Basic Witches: How to Summon Success, Banish Drama, and Raise Hell with Your Coven - Jaya Saxena, Jess Zimmerman 2017

Divination: The Power to Decide Your Destiny

Wouldn’t you love magic that works in real life the way it does in Bewitched? Wiggle your nose and the person you want to see materializes in your apartment, or your friends forget that embarrassing thing you did, or you suddenly land your dream job.

This is fiction, of course. You can’t order around the universe’s energy like a butler. The rituals in this book are designed to affect your brain instead of the world, because we can’t give you a way to effortlessly manifest your ideal partner, job, wardrobe, or life. Nobody can.

But what about the power to see the future?

Our witchcraft can give you insight about yourself and the world around you—enough insight to foresee what’s likely to happen, or at least to figure out what you want to happen, the best way to achieve it, and what, if anything, is stopping you.

Gaining such insight may not be easy. Sometimes your ambitions are buried under layers of anxiety or mental blocks. Sometimes you’re genuinely uncertain, and no amount of digging into your psyche will reveal one clear, life-changing direction to pursue. But that’s all okay. Making peace with the unknown frees you to discover opportunities, choices, and dreams you’d never have considered otherwise.

The trick to finding these things is to speak your desires—or, in a pinch, your uncertainty—out loud, forcing yourself to reckon with it. Many of the rituals we present include an incantation, but sometimes just admitting your hopes and wishes aloud is enough, even without a ritual.

Witchcraft can help you follow your path, but more than that, it can help you create one. Maybe you have a broad idea of what you want out of life and need to narrow it down. Maybe you’re choosing between a few options. And maybe the question of life is too big and you feel more comfortable starting small. In this chapter, we’ll lay out how to intuit your heart’s desire, accept when the crystal ball is dark, and be more comfortable with life’s inevitable failures. No matter what, flexing your divination muscles will help you get in touch with your insight. And the stronger it gets, the more unstoppable you become.

Channeling What Lies Beyond

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR FUTURE SELF

A recent study by researchers at the University of Zurich found that self-control and empathy depend on the same part of the brain. This makes sense when you think about it: whenever you engage in disciplined behavior, you’re doing so out of compassion and kindness to your future self. (Sure, Present You doesn’t want to do the dishes before bed, but Morning You still won’t want to do them, plus she’ll be scrambling to get to work. You should cut her a break!) You don’t always pay your bills, put things back where they belong, and drag yourself to yoga because these things sound fun. You do them because you have keen empathy for your future self, and you know she’ll thank you.

Science may support the connection between self-control and empathy, but it’s magic that lets you harness its power. When you’re feeling grumpy about chores and other obligations, try summoning a vision of your future self and conversing with her. You can use any ritual you want to summon your future self, but we recommend looking in the mirror in a dim room (maybe a bathroom with the light off but the door open), letting your eyes relax, and saying, “When eye meets eye, may I see I.” Then look your reflection in the eye and talk to her as though she’s you from tomorrow, next week, or whenever is relevant.

As you’re talking, weigh Future You’s needs against your current wants: How happy will you be if you put off this obligation? How happy will she be if you do it now? What do you gain, and what does she lose, if you kick the can down the road? What do you lose, and what does she gain, if you just get it over with?

Sometimes, you’ll probably still decide to just brush your teeth and go to bed. (Aren’t you lucky that you’re already standing at the bathroom mirror!) Maybe you’re feeling ill, and you’d do a terrible job grocery shopping anyway, and besides, going after work would be more convenient because you’ll already be out of the house. But sometimes, the thought of Future You’s delight as she slips into crisp clean sheets at the end of the day is more than enough reason to go to the laundromat. All you need to do is ask her and take her answers to heart.

A SPELL TO

Name Your Heart’s Desire

Any number of spells can help make wishes come true, but what if you’re having a hard time figuring out what your wish is? You yearn for…something, certainly, but your feelings aren’t coalescing into tangible thoughts that you can acknowledge, assess, or act on. This spell is like step 0 in that wish-making process, allowing you to tease your desire out of the clouds of uncertainty.

On a table, place the sage in the bowl and prop up the heart behind it. Light the sage and let it smolder, its fragrant smoke filling the air. As you smell it, feel the space around you empty of all concerns and energies.

