“A Beautiful Cup and A Wand”: How to Create Love, Luck and Magic!

Note from Stacey: Last week I posted an article by Elisabeth Taylor about her experience as a “magical abundance elf”—inspired by the website Abundance By Magic.

The creator of the Abundance by Magic site (you can read more about her below) maintains complete anonymity, but she has generously agreed to answer some questions about happiness for Midwife for Your Life.

(One more note: I’m actually pretty length-ist about the pieces I post to my eZine and blog: I’m sensitive to the fact that we’re all busy, and so I’ve set a 750 words limit for MfYL posts. In this case, though, I’ve waived that limit. Her piece is 1799 words, but every one of them will get printed because they are all SO perfect!)

So make yourself a cup of tea and savor it while you read this gem!

What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?

Definitely my daily walk.  I think of it as non-negotiable spiritual hygiene, kind of like tooth-brushing for the soul.  I’m not sure if it’s the exercise that is so necessary, or if it’s the quiet time for contemplation, or the time spent outdoors in nature, but it not only makes me happier, it keeps me sane.

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18?

That happiness doesn’t last, but neither does its absence.  That’s actually a huge comfort, once faced.  When I was 18, a bad mood could feel devastating because it felt permanent.  Now, I can have a bad day (or two or three) and it’s easier to bear, knowing that always, inevitably, happiness returns.

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?

Yes: Caring too much what other people think.  I’m a people pleaser, born and bred, and I’ve learned that nothing quite disrupts my happiness like requiring that other people like and approve of me at all times.  I get very frustrated with myself when I catch myself doing it — and then, of course, I remember that being too hard on myself is the other thing I do repeatedly that gets in the way of my happiness.  D’oh!

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you find to be helpful?

“Release and receive.”  Sometimes I call it my “God’s will be done” mantra.  It’s so simple, but it goes very deep.  It does require a belief in a loving and intelligent God (or universe) who wants the best for us.

Here’s how it works: On the out-breath, say “release” and let go of absolutely everything.  Feelings, thoughts, pain, assumptions, resistance, control: Release ALL of it.  Even release the good stuff, your plans, ideas, hopes, dreams, desires, and requests.  Hold nothing back.  Then, on the in-breath, think “receive” and breathe in all the blessings that God wishes to bestow upon you.  Receive love, peace, and joy.  Receive happy surprises, miracles, fun, and magic.  Receive vast abundance, more than you ever thought possible!  Just trust that what you are now receiving is so much more than you would ever have thought to give yourself.  And think of what fun you are going to have watching it all show up!

You never need to fear releasing too much, because anything that you release that is in your best interest will come right back to you, purified and blessed.  And of course whatever you release that is not in your best interest will be carried away, never to harm you again.

I really recommend this meditation, it works miracles!

If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost?

I already mentioned my two most reliable methods: Long walks and the “release and receive” meditation.  Other reliable methods are writing, crying, sea-salt baths, reading inspirational books, and listening to podcasts from HayHouse Radio.

Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness?

More than anything, I notice that happy people take themselves lightly, with humor.  I suspect that the very happiest people are the most unselfconscious.  And the truly enlightened are the most unselfconscious and the most self-aware, all at the same time.

Have you always felt about the same level of happiness or have you been through a period when you felt exceptionally happy or unhappy? If so, why? If you were once unhappy, and became happier, how did you do it?

Depression runs in my family, and I’ve struggled with it on and off throughout my life.  I experienced an especially bad bout after my son was born, partly because I wasn’t getting any sleep.  I got through it by doing a lot of research, and also with the help of several wonderful holistic practitioners.  I did so much to change my thoughts and lifestyle, it would take several pages just to begin to list it all.  Happily, I’ve been feeling nicely balanced and really pretty great for the last several years, and I’m so thankful for that!

Do you work on being happier? If so, how?

Yes, I really do.  I’m religious about taking nutritional supplements.  I walk every day.  I eat primarily healthy, organic, whole foods.  I get loads of sleep.  I stay away from frightening or disturbing media.  I read a lot of inspirational books.  I listen to inspirational podcasts.  I get regular massages.  And I never hesitate to ask for help when I need it.  I also give myself plenty of alone time – as a supreme introvert, I find quiet time to myself to be roughly as important as air, food, or water.  I do notice that when I start to slack-off on self-care, the depression will start to creep back in.

Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy didn’t? Or vice versa?

Enlightened people are supposed to say that material things don’t bring happiness, right?  Well, I’m not really sure I agree.  I think it’s only when we stop appreciating the material things, that they stop bringing us happiness.

