This is a contribution to the Quantum Magic group.
Monday, January 29, 2007,10:28
Discrimination . . .
We've all heard about the on-going "Politically Correct" fight to end discrimination.
I'm here to tell you, today and forever, that ending discrimination is an impossibility.
Every time you choose Starbucks over 7-11 coffee (and, after trying both, who wouldn't choose Starbucks?), you are discriminating. Every time you go to Sears instead of Wal Mart, you discriminate. Discrimination, in and of itself, is NOT a bad thing. It is a necessary component to your being able to think for yourself, and make decisions for yourself. Do you prefer pie over cake? That's discrimination.
Where discrimination got a bad rap was when someone decided to mis-apply the term to people causing harm to others because of prejudice. There are lots of other terms for that, also. Racism. Biggot. Neanderthal.
There is nothing wrong with being able to discriminate, and articulate our preferences. Like I said yesterday, make a choice and take responsibility for the fact of having made a choice.
Oh, there is the rub. Our society doesn't like responsibility anymore. Unless someone else is responsible. THAT we like. But, if we make a choice to drive drunk and kill a car load of teens going home from a football game - it HAD to be either the car manufacturer or the brewer's fault - we're not responsible. BULLSHIT!
Nobody put the keys in your hand and told you to start the car when your blood-alcohol level was .09 or higher. The same is true with faulting handgun manufacturers for making a pistol. Nobody else put the gun in a guy's hand and told him to kill during a robbery - he alone pulled the trigger.
Those are extreme examples of people poorly using their ability to discriminate. We see other examples every day - the secretary who spends hours clipping grocery coupons at work, the junior exec who surfs porn sites while he's on the clock, the business owner who's secretary was hired more for aesthetic reasons than skill. It's all about choices - and figuring out what are the best choices.
An absolutely ideal choice is one that has nothing but positive results for everyone involved. But, before you can know that, you have to be able to look at a situation and say, "If I do this, that will happen." Cause and effect. What effects will your actions cause today? Tomorrow? Next year?
The absolute ideal is barely ever obtainable. A far more practical guide for most of us is this: What is the greatest amount of good for the highest total number of people that this decision will impact? Would it be worth the risk of 10 people dying in a medical study, if the result was a permanent cure for 80% of all cancer? How about if 1,000 mice died to develop an I-V 1-use serum that would cure diabetes? Or, if you knew a way to time travel, would you risk being charged with murder yourself to prevent Adolf Hitler from becoming Chancellor of Germany?
Those are all choices. Being able to weigh them and reach a decision is, by definition, discrimination. It's way past time that we remove the negative taint from such a useful word.
I'm here to tell you, today and forever, that ending discrimination is an impossibility.
Every time you choose Starbucks over 7-11 coffee (and, after trying both, who wouldn't choose Starbucks?), you are discriminating. Every time you go to Sears instead of Wal Mart, you discriminate. Discrimination, in and of itself, is NOT a bad thing. It is a necessary component to your being able to think for yourself, and make decisions for yourself. Do you prefer pie over cake? That's discrimination.
Where discrimination got a bad rap was when someone decided to mis-apply the term to people causing harm to others because of prejudice. There are lots of other terms for that, also. Racism. Biggot. Neanderthal.
There is nothing wrong with being able to discriminate, and articulate our preferences. Like I said yesterday, make a choice and take responsibility for the fact of having made a choice.
Oh, there is the rub. Our society doesn't like responsibility anymore. Unless someone else is responsible. THAT we like. But, if we make a choice to drive drunk and kill a car load of teens going home from a football game - it HAD to be either the car manufacturer or the brewer's fault - we're not responsible. BULLSHIT!
Nobody put the keys in your hand and told you to start the car when your blood-alcohol level was .09 or higher. The same is true with faulting handgun manufacturers for making a pistol. Nobody else put the gun in a guy's hand and told him to kill during a robbery - he alone pulled the trigger.
Those are extreme examples of people poorly using their ability to discriminate. We see other examples every day - the secretary who spends hours clipping grocery coupons at work, the junior exec who surfs porn sites while he's on the clock, the business owner who's secretary was hired more for aesthetic reasons than skill. It's all about choices - and figuring out what are the best choices.