Looking at the heart, begin talking to yourself out loud about your inner feelings, whatever was concerning you that made you try this spell. You could start with the general topic you believe your inner wish is about, or something as broad as “I feel like I want something, but I don’t know what.” Say anything that comes into your head. Imagine the words flowing into the heart and then feelings flowing out of it and into you.

If you struggle to find words to say, try to frame your thoughts by completing one of these sentences:

When I picture my future, I see________________.

When I think of being happy, I am________________.

What bothers me about my life right now is________________.

If I could have anything in the world, I’d want________________.

By speaking thoughts aloud, whatever they are, you’ll come closer to revealing your deepest desires.

A RITUAL FOR

When the Crystal Ball Is Dark

If you’re at a crossroads in your life and unsure of your next step, there’s no way you can force yourself into knowing what you want. In a society where everyone is encouraged to be ambitious and have a plan (or at least know what they want to be for the rest of their lives when they’re 17), letting yourself live in the unknown can be incredibly anxiety inducing. This practice will help keep you calm in the presence of uncertainty.

Light the candle and place it in front of you on a flat surface. Spin the coin in front of the candle and let it fall where it may. Pick it up and keep spinning it, as you recite the following:

Heads or tails I do not know

But it matters not

The coin is still a coin

Whichever face it shows

Heads or tails I do not know

But it matters not

My life is still my own

Whichever path I travel

Recite this incantation as many times as you need until you feel comforted. Sleep with the coin under your pillow for one night.

The Alchemy of Failure

HOW TO CREATE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES

Many of us are held back from flying bravely into the future, not because we don’t want to take charge and soar but simply because we’re burdened with anxiety. Sometimes we worry about big, uncontrollable things. (What if I get sick, or if someone in my family does? What if the economy tanks? What if there’s a huge earthquake and my state falls into the ocean?) But the rest of the time, probably most of the time, that anxiety boils down to a fear of failure.

Fear of failure doesn’t just keep you from leaping into the future. It also keeps you from all the steps on the path: planning, stating your goals, and creating changes. Fear of failure keeps your head down and stops you from looking beyond what you already have. It keeps you from doing the basic, liberating magic of naming your heart’s desire.

Worry is healthy when it protects you from making the kinds of flying leaps that can cause physical harm, catastrophic debt, or mental health disaster. But worrying about things like rejection, looking stupid, disappointing parents or peers—these fears rarely deserve the weight we invest in them. The good news is, they tend to crumble when you realize that no evaluation of your performance in life is more important than your own. What does failure even mean for women who are joyfully unruly and happy to live outside society’s expectations? Sure, we know that the masses have long been happy to judge and punish these women for imagined crimes, outlandish acts, and things done wrong, improperly, or not at all. But these days, nobody’s going to burn you at the stake for a screw-up, real or imagined. If someone judges your romantic choices, your workplace challenges, your creative efforts, your style of dress, who cares? They can put you on trial, but you don’t have to show up to court.

The first step in defeating failure is embracing your unruliness and recognizing that operating outside the norm is kind of your thing. You don’t have to accept the lead weight of your fear as an immovable burden. You can refashion it into something more precious and helpful. By using your fear of failure (or even actual failure) as an ingredient in a bigger magical work, you can apply a little alchemy and transmute your setback into success. Here are a few ways to make it happen.

INGREDIENT Dropping the ball on an obligation, task, or deadline

Use for A centering spell. Consider the situation that led you to forget your responsibility. Did you have too much on your plate? Do you lack a good way of keeping track of tasks? Was the thing you were asked to do beyond your abilities in some way, and do you need to learn to delegate? See this failure as a way to evaluate your organizational and support systems, and seek out more help or structure where needed.

INGREDIENT Failing to get something—a job, a grant, entry to an educational program—you worked hard for

Use for A scrying spell. Identifying what exactly about this opportunity appealed to you can refine your vision for the future or isolate a specific, single wish you can fulfill in other ways. (Once when Jess was turned down for a job, she realized that she was upset less about the gig and more because it was close to home, which would have enabled her to get a dog. So she just got a dog.)

INGREDIENT Trying to learn a new skill and kind of sucking at it

Use for A mind-melding spell. Seek out examples of others who have enthusiastically messed something up: videos of cats trying to jump onto things and missing, collections of Pinterest fails, music that’s bad on purpose (try the Portsmouth Sinfonia or Smith College’s Crapapella a cappella group, which is the ne plus ultra of gleeful failure), or the YouTube videos of Simone Giertz, a robotics enthusiast whose creations just flail and flop around. Once you’ve observed one of these particularly joyful failures, try to sink into that same feeling. What if, instead of beating yourself up for not immediately performing to a high standard, you were just enjoying the hell out of this new activity?