I was lucky enough to get my ultimate dream car two years ago.  I still, to this day, get into that car and think, “ahhhhhhh, man, this is the life!”  Somehow, for some reason, I have never taken that car for granted.  I still drive it around town feeling like Cinderella in her pumpkin chariot.  And after five years in my current house, I still get thrills of wonder when I turn into my driveway and see it there, peeking through the woods.

It’s not just material things, either.  It’s the same with my husband.  After ten years, I still can’t believe my luck.  HIM?  Seriously?  So handsome, so smart, so compassionate?  I’d hold him up to Mr. Darcy any time.  He really is like an old-fashioned gentleman come to life.  How did that happen?  And to ME?  My head still spins a bit, wondering at it all.  I hear people say all the time that romance doesn’t last, that marriage takes work.  Well, maybe in my case my husband is doing all the heavy work for the both of us; all I know is that I’m on easy street.  The very best man in the world comes home to ME every night (often bringing flowers), and I’m not about to start taking that for granted!

The thing is, though, I’ve always felt this way, even before the car, the home, and the husband.  I felt much the same back in my early twenties, when I had a crummy job and lived all alone in a tiny city apartment.   “Wow!” I would think, panting as I hauled groceries up five flights of stairs.  “Check me out.  I’ve got my OWN place, all to myself, a whole kitchen and a bathroom and everything!”  Never mind how tiny it was, or stiflingly hot, or shabbily furnished.  It was mine, and I was totally enthralled.  Then, after I married my husband, we bought our first house, and I felt like I was living in a castle.  Looking back, it was just another tiny box house in a row of tiny box houses.  But what I saw was an adorable, quaint little home, all my own.  “And I don’t even have to walk up five flights, the front door is right here!”

So I don’t believe that you have to be rich to feel rich.  You do probably need all the basics: food, water, shelter, healthcare, and security.  But beyond that, I think it’s possible for anyone to adjust their expectations to where they are grateful beyond words for what they already have.  I mean, sometimes just thinking about a faucet of running water, cold AND hot, blows my mind.  What a miracle!  Seriously, just take a moment to think about how unaccountably rare such a thing is, considering the whole history of human civilization.  And it’s OURS!  WE lucky few get to be the ones to have it.  Why is it so easy to forget how lucky we are?

What are you most passionate about?

Oh, I get passionate about tons of things.  Naturally, I get passionate about abundance, magic, luck, and giving.  But truly, almost any new thing I stumble upon can get me all fired up.  Feng shui, clutter-clearing, attachment parenting, environmentalism, tea, alternative medicine, spirituality, angels, 19^th century literature, psychology, autism, personality analysis, belief in magic and miracles – I could go on and on and on!

What do you know for sure?

I know that magic is real.  I know that miracles happen.  And I know that a shocking abundance of blessings is intended for ALL of us, if we can learn to let it in.

If you had an altar, what symbols of devotion would you put on it?

A beautiful cup to represent all the wonderful things I am willing to receive, and a wand to represent my willingness to channel it all to the rest of the world.

What great idea do you wish you had had?

I’m a big idea person, so I’m content with all the fun, wonderful, inspirational ideas I’ve already had.  What I really wish is that I had the talent and ability to see more of them through!

What books are you always telling people to read? What music? What movies?

Favorite books: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Middlemarch by George Eliot, every Jane Austen novel, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott,  Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and, of course, the Harry Potter series.

Favorite Songs: I’m Yours by Jason Mraz, Somewhere Over the Rainbow as performed by “Iz”, Turn the World Around by Harry Belafonte, the Muppet Version.

Favorite Movies: The Labyrinth (with David Bowie, yum!), The Princess Bride, Cinderella (the original Disney version), The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music.

Who or what has rendered you awestruck?

I am consistently awestruck by good writers.  Really good writing is, to me, a kind of spell-casting, every bit as potent as real magic.  One day they will prove that books affect us at the level of our neurochemistry.  The effect is usually transient, like taking a drug, but sometimes it changes who we are at the most basic level, forever.  To me, writers are so much more than word-crafters or artists.  They are creators, manifestors, witches, and wizards.  They create worlds that are real, that truly do exist, that have a life and power of their own.   And the ones who do that well?   Yeah, they render me awestruck, every time.

Abundance By Magic considers herself a very lucky person, most of all because she shares her life with her husband and their two children. She believes in magic and miracles, and shares her luck with others by anonymously gifting strangers and posting about it on her website, www.abundancebymagic.com.

Tagged as: "appreciation", abundance, generosity, happiness, magic