Make Your Own Magic - Part 2
I’m thinking we call this a do-over.
I got sidetracked in my first post by how I ended up starting a journal — I still can’t bring myself to say book of shadows — that I completely forgot the point of the exercise.
Clearly, journaling is a process.
So here I am again. I guess I’ll start by saying that this is a journey I never expected to take. I didn’t even know it was possible. But now that I’ve spent time with someone who shares a similar background, I’m coming around to the idea that learning how to tap into my Fae nature, including my magic, will help me finally feel whole.
Like I said yesterday, this week’s mantra is “make your own magic”.
One thing I've learned from watching Sam is that you don't have to be a witch or part of a coven to use magic. While much of their strength comes from tradition and community, something mutts like us don't have access to, ours comes from self-realization. A combination of innate skill paired with intention and practice. We can make our own magic based on our unique talents and perspectives, but it all starts with learning how to master the basics.
Even though I already had a taste of raw power, Sam wants me to go back to the beginning and learn a few essential skills before I tap power willy-nilly.
Skill #1: Master a protection bubble (A.K.A. a circle for the witches in the room)
I think I’m doing okay with this one. Sam showed me how to do the pink bubble technique to create a stasis field around the injured man when things went sideways with the rogue witch.
I’m sure that Sam’s magic augmented my own to extend and hold the bubble until help arrived, but it was shockingly easy to do and I feel confident about my ability to call it on command.
Step 1: Picture myself chewing a wad of bubble gum
Step 2: Blow a bubble with my imaginary gum so it completely surrounds me from the outside world.
Of course, these things are always easier in the safety of your own home than they are in the field, and I really need to reach a level of proficiency so I can launch a bubble without thinking about it, but I feel like this is something I can manage.
Maybe I’ll try to extend a bubble around Alan and me on movie night. It’s supposed to be our date night, but we usually end up with my roommate Emma (she’s also Alan’s sister) and a bunch of other people from the pack in his parent’s family room. As much as I like everyone, it would be nice to have some alone time with my guy once in a while. Yeah, I know. Another sidetrack.
Moving on. The second skill Sam wants me to master definitely plays to my strengths as a bear.
Skill #2: Use all my senses for observation
This exercise is supposed to help me use all my senses so I’m better able to assess people and situations.
The idea is to force myself to use all of my senses, not just the one or two like hearing and smell that I naturally default to. It’s also meant to help me learn to trust the data.
I think that will be a little harder for me.
I’m used to trusting my bear’s senses, but I have no experience using or relying on my psychic skills. I don’t even feel confident saying I have psychic skills. It’s not like I’ve ever been able to call up my third eye and see an aura or pick up a stray thought.
My bear has excellent vision and hearing, but her sense of smell is her greatest asset. They’ve served me well over the years, but I tend to ignore the stray bits of information I get from my psychic senses.
I think I use my empathic ability more than anything else and it’s not what you could call reliable. Someone has to be seriously excited about something, good or bad, for me to pick up on it.
Sam suggested an exercise where I go to the mall or a coffee shop and quietly observe people. She wants me to observe 5 different strangers over the next three weeks and make notes about what each of my senses picks up. She specifically wants me to extend my psychic senses.
I have no idea how to do that, but she promises to cover it in our next session.
I’m a little hesitant about trying this on my own with strangers.
We were both surprised by our ability to connect with each other telepathically. Sam says she’s always been able to read people, but she’s never been able to send. I’ve never done either until we shared energy. Now we’re connected. I’d hate to accidentally do that with a stranger.
Hell, I’m not even sure I want to do that with Alan. He and I already have a sort of psychic bond, but it’s more like a feeling that I’m not alone. I shudder to think what it would be like to be in his head.
Sam says she doesn’t want me to connect with anyone. I’m just supposed to reach out with my mind and see if I can pick anything up.
I’m not sure how well that will work if I’m in a bubble, but she assures me I can set the bubble to keep bad energy out while my mind is wandering.
I guess we’ll see how that works tomorrow. Sam and I are going to the mall after lunch to sit in the food court and observe people. I guess I forgot to mention that. We’re going to do this together a few times before she sends me out on my own.
