As if by magic we have been transported to October 2019…
I seem to have taken a huge time out without even realising it, but at last I’m back in the room and I’ve found time to sit down and write.
🌕 FULL MOON 🌕 OCTOBER 13th 2019 @ 22:07 (UK) There is a Full Moon brewing tonight and with it comes the magic of release and realignment. Here is a Full Moon Ritual from Forever Conscious to help you to feel confident, stronger and more directed on your path:
🎨 WEBSITE UPDATES 🎨 GALLERY There is some new exclusive Universal Magic Artwork in the Gallery, with more pieces to be added soon.
102019 Domestic Violence Awareness Month
102019 AutUMn Mandala
🌈 UNIVERSAL MAGIC WEBSITE : OCTOBER 2019 This website will be updated and tweaked in all the right places over the next few months, so keep an eye out for more magic and some exciting news.
Thank you for all your support and come back soon.
Blessed with the beauty of Magnolia trees bursting into flower and puffs of candyfloss pink Cherry Blossom softening the scenery, I absolutely love this time of year.
I can feel the weight of winter lifting. The darkness is retreating every day, replaced by light, colour, growth and new life.
All of our senses are being awakened by our natural surroundings and our world is visibly changing every day, as Mother Nature performs her powerful display of transformation, magic and miracles.
Everything around us is putting energy into new beginnings, regeneration and creation, so it’s the perfect time to work on our own growth, transformation and creative powers.
It’s always good to be in-tune with nature, especially when you are feeling a little lost or looking for direction in life.
This month I have decided to focus on new projects and arty things to do. I’m rather into the idea of doing something with all the junk I have around the house. It will help me declutter and satisfy my infinite need to be creative at the same time.
Anything artistic is so relaxing, therapeutic and meditative for me, I’m looking forward to having some proper chillout time doing activities that will stop me overthinking and worrying about things that I have recently been getting unnecessarily stressed and frustrated with.
I’m so excited to be celebrating the Spring Equinox! It means that the most miraculous, magical time of year has begun, where we are surrounded by the natural energy of new life, encouraging us to make new beginnings, energising our souls and senses with eyecandy, sounds, smells and colours.
We feel more positive and alive bathed in ever-increasing sunlight as the longer days and shorter nights carry hopes and dreams of summer.
UM SPRING EQUINOX / DAILY RITUAL
Look up. Look down. Look all around.
Stop. Look again. Look harder.
Pay attention to the natural and hidden beauty that you take for granted or never normally see. Marvel at it. Think about how amazing nature is to create so much magic all around us.
Take time to focus and exude gratitude for beautiful moments and magical miracles.
Breathe in the infinite power of nature. Breathe out all tension and allow yourself to relax, enjoy and appreciate the wonders of Spring.
Every time you do this simple process, you are giving your mind time-out from worries and stress, so repeat as often as you like for as long as you can or wish.
You could use this idea as a foundation for your own personal ritual, making up a unique version that has special meanings for you.
There are links to more Spring Equinox Rituals and Articles below.
13/03/2017 Eastbourne Seafront, UK (Photo by Umm @ NTV)
Universal Magic always aims to boost your creativity and confidence to do more of what you love. Spring is coming and we are going to be showered with natural beauty, if only we take the time to look around and appreciate this magical season.
I go through phases of being obsessed with photography, then find myself getting sucked back into the chaos of life and work, with weather that doesn’t exactly encourage me to step outside. I quickly forget how happy it makes me to simply spend time in the garden with bees and butterflies, frogs and flowers… and of course, the cats… most of whom are currently injured and not allowed outside at the moment, which is another excuse for my hermit tendencies to spiral out of control.
Here is a website full of photos and photo challenges that I hope will inspire me and you to be more creative with our cameras.
All the best if you enter the challenges, and if you don’t, it’s still a great website for ideas and inspiration.
This is a regular event on Facebook where our event page is used as a gratitude diary for the whole month. Universal Magic encourages the comments area to also be used as an art journal and creative space for anyone who wishes to take part.
For the March chapter this year, my friend Katie planted the seed of a theme for the month, with her bright, colourful posts. We have had a variety of themes over the years and we’ve really enjoyed the challenge of posting relevant pictures and entries.
The themed chapters also make a good read and visual effect when you look back at them at the end of the month or at a later date.
So, this month, our Glitter and Gratitude theme is :
🌈 THE COLOURS OF LIFE 🌈
I’m looking forward to celebrating and welcoming the arrival of Spring.
Artwork by Tomasz Alen Kopra * George RedHawk Motion Effects
It feels liberating not to constantly be on Facebook, distracted by the weird and wonderful activity of friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances… not to mention the stalkers, preachers, drama queens and attention seekers.
There comes a point when you realise that your life is not being enriched by a barrage of negativity, the troutpouts of vaguely familiar randoms, disturbing eyebrows and people’s dinner.