An absolutely ideal choice is one that has nothing but positive results for everyone involved. But, before you can know that, you have to be able to look at a situation and say, "If I do this, that will happen." Cause and effect. What effects will your actions cause today? Tomorrow? Next year?
The absolute ideal is barely ever obtainable. A far more practical guide for most of us is this: What is the greatest amount of good for the highest total number of people that this decision will impact? Would it be worth the risk of 10 people dying in a medical study, if the result was a permanent cure for 80% of all cancer? How about if 1,000 mice died to develop an I-V 1-use serum that would cure diabetes? Or, if you knew a way to time travel, would you risk being charged with murder yourself to prevent Adolf Hitler from becoming Chancellor of Germany?
Those are all choices. Being able to weigh them and reach a decision is, by definition, discrimination. It's way past time that we remove the negative taint from such a useful word.
Thursday, January 25, 2007,22:05
Lightning strikes while driving . . .
Well, not exactly lightning - more like one of those "light bulb" moments.
Here is the scene. I'm driving a rental, heading for Wichita, Kansas - a 3.5 hour drive for me (usually). Today it was patchy fog, with areas where the visibility was so poor that I couldn't see the front of a car 2 vehicles in front of me going around a gentle curve.
So, what to do under such potentially hazardous conditions? Why, crank up the radio and sing along, of course!
I already had an idea forming in the back of my head as I got ready to begin this journey this morning, but since I didn't quite have it, I wisely let go of it and went on with what "needed" doing. I trusted that when it was ready, I'd know what it was.
So, as I'm rolling down the highway, singing the bass part to songs I've known for around 30 years, the idea begins to germinate. My mind (what I wasn't using for singing or concentrating on the highway) began to wander, and the term IDIC popped into my head.
For those who are entertainment challenged (or philosophically challenged) - IDIC is a term that was coined in the ORIGINAL TV series "Star Trek". It stands for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations - it's the central core belief of the Vulcans.
Along with IDIC, I began to muse about "balance", "harmony", "tolerance", and "patience". I wasn't giving any concentration to this at all, I was still singing with the radio and driving in fog.
Then came the lightning. It actually electrified the air inside the car enough that for a moment it interfered with radio reception. Interestingly, it was the programming on the radio that triggered it.
A song came on the air I hadn't heard even once in 20 years. It's probably the most financially successful song ever recorded by a fellow most know as a singer of comedy songs. You know - "Mississippi Squirel Revival", "The Streak", songs like that. His name is Ray Stevens.
His most financially successful song ever? Well, I'm guessing here, but I think (because it climbed the pop chart to #4 in 1973?) it was - "Everything is Beautiful".
Yes, there is a lesson here about quantum magick.
Our best magick happens when we can do it effortlessly, without preconceived notions of how the outcome will be reached. When we are looking at the beauty in all things around us, and we reach out through our magick and share that beauty with others - miracles happen. But, for us to be capable of doing that, we can't harbor any ugliness within ourselves. No malice, anger, grief, hate, or envy. Those are destructive forces that clog our hearts, clutter our minds, and block our magick.
Life is beautiful - and I mean that LITERALLY - when we can easilly, comfortably, tolerate ALL options on the table.
The ugliest words I hear these days are "I can't . . ."
Those words rob you of power, cheat you of energy, and steal your happiness and success. Even if you are a person of religious faith, those words "I can't" are a lie.
"I can't drink liquor because I'm a Christian." Does being a Christian somehow magickally prevent alcohol from fitting between your lips? Of course not. So, it is possible. The empowering choice here is to stop saying "I can't," and start saying "I choose not to".
You can do ANYTHING that anyone else can do. It might be said that the only thing that makes one life different than another is the choices we make. Realize that you are making choices, and take responsibility for the fact of making the choices, and you are already more successful than (I'm guessing a bit here) 98% of the rest of the people alive on this planet. Make good choices (which can take some practice, or training) and you will always be a winner.
Here is the scene. I'm driving a rental, heading for Wichita, Kansas - a 3.5 hour drive for me (usually). Today it was patchy fog, with areas where the visibility was so poor that I couldn't see the front of a car 2 vehicles in front of me going around a gentle curve.
So, what to do under such potentially hazardous conditions? Why, crank up the radio and sing along, of course!
