Real Power is Personal Creativity

 

There is a huge difference between power in the traditional corporate sense and power in the sense of spell casting. You may be trained to think that money is power or that a large office, big title, and company car is power. The trappings of power sometimes lead us to believe that a certain person is powerful as an individual. I assure you most emphatically that those things that have become associated with power are not powerful at all, and some people who surround themselves with the trappings of power are not particularly gifted.

Power is not stuff. Real power is personal creativity and the ability to enjoy it. Real power is doing what you want to do and living prosperously with it. Power is not being able to influence others; it is the ability to influence your own life. Others, in turn, will be drawn to your power and influenced by it, within their free will and yours.

That is not to say that you can't have the trappings of power if you want them. If part of your creative ideal is to have a huge office, title, and car, go for it; it's all about enjoyment. However, many of us get used to thinking that that is the only way to have power, and that is simply not the case. Exercising your power is exercising your free will, your choice to experience what you wish. Real power is the courage and wherewithal to do what you really want.

Often in the traditional corporate scenario and in many real life events, we give our power away. Your boss has the "power" to fire you. Your client has the "power" to say no to you. The guy at the electronics store has the "power" to intimidate me. When things get risky or fearful, it is easy to let go of our own power and to allow others to take over.

That's when you give it away. You may compromise yourself, then end up being upset at yourself, and all because you gave too much away. Giving your power away gives others control over you.

Power comes from you. You control how it flows from you and how open you are to its source. You can send your power out into the future, as you do in a spell. You can mask your power if you want to be subtle or you can glamorize it if you want to shine.

You can increase your own sense of personal power through a spell and sometimes in combination with a glamour. A glamour is an energy form you cast over yourself that acts as a protective force or an attractive one, depending on your needs. The art of some spells sets the situation up in advance and then you just move right through it.

I enjoy watching powerful people in public. You can tell who they are because they are at ease in many situations, especially embarrassing ones. A powerful person doesn't worry about what other people think or what he or she may look like to others. A sense of humor is a sign of power, as are patience and the ability to be wrong. Powerful people are complete within themselves. They don't fear much and are certainly not motivated by it.

Fear is not power Power and fear are often thought of as compatible elements, but they are completely at odds with each other. Fear separates people from their potential; it makes it seem easier not to do something than to go for it. If you've ever worked for someone who thinks that motivation by fear is the best way to manage people, you have met a person who doesn't understand power. Keeping people in a fear state does not produce good results. Fear may keep people from doing things to avoid unpleasant results, like losing a job, but it won't motivate them to do their best, even when they are capable of doing it.

Fear creates a wall between you and doing what you really want to do. Fear is hard to overcome, but it is extremely important to learn ways of dissipating it, of softening it enough so that you can move through it.

Don't try to become fearless; that is simply a denial of fear. It really isn't useful, since fear helps us stay alive in dangerous situations. To be truly fearless is not to fear death, suffering, and pain. This is a reckless state and can produce reckless results. You don't have to go that far.

Moving through fear is often very difficult, but can be one of the most satisfying accomplishments. Imagine giving up everything you own to pursue a dream. It isn't easy, for even the most courageous people have moments of doubt. The trick is to convert a wall of fear into a cloud of fear, and to allow it to move through you or you through it. That way, you don't deny it, but you also don't let it stop you.

Fear can also attract the very results you are afraid of, since it is so energetically powerful. Fear acts as a spell sometimes, traveling in advance of the situation, ready to meet you when you get there. If fear exists, as it always does on some level, we have to move through it in order to get to our goal. Conquering your fear usually means you won't have to face that particular bogeyman again.

When you cast a spell, you are attempting to influence events in the future. Your spell creates an energy form that actually exists. This is particularly useful when you want to influence the atmosphere of a place where you are going to be or to avoid unconsciously tossing fear into the future.

For instance, if you are going into a room for an important meeting, you can cast a spell to make the energy of the room receptive and relaxed. While this is not always possible if those attending the meeting are hostile, there are great ways to throw energy into the future so that at least you feel at ease in the situation.