I do love Facebook for many reasons, in some of my darkest hours it has been a lifeline, giving me a connection to the outside world and access to people who supported and helped me through times of severe depression, PTSD and anxiety, when I could not face leaving the house, answering the phone, texting or seeing anyone.
During a 9 year-long abusive relationship, a deeply painful and challenging life chapter, Facebook became a fantasy world that I could live in and a wall I could hide behind, somewhere where I could pretend everything was ok to my friends and myself, blocking out the horror of what was really happening behind closed doors.
It was my escape into that online imaginary sanity that kept me functioning, and for this I am truly grateful. Over the years it has been a great source of entertainment and laughter. Strong, lifelong friendships and life changing connections have been made.
I use it like a personalised newspaper, focused on subjects and people who interest me with live updates of all my friends latest personal headlines, stories and open aired thoughts.
Most of the time I am a bit of a hermit weirdo, and I am generally more comfortable with my own company or around music, cats or other animals, so many of my human friendships and interactions are Facebook based.
I love to see what my creative friends are up to and marvel at the magic of their journeys and artistic creations.
Facebook is the perfect platform and promotional tool for my music and art based projects. It connects me to other artists, fans and music industry people, opening up international communication with like-minded people who enjoy, make and play music that I like. Much of my time on Facebook is spent working on promotion and researching for all the projects that I own and run.
UMM : facebook.com/universalmagicmusic
It has been the launchpad for all of my Universal Magic Brands. I have built up a substantial following of over 3100 people who share similar interests, feelings, thoughts and ideas. I believe that I have given some of them strength and inspiration in their hour of need and often receive positive feedback and messages of gratitude.
For all the positives and connections it brings, I give great gratitude.
However, I am currently inclined to feel that it has become a great source of comparison and distraction to real life. As an artist it is hard not to compare myself with others, when in reality, art is not a competition and my journey is never, ever going to be the same as anybody else’s. I believe this is true for everyone, not just artists, and we must all remember that there really is more to life than Facebook.
Our existence is not all about how happy we look on a screen and which heavily edited, fictitious versions of ourselves, our stories, our lives and our thoughts we choose to reveal for the approval and judgement of others.
Artwork by David Ho * George Redhawk Motion Effects
I’ve got to a point where I am tired of being bombarded by other people’s lives. I feel emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed by everybody else’s emotions, thoughts and activity. Understandable for anyone, but especially so for highly sensitive people and empaths, who easily pick up and absorb other people’s energy and emotions.
I suddenly realised that I had not been paying attention to my own story or putting any energy, thought, focus or imagination into what I write or create in my real world. For this reason I have chosen to spend more time away from Facebook, doing my own thing and whatever makes me and those around me happy.
We’ve just had a New Moon and we’re Marching into Spring with a new month tomorrow. I feel the magic of new beginnings and now is the perfect time to make new paths.
There is a whole world outside our cyber selves. Be brave enough to explore it. It’s full of real stories and adventures simply waiting to be begun and written by you. Make wonderful, magical memories that stay with you forever and never compare yourself to others. Your story is unique to you and can be changed whenever you want.
Discover and love the real you behind all your profiles, statuses, emoticons and passwords.
It doesn’t matter what you call yourself, just be devoted to your dream.
New Moon Blessings 26/02/2017 (UK) New Moon @ 14:58pm (GMT)
Set your intentions. Make magic happen.
We are the Magic Makers and we are the Creators of Dreams.
“Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be the awareness behind them.” ~Eckhart Tolle
When I first started practicing Zen (or presence), I used to believe I could become completely thoughtless. Making my bed, no-thought. Washing my hands, no-thought. Walking around, no-thought. Imagine the spiritual experience!
But it wasn’t like what I thought it would be.
The reality is my mind was on full throttle all the time. No matter what I did, there would be a billion thoughts popping out from my head, preventing me from having even a moment of peace. Then I would yell at myself, “Okay, enough. Get out of your head now! Stop thinking!”
In a panic, I thought about all those concepts I’d learned. “Now which technique do I use?” I’d think to myself, “What would a master do? There must be something I can do to silence my mind…”
The harder I forced myself, the noisier my mind became. I tried so hard, but I just couldn’t do it. In fact, it just made things worse. My thoughts and inner dialogue would run even wilder. I was frustrated and angry with myself.
During my first few years of practicing Zen and meditation, I was never at peace. Not even close. But I didn’t give up.
As I learned more about spirituality, I finally found the answer. I was too hung up on killing my thoughts. I became obsessed with them, even though they were the very things I was trying to get rid of. As soon I realized that, I finally let go, and now I feel free.
Here is what I learned, and how you can do the same.
1. Understand it is impossible to silence your mind.
It’s human to have thoughts. It means you have a healthy and functioning brain. We don’t need to get rid our thoughts at all. Why?
Just like our eyes see, our ears hear, our nose smells, our tongue tastes, and our body feels, our mind thinks. If you want to get rid of a specific function, you will have to destroy the corresponding organ. The underlying message is simple: No one has a mind without thoughts, unless he or she is dead.
