Who To Believe? Magical Thinking vs Alchemy

Written by Martina Hughes

We are all unique and each person’s life path requires different tools, different enquiry methods, different ways of connecting to spirit and coming to truth within.

My path and my method will not be suitable for everyone – because there is no one answer to address the concerns of everyone’s inner world. That is why I don’t present my work as a magical solution.

Magical thinking often implies that the challenges in life may disappear as a result of a particular method or path.

The greatest gift we can offer anyone is compassion and being present with them in the moment. 

To allow a person to unravel and experience the alchemy of compassion and presence allows the possibility of turning our challenges into embodied wisdom.

With embodied wisdom comes the acknowledgement that I am still on a path of self-discovery; it is a path that’s never ending.

Each individual has his or her own unique path. If I try to be the right teacher for everyone, I dilute my own effectiveness.

Through my own practice and through holding space for many people, I have learned to trust my inner world. I trust the wisdom and knowing that arises within me that will guide me as to how to hold someone, to know when to push, to know when to ask a question, when to be silent, when to lean in some more.

Real growth is bringing presence and compassion to big and small moments of life.

Real growth is evident in the man or woman who is comfortable in his or her own skin. 

This person will demonstrate self-love in action, a quiet inner sense of being okay with one self and the world around them.

Real growth is evidenced when one brings a foundation of peace and acceptance despite the external circumstances.

Through my own questing for magical solutions, I have learnt the path of alchemy. Alchemy comes when I allow space for my feelings and desires, when I say yes to myself and give myself permission to explore my inner world more deeply.

Through giving this permission to myself, it has become very graceful and natural to give this permission to others.

Giving others permission to be themselves allows them to be free without clinging onto a teacher or a path as the answer. 

Giving oneself permission to simply be in the world is the path of integration. It’s the pathway to a life of vulnerability and power.

Alchemy is grounding and embodied whilst magical thinking attaches to a process or a teacher and is often ungrounded.

Saying yes comes from the inside, we can spend much of our lives waiting for the answers to come from the outside, and waiting for others to show us the way, but the truth comes from within.

Through embodiment practices, you can learn to find the truth within you, to be guided towards living a full life that supports who you are and is in alignment with your unique essence.

Being in touch with your unique essence, bringing compassion and awareness to daily life joys and challenges, staying grounded and connected to yourself and the part you play in the world is a pathway to alchemy.

Alchemy is transformation; it is grounded, real-life experience, rather than the magical promises of a distant future.

When people accept their uniqueness and say yes to who they are, the disillusionment no longer overshadows their life, the dreams of the perfect ‘happily ever after’ life can fall away.

People can find peace simply by being in alignment with their beautiful, messy and magnificent selves.

With Love,  Martina

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