The Spell of Commitment: The Magic of Showing Up for Yourself
Chief Oshodin of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, 1994, image by Phyllis Galembo.
What is a spell?
A spell is a frame of words or thoughts that hold the power of magic in them. A spell is a purpose charged with enchantment, it is a commandment put in motion to yield the attraction of whatever we desire. In Igbo the term for a spell is Obala Ora, any attempt to give literal translations to it will prove to be very eye opening.
The Main Gist
We all have spells, whether we know of them or not, every one of us that has something we desire badly enough, a goal, a dream, a vision, whatever it is that we constantly move towards with a passionate drive will birth spells of our own in order for those things to come to fruition. Our actions are the magic. Our desires or intentions are the enchantment. Our active imaginations are the iséés or ashés we submit to the universe.
More and more in this version of my life, as we work on reprogramming the mind, we have been confronted with the reality of discipline as a neccessary order. The importance of showing up consistently to do the work required to pull in those realities we want so badly. We have also been confronted with the uses of patience, not as a virtue but as a law, to arrive at that dreamspace we envison for my life. There's no escape from those two things, discipline and patience if you want to meet those abundant, maginificient, luxurious things you desire. If you can manage, somehow just manage to narrowly escape those laws of discipline and patience, and still arrive at your desired dreamspace then whew lucky you but you've got to watch out for that black hole, you know the one i'm referring to (if you don't, good for you! you never have to), the worst void of all that there is, that one that comes to take away the pleasure and time to properly enjoy those rewards, because it's going to come to collect. That black hole is the universal police for law breakers and you don't want to face that guy i can assure you.
So what then? We must commit to doing the work! That's the most secure way to get the life we desire. No matter what we do, time will not stop, if you have troubles, worries, stress whatever it is that makes it so difficult for you to show up for yourself to do the work you need to do to begin to realistically get closer to your dreams, they are not going to magically go away. Not if you sit down and let day after day pass without putting in active effort to achieve even the tiniest of goals that will move you closer to your dreams.
I have learned and relearned again and again that the most potent spell of manifestation out there is the spell of showing up for yourself. That means showing up to do whatever small but mighty thing is necessary to fulfill your dreams. You want to publish a book? Then show up daily and put in the work of writing. You want to be a great consultant in your field or bring in the sales for your business? Then get to studying and improving your knowledge or skill base in your field, get to making those cold calls or sending out those cold emails or whatever you need to do to get seen. Whatever you want to do, whichever goals you want to meet, even with love or relationships or rest, whatever it is! There is already a path to get you there, and not showing up to do the work is not the right way to go.
Everyone that has ever been serious about attracting or manifesting anything will come across the lesson of surrendering, that principal lesson on "the path of least resistance" which most of us mistake to mean not showing up to do the work, we mistake that to mean not putting in anymore effort to meet the universe halfway and i am here to remind you, that is a wrong approach. Not doing the work is not what surrendering to the path of least resistance is about. What that principle demands of us is that we let go of worrying, that we try to let go of the energy of nervousness or anxiety on what will become of our life, on the issues we face on a day to day, that principle demands that we center calmness in god when facing our problems. And i'm saying to you that showing up to do the work, despite the realities of your current life is obedience not resistance, because you are saying to the universe through your actions that you believe that what you asked for has been made available, the food is ready and you are making the plate to collect it. Not putting in the work and not applying the necessary discipline to get what you want is the worst kind of resistance there is.
So set aside your worries. (Re)affirm and (Re)mind yourself of what you are capable of. (Re)center yourself in your godliness. Apply discipline. Do the things you know you have to do. Show up and show out for yourself, and believe me when i say that there are no shortcuts that lead to sustainable things.
Cool proverbs & axioms to ponder on:
Mmiri mara ugo sara ya aru - The rain that falls on the eagle bathes it.
Oji nwayoo anaghi emeru ahu - Slow and steady wins the race.