When I tried to stop my mind, I was actually doing the impossible. Just as I can’t make my eyes not see and my ears not hear, there is no way I can make my mind not think.
2. Don’t judge yourself.
A quiet mind is not a mind with no thoughts. Rather, it is a decision you make to embrace every emotion and thought within you.
Here’s the irony: When you embrace all your thoughts without judgment, no matter how annoying they are, your mind will calm down.
So don’t resist your thoughts. Don’t beat yourself up for thinking too much. If you do, you are giving yourself unnecessary stress and anxiety. Thinking is the core function of your mind, and you are going to hear mental dialogue whether you like it or not.
If you try to fight it, you resist what is inevitable. The more you fight your thoughts, the more you amplify them. Being non-judgmental is the key to stillness. Be okay with whatever thoughts you have, and true inner peace will come naturally.
3. Separate analysis from action.
I love to hike. When I get to the foot of the mountain, I don’t really think ahead. I focus only on the individual steps that lead me to my destination. With each step I take, in each passing moment, I admire the scenery and I savor the smell of fresh air. It’s a great way to become present.
The reason I can do this is because I know where I want to go, how to get there, and the purpose of my hike beforehand. This way, I clear my mind of all analytical thinking—about the past and future—and I can get into the present more easily.
Whenever you analyze, you are always thinking into the past and future. This takes you away from the beauty of the present moment.
Of course, challenges and unexpected things happen. But as you deal with them with a defined purpose, your thinking stays within the present rather than thinking ahead, worrying, and giving yourself unwanted stress.
Separate analytical thinking from action. Plan beforehand. Know exactly what to do before you start. Have a clear purpose and defined steps you would take.
4. Focus on what you are doing.
Do you meditate?
When you meditate, you need a focus. It could be your breath or a mantra. This restrains your mind from wandering. Like the Buddha said, your mind is a dancing monkey. It is always looking for ways to escape from the present. On the other hand, a focus is like an oak tree that grounds you in the present.
To stop the monkey from breaking away, you tie a rubber band between the two. Whenever the monkey goes too far, the band snaps him back to the trunk of the tree.
How do you do this in your daily life? Unlike meditation, many of our daily tasks are habitual. Things like using the bathroom, taking a shower, eating, and walking are very hard to focus on.
This is because your brain automates these tasks to save energy. This isn’t a bad thing, but now that your mind is freed up, it begins to babble non-sense. It starts wandering to the past and future.
Luckily, you can use these tricks to increase focus and stay present:
Mentally remind yourself of your present action.
Use self-talk to direct your focus back to the present moment. For example, when washing your hands, repeat in your head, “I am washing my hands. I am washing my hands. I am washing my hands.”
Focus on your senses.
Direct your attention back into your body and out of your head. For example, when taking a shower, observe how water trickles down the surface of your skin. Inhale the fragrance of the soap. Enjoy the warmth. Listen to the sounds of flowing water.
Do things differently.
Make things more challenging. A classic technique all Zen masters use is to do everything in slow motion. This may sound easy, but it’s not. You will have a hard time doing things the way you want to. As a result, you are forced to act consciously instead of acting on autopilot.
5. Return to focus whenever you wander away from it.
Let’s go back to the oak tree-monkey analogy.
At the beginning of your practice, your focus may be weak. Instead of an oak tree, it is more like a sprout; a monkey can easily uproot it.
But don’t give up. Plant another tree. Bring your awareness back to your focus whenever your mind wanders away from it.
Yes, that tree will probably be uprooted too. But each tree you plant will have its roots deeper and its trunk stronger than the time before. Likewise, your focus becomes stronger each time you return to the present moment.
In this sense, mental noise is actually a good thing. It is an opportunity for you to become aware and strengthen your presence.
Presence is One Simple Choice
More than likely, all this is hard for you right now. All those concepts, techniques, and teachings you learned are complicating things so much that they don’t help you anymore. Worse, they make you even more stressed.
If you really want a quiet mind, you have to throw all these concepts away, at least for the time being. Instead, start making everything in your life a practice. Learn not to judge yourself. Learn to be okay with whatever happens, and relax.
You may not be able to do this at first, but it will happen. And when it happens, you will feel a click in your brain. On the outside, you will still be you. But on the inside, you will be overflowing with tranquility.
This is not because you have silenced your mind. Not because you have banished all your negative thoughts. Not because you have mastered a lot of techniques.
It is because you are okay with whatever happens. You are okay with negative thoughts. You are okay with a noisy mind. You are okay with interruptions and distractions. And when you are okay with whatever happens, you don’t hang on to them. In other words, you learn to let things go.
Until then? Change the way you see your thoughts, and change the way you deal with them. All it takes is a little commitment and practice. This is your first step. One simple choice.
And soon, you will have the inner peace you have always dreamed of.
3 words can turn a bad day into a good day. 
Universal Magic 