Want to cast a spell with me?

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When I sat down to write an essay for today’s Full Moon, something unexpected happened.

I’d intended to write about The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future), which Jung wrote in the spring of 1956, and which is more relevant today than ever.

Let me share a passage that illustrates just how timely this material is. Jung is referring to a collective mindset, the ‘mass mentality’ that promises freedom from responsibility…at a cost.

Where the many are, there is security; what the many believe must of course be true; what the many want must be worth striving for, and necessary, and therefore good.

In the clamour of the many resides the power [to fulfill unconscious wishes by force]; sweetest of all, however, is that gentle and painless slipping back into the kingdom of childhood, into the paradise of parental care, into happy-go-luckiness and irresponsibility.

All the thinking and looking after are done from the top; to all questions there is an answer, and for all needs the necessary provisions are made.

The infantile dream-state of the mass man is so unrealistic that he never thinks to ask who is paying for this paradise.

The balancing of accounts is left to a higher political or social authority, which welcomes the task, for its power is thereby increased; and the more power it has, the weaker and more helpless the individual becomes. Whenever social conditions of this type develop on a large scale, the road to tyranny lies open.

(CW 10, 539-39)

But in sitting down to write, all I felt was a sense of I can’t do this today. I need to take care of myself.

Reflecting on these feelings, it occurred to me that this is what Real Magic School is about, at its core. In many respects, it’s a deeply personal project made public, one tied to the overarching lesson of my journey in this lifetime.

As best as I can articulate it, this lesson is: How do I, personally, live an ethical life?

Today, that looks like giving myself the grace to not write the essay I had planned, and I hope this inspires you to take good care of yourself, too.

In closing, I want to do something that occurred to me in the midst of not writing that essay. I love exploring unconventional spellcasting techniques, and it occurred to me that we could use a poll as a form of spellcasting.

Spellcasting involves setting an aim and directing energy at that aim. So, what if we used the act of choosing a poll response as the intention setting step, and when you click on your response, you release energy toward that aim?

As more people take the poll, more energy is added to spell, potentially amplifying its effects.

Want to try this with me?

Read over the poll (below), so you know which option you’ll choose.

Then, take a moment to calm and center yourself. Perhaps close your eyes, and place one hand on your heart, one hand on your belly, resting here for a few breaths.

Draw in energy in whatever way works for you.

I like drawing in energy through my feet, bringing it all the way up to the crown of my head in a steady stream, flowing into my aura like a fountain. I then draw energy from the sky, letting it cascade through my crown, down and out through my feet and into my aura. I draw on these twin streams to create a ball of energy.

With your energy gathered, spend a few breaths focusing on your intention, linking the energy to that intention.

Open your eyes. Intend that, as you select your poll response, this energy will release through your fingertip and out into the cosmos to bring about your desired outcome.

To close the spell, snap your fingers three times. So mote it be!

Thanks for working magic with me today, my friend. Take good care of yourself, and have a blessed Full Moon.