Three birds on a wire


I’ve been noticing a trend on social media where people talk about how to get what you want. And they say that beyond the manifestation, the vision board, the meditation, the affirmations, making a change is about identity.

It goes something like: become the person who already has what you want.

How does the woman who's completely satisfied in her relationship think, feel, behave, desire?
What does the business owner who's actually thriving act like?
The career person landing the promotions and the accolades, what do they say, what do they believe, what do they do at work - and after work?

Decide who that person is. Then don't wobble. Don't change your mind. Be that person.

I like this. It's popular right now for a reason, and the reason is that it actually works.

But here's the question that comes up every single time I teach someone to cast their first spell.

If I could actually be that person, wouldn't I already be them?

Fair question. And this is my answer: you're here, incarnated, in a body, on this Earth, to grow. To evolve. So the second you get the one thing you've been chasing, you're going to want the next thing. And then the next. This is because that desire is what stretches you into whoever you need to become to pursue it.

Paradox is the organizing principle of life. You already know this if you've read me for a while. It means two things that seem to cancel each other out are both true at the same time.

And here's the paradox sitting at the center of manifestation:

You can have whatever you want, if you're the kind of person for whom that's already true. And if it's not true for you today, the desire showed up anyway, because it's inviting you to become the next, more expanded version of yourself. Both things. At once.

Which brings me to the birds.

Three birds are sitting on a wire. Two of them decide to fly away. How many birds are left on the wire?


Three. Because deciding to fly and flying are not the same thing.

That's most people's relationship to manifestation, to affirmations, to New Year's resolutions. They decide. Then they sit right there on the wire, having decided, feeling very proud of the decision, not moving an inch.

So here's the second part of the practice, the part that awakens the magic. Once you've decided who you are, you take one action from that identity.

The fashionista who looks fucking amazing doesn't just decide she's a fashionista. She goes and finds a secondhand shirt in a color she's never worn before.

The person who wants to be surrounded by friends doesn't just decide she's social. She calls the friend she's been meaning to call for three months and asks her out for coffee.

Your witchwork this week:

Get specific about one thing you want. A better job. More friends. Actually liking what you see in the mirror.

Name the identity of the person who already has it. What does she think? What does she say? What does she do after coffee in the morning?

Then take one action that person would take. Today, if you can.

You don't have to believe it's going to work. You don't have to feel like her yet. You don't even have to believe you are her. Do it anyway, and watch what happens.

This is magic. It's simple. It also takes practice, which is why I built an entire school around teaching people to do it well.

Fly off the wire.

Courage, truth, and infinite love,

PS: This is the tiny, tiny version. Bruja School is where you actually learn to fly instead of just deciding to. Reply "yes to magic" and I'll tell you what's next.


I don’t believe in magic, but I know that it works!

Magic is not a belief system, it’s a practice that works. Don’t believe me? Come try it out. If it doesn’t work, you lose nothing. But if it does… your dream life is about to begin!


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Maritza Schafer

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