I already had an idea forming in the back of my head as I got ready to begin this journey this morning, but since I didn't quite have it, I wisely let go of it and went on with what "needed" doing. I trusted that when it was ready, I'd know what it was.
So, as I'm rolling down the highway, singing the bass part to songs I've known for around 30 years, the idea begins to germinate. My mind (what I wasn't using for singing or concentrating on the highway) began to wander, and the term IDIC popped into my head.
For those who are entertainment challenged (or philosophically challenged) - IDIC is a term that was coined in the ORIGINAL TV series "Star Trek". It stands for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations - it's the central core belief of the Vulcans.
Along with IDIC, I began to muse about "balance", "harmony", "tolerance", and "patience". I wasn't giving any concentration to this at all, I was still singing with the radio and driving in fog.
Then came the lightning. It actually electrified the air inside the car enough that for a moment it interfered with radio reception. Interestingly, it was the programming on the radio that triggered it.
A song came on the air I hadn't heard even once in 20 years. It's probably the most financially successful song ever recorded by a fellow most know as a singer of comedy songs. You know - "Mississippi Squirel Revival", "The Streak", songs like that. His name is Ray Stevens.
His most financially successful song ever? Well, I'm guessing here, but I think (because it climbed the pop chart to #4 in 1973?) it was - "Everything is Beautiful".
Yes, there is a lesson here about quantum magick.
Our best magick happens when we can do it effortlessly, without preconceived notions of how the outcome will be reached. When we are looking at the beauty in all things around us, and we reach out through our magick and share that beauty with others - miracles happen. But, for us to be capable of doing that, we can't harbor any ugliness within ourselves. No malice, anger, grief, hate, or envy. Those are destructive forces that clog our hearts, clutter our minds, and block our magick.
Life is beautiful - and I mean that LITERALLY - when we can easilly, comfortably, tolerate ALL options on the table.
The ugliest words I hear these days are "I can't . . ."
Those words rob you of power, cheat you of energy, and steal your happiness and success. Even if you are a person of religious faith, those words "I can't" are a lie.
"I can't drink liquor because I'm a Christian." Does being a Christian somehow magickally prevent alcohol from fitting between your lips? Of course not. So, it is possible. The empowering choice here is to stop saying "I can't," and start saying "I choose not to".
You can do ANYTHING that anyone else can do. It might be said that the only thing that makes one life different than another is the choices we make. Realize that you are making choices, and take responsibility for the fact of making the choices, and you are already more successful than (I'm guessing a bit here) 98% of the rest of the people alive on this planet. Make good choices (which can take some practice, or training) and you will always be a winner.
Sunday, January 7, 2007,06:48
Oh, ye of little faith . . .
This is a re-post of something I first wrote in one of my own blogs on 12/05/2005. I'm choosing to share it here because it shows some of the early seeds of thought that have inspired my current beliefs relevant to these subjects. - Merlin
'_______________________
I don't know, perhaps it is the odd sleep schedule I've had lately. Or perhaps it has something to do with wearing a t-shirt my wife got for me - with a big red "S" on it (hint, hint).
Anyway, I'm thinking about the realm of what might be possible, and what we tend to accept as possible while proclaiming other things impossible. Of course, I seem to pick on Christians a lot, but it's because I was raised as one, and am very familiar with the teachings of the Christian faith. So, let us take a look at a few verses:
Matthew 17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible for you. - KJV
Mark 6:48-51 - And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary to them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh to them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased; and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
Matthew 14:26-31 - And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he was the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Ok, I think that is enough to make the point. We are the masters of the world - the laws of physics be damned. If we decide to break the laws of the universe, our faith in our ability to do so is all that it takes to enable us to do it.
So, when was the last time that you walked on water?
Or flew? (without mechanical help)
Or walked UP a wall? Or had a bullet bounce off of you, leaving you unharmed? Or turned invisible? Or carried on a telepathic conversation? Or ran 100 mph for 1000 miles? Or jumped into space without a booster rocket or a ship? When was the last time that you spent 1000 years using the same body, strong and healthy.
Now, I'm not about to say that I've mastered this whole "faith of a mustard seed" thing - there are lots of things that I wish that I could do that I haven't overcome disbelief in yet. But, just a few days ago my daughter was getting ready to pop a surprise on me - she had found out that someone was interested in taking her on a date. She is about 600 miles away from me, and was sending me hints by text message on our phones.
