From those who came before you,
A truth, a wink, an invitation into what to think.
For there is no truth other than what you think;
Think of love or think of fear;
This answer to truth is taught by every master and seer.
– Paul Dunne
The next thirty years of my life were more of a relief when I focused on my relationship, children, and starting my journey of working with people. The farmer had become an extension officer working in communities with young people, and the philosopher was becoming a psychologist. There were lots of rumblings in my head and heart, lots of uncertainties, and big questions. I wanted to know what someone needed to do to become a master. Why did a master believe what they believed? How did they live with such contentment in this world of contrast? What did these masters do to heal people? Which practices did they use for personal expansion and happiness? Who knew these answers, where were they, and how would I go about accessing them?
Have you read the books, watched the videos, and bought the T-shirt? Many of us have. The first thirty years of life had me looking for the T-shirt. I was questioning my half-Lebanese heritage; being baptized and confirmed a Catholic; deciding if I wanted to be a priest or a farmer; unraveling the good luck, bad luck story of being a farmer; being inspired by the philosophy of Buddhist teachings; being fascinated by the truths of the Tao; wondering what Zen had to do with motorcycles; and challenging everything I thought I knew to be the infallible truth. Talk about pulling down fences and moving foundations!
When I was a seven- or eight-year-old kid, it was difficult to explain what a psychologist did. Somehow, they could look inside people’s heads and “fix” them. I was fascinated by the idea of understanding other people’s minds and being able to help them. Most of all, it was about helping others to feel better after something had made them unhappy. My earliest memory on the subject took place as I was sitting in a pickup truck with my dad on one side and my uncle on the other. I said something about wanting to be a psychologist when I grew up. The response from two of the most influential people in my life wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. I guess they meant well, hoping to motivate me to study and take up the school challenge. It had the opposite effect; there wasn’t a year in those twelve years when I didn’t want to be somewhere else. I enjoyed the learning; in fact, I loved the learning, especially in science. My problem was teachers and tests.
What I heard was that if you want to be a psychologist, you would have to study hard, get good grades, and go to college. Well, for a little fat kid with big eyebrows, poor self-esteem, and anxiety about teachers, that left me with only one choice. Hearing this comment, I threw my dream out the window. There was no way I was going to put myself through the trauma of dealing with any more teachers or tests than I had to. This left me with two choices: to become a farmer or a priest. When the time arrived and I had to decide, I looked at the priest gig and decided that it was a little too restrictive for me. So, I became a farmer, following in the footsteps of my dad and his dad. From that moment on, I developed an appreciation for—and lived and breathed—the land.
Farming provided me with plenty of opportunities for self-improvement without having to read all the books. I didn’t have to study what I wasn’t interested in, and I didn’t have to deal with teachers who just weren’t interested in me. Sitting on a tractor all day, going around and around in circles, had a magical way of allowing me to grow and expand my mind.
Over the years, I read the books I was interested in, and I asked thousands of questions. I was hungry to learn. I asked things like, “Why doesn’t that stalk of wheat grow up and become a gum tree?” and “How does it know what to do when it’s planted in the soil?” It was during these nowhere years of adolescence that the confirmed Catholic started questioning the traditions of the church and patriarchalism. The search had begun for nontraditional information about someone called Jeshua and a way of life called Buddhism.
The way of farming and the appeal of farming changed as I moved into my mid-twenties and married life became more appealing—so much so that I questioned the relevance of farming in my life. There was something bigger and better calling in the distance. It hurt to stay, and it hurt to go. Much to the sadness of my dad, and to my own astonishment, I left the farm and returned to studying. Two years of studying farm management was a way of feeding this void inside of me. Two years of studying showed me that I could ace the class and play the game of “study to secure a piece of paper.”
This was the turning point. The cosmic realization to come out of this was that I had the intellectual capacity to become a psychologist if I so chose. Little did I know what this really meant in the grander scheme of things. I began eight years of part-time study in psychology—and then, in my seventh year, I walked away. Maybe I was having a bad day; maybe I was tired. Regardless, I arrived home to declare that I was quitting college. I looked around me and noticed the discrepancies between what I was learning in college and what I was seeing in the community while working with young people. There was an enormous gap. Six weeks later, the somewhat-wiser-than-me mother of our children lovingly reminded me that while it was my choice, a great deal of energy had already gone into chasing this dream.
It was then that I made a contract with myself. I committed to finishing school, getting the piece of paper, and becoming the bestest psychologist I could become. Twenty-nine years later, my success rate with clients was ninety to ninety-five percent. I was a non-traditional psychologist working with young people. I decided it was time to be free from the system, and I subsequently surrendered my dream of being a psychologist.
After twenty-nine years, a repressed insight rose up to bite me. It was the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes as I realized, through all my stubbornness, that I simply wanted to make a difference, especially for young people. I didn’t really need to become a psychologist to make a difference. That was only my ego’s way of feeling good about me being intelligent, of feeling smart, and a way of negotiating with the system. It had been a journey, negotiating roundabouts, and it certainly had been worth it.
