"G" is for Goals
One of the things my teacher Hyperion taught me throughout my training in the Unnamed Path is the importance of setting goals. I think some of this came from his intensely Capricornian nature, but it's been a lesson that has helped me immensely, and it was one of the things that made him successful in his many different endeavors. Goal-setting is another tool in the magic-worker's arsenal to create the life that they want.
All too often I see many Pagans who tend to take the maxim "Go with the flow" to extremes, and end up being more situationally reactive than proactive. While there is certainly much to be said for letting Nature take Her course, we have the power to create change in accordance with our Will as part of nature; setting goals for ourselves is another way to apply that gift. We all have dreams and aspirations, especially as magical people. It's When we don't have a clear and concrete goal before us, that it becomes too easy to become unfocused and distracted.
Setting goals is important for any number of reasons. It allows us to dissect our big-picture goals into more manageable steps. Larger goals like "end world hunger", "become a better person", "get a boyfriend", etc., can be overwhelming. Having (and thinking about) that goal, especially written down, gives you a place to start breaking it down into more more manageable pieces to get you where you want to be. By setting our goals down on paper we are providing the Universe with the first piece of tangible evidence that we want something. A goal statement can provide us with specific language for spellwork, for visualization, and for magic such as sigil creation (something I hope to cover on a later post!) When we know what we want, and what it will take to get there, our efforts to bring our focus and energy to bear are also made more efficient.
So first of all, what do I mean by goal setting? The way I was taught is deceptively simple. Simply make a list. This list is divided into three columns of ten items: To Have, To Do, and To Be. These goals can be ANYTHING. You are not limited to mundane goals, nor are you limited to magical or lofty goals - the only requirement is that the be personal goals. Anything you want, want to change, want to improve upon, want to get rid of, anything! The important thing, at first, is not to edit. This can be the -hardest- part of setting a goal list. When you're writing your goals list, remember that this is for your benefit, not anyone else, and that no matter how "silly" your goals may seem, they're important to you or you wouldn't have thought of them. It's also completely okay to write down more than ten for each column. We'll be editing them later. For example, my own list:
To Have:
- Plenty of time for daily practice
- Money saved
- My degree
- A fantastic, fulfilling career
- Time to devote to myself
- Time and money to spend with friends
- Bills and debts taken care of
- A wonderful sex life
- An active social life
- Nice clothing
To do:
- Make art daily
- Weigh purchase decisions carefully
- Expand my shamanic knowledge
- Work to master rune-magic
- Develop a healthy relationship with my body
- Challenge my beliefs with experience
- Maintain a well-kempt appearance
- Walk 10 miles every week
- Spend at least one hour outdoors every day
- Spend 10 minutes every day around other people, outside of work, without headphones on
To be:
- Be more approachable by others
- Be comfortable with my appearance
- Be more confident in my artistic abilities
- Be more physically fit
- Be patient with those who annoy me
- Be more joyful
- Be more willing to embrace my strengths
- Be more forgiving
- Be living and working in Long Beach
- Be successful and prosperous in my career
Wow that was a long list. Anyway, after you've written down your goals list, start identifying them as short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Short-term goals should take you less than 6 months to accomplish, medium-term goals 6 months to a year, and anything longer than a year is a long-term goal. In each list you SHOULD have a reasonable balance of all three, but if your goals are primarily long-term, you should really think of how to break those down into smaller steps.
For example:
To do:
- Make art daily - short-term
- Weigh purchase decisions carefully - short-term
- Expand my shamanic knowledge - long-term
- Work to master rune-magic - long-term
- Develop a healthy relationship with my body - long-term
- Challenge my beliefs with experience - medium-term
- Maintain a well-kempt appearance - short-term
- Walk 10 miles every week - short-term
- Spend at least one hour outdoors every day - short-term
- Spend 10 minutes every day around other people, outside of work, without headphones on - short-term
That's basically the process. From here, one can start crafting magic around those goals, and start the physical work involved in manifesting them in addition to the magical work.
One last note, the process doesn't end there. As you reach a goal, delete it from the list, and add in a new goal. It's also good to keep around your old goals list, for those moments when you find yourself feeling low, asking "What have I been DOING with my life?!"... you'll be able to look at that list, and KNOW that you've been getting shit done!
Good luck!
One last note, the process doesn't end there. As you reach a goal, delete it from the list, and add in a new goal. It's also good to keep around your old goals list, for those moments when you find yourself feeling low, asking "What have I been DOING with my life?!"... you'll be able to look at that list, and KNOW that you've been getting shit done!
Good luck!