She was building up to it, first saying "I can't wait until 5:00 pm tomorrow." So I texted back, "What happens then?" She answered, "I'm going to reveal who wants to take me out on a date." Well, my wife and I were eating supper at that point - in a restaurant - so I just "reached out" and got the answer from her - and texted back that it was a friend of her's boss. About 20 minutes later she texted back that I was right, but she didn't know how I could possibly keep guessing her secrets - she's never kept one from me.
Well, it's because I knew that she knew the answer, so I just accepted that the answer was knowable, and sort of "received" it. You could call it telepathy, sort of, but I didn't exactly read it from her mind. It was more like just plucking it out of the ether. Imagine a giant, cosmic filing cabinet that contains all the known answers in the universe. There was an answer, it was known, so I could know it. And I did.
But, I'm not bullet proof - yet, anyway. I really don't see any reason why one person (or even all of us, as individuals) couldn't combine all of the strengths of Superman, all of the X-men, Spiderman, the Flash, (etc. ad nauseum) and make those powers our own, just by belief that it was possible. Sweeping away our own doubt, like Peter in the verse above, is our biggest hurdle.
Oh, and here is a race challenge for you. I'm stating it as my intention to be the first human to stand on the moon, without a space suit and having gotten there under my own power. I dare you to beat me to it.
'_______________________
I don't know, perhaps it is the odd sleep schedule I've had lately. Or perhaps it has something to do with wearing a t-shirt my wife got for me - with a big red "S" on it (hint, hint).
Anyway, I'm thinking about the realm of what might be possible, and what we tend to accept as possible while proclaiming other things impossible. Of course, I seem to pick on Christians a lot, but it's because I was raised as one, and am very familiar with the teachings of the Christian faith. So, let us take a look at a few verses:
Matthew 17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible for you. - KJV
Mark 6:48-51 - And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary to them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh to them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased; and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
Matthew 14:26-31 - And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he was the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Ok, I think that is enough to make the point. We are the masters of the world - the laws of physics be damned. If we decide to break the laws of the universe, our faith in our ability to do so is all that it takes to enable us to do it.
So, when was the last time that you walked on water?
Or flew? (without mechanical help)
Or walked UP a wall? Or had a bullet bounce off of you, leaving you unharmed? Or turned invisible? Or carried on a telepathic conversation? Or ran 100 mph for 1000 miles? Or jumped into space without a booster rocket or a ship? When was the last time that you spent 1000 years using the same body, strong and healthy.
Now, I'm not about to say that I've mastered this whole "faith of a mustard seed" thing - there are lots of things that I wish that I could do that I haven't overcome disbelief in yet. But, just a few days ago my daughter was getting ready to pop a surprise on me - she had found out that someone was interested in taking her on a date. She is about 600 miles away from me, and was sending me hints by text message on our phones.
She was building up to it, first saying "I can't wait until 5:00 pm tomorrow." So I texted back, "What happens then?" She answered, "I'm going to reveal who wants to take me out on a date." Well, my wife and I were eating supper at that point - in a restaurant - so I just "reached out" and got the answer from her - and texted back that it was a friend of her's boss. About 20 minutes later she texted back that I was right, but she didn't know how I could possibly keep guessing her secrets - she's never kept one from me.
Well, it's because I knew that she knew the answer, so I just accepted that the answer was knowable, and sort of "received" it. You could call it telepathy, sort of, but I didn't exactly read it from her mind. It was more like just plucking it out of the ether. Imagine a giant, cosmic filing cabinet that contains all the known answers in the universe. There was an answer, it was known, so I could know it. And I did.
But, I'm not bullet proof - yet, anyway. I really don't see any reason why one person (or even all of us, as individuals) couldn't combine all of the strengths of Superman, all of the X-men, Spiderman, the Flash, (etc. ad nauseum) and make those powers our own, just by belief that it was possible. Sweeping away our own doubt, like Peter in the verse above, is our biggest hurdle.
Oh, and here is a race challenge for you. I'm stating it as my intention to be the first human to stand on the moon, without a space suit and having gotten there under my own power. I dare you to beat me to it.