INGREDIENT Embarrassing yourself in public

Use for A strengthening spell. More often than not, the horror of making a fool of yourself is way worse in the abstract; once it happens, you realize you can handle it. Check in with yourself: do you still have all your best qualities? Check in with your friends: do they still like you? Chances are, all is well. You faced embarrassment and came through with your self-concept and relationships intact. You tested your mettle and survived. Hang on to the knowledge of this strength for next time.

HOW TO READ TEA LEAVES

Tasseography is the time-honored art of reading tea leaves (or coffee grounds) to see the future. Many cultures believe that, by brewing and drinking a cup of loose-leaf tea, swirling the dregs, and turning the cup upside down, the leaves will form a specific shape that you can interpret to see what lies ahead. There are tons of possible interpretations, but here are a few to get you started.

A SPELL FOR

Embracing Failure

When you try something unfamiliar, it stands to reason that you won’t do a perfect job. You’re unclear exactly how it works, you haven’t practiced, and you don’t know the tricks or the rules. But sometimes you’re better off doing something imperfectly than doing it by the book—and doing it imperfectly is always better than not doing it at all. Practicing imperfection will allow you to be more flexible when and if failure does arrive.

Cover your eyes with the blindfold (or just close them). Hold the pen in your dominant hand and the paper in your other hand. Raise your hands and say aloud: “I welcome darkness. I welcome confusion. I welcome failure and the gifts it brings.”

Spin around seven times widdershins (counterclockwise). Sit on the floor and, while you’re still dizzy, immediately draw three pictures: yourself, an animal to represent the natural world (you can use the animal you chose for “Which Pet Should Be Your Familiar?” on here), and a celestial object to represent the spiritual world.

When you’re finished drawing, remove the blindfold and look at your masterpiece. You’ll likely discover a bunch of squiggly lines that barely resemble what you were trying to draw. Turn the paper 90 degrees. Contemplate the drawing from this perspective, and identify the parts you like best—maybe they look like what you meant to draw, maybe they look like something else entirely, or maybe they’re just beautifully abstract. With the crayons or colored pencils, decorate these parts of the drawing, turning them into small works of art. When you are finished, hold the paper to your heart and say aloud, “My failure is beautiful. My failure is something new.”

Hang the finished work on your fridge for a week, or display it near your desk or workspace. If fear of failure has been holding you back from a specific project or pursuit, keep the drawing up until you make a good-faith effort at starting. Then tear the picture into tiny pieces and release it into the wind.

THE RENAISSANCE-ERA ENGLISH SOOTHSAYER Ursula “Mother” Shipton was in many ways the epitome of the witch. She had mysterious origins, a quarrelsome temperament, and an intuitive nature. She is known now for being the “Northern Prophetess,” an oracle that predicted the future, and her “cave” is now a tourist attraction in England. But overall, she just seems like a smart woman.

As the most popular origin myth goes, Shipton, born in 1488, had no father but was sired by the Phantom of Apollo, just like Merlin before her. (Other theories claim her father was a necromancer.) Although the Merlin-esque origin story is certainly flattering, more likely the truth is that Shipton (and Merlin, maybe) was simply born out of wedlock, and the people of her town invented supernatural explanations to understand the seeming total impossibility of an unmarried woman getting pregnant.

Necromancer dad or no, Shipton’s birth scandalized the neighbors and they accused her mother, Agatha, of being a witch. Agatha reportedly was brought to court, but before the judge could punish her for “Incontinency,” she pointed out that he himself had impregnated two women outside of marriage, so it’d be pretty hypocritical for him to judge her. Clearly, these women came from a long line of badasses.

As an adult, Shipton apparently had the appearance of a classic evil witch: long nose, pimples, and hunched posture, at least according to a 1667 description by Richard Head (granted, this was written more than a hundred years later and at the height of the prosecution of witches to boot). Supposedly, she married a Toby Shipton when she was 24, though he died a few years later, and she spent most of her life around her cave near Knaresborough, Yorkshire. There, she gathered plants and herbs and brew them into potions, despite taunting by the nearby townspeople (many of whom secretly sought out her brews anyway). In temperament, she was less demonically driven than cheerfully vindictive: she played “merry pranks” on those who abused her, according to 1775’s The Wonderful History and Surprising Prophecies of Mother Shipton. When some guy dared to call her the “devil’s bastard” and “hag face,” she reportedly used magic to steal his hat off his head and replace it with a portable toilet.

