The Power of Words: The Magic They Produce.

Recently I've been working on presence and self awareness as it relates to how people perceive you. I've come to the conclusion that outside of how one dresses or carries them self,  a big 25-65% of how one is perceived is determined by how one speaks, and what they speak about. That means that from head to toe you may dress the part, walk the part, and essentially look the part; but once you open your mouth you may have lost the part. Inversely however, you may essentially come off as completely unworthy of acknowledgement UNTIL you actually start speaking and in that there is great power; not only for perceptions sake but also had the need arise for you to be a chameleon.

A chameleon is an animal known to blend into its surroundings by being able to change the color of its body to whatever colors in nature it's most frequently around. Being a "social chameleon" (the act of being able to communicate in a myriad of environments with different people) is an acquired skill but a useful one. Being able to talk to one group of people at a level that relates to them and makes them feel comfortable, then being able to switch it up and speak to a group a people that demands a totally different caliber of language and articulation is not something that most people have a desire to do or even  find easy.

But I digress...

Recently I got a tattoo of Arabic lettering above it's English translation that reads "I SEEK REFUGE IN ALLAH FROM SATAN THE ACCURSED".  I have to admit that in standing there showing the tattoo artist the design I felt a slight air of discomfort and judgement. Here I am, some young guy with visible tattoos and a fitted cap on asking for another tattoo in Arabic..."Oh he must be one of those mooslems" had to be a thought as I was immediately asked "Are you Muslim?" Which led into a variety of questions and my poised, non defensive answers that concluded in the man saying,  "Nicely stated young man" to which I thought to myself f*ck yea! #winning (who got that Charlie Sheen reference?)

 I was raised in Islam, I love Islam, and I live in accordance with the foundation Islam has provided me, but I do NOT call myself Muslim. I got this tattoo however because it is a phrase I use everyday, multiple times a day in seeking the protection of a higher being against any and all entities that may threaten me. Against myself, the master of my actions, and against any destructive force that may come my way.  It's in a language that I do not speak but have been taught to pray in. They are some of the most powerful words I know. 

 Taking a sharp turn down mystical lane, in most all forms of magick, worship, or otherwise reverence based activities there are 3 stages. Conscious collection of a thought, the conscious direction of that thought in the form of will, and the projection of that thought/will through SPOKEN WORD and physical actions. That being said, words are a necessary point in the manifestation of ANYTHING in this material world and thus should be used with careful intent and caution. Not only due to the power present in influencing how you are perceived, but also due to the power present in influencing reality as a whole.

I want to close by saying some of the worlds most powerful and influential people are indeed magicians of a sort. They move and shape spirits, moods, loyalties, entire lives with their words. They exemplify the quintessence of all that magick is; willful influence of one's environment. I don't think that the only thing separating man from animals is intellect because I believe animals to have quite the intellect. I believe the separation to exist in man's ability to declare and exclaim! Be! and what follows is creation.

Watch your words my friends!

Ramadan Day 25!! : Obligation or Sincerity?

So Day 25 of Ramadan is coming to an end and I just broke my fast with an excellent meal of rice, beans, and salad. I want to catch you all up on my progress and jump right into my topic this entry.

A week ago I was faced with making a decision. After much deliberation I decided after being offered to join in on a trip to Florida for a week that I would go. The debate was in whether or not I would be able to maintain my fast while down there. A week later I'm proud to say that I only missed 2 days of fasting, both of which were due to my physical state of being and not a lack of discipline. On the flip side, the negative of my being on the trip was that my focus was almost completely ripped away from Ramadan minus the conscious physical fasting. I was prepared for this; and in the days following my last post and leading into my trip the intensity of my fast decreased as I had become more and more turned off by my apparent submission to religious law and practice...the very law and practice I turned away from those 5 years ago. The ritual in prayer has become redundant and obligatory and I'm not feeling as much as I did when I started...very often I wonder why am I still holding on, why am I even doing it anymore and at those moments I have to dig deep inside and push through with faith that there is a calling I'm answering to that perhaps I'm not aware of yet...

