What if it’s true that everyone really is an unrealized [saint/buddha/divinity] that volunteered to limit itself so it could live out a cool story?  Sure, you’d have to outwardly honor your path and [revere/kill/love/hate] so you could do what’s contextually appropriate…but inwardly, maybe you’d recognize it as a costume party and have the time of your life mingling with your fellow partygoers.

(This is a long/convoluted one) We’ve all heard new-agers assert a preference for “logic-defying magic,”—how they intend x, and y happens.  As I understand it, that still falls in the realm of logic—even though it’s devoid of empirical data and evidential support—as it can be roughly translated into an enthymeme, one of the simplest available forms of logic (x happens because of y; there’s more to it—major premise, minor unstated, then conclusion, but for the sake of argument, I’ll leave it at that).  Now let’s take another new-age premise, an unprovable one I like to treat as true due to personal preference:  We are components of an all-powerful, all-knowing being that decided to limit itself so it could re-experience the joy of rediscovering its own omnipotence.  In that case, why would I—as an all-powerful being—ever command or demand other parts of myself to fall in line purely to demonstrate “magic?”  I’d simply be being horribly bossy to other parts of myself.  If the aforementioned premise is true, then it follows that the age-old advice of being in the present moment as deeply as possible is valid, because an all-powerful being who is fully engaged in the present moment—the situation (s)he’s instantiated for him/herself—would mean that even though on the surface (s)he might be struggling to accomplish this task or that, (s)he is, at his/her core (by being  fully engaged in the present moment), actively accepting the fact that (s)he volunteered for said situation, and that in the ultimate sense, (s)he has everything (s)he needs or wants within that scenario.  

And if we are all-powerful beings, then being in that present-minded state—accepting/engaging in the idea that all we need or want is in front of us—should be the most potent magic available, because accepting/engaging in that needless, wantless state as an all-powerful being means all our needs/wants are fulfilled by our engagement/acceptance.  There is no need to “intend” x and “manifest” y (unless that’s the ultra-cool cosplay you wish to engage in)—y is all around us all the time.  Being in the present simply means opening our perception enough to accept it and enjoy what we (from the all-powerful perspective) have wrought for ourselves.  None of this is right or wrong, it is simply valid or invalid, depending on which unprovable premise I choose to accept.  😉

I suspect that “teachers” are only articulate folk who remind us that we may learn from every circumstance, every anecdote…everything that happens to cross paths with our perception—no matter how unpleasant, strange, or wonderful it may be.

From what I’ve seen, the speed with which I can employ logic and critical thinking is directly related to how much spontaneity/improvisation I am capable of handling at any given moment.

From what I’ve seen, it is hard to predict material success, ESPECIALLY in the entertainment industry.  And even if we get it, it does not guarantee fulfillment or happiness.  But here’s what’s well within our grasp:  it is possible to conduct ourselves like people who DESERVE success; to invite it to our doorstep by showing up every day and dutifully creating.  But even more important than that:  it is possible to delight in our efforts, to plunge fully into the worlds we dream, and to prep them as best we can for others’ consumption, hopefully lifting their hearts and capturing their imaginations.  

I feel that when I engage in creativity with this mentality, I not only serve others, but myself as well.  

This is just my view of it, but there’s no such thing as a [buddh]ist.  There are only [buddhas] having a lot of titillating fun and terror rediscovering who they are.  Sometimes they try on cool labels or costumes.

Perhaps the greatest lesson a guru/leader/luminary can impart is to fail us and have us turn away from him/her…and in doing so, perhaps inspire us to refine our OWN mastery rather than depending on another to bring it out of us.

IMHO we are never guaranteed quantity of life (and that’s a bit of an empty pursuit anyways).  But QUALITY of life—and here I’m speaking of that soul-replenishing fulfillment of looking in the mirror at night and knowing you’ve earned your sleep—can be acquired through our daily efforts; by taking joy in those small choices that dictate whether we’ve poured sufficient heart and soul into our actions.

As an author, I try to use observations on human nature—and the premises that form from them—to create an underlying structure in my work that, even if implicit, is recognizable on a bone-deep level.  Why is this important?  It’s important because it reinforces the framework of my stuff, and thus encourages readers to give me a pass when I include wondrous material that lurks deep in the wilds of my own imagination.  

So if my story is designed correctly, the sturdy framework infuses my stuff with relatability and resonance…while the fantasticality evokes that unselfconscious cheer that our eight-year old selves are dying to express.