Do Not Strive!

I came across this quote on a pagan newsletter today:

"Magick DOES happen, if you believe!"

and it bothered me.

I obviously believe in magick, and I consider myself a magickal person, although I would say that I am growing in this field and would not hold my hand up to be any kind of expert. However, one thing that I feel I have been shown very clearly is that magick comes not from some kind of fervent belief, but from a deep and profound inner conviction of ones own true Will. For me that means an inner realisation of ones own sense of being - who I am, who I was intended to be before my adaptations to the molding of this world.

For me, this emphasis upon 'believing' has echoes of Christian spirituality. Now, don't get me wrong, even though I disagree with almost every Christian precept, I would defend the right for anyone to be able to walk their path free from persecution. I also accept that all paths draw from each other, to a lesser or greater extent, and this does not mean that I subscribe to spiritual 'pick and mix' belief system! However, and it's a big however, this quote could almost have come from the mouth of Jesus ("anything is possible to he who believes" Jesus is alleged to have said). From this we have seen, down through the years, a kind of almost neurotic, desperate searching for fulfillment and answers from an army of Christian followers and this is best illustrated in Charismatic worship, where hands are lifted high above heads in a kind of desperate attempt to reach out to God. To me, this is not spirituality.

No. For me my biggest realisation has been that I do not need to seek, strive, search or reach out. I simply just have to relax into the reality of who and what I am. This is not to mean that I can avoid dedication and effort, not at all, any student is only as good as her or his commitment, but this dedication comes not from some kind of desperation, but from a place of inner conviction and knowledge of ones place on the web of life.

So don't get caught up in some kind of pseudo-Christian striving, just relax into the reality of who you were intended to be!