Aliza Einhorn - A Mystical Practical Guide to Magic: Instructions for Seekers, Witches & Other Spiritual Misfits

Introduction

Most of us have at least some notion of what the word spiritual or the phrase spiritual path means, but have you ever stopped to define it for yourself? To make it more clear. To know what the hell it means to you.

Your definition of spiritual doesnt have to include words like enlightenment or consciousness . Mine usually doesnt. A spiritual path isnt necessarily the big fat truth of life for all beings everywhere for all time. Its more personal than that. Its the big or little truth for you , for your own magnificent, meaningful life.

Were all doing it: seeking, searching, wandering, wondering, flying, driving through our own personal heartland, whether you use those words or not. If youre alive, if youre reading this book, youre heading somewhere, even if that somewhere feels like around and around in circles. This book is here to help you through it. Its a practical and sometimes personal guide to some of the things that helped me craft my own spiritual life over the decades, and how to work with those things in daily life. I didnt set out to create anything though. It happened naturally, intuitively. My feelings led the way.

What Does a Spiritual Path Include?
Fries Optional

A spiritual path, no matter how informal, will likely have tools and strategies, signs and clues, mysteries, rituals, beliefs, sometimes rules, things we do once, things we do over and over, all to help us understand better who we are, where we are, why we are, who were meant to be, our life purpose, and even what happens after we die, if anything. And then theres the day-to-day business of living. Thats spiritual too.

All the clues, tools, and strategies in this book can help you explore all of the above, bring you new questions, and make you think. They are tools to help us probe the mystery of our lives: where were going and how to get there, alternate routes included. We may not get all the answers in the time frame we desire (right now!), but Ive got travel instructions for you, stories and rituals for the road. Ill be using this metaphor every so often: the road, the map, landmarks, detours, everything we need for the journey. We start in Tarot Town but then we keep on going. And since Id just moved back to New York City as I started writing this book, the city, too, will guide us, its subways and streets, cafes and seasons. We are never not somewhere along the way. The streets speak.

Also, a spiritual path of any kind, like this book, is here to comfort you in your distress or crisis, your dark night of the soul. The way I see it, your spiritual path or journey, your exodus, your metaphysical restlessness is the poetry of your life: noticing the details all around you while asking the big questions.

Your Collection of Cool Stuff

Right before I started writing, I hit on a phrase to summarize what the spiritual path is for me: a collection of cool stuff. Its my way to describe the strange and not so strange things I was drawn to over the years, the things that stuck around. I chose them or they chose me. Im pretty sure you have a collection of cool stuff, too, your influences and inspirations. Maybe you dont think of them that way. Maybe its just who you are, but I bet those things and ideas that you fell in love with made you feel connected to something larger than your own small shadow in this big world. Perhaps their presence grew dim at times, but you didnt forget, and they were company through the long hours, like good friends. Everything in this book is a friend.