At that point in my life, I had read the books, seen the videos, and even had the T-shirt. But it wasn’t enough! My success with my clients didn’t flow into my inner world. The song played over and over in my head: what did I need to change, what did I need to do differently, and what was I missing that would fill the internal nothingness? This was the same search as before, but with a different perspective.
I spent most of my life journey looking beyond the bounds of mainstream psychology and personal growth literature. While I was searching and continually fascinated by what I found, my everyday behavior and my profession stayed mainstream. Finally, when I stopped looking outside of myself for the answers, quieted my mind, stopped thinking I knew the answers, and finally stopped trying to fit into the mainstream, the guidance flowed. It may have been flowing for a long time before this, but I had been too busy searching to notice. In some ways, the searching was a way of masking my conformity with mainstream psychology.
Like most people, I knew about meditation in different forms, and I knew about self-reflection and journaling. I also used Energy Psychology techniques. I knew about the benefits of exercise, a healthy diet, good sleep, and avoiding stress. These seemed somewhat obvious, but nothing appeared to be enough. I rationalized that I was going to have to learn some advanced practices if I was to make a difference for myself or anyone else. What follows is one answer to my quest. (I figured there were others, but I probably missed them.)
What eventually emerged out of the ashes was an acronym. The acronym came as insight, intuition, instruction, synchronicity, and guidance from those I refer to as “my team.” I never intended to come up with an acronym. My only intention was to have something better than what I had—something I could happily give to anyone searching for personal expansion and a sense of inner peace. My preferences were simple: I wanted to know what I had to do—something simple, easy to understand, and quick and powerful enough for me to see tangible results.
It was important for me to find a practice that was simple and relatable in the “real” world. This is not intended to diminish any of the practices used around the globe for personal growth and inner peace. Each of us is unique, and we are not bound to the practices of our neighbors. We owe it to ourselves to seek until we find the practice/s that best aligns with our makeup, belief system, and lifestyle. Use what you feel drawn to, and leave the rest.
What if you had a personal practice at your fingertips made from five of the most powerful practices known and taught across time? Would it help if someone fashioned this practice specifically for you and your life? Would it be of any benefit if this practice nourished and enhanced your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual worlds? What would you say if you knew this integrated practice was at your fingertips in a user-friendly form to practice throughout your day, and you could complete this practice within thirty seconds? This book will explain and teach you how to practice five individual practices interlaced as one practice called M.A.G.I.C. Each individual practice provides a vast array of benefits on its own, but when combined as one, there is energetic magic.
Equipped with a great deal of evidence accumulated over thirty years of practicing my art, combined with a lifetime of asking questions, I have attempted to provide the reader with hands-on evidence or links to evidence that support the use of this personal practice. These are the same practices consistently taught by sages, mystics, teachers, gurus, shamans, medicine men and women, and healers throughout the ages. This is my attempt to provide a mixture of ancient teachings, empirical evidence, anecdotal evidence, and mature faith as guidance toward a more fulfilling and joyous life. The following pages will provide you with one road map for your journey.
For those readers who would like scientific evidence for each of these five practices, there is evidence-based research supporting their efficacy. You will find reference links to observational and demonstrated evidence supporting the use and benefits of each practice. This document is a compilation of research on what presents as the five most powerful personal practices for growth and inner peace that I could find—a type of meta-analysis of the research if you like.
This practice will enhance any practice you may already use and will not exclude nor detract from other practices. Flexibility within the practice allows—if not encourages—you, the student, to meld it into your everyday life experience. The heart of this practice rests in its ability to allow you to bring about a change in your life from the inside out. It recognizes and acknowledges your power as an individual to change your world while you evolve with this planet, on this planet.
The instruction in this book is not about training you to do anything. It is not about teaching you how to meditate, ground, or engage in any other practice. This book is an introduction to and explanation of a practice that combines five proven and powerful practices into one simple practice. This book is about awareness—conscious awareness in using what you already have and what you already do naturally every day to increase your levels of joy and excitement in life.
The acronym M.A.G.I.C. comes from the combination of five practices: meditation, appreciation, grounding, insight, and connection. Each individual practice will provide support and stimulation for the holistic self. The complete practice nurtures the spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and energetic parts of the self.
Meditation serves to calm and attune the “mental self.” Meditation comes in many forms and is probably the most studied of all the practices presented. The mental self refers to the mind, both conscious and unconscious. Most people think of this as their head, but it is far more inclusive than just the head. Increased inner peace and conscious awareness of the now moment is the result.
Appreciation serves to nurture our “emotional self.” We can say thank you for life’s blessings with the practice of appreciation. More than this, it allows us to recognize that all of life is a blessing, even when it is not perceived as something we want. The emotional self embraces all parts of us involved in our emotional or feeling life. The result is acceptance and nonattachment to any outcome, which brings freedom and joy.