Shipton is best known for being a soothsayer. She predicted the futures of those around her and of the world at large, seemingly to anyone who would listen. She is credited with predictions about everything from train travel to the telegraph to the dissolution of the Catholic Church. Though she was a contemporary of Nostradamus, she never attained the fame of the renowned (male) seer—give you one guess why—but her visions were recorded by others.

Except those visions were all made up. Her “prophecies” were published centuries after her death, and some authors even admitted that they faked them and attributed them all to her. So why choose to credit this woman? Perhaps the soothsayer myth was based somewhat in truth—with the written accounts made so long after her death, we’ll never know what she did or didn’t say. Or perhaps Mother Shipton had a reputation for being particularly intuitive. Women have long been relegated to the role of observer, rather than actor, and when all your energy is put into observation, you can’t help but notice things. An “ugly” woman born out of wedlock would certainly have been on the sidelines of early modern English society (plus, there was the whole living-in-a-cave thing), so Shipton probably had a lot of time to think, take notice, and, perhaps, become an insightful student of human nature.

Whatever Mother Shipton was like when alive, her myth has only grown stronger as the years pass. Today, she is hailed as a mystic, a prophet, and a sorceress. But she was also a woman who lived a hard life and who maybe understood just a little bit more about other human beings than they were able to perceive themselves. Often, that’s all a witch is and all we need to claim the title ourselves. May we all get the cool cave monuments we deserve.

Navigating Flawed Visions

WHAT TO DO WHEN PREDICTIONS GO AWRY

You may not have visions of the future like Phoebe from Charmed, but we all have some amount of power to predict what will happen. Sometimes you can tap into those abilities using a crystal ball, a tarot deck, or other tools that help you listen. But you also put your precognitive abilities to work, without really thinking about it, every time you make a plan.

Unfortunately, your natural power to predict the future sometimes goes wrong.

Sometimes, you invest in the idea of a positive future that ultimately does not come to pass. You plan for it, you picture it in detail, you count on it, and then it falls through. You’re now living in a present you never thought could happen, and maybe you’ve lost the ability to trust yourself.

Witches are nothing if not resilient, but when you’re shocked into a future you never envisioned, conjuring your strength and resolve can seem impossible. And platitudes like “stay strong” or “don’t worry” offer little help, because if you knew how to stay strong, presumably you’d be doing it already. How can you tap into your strengths at a moment when you feel bewildered and weak?

Assess what went wrong.

When the future is unfolding in ways you didn’t expect, return to your tools to figure out what happened. Mastery of clairvoyance requires unbiased assessment of the information you’re receiving, which for most people is incredibly difficult. A little retrospective examination can help hone your intuition. Ask yourself: Were you pushing your interpretation toward what you wanted to happen? Were you ignoring red flags that pointed to reality? Was there an inside voice that you had a hard time listening to?

Keep your eyes forward.

Don’t let self-assessment keep you bogged down in past mistakes. Remember: magic is made of small acts that build into lasting change. The past may be done, but the future is not fixed. In times of crisis, return to small things that make you feel capable and competent to help you focus. Then use that focus to take action toward determining the future you want.

Tap into your power.

What makes you feel powerful? Lighting some incense and meditating? Convening with your coven to make plans for action? Cooking for others to make your community feel safe and loved? Whatever it is, now’s the time to do it. It may not feel like much in the face of your scary new future, and it won’t immediately transform things into a happier circumstance. But hopefully it will help you reclaim your power in a time of helplessness and show the world that you still have some control.

An opposite scenario can happen, too: you’re so convinced that a future plan will result in disaster that you never start trying to make it, which means that you never get a chance to be proven wrong. When you’re paralyzed by dark visions, magic can help you snap out of your funk and build a more realistic idea of the future.

Enchant your mind with an amulet.