Saturday, January 6, 2007,13:29
Fact, Fiction, or Magic?
I'm sure everyone has heard the saying, "Fact is stranger than fiction." Shoot, it's the whole reason that I personally subscribe to the newsletter, "This Is True" (at http://www.thisistrue.com). Reality has some pretty crazy stuff going on in it. Sometimes you just have to laugh, to keep from crying!
But, as a small circle of my best friends (and a very few relatives) have been learning lately, there might not be as much difference between fact and fantasy as we (society as a whole) have previously thought.
Recently I was watching the movie "Superman Returns", and was again impressed with this idea, in different wording. Consider this short verbal exchange between Lex Luthor and his girlfriend, Kitty.
Lex: "Kitty, while you were doing your nails and ordering fur coats online, I was busy unlocking the secrets of one of the most advanced civilizations in the universe. ... You see, unlike our clunky earth-based forms of construction, technology on Krypton - Superman's home world - was based on manipulating the growth of crystals."
Kitty: "Sounds like hocus-pocus to me."
Lex: "Well, naturally. To the primitive mind, any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic." (emphasis added)
So, that is what I want to look at here - where do we draw the line between fact and fantasy, or between science and magic?
Several resources have been shaping my recent studies. First came the discovery of a video calledThe Secret which approaches 2 hours in length. I won't tell you the primary message - it will get through much better if you get the DVD and watch it a few dozen times yourself.
The next resource to fall into my hands was another movie called, "What the *bleep* do we know?" This video talks about how the science of Quantum Physics is pointing to the conclusion that - well, basically "The Secret" is right on the money. Ha, ha! You thought I was going to give the game away already? No! "What the *bleep* do we know?" is available to watch (right now, anyhow) for free by going here:
What the *bleep* do we know?
Then, my circle of friends pointed out the book "Ask and it is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires" by Esther Hicks. I bought a copy, and highly recommend it as a beginner's guide to starting to apply the above materials for your own, your family's, and the world's betterment.
So, what does it all boil down to? Magick!
Yes, I'm absolutely serious. It is all telling us that, by our modern concept of the term, magick is real. When we are sufficiently adept, we can create our own reality by our own, conscious, deliberate, directed THOUGHTS.
Let me explain the similarity here. When learning a new technology (to ourselves), the first level of competence is - labor. Or, as the character Merlin was taught in the movie MERLIN, spells and potions. We need to attach a doingness to our act of creation to accomplish a result. It does several things, not the least of which is help us to focus our thoughts on the result desired.
The next level of competence is - familiarity. Or, as Merlin was taught - "hand magic". At this level, we are fairly skilled at focusing our thoughts and can accomplish most of our intentions with minor gestures - like wands in "Harry Potter".
The majority of the witches and wizards in the "Harry Potter" stories begin by taking potions classes and learning spells and plant/animal lore, but many of them progress to a point of being able to cast a spell with merely a gesture of a wand before they graduate.
The third and (so far as I know) final level of competence is - mastery. Or, going back to Merlin - thoughts. In "Harry Potter" the wizards at this level use "silent magic" - you wouldn't be able to pick them out in a crowd while they are casting spells, but the spells still produce their intended effects.
We can use that highest level of magick for our own benefit. I hope Esther Hicks won't object too greatly to me drawing one example from her book (which I'm sure will be able to touch a chord with nearly everyone) - a process for increasing the money in your wallet. In her book, she suggests this:
Get a single bill in the denomination of $100 and put it in your wallet/purse. Leave it there for a while (I'd suggest about 3 months). Everywhere you go, when you see an indulgence you would like to have (but don't really need) just silently remind yourself, "I can have that." Because the reality is, you can. You have the money to buy it in your back pocket.
Your brain can't tell the difference between the reality of spending that $100 and the imagination of spending it. Having the $100 in your wallet/purse removes the barrier of "if only... I had the money". If you "spend" that $100 ten times every day for 3 months - you've spent $90,000! That new level of prosperity will attract more money to you, turn you into a money magnet!
And here is my own refinement. After you've done this for 3 months (or as soon as your new financial picture can support doing it) - replace the $100 bill with a $500 bill - or a $1,000 bill. Then keep doing this with more expensive "spending". Think - if you "spent" $1,000 ten times every day for 3 months - you've spent $900,000. Wrap your mind around that for a moment - how good would it feel to know that you can AFFORD to spend $900,000 every 3 months for the rest of your life? Or, if you encountered 100 occasions to "spend" $1,000 every day?
