Restoring the Real Magick of Daily Life

Hyperion

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In Fey culture and other Magickal lifestyles, we sometimes speak of "Mundania" as the prevailing culture which can overwhelm our attention, cause the retreat of Magickal Realms, and deaden our existence.

This kind of habituated numbness often takes the form of working to make more money to buy more stuff, or perhaps living a life of no particular purpose or direction&emdash;just paying bills or drifting along with whatever forms of entertainment are provided by the dominant consumerist culture. After being blasted with the shock factor so evident in the media, we are released back into our too-comfortable routine. Ho hum. How much meaningfull interaction in our lives can be reduced to exchanging money for an item or a service?

A good question to ask! Our work-a-day world might take such a large chunk of life that we may wonder: How would we ever have the time or energy to break loose?

The vibrant feeling of interconnectedness with the rhythms of Nature; the thrill of a sunrise; or the simple awe of gazing at the stars and contemplating the immensity of the Universe can be too easily lost or forgotten. We enclose ourselves in boxes (houses, cars, buildings, schedules, concepts, and habits).

Of course if one feels depleted by responsibility, or trapped in time, one may well want to reexamine one's directions, goals, and relationships. A good start on this process is a repetitive exercise of affirming and accepting whatever we feel we need or want to change in our lives even before it actually manifests thereby setting the creative forces in motion.

Creative self-expression and recapturing some primal human culture can restore the Magick and enchantment so easily lost in Mundania. We have the entirety of human history in all its variety as a resource. Contemporary culture is but a speck compared to the vast stretch of time that we have been part of the planet. And we have our own inspiration; we are able to inspire ourselves! We can activate the dancer, the singer, the poet, the actor, and the healer. Every aspect of our lives can be enlivened by these expressions if we only give our attention.

A walk to the mailbox can be a mindful meditation on body movement. We can create a simple song from just a few words. A letter to a loved one can be a lesson in composition and perception of our own patterns and feelings. A simple exchange of words in greeting, or other pleasantries, can be colored with meaning as if it were a work of art. We can activate our own healing power just by seeing our own wounds as well as observing the needs around us.

The pace of our own heart and bodily cycles can start the drum of rhythm beating within us. The rhythm of the sun, moon, stars, and seasons surround us and are reflected within us as well. We can celebrate these things through the force of our own intuition, or by taking clues from much of humanity that has done the same for millennia before us.

Simply observing a bird, an insect, a plant, or a pet can strengthen our interconnectedness and presence in the moment. Acknowledging and honoring these other beings in our ceremonies during the time of their flourishing or change can enrich our experience and our sensitivity to them. We can take this one step further and concentrate on the beings in our own immediate area or bioregion. And even further, we can encompass the planet in our consciousness, focusing on global awareness for perspective.

Recording our dreams can reinforce awareness of our multidimensionality, or create an avenue into healing. Guided journeys can lead us into new fields of understanding and we can enter the realm of spirit through meditative focus or through the rhythmic drumming used by tribal cultures throughout the world. The realm of spirit is more subtle, individual, indefinable, and vaster than anything we can grasp intellectually. Therefore it has great power. Spirit interpenetrates our own existence and extends beyond. We can only find ways to access it, to glimpse it, and we do not always agree on what we find there.

Free form and total body release into music that moves us can clear so many obstacles to a more unified state of being. With meditation we can release everyday distractions and internal chatter and make friends with the Void. Lighting a candle or a stick of incense, we can honor the moment.

By recreating tribe, breaking bread together, building community based on support rather than control, and by celebrating rites of passage, we can find a way of healing and life for ourselves and for Earth. Breaking out of our usual routines, we can go on an unexpected picnic, hike off our usual path, go for a walk in the middle of the night, or serve our lover breakfast in bed.

What could be more delightful than an unearned bubble bath, a luxurious masturbation session, or dressing in special garments and painting your face for no particular reason?

When combating the stifling stasis of Mundania, the supremely important element is surprise.

Hyperion and his partner Swami produce The FEYARTS Newsletter (8 issues $24.00, P.O. Box 2542, Wimberley TX 78676) from which this article was reprinted. They are also the Texas Faerie Connection. email: feyarts@texas.net

Last update Sept 21 2000