found out it was called a banshee and was considered the Fairy of Death…. Say Whatttt!!!… Oh Yes, not all Fairies are Tinkerbells and even Tinkerbell is known to be mischievous. Check out 10 Most Famous Myths and Legends from Irish Folklore.
“Mythology and Ireland go hand in hand. Irish storytelling has been a staple of our culture since the dawn of time, with songs, tales, and limericks spreading the world as the Irish emigrated.”
Stay safe, be happy and look for the magic in your life .
Hugs,
Carolyn