Try it. It's MAGIC!
But, as a small circle of my best friends (and a very few relatives) have been learning lately, there might not be as much difference between fact and fantasy as we (society as a whole) have previously thought.
Recently I was watching the movie "Superman Returns", and was again impressed with this idea, in different wording. Consider this short verbal exchange between Lex Luthor and his girlfriend, Kitty.
Lex: "Kitty, while you were doing your nails and ordering fur coats online, I was busy unlocking the secrets of one of the most advanced civilizations in the universe. ... You see, unlike our clunky earth-based forms of construction, technology on Krypton - Superman's home world - was based on manipulating the growth of crystals."
Kitty: "Sounds like hocus-pocus to me."
Lex: "Well, naturally. To the primitive mind, any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic." (emphasis added)
So, that is what I want to look at here - where do we draw the line between fact and fantasy, or between science and magic?
Several resources have been shaping my recent studies. First came the discovery of a video called
The next resource to fall into my hands was another movie called, "What the *bleep* do we know?" This video talks about how the science of Quantum Physics is pointing to the conclusion that - well, basically "The Secret" is right on the money. Ha, ha! You thought I was going to give the game away already? No! "What the *bleep* do we know?" is available to watch (right now, anyhow) for free by going here:
Then, my circle of friends pointed out the book "Ask and it is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires" by Esther Hicks. I bought a copy, and highly recommend it as a beginner's guide to starting to apply the above materials for your own, your family's, and the world's betterment.
So, what does it all boil down to? Magick!
Yes, I'm absolutely serious. It is all telling us that, by our modern concept of the term, magick is real. When we are sufficiently adept, we can create our own reality by our own, conscious, deliberate, directed THOUGHTS.
Let me explain the similarity here. When learning a new technology (to ourselves), the first level of competence is - labor. Or, as the character Merlin was taught in the movie MERLIN, spells and potions. We need to attach a doingness to our act of creation to accomplish a result. It does several things, not the least of which is help us to focus our thoughts on the result desired.
The next level of competence is - familiarity. Or, as Merlin was taught - "hand magic". At this level, we are fairly skilled at focusing our thoughts and can accomplish most of our intentions with minor gestures - like wands in "Harry Potter".
The majority of the witches and wizards in the "Harry Potter" stories begin by taking potions classes and learning spells and plant/animal lore, but many of them progress to a point of being able to cast a spell with merely a gesture of a wand before they graduate.
The third and (so far as I know) final level of competence is - mastery. Or, going back to Merlin - thoughts. In "Harry Potter" the wizards at this level use "silent magic" - you wouldn't be able to pick them out in a crowd while they are casting spells, but the spells still produce their intended effects.
We can use that highest level of magick for our own benefit. I hope Esther Hicks won't object too greatly to me drawing one example from her book (which I'm sure will be able to touch a chord with nearly everyone) - a process for increasing the money in your wallet. In her book, she suggests this:
Get a single bill in the denomination of $100 and put it in your wallet/purse. Leave it there for a while (I'd suggest about 3 months). Everywhere you go, when you see an indulgence you would like to have (but don't really need) just silently remind yourself, "I can have that." Because the reality is, you can. You have the money to buy it in your back pocket.
Your brain can't tell the difference between the reality of spending that $100 and the imagination of spending it. Having the $100 in your wallet/purse removes the barrier of "if only... I had the money". If you "spend" that $100 ten times every day for 3 months - you've spent $90,000! That new level of prosperity will attract more money to you, turn you into a money magnet!
And here is my own refinement. After you've done this for 3 months (or as soon as your new financial picture can support doing it) - replace the $100 bill with a $500 bill - or a $1,000 bill. Then keep doing this with more expensive "spending". Think - if you "spent" $1,000 ten times every day for 3 months - you've spent $900,000. Wrap your mind around that for a moment - how good would it feel to know that you can AFFORD to spend $900,000 every 3 months for the rest of your life? Or, if you encountered 100 occasions to "spend" $1,000 every day?
Try it. It's MAGIC!