Science or Magic
How to Use the Power of Belief to Expand What’s Possible
When my son Max was nine, he said, “Mom, you should write a book. And you know what you should call it? You should call it The Big Book of Really Long Explanations.”
It wasn’t meant as a compliment, but the kid had a point.
I love explanations.
I love research and answers and science. Science makes things make sense and I have always found great comfort in that.
I’ve completely transformed my own life and then helped hundreds of others do likewise by studying how the mind and brain work together – by learning to use that relationship as a tool for growth and metamorphosis.
Science is the mortar that glues the bedrock of my foundation together.
I love explanations.
And yet, there is another part of me that has always believed in something bigger.
Without need of evidence or accounting, a tiny voice continues to believe, to have faith, that there is more at hand than what can be explained. That part of me has experienced magic over and over and over again.
And she believes it’s real – in truth, she knows it is.
She has been my secret, my bedrock, my superpower. But in truth, I’ve not paid her too much attention. I call her the part of me that’s “tapped in” and I’ve left it at that. Best not to think about it too much.
Until recently, my mind has kept these two selves separate. Fearing the scientist could shut the believer down and strip her of her power or that the believer might pull us into some weird woo-woo existence, I’ve let the two operate independently for over 50 years.
But as I continue to learn, to grow, and to live, I can no longer deny my own experiences even the ones I can’t explain.
Magic is simply science that we don’t yet fully understand. And I’m OK with that now.
You’ll notice that I have been careful not to tell you what I mean by magic, or to explain to you the things that happen when I’m “tapped-in” – those are mine and will only serve to distract you from your own.
Because you too have already experienced this thing I’m referring to as magic.
It comes from your faith and is driven by what you believe. It requires trust in yourself and manifests when you are fully tapped-in to the present moment.
This Week:
Tapping-In to Your Magic
Get grounded. Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to completely relax into your breathing and into the present moment.
Grab a pencil and paper and make a list of everything that comes to mind that you fully believe in. This can include anything from love, to God, to tea being superior to coffee. If it is a closely held belief that you’re 100% behind, write it down.
Now expand the list to include those things that you sort of believe, which you want to believe that might be true. No judgement here, just write them down.
Next, think back to the moments of magic in your life. The friend that called when you were thinking of her, the unexpected money that came at exactly the right moment, the times you simply knew something would happen and it did, the time you fell in love. Jot these onto the list as well.
Reread your list and cross off anything that no longer resonates.
Now read each item again, slowly, and circle the one that has the greatest pull for you right now.
Close your eyes and take 3-5 deep breaths and allow the circled item to grow within your mind’s eye. Let yourself experience the emotion, the bodily sensations, the feelings that arise. Breath into them. Re-experience the belief, the hope, the magic. This is what “tapping-in” feels like for you.
Throughout this week, remain alert to these sensations. Objectively notice what is happening when you observe them. You are a scientist, allowing for any possibility, searching for evidence of what may exist that you haven’t yet discovered.
The more often you play this little game, the clearer you will get about what you believe and what you think is possible.
Remember, EVERYTHING that is possible begins with the belief that it might be.