Valentine’s Day – Not my favorite holiday.  It’s seems to be a completely manufactured holiday by Hallmark and the florists, but still it is there on the calendar each year.   If you are alone – well, this holiday can really magnify that reality in sometimes frightening questions.  (Don’t you have a Valentine?  Why am I alone?  What’s wrong with me?)   STOP!  Take a breath – it’s 24 hours – pull yourself together and give these tips a try…

 1.  Reality check – this day shall pass.  Gratefully the day falls on a Sunday this year, so if you work in an office, school or the like – you do not have to witness the relentless parade of delivered flowers and chocolates.  Mantra – this day shall pass (and if need be – think how chocolate goes straight to the hips…)

2.  Turn on the tunes and dance – clothes optional.  Pick out the silliest, most danceable music and play loudly.  As you are busting a move and are grinning like an idiot, you may just start enjoying yourself. It’s hard to be too sad as you are shakin’ your bootie.  Suggestions: Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson, ABBA and the bad boy, Kanye West

3.  Make a plan.  Maybe you want to stay under the covers all day, but I encourage you to get together with friends and do something fun.  Go bowling or ice skating – do anything completely out of your norm.  This will take your focus off whatever negative spiral you may be slipping into and distract you from “poor me” thinking. And who knows who is ice skating today…

4.  Humor – if you are in a pitiful state, try to find just a little humor.  Watch silly movies, call friends who make you laugh.  Try anything that can get you giggling as it will help you move through your emotions.

5.  Go outside.  Take a walk or go for a drive if it is too cold, but get out of the four-walls closing in!  A change of scenery will allow you to stop the incessant thinking of, “What did I do wrong?  Why me?  Will I ever be happy again?”  I promise you will feel better and be happy again (you were before, so why not?)

6.  Big girls/boys do cry.  It’s ok to be sad.  The tears do eventually dry up.  Just remember your tears are a wave, maybe of the tsunami variety, but a wave – you are the vast ocean.  Waves pass and the ocean remains.  You remain.

7.  Get a new haircut, outfit and/or bedding.  Have you ever noticed how many people look better a few months after a break-up?  This is the upside of the break-up diet, i.e. can’t eat due to depression and sleeplessness.  As the song goes – wash that man (woman) out of your hair…and your bed too.

8.  Buy yourself something special the day before, if you like flowers and chocolate – go for it.  Whether you’re heart-broken or attached – don’t wait for someone else to tell you, “I love you, I value you.”  Do it yourself – anything else that comes your way is gravy.   

 *Remember this is one day – 24 hours – this too shall pass…Happy bowling – don’t forget your socks!  

I have many clients who wish to live a more magical life, but are unclear as to how to make this happen.  Somehow this concept of “this is for someone else, I don’t have it” keeps coming to the forefront.  Let me just be clear, you do have it – you just have to find a way to access it.  Here are some tips to open the door to a more magical life…

 1.  Look for connection.  I firmly believe there is a valid reason for everything, both bad and good.  Instead of viewing yourself as being a victim of circumstance – what if you chose to belief things happen for a reason?  What if you detached from life and looked for the pattern?  If you truly witness your life, you will see patterns emerging.  Those patterns are happening for a reason.  What are they saying to you?

 2.  Listen to the words people are speaking to you and also pay more attention to the words coming out of your own mouth.  Often the advice we give is really for ourselves.  Sometimes virtual strangers offer the most profound opportunities – out of the blue someone says something that hits you just right.  Do you listen or dismiss these moments?  The more you listen and accept these opportunities – the more often they will happen.

 3.  Go buy some divination cards or runes and begin playing.  Any divination tool takes time to build confidence, but I will tell you a secret – sometimes beginners are more pure and can get awesome insights just because they don’t “know too much.”  Angel Cards are a great place to start because they are single words, pick one every morning for a week and discover how this works for you.  I bet you will feel more connected.

 4.  Look outside in nature – animals, plants, etc.  Several years ago, I bought the book Animal Speak (go to my resources page to find the review/buy) and was immediately hooked.  It speaks of living in a connected universe with animals having specific meanings when they appear…Luckily, I live in a place with lots of natural animals (I just saw a bald eagle a couple days ago…) and I am always on the lookout.  Which is a big part of living magically – watching for it.

 5.  Surround yourself with people who do believe or seem to have “magic.”  Being around these people will serve as a model – how do they react to new information in their life?  I remember meeting a wonderful mentor years ago and she just sparkled – there was just something special, lighter about her and all I could think was, “I want to feel/live like that.”  We worked together for awhile and I discovered that light was in me too, but I had blocked it for years for various reasons.  Once I was able to release those stumbling blocks – the magic poured in and I was able to transcend my limiting beliefs unlocking a brand new life – JOY!!!

 In the beginning, you consciously need to create opportunities for magic to enter your life (cards, looking to nature…) and then suddenly, you will discover – it is all around.  You’ll even be amused to discover it has always been here, just waiting for you.  You hold the key, in your mind and in your heart.  Come, the magic is waiting for you to step into…