Grounding is for the “physical self.” We use our five senses to interpret our physical world, and this is part of the physical self. There is the physical body and the physical world, which can be touched. More specifically, this is the practice of connecting our body’s energy system with the energy system of planet Earth. It is through this connection with the earth that we exchange electrons, which brings about forms of healing.
Insight is for the “energetic self.” The energetic self includes the set of pathways in the body along which vital energy is said to flow, called meridians. It also includes the chakra system, the surrounding energy field, and your emotional state of being. Insight is the practice of intuitively accepting guidance from aspects of the unseen self. This includes what we refer to as Spirit. It is an inner knowing that turns props in life into guidance and inspiration for life’s expansion, delivered through the energetic system.
Connection is for our “spiritual self.” We can understand this spiritual self as the unseen life force that saturates and surrounds the experience we are having as a human consciousness. Rather than the people, places, events, and objects that appear in our lives, this is the energetic relationship we have with these things. It is a connection with self, with life on this planet, and with the spirit of All-That-Is.
By taking the simplistic and innate power of mindfulness meditation, integrating this with the practice of appreciation for what life offers (no matter how it appears), combining this with grounding our energy into the earth, adding a little insight and intuition, and then finally connecting with self, all of life, and the unseen, we end up with the five practices of M.A.G.I.C.
M.A.G.I.C. is a holistic, therapeutic approach to an inner sense of peace and personal empowerment. The practice offers a means for building on that which has already happened and is now in the past. It provides inner strength, and a knowingness to help us accept the present for what it is: the present moment. Finally, consistent practice will keep the mind from getting caught up in the “what ifs” of the future. This book has been written to provide some explanation and insight, with links to supporting evidence, as well as practical applications for those who choose to make this their personal practice.
Some individuals will never allow themselves to believe in things they cannot see, and there are those who need to see a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical study before they allow themselves to believe. These individuals hold to the notion that “seeing is believing.” M.A.G.I.C. promotes a philosophy that says, “Believing is seeing.” Dr. Wayne Dyer argued that it is indeed a case of believing is seeing, and he wrote the book You’ll See It When You Believe It: The Way to Your Personal Transformation1. Dr. Dyer wrote about how the universe responds to what we believe rather than what we see. The rule is, you will see it when you believe it and not, you will believe it when you see it.
There are indeed many aspects of this physical world that are unseen, and yet the general population still accepts them. Most people accept that the wind exists, even though they cannot see it. Magnetism, electricity, and gravity, along with the greater part of the light spectrum, are also aspects accepted but unseen. That being said, this isn’t about believing anything you don’t want to believe. And while it may do so, this isn’t about challenging your belief system. The idea is for you to accept what you believe, at least in the beginning, and experiment with the rest until you are prepared to choose.
One underpinning principle of M.A.G.I.C. is that there are no coincidences in this universe, and everything is the observed effect of a cause. Explaining the concept behind this cause and effect can fall on deaf ears, especially exploring the concept that “I cause my effect.” This is sometimes a little difficult for our limited minds to grasp. This book can be something like that. View it as fuel for your expansion and happiness, and remind yourself that it is always your choice whether to open the door or not. This requires some dedication to undertake your own research and exploration of the topics covered here. Then again, you may feel you don’t need more. This is a personal invitation for you to play, investigate, and reflect, then play, investigate, and reflect some more.
Each individual practice of M.A.G.I.C. is powerful and proven as a standalone practice for personal change and expansion. As a standalone practice, each will provide an increased sense of inner calm and personal awareness. When any single practice is engaged, it has the power to change your life and raise the vibrational frequency of your holistic being. We can measure the effects of this as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Here you will discover what will happen when you combine five powerful practices into one by choosing to practice M.A.G.I.C.
What is your story? What are you observing in your world that has brought you to this place? Your story is important and relevant to everything in this book. Maybe you don’t know it, or maybe you don’t believe it, but there are no coincidences in this universe. There are situations and events we cannot explain, but just because we do not have an explanation doesn’t mean there isn’t one. One of the most powerful concepts binding the pages of this book is that things are always working out for us. Even though we may not see any sign of this, and there are times when we don’t believe it, in retrospect, I’ve found that things are always working out for me. Use this book to help you understand your story, and use your story to understand your life. When we trust the journey, the process, we can let go of the drama.
Throughout this book, we will hear from some fellow adventurers and how they have used the practice of M.A.G.I.C. These are down-to-earth personal stories, and like the reference links to empirical evidence related to each of the practices, these stories are points of reference. In including these stories, I acknowledge and appreciate all those individuals who have provided me with feedback, and especially those who have shared their stories. (Please note that the names have been changed.)
Enjoy this practice as you allow it to complement and compliment your life experience. Play with the practice in a way that allows you the freedom of molding it to suit your uniqueness and lifestyle. As you allow this practice to be integrated into your everyday life, look for inspiration rather than motivation. Inspiration comes from the heart, while motivation comes from the head. Remind yourself that even though you are using physical and mental tools, this is a heart-centered practice as much as it is a spiritual practice.
In appreciation of All-There-Is,
Paul Dunne