Creating energy and sending it into the future is the most basic form of spell casting, so this is not a difficult exercise. In fact, many of us do this unconsciously by visualizing a situation before getting there. Unfortunately, we are exceptionally good at putting fear in the future, but not so skillful at putting calm, spaciousness, and receptivity there. The power of positive thinking isn't just in the mind. You're actually influencing events, if not creating them, when you ponder the future.

Holding on to a goal obsessively also creates a tight hold on future realities. Obsession acts like fear by creating barriers of "how it has to happen," and thereby strangling the possibilities of manifestation. Even if you are convinced that your single-minded determination will see you through to your goal, I beg you to entertain another angle.

You simply don't think big enough. Hanging on to the goal you imagine is simply not allowing it to manifest in a way that is much bigger.

SPELLS for

INCREASING POSSIBILITIES

On a Thursday under a waxing moon

during the second hour of darkness,

light a purple candle

and a green candle.

Place some sage in a natural vessel

(such as a seashell)

and place yellow flowers

(preferably dandelions)

in water, in front of the candles.

SAY ALOUD:

I ask the creativity of the universe

to be shown to me.

I open my eyes and my heart

to potential and inspiration.

I join in the flow of opportunity

and all creation

within the greater good.

I ask that this be done now.

So be it.

And so it is.

Blow out the candles.

(Let the flowers die and then dispose of the sage.)

INCREASE PERSONAL POWER

Under a waxing moon on a Tuesday

in the second hour of darkness,

light a yellow candle.

Place red carnations in a vase with water.

Place a piece of raw ginger in front of the candles.

SAY ALOUD:

I call in the guardians and

the power of the universe

to join with me.

With the fire of creative energy

and a sword of compassion,

I increase and manifest my own power

on the plane of reality.

I do this within the greater good

and with respect for the higher order.

I claim this power and say

so be it.

And so it is.

Blow out the candles.

(Dispose of the ginger when the flowers die.)

CREATING A GLAMOUR FOR PROTECTION

Sit in a darkened room at any time of day.

Gather your energy in, breathing in a relaxed way.

Close your eyes.

With your imagination,

bring white or yellow light around you.

Let the light glow from your skin,

a shield from the world around you.

Change the color to orange, then pink,

then lavender, then blue.

Feel which color makes you feel safest,

most protected.

Stay with the color you like best.

Wear it as a shield around your whole body.

After you open your eyes,

cast your shield of colored light

around you again.

Invoke your shield anytime, night or day,

in any situation in which you need protection.

RELEASING OR SOFTENING FEAR

On a waning moon

on any day of the week but Saturday,

place an ice cube in a bowl next to a white candle.

Place lavender in a natural vessel and

white carnations in a vase with water.

SAY ALOUD:

With the help of the guardians,

God and Goddess,

I ask that my fear gently be lifted from me.

As the ice melts

so does my resistance,

and as the water turns to air

my fear opens to spaciousness.

I ask that this be done with ease

and for the greater good.

And I release this with love and trust

and say

so be it.

And so it is.

Let the bowl remain in place until all the water has evaporated.

Allow the candle to burn as long as you like.

INFLUENCING ENERGY IN THE FUTURE

On a Monday during a waxing moon,

place white roses in a vase with water.

Light a white or a purple candle.

Place some walnuts before the candle.

In a darkened room,

sit before the flames.

Close your eyes.

Envision or imagine the future situation.

Breathe deeply.

With your breath, blow the emotion and the energy

you wish to manifest into that situation.

Feel the energy shift, see the situation ease

with each breath.

SAY ALOUD:

I send this energy into the future

to help manifest the atmosphere of success.

I ask that this be done for the greater good

and within the free will of all.

So be it.

And so it is.

Blow out the candle.

(Throw the walnuts out when the flowers die.)

by Barrie Dolnick in her book Simple Spell for Success, pp. 38-51