That does bring me to my topic of choice however; that topic being obligation or sincerity in religious practices and rituals such as prayer. In Islam you pray 5 times a day going through various cycles of standing, to kneeling, to sitting depending on the time of day. In Florida I went through the whole cycle one time and since being back I've resumed regular prayers. Lately however, I have found that while praying my mind begins to wander and I realized that I'm not praying with the same sincerity I did, that I'm more praying out of the muslim obligation in times and cycles...that when it gets time for my "personal" prayers THAT is when I feel the sincerity return. My question is should you pray out of sincerity ONLY or should you pray out of obligation...or perhaps maybe obligation trains your sincerity? Having dipped myself in the world of organized religion makes me remember how many governing rules to practicing there are...rules that aren't necessarily bad but rules that indeed can ( and often do) distract one from the real point of the religious experience or expression of spirituality. I will say that this Ramadan I "broke" a lot of muslim rules... and call me what you want but I'm cool with it. I went out to party when the sun went down, I laughed and cursed, I enjoyed myself but I set out that time and sacrificed that food for a reason and I know that reason and that's what is important. Some have suggested after hearing about this that I should never have started fasting in the first place or perhaps to acknowledge that what I was doing didn't fall into the category of "Ramadan" because I'm not following the rules as a muslim would. These 30 days have been my RAMADAN and I enjoyed the hardships, the confusion, the fasting, the stomach grumbling, the breaking of the fasts, the waking up before dawn to pray and eat and even though it was challenging at some moments more than others I am PROUD of what I've accomplished and what I've learned and hope to continue to learn.

5 more days...

Ramadan: My 30 day path to En-LIGHT-enment ! Day 1

Wooo!! It's been awhile since my last posting! There's a variety of factors that goes into that however the biggest one being my enjoying the summer and 21st birthday. (all smiles) As the summer comes to an end however it's time to begin to refocus and get things together mentally, emotionally, physically, and lastly but perhaps most importantly spiritually. That being said it's about 4:43 AM Monday morning, the 1st of August 2011. I'm up this early (yes early rather than late for those of you who are familiar with me actually going to bed around this time) because of a special time every year for Muslims called Ramadan. On another blog I maintain I stated that:

"In short, Ramadan is a muslim holiday that celebrates the gift of the qur’an to man given in 30 parts to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. Ramadan encourages man to dig deep and exhibit the highest forms of discipline, respect, and love for his fellow man through good and kind deeds, patience, and charity. It also encourages a purging of negativity via thoughts, actions, and environment while moving to get closer to God. During Ramadan, muslims sacrifice and discipline themselves to arise before sun rise, pray and prepare for a long day testing faith and determination as one observing the holy time isn’t allowed to Eat, Drink, engage in Sex or other indulgent behaviors during day light hours for a period of 30 days. Intense prayer and reading are required during this time with a focus on God and strengthening the bond between the individual and the divine while focusing on the “higher self”. I’ve been raised in the Islamic faith and although I don’t claim to be a practicing muslim currently I will be observing this years Ramadan…it’s an occasion to purge yourself of the toxic this physical world provides on a physical mental and spiritual level…I will be blogging my progress. I will also at the same time be focusing on other aspects of spirituality and my personal connection to the divine. I wish you all nothing but light peace and happiness and know that I’m not here to preach to you just to share."

I think those statements about sum it all up! So I've set my alarm to wake me up at 4 AM in order to raise before the sun, drink a cup of coffee, pray, and prepare my long Summer day of praying, reading, and fasting. One of the most important things about successfully completing Ramadan I think is stating your intentions the night before. It's not easy to fast from food, sex, violence, vulgar, and the vices of this world...especially if you engage in them on a daily basis, but even if you do not and are simply surrounded by them. When you state that intent you coat yourself with a will to complete that maybe won't guard you against temptation but will provide you with barrier enough to acknowledge it as being temptation and to carry on successfully!

Now for the important part... why am I doing it?
Well there are a variety of reasons why I decided to observe Ramadan this year. Those who keep up with and know me know that I do not currently profess to observe any particular religious tradition; that my focus is more spiritual in nature. It's important to note however that I was raised in Islam, my HEART is in Islam and that the TRUE nature of the term Islam is submission (in what ever form that may come) to the will and power of the Almighty and Divine and that for as long as I may live regardless of what path I take I will always bare witness to the POWER and authority that is God through whatever name it's channeled! That being said no, I'm not doing it out of religious obligation but more out of personal preference; To close in on the relationship I have with the divine and the TRUE nature of the world. I'm doing it for the discipline, for the detox of negativity, for the clarity of thought, for the spiritual tuning, for the refocusing needed to continue on my spiritual path, in short I'm doing it all FOR ME! Today is day 1 of 30...I know the road won't be an easy one, but it's be a necessary one! I'll be blogging to update and document my progress...for those of you who made it through the entire post BLESS YOU! I appreciate your on going support and interest in what I have to say! Ramadan Mubarek and a very peaceful Ramadan to you!

-5:04 AM