Inpower Institute Insights

Let’s talk magic. Now before you realists roll your eyes and stop reading, I should be clear that I don’t mean Harry Potter wizardry or Marvel Comic blockbusters. What I’m referring to is a type of lush living that delights our senses and adds dimension to our experiences. This magic is rare not because it is mythical, but because it is unpracticed and flies in the face of what we’ve been told about “how life really works.” Yet, if we were to temporarily suspend our disbelief, we’d see that magic is both within and around us, whispering to us through our longings and patiently awaiting our notice.

Real magic invites us to pay close attention to our hearts. Unlike our usual head trips, it calls to us through our passions and desires; shocks our circuits as novel ideas; and excites the very core of our beings. And when we lean into it, we make some profound discoveries.

We learn that we have more power than we think and fewer limitations than we’ve been taught. These are earthshaking insights for those of us who have been confused about our power because of oppressive environments and harmful conditioning. Yet when we engage our power, it’s like wielding our very own magic wands. Using these wands reveals that in the web of life we are both cause and effect, with deeper connections to everything than might readily be apparent.

So, what are the qualities that help us access our magic and unleash our personal power? The list is long, but let’s focus on the 3 A’s – authenticity, attention, and appreciation. We’ll begin with authenticity, beautifully defined by Shakespeare in Hamlet as, “to thine own self be true.” Being ourselves without pretense may cost us a measure of social acceptance, but it liberates our thinking and accelerates our growth. When we stop pretending to be, think and feel what makes others comfortable, we take back our power to be self-determining. We’re also able to give quality attention to the real muses of our lives like family, beauty, justice, healing, faith, learning, and purpose. What emerges in us is a deeper appreciation for life’s essential elements and a more truthful experience of ourselves as creators. This more authentic expression of ourselves, coupled with a greater recognition of life’s value, is what really enables us to touch magic and to awaken its likeness in others.