Sometimes you’re bogged down by fears you can’t shake because your brain just can’t figure out how to stop obsessing (even if it wants to). Give it an excuse to calm down by using a magical amulet of strength and protection. This could be a piece of jewelry or a watch or pin you wear every day, but the amulet may be more effective if you hunt for a new one that feels just right. (For more, see here.) Every time you wear it or notice its weight around your neck or finger, let its presence draw your mind out of the nebulousness of the future and back into the certainty of the present.

Focus on what you can change.

It’s easy to feel defeated by big worries on the horizon, but you’ll be better equipped to cope with the winds of fate if you have control over your broom. Think small: what can you do to make the future more approachable? You don’t have to solve everything right now, but you can help bolster yourself by attacking small, manageable problems. Even a task as insignificant as opening a document or addressing an envelope can banish a bit of fear.

Tell a tale.

Witches are creatures of folklore, so if you’re stuck on one dire vision of the future, try tapping into the profound power of storytelling. Spin a yarn about the worst thing that could happen, then one about the best possible outcome, and finally a bunch of stories about various options in between. What might you do in each situation, and how does that change the ending? If the worst truly came to pass, what concrete steps could you take to improve the situation? Envisioning specifics will help you feel more prepared and calm you down.

A SPELL TO

Keep Going

Traditional witches and sorcerers might tell the future, or scry, by peering into a body of water, a bowl of ink, or—you guessed it—a crystal ball, but you can use anything you have on hand.

We all have times when the future seems overwhelmingly difficult, meaningless, or fraught with peril. These are times to call on your coven, to care for yourself and the people you love. But they’re also times when magic can remind you that all is never lost. (Some, maybe! Lots, even! But not all.)

Even when you can’t choose your future, you can choose how you react to it: Dread or anticipation? Galvanization or despair? When fear and anxiety keep you from clearly seeing what needs to be done and what’s on the horizon, this spell will help you focus.

While standing, stare at your reflection in the reflective surface and let your eyes relax until your vision blurs. Say aloud:

The future is dark

The future holds fright

Show me my solid ground

Show me my light

Continue looking at your reflection and relaxing your eyes, imagining that you are looking at a dense cloud or fog bank. This is your anxiety and despair, clouding your vision.

Think of one single, simple concrete action you can take to help things go right (or at least less wrong). It should be simple: instead of “apply for jobs,” think “send one cover letter”; instead of “pack up the apartment,” think “put my dishes in a box.” Look down, moving your scrying surface with your gaze so that it stays in front of your eyes. Picture a cairn of rocks jutting up through the fog. This is your simple concrete action, your solid ground.

Next, think of one thing, however small, that you’re looking forward to. It can be soon or far off, big or small: a vacation, a movie with a friend, this Sunday’s crossword puzzle, your afternoon snack. Look up, moving the scrying surface with your gaze so that it stays in front of your eyes. Picture a star burning through the fog. This is your light, your reminder that the future holds at least one promise.

Close your eyes and stand for a moment with your feet solidly planted, feeling warmed by the light. The spell is done, but you can repeat it anytime you feel overwhelmed.

DIY Rituals

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SPELL

As we’ve mentioned, predicting the future is an imprecise art. You can’t anticipate everything, and even with lots of precaution and probing of what’s to come, there will always be outcomes you didn’t plan for. For this reason, no one book could ever contain every spell you’ll ever need.

Luckily, our kind of witchcraft is adaptable. You can use this book as a starting point for creating spells tailor-made for your individual goals and challenges. After all, the spells in this book don’t summon any supernatural powers to do your bidding. They don’t need the approval of a magical counsel. They’re effective because they help you focus, think, breathe, and act, using ritual and fire and some words that you might feel silly saying out loud. A spell you make yourself will work just as well—and in some cases, better—to give you clarity.

Building a spell requires deep thought about symbolism, meaning, and what objects and words inspire power in you. Here are some ways you can go about constructing one for yourself.

Think about the tone of your spell.

Figure out how you want your spell to make you feel, and think about what textures or colors create that feeling—this will help determine not just the setting and style of your spell, but the materials used. Is the spell’s desired effect fueled by passion, heat, and fire or peacefulness, coolness, and water? For a spell about love, for example, you might use a red candle instead of a blue one to symbolize passion. For a spell about making amends, you’ll want to use something made of a soft and giving material to evoke flexibility and comfort.

Consider your objects.

