Change

How often have you started a new program of change in your life only
to feel discouraged three days later that "nothing is happening"? Or
maybe you actually stick with a new ritual or a new diet for a whole
two weeks and you see some change ... but it's not happening fast
enough.

<><> A Small Change Now is All It Takes <><>
What do you do? Before you decide that everything really is hopeless,
take a moment to look at the process of change with the help of this
magical principle: "A small change in the present produces a larger
change in the future." This is the basic principle we use in spellwork
and it means that if you make even the tiniest change today you will
see bigger change in about a week. And that bigger change will lead to
an even bigger change in about two weeks. And so on.

So let's suppose you've started working with a new magical practice.
Say you've decided to start meditating for 15 minutes each
morning--nothing fancy, just sitting quietly and clearing your mind as
much as possible. On the first morning of meditating you will probably
notice an immediate change because your mind is quiet at a time when
it normally is not. You're content that your new program of meditation
is going to be useful and helpful. More importantly, a small and
highly contagious molecule of change has been born.

<><> Nothing Happening? <><>
Now what happens a week after you start meditating? Maybe you've had a
really hectic week and you feel tired and irritable. All of sudden it
seems like the 15 minutes of meditation is too much--it takes too much
time when so many other things are pressing on your time. It seems
like nothing is happening, no change is occurring.

But "nothing's happening" hardly describes what is going on inside
you. That highly contagious molecule of change that was born the day
you began meditating has been busy reaching out and touching and
transforming other molecules inside you. Now a greater percentage of
your molecules than ever before has the quality of quiet that you
create during your meditation. The more quiet you have inside you, the
more you're able to listen to your inner intuitive voice, the better
your work will be, the better your life will be ... but it's still too
small a percentage for you to notice.

<><> It's Like the Penny Doubling <><>
But if you stay with your new meditation practice that small sense of
quiet will begin to spread. It's like the example of starting out with
a penny and doubling it every day for 31 days. Here's what you get at
the end of each week:

Day 1: $0.01
Day 7: $0.64
Day 14: $81.92
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 31: $10,737,418.24

So at the end of the month you have over $10 million. The same is true
with your new meditation practice but the key is how long it takes you
notice. If you ever take the time to observe your life you will be
amazed by how easily you are hypnotized by the incessant buzz and hum
of daily activities. There's voice mail and email, gossip, your car
running low on gas, the need to feed the cat, or all of your troubles
at work. There are a million things that take up your attention while
this small quiet molecule formed by your daily meditation goes around
and changes you from the inside out.

<><> Be Aware of Change <><>
The difficulty lies in being aware of change. In the example with the
penny doubling, it may take you 31 days--when you already have $10
million in your pocket--before you notice that something has shifted
and life is different. But it's worth it, right? I'd say $10 million
is worth it. So, as they say, don't give up on change five minutes
before the miracle happens. Stick with whatever you've decided to do
to change your life and prepare to be awestruck!