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Yoga of Conjuring – VIII
Niyama Continued Santosha The second Niyama is contentment. Being content and accepting things the way they are is not being lazy and apathetic. It is accepting fully what is in front of you and moving from there. It working toward our goals with grace and ease not striving. Contentment is avoiding becoming attached to our… Continue reading
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Yoga of Conjuring – VII
Niyamas The Niyamas are the “do’s” to the Yamas “don’ts.” Niyama translates to Non-Control. They are: Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapasya (austerity), Swadhyara (self-study), and Iswara Pranidhana (devotion). Saucha Saucha or cleanliness is an attribute that we shouldn’t have to talk about, yet we do. It is cleanliness in our props, hygiene, dress, manner and… Continue reading
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Revisiting: Mainspring
I first read Alex Hansford’s Mainspring in 2022 along with its companion book, Shawn DeSouza-Coelho‘s Magic As Medium. On the Neat Review website, it states that “One (book) for the mind, one (book) for the body.” I would be hard pressed to say which is which as both have given me a great deal to… Continue reading
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Yoga of Conjuring – VI
Yamas Continued Bracharcharya Bracharcharya has been translated as non-sensual, self-restraint.. I don’t believe that this means that I have to become a monk or an aesthetic. It is self-containment, bringing our energies inward for greater self control. The idea of self-containment runs counter to our Western society where appearance and appeal mean so much. Both… Continue reading
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Yoga of Conjuring – V
Yamas Continued Satya The second Yama is Satya meaning truthfulness or non-lying. When first relating Satya to magic, it appears to be a lost cause. After all, isn’t magic about deception? Doesn’t deception involve lying? This is all true. However aren’t conjurers one of the most honest professions? It is our role to create magical… Continue reading
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Yoga of Conjuring – IV
The Yamas The Sanskrit word, Yama, translates to “control” or simply “the don’ts.” There are five Yamas. They are Ahimsa or Non-Violence, Satya or Non-Lying and Truthfulness, Astayna or Non-Stealing, Brahmacharya or Non-Sensuality and Aparigraha or Non-Greed and Non-Attachment. Ahimsa Ahimsa is known to many through the life of Gandhi. Through living Ahimsa and Satya… Continue reading
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Yoga of Conjuring – III
Each limb of Patanjali’s Eight-Limbed path has a direct correspondence to learning and growing as a magician and the performance of magic. For me, they are a path to being an awake and present performer. I came to this as process for my own development. I’m sharing it here an invitation to explore, not as… Continue reading