Collateral Happiness

 Frosty Greetings,

Is it me, or was today cold? It was the first day this winter where I've been cold all day. Brrrr,  well, I suppose its time to wear warmer clothes, and dream of stirring a cauldron on a sunny Southern beach!  Congratulations all of you who actually followed the discussion through all the steps of Anatomy of a Spell and Spell Manifestation.  Tonight we're discussing another element of manipulating the energies around you and thereby creating your reality. Isn't this fun? now you're doing the work of the witch, regardless of what you call yourself.  How about changing the atmosphere around you? Let's discuss empathy.

Collateral Happiness

An interesting title to be sure, and it comes down to ones personal emphatic state.  Many people will say they are empathic, or call themselves empaths, but truthfully everyone is, many are just not aware of it. Or have never explored the term and concept of being an empath.   Part of the human condition is being empathic, that is to say you can sense the energy in a room, or from a person. It's helped keep us alive for over a million years. Now, just because people are not aware or conscious of this ability, does not mean they are not being affected by their empathic tendencies.  It has been proven that we sense far more intimately all sorts of energies during the course of our day. Hidden, subtle clues, signals from people that keep us safe, help us find our significant others, closest friends, and repel us from those who are far removed from our energy. 

There is another side to empathy.  The flip side. When we sense or can feel the energy in a room, a person or a situation, the energy is called receptive. We are absorbing or taking in the energy and receptive empathy will actually allow us to physically and emotionally feel different for a small while. The flip side is projective empathy.  Where a person themselves can change the energy in a room, or make someone feel differently just by being with them. I believe everyone has the ability inherent to do this, some personalities are stronger than others, but like all we do in the magickal world,  it can and should be practiced and developed.

What I'm saying is you can affect change around you by being the attitude you wish to create. Happiness is infectious, in a good way!  Now, before those of you start wagging fingers 'Oh, oh, I thought we weren't supposed to do magick to affect change in other people?"  Listen carefully, I'm only trying to affect change within me. I'm not casting a spell, I'm just utilizing what I'll call inner magick, that special spark of magick from within that when I send it out, it comes back to me magnified.

We can't use magick to specifically change the disposition of another. Yet,  you are empowered to be as wonderful, exciting, happy and exuding of joyful energies as you want.  By doing so, you can't help but be happy and you will attract that energy  at least threefold.  I find this to be true. Be a projective empath, and an easy start is to smile. I mean seriously smile at people today. Not a smirk, or sideways almost there smile, but a full out, full power, this is 'the graduation day photo going to grandma' smile.  You will be rewarded with lots of smiles in return. I smile at other drivers when driving,  and when they let me go before them, or offer another courtesy.  Rather than a small wave. I wave and give them a full smile, and it makes me feel great! A little instant feedback there.

Hmmm, do I sense some of you would feel a bit foolish doing that, a full smile at everyone in an entire day?  My goodness you need to do this drill more than I realized!! There will be homework at the end of this discussion. 

Look, we all can pretty much agree that there are people whom we encounter in our day to day lives that can adversely affect our mood, our emotions and our entire day sometimes!  People who are angry, moody, unhappy, drama queens, poor me victims, etc, always angry or moaning and complaining.   Energy works the same way whether the energy is a lighter level such as  happiness, joy and excitement or a lower level energy like anger, sadness, grief, and stress.  We are capable of absorbing, receiving, sending and affecting. The only concept to be aware of is that you are changing the energy around you, not a specific person.  Send loving, happy energies into the area which surrounds you, and if it affects others then that's their choice.

Beware though, that sometimes this sending out of happy energy around some intense or angry people or in some places may cause you to wish to leave the vicinity as the energy may be too strong at the moment, too much for you to be comfortable around. This could be the case in an angry or extremely sad situation. If you feel compelled to leave the area, go with it. You'll always be right.

I call this collateral happiness because of two of the common definitions found on en.wikipedia.org of the word collateral : "Collateral damage is damage that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome".  Then as "An item of value offered as security" .  The former speaks to the phrase collateral damage with the word damaged substituted by happiness. 'Happiness that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome'. This is apt. The intended outcome is you being happy. Remember we can only affect change within ourselves. But, with this kind of internal energy I think its O.K. to leak a little bit. The subsequent 'leakage' will affect the people around you.

Well, alright don't take issue with my advice if you work in a maximum security prison, or say in a Chucky Cheese's.  There are very powerful forces in the universe that even I won't mess with!  But typically the resulting "collateral happiness' that starts to occur around you is unintended, but a happy occurrence.


 In the later definition,  I see it referring to the item of value offered, in this case, your smile and happiness, which is a great item of value to so many people in your day. And it is offered as security. Security that you will be a friendly face and voice in their day, and your energy will be the energy others want to be surrounded by.  People find others more approachable when they are smiling and friendly.

The witch uses all sorts of ingredients, tools, tides, moons and opportunities to affect needed change in her life.  The next couple of months historically prove to be stress-filled, anxiety ridden for so many people. Family and personal relationships in general seem heightened and sadness and grief are enhanced for many this time of year. Over the next few weeks we'll touch on magickal ways to make the atmosphere around you happier, more serene and tranquil. Less stress-filled and crazy.  I've worked for many years to reduce the stress in my life, and there are some concrete ways to sense almost immediate change. I look forward to sharing them with you. 

For your homework:  Plan on creating some collateral happiness tomorrow, and smile at people, I dare you!

Peace


© 2010 Enchantments, LLC Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com 

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