Aside from colored candles or herbs and oils that represent different energies, choose spell objects that have personal resonance with the things you’re trying to accomplish. Having an emotional tie to a spell always increases its strength. Does the smell of toasting marshmallows soothe you? Devise a centering ritual around roasting them. Does your grandmother’s wool blanket make you feel safe? Use it in a protection spell. If the spell relates to another person, incorporate an item of their clothing or a photo of the person to enhance your perception of them.

Mark your words.

An incantation can make your practice feel more grounded and active than a spell that involves only actions or thoughts. In fact, finding the right words can be part of the magic: as you literally articulate your desires, you mentally home in on the specifics of what you want. Your incantation can use the name of the person you’re trying to influence (even if it’s you), call on gods or powers you want to help you, or just plainly state the thing you want again and again. It doesn’t even have to rhyme!

Create a beginning, middle, and end.

Think of a spell as a workout. Start with a warm-up: setting up your tools (lighting candles, pouring water, arranging things) and taking a moment to set your intentions and feel comfortable in your space. Next comes the heavy lifting, the main event, where you perform the ritual you’ve designed to attract the desired outcome (cooking something, binding a doll, drawing a magic rune) or speak the words of an incantation. Finally, the cool-down slowly draws you out of the spell, which can be as easy as thanking yourself for making the effort.

Mean it.

A spell doesn’t have to be a major production with incense and crystals and a hundred steps. It can be, if that’s what makes it feel real to you, but it can also be a quiet moment you take for yourself with no accessories or poetry. What matters is whether you believe it. Sometimes the ritual is a way to spark a belief or emotion that isn’t yet present inside you. Other times it’s simply a way to organize what you already feel. But no matter what your goal or method, some part of you should be comforted, delighted, or moved by the process. You should feel like you’re making magic.

HOW TO HARNESS THE ELEMENTS

Fire: Fire represents energy, love, passion, and power, which can quickly turn to anger. It is represented in spells by burning candles, lighting incense, or incorporating ashes, and its associative colors are red, orange, and gold (you know, fire colors). If you’re kitchen witching, channel fire through chili, cinnamon, or garlic.

Water: Water is the element of emotions, and it is also used for purification and seeking wisdom. You can utilize it in spells by drinking it, submerging other objects in it, or washing yourself in it. It can be useful in spells designed to get you in touch with feminine qualities.

Earth: Earth is a grounding element (get it?) that represents stability and calm as well as abundance, strength, and growth. Using stones, dirt, wood, or herbs in spells are all ways to incorporate earth, as well as earthy colors like green and brown. Crystals are also a good choice to incorporate in earth-based spells.

Air: Air is the element of the mind and of freedom. It is used in spells for intelligence, psychic powers, or any kind of release and relaxation. Because air is more difficult to harness than earth or water, many witches invoke its power with a wand. Air can also work in tandem with fire through the act of blowing out incense or candles. Its associated season is spring, the time of new beginnings and new life.

A SPELL FOR

New Endeavors

As a culture, we already have a lot of rituals to mark the launch of something momentous and new: exchanging rings, moving the tassel on your mortarboard, breaking a bottle of champagne over the prow of a ship. But what about smaller, personal efforts? Sometimes we might need a ritual—like this one—for putting in a load of laundry, starting that work project, or even getting out of bed in the morning.

Queue up three songs on your phone or music player: one soothing song, one midtempo song, and one energizing song (make sure you’ll be able to skip easily from one to the next). You’ll want to use a smaller candle—like a birthday or Chanukah candle—for this ritual, since a votive candle burns too slowly. Using the butter knife (or a toothpick), make three marks on the candle: one a quarter inch to a half inch down from the top, one a quarter inch to a half inch down from that, and the third another quarter inch to half inch down from that.

Start playing the soothing song, and sit in a comfortable place with the candle in front of you. Light the candle and say aloud, “Ready.”

Watch the candle burn and think about the history of your new endeavor. How did you get to this point? How have you prepared yourself?

When the candle burns down to your first mark, stand up (or move in a way that uses an increasing level of energy), change to the midtempo song, and say aloud, “Set.”

Remain standing and keep watching the candle. Envision the first steps of your new endeavor. How will you begin?

When the candle burns down to your second mark, change to the energizing song, and say aloud, “go.” Start moving. You can decide how much effort you want to use—whether this is dancing or running in place or just wiggling your arms. Picture yourself succeeding in your new endeavor. What will success look like? What are your goals?

When the candle burns to your third mark, blow it out. You’re ready. Go.