There is magic in the air – if you know where to look and, more importantly, how to look.  The last two hours of my life have been filled with such magic. 
It started mid-afternoon when I went into my meditation room.  I chose a green crystal to hold, had my phone next to me ready to play Thich Naht Hanh’s Great Bell Chant, and I made myself comfortable on my kneeling chair in front of my altar with its crystals, and statues of Lord Ganesha, Hanuman, White Tara and Kwannon.  I moved into meditation with the intention and hope that humanity could learn how to bring Peace from the current chaos many of us live within.
I recalled the feel of the chaos that had coloured most of my life and I compared that to the peace I now am able to feel.  I wished that humans everywhere could learn to bring such peace into their lives.  Then I moved deeper into my meditation.  Half an hour later I returned feeling a calmness within my heart and I moved outside to my bright yellow, hand-made wooden rocking chair on my back deck overlooking the garden.
Still in that calm inner place, I sat and looked at the old lady of my garden – a mango tree which had been planted in 1864.  She is in flower and looks magnificent.  I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the gentle breeze coming off the ocean and the feel of the sun on my face. 
In that ongoing state of peace I listened to sounds of life around me:  the barking dog, traffic on the road in front of my house; passers-by talking, the birds singing.  It’s spring here in Far North Queensland and the birds are very vocal.  When I opened my eyes, I saw a fairy.
It had wings, two legs and lots of feathers – it was a Fairy Wren.  A tiny bird, barely bigger than a butterfly.  It flew away into the mango tree, but it left that feeling of magic with me.
I went inside and decided to shower.  My bathroom is next to the kitchen and I left the door between the two rooms open.  In the shower, I suddenly realised that I was not only covered in water but in all the colours of the rainbow.  This was a blessing from an old friend from the past.
Many years ago this friend had gifted me with a string of crystals to be hung in a window to catch the sun.  I have lived in over 20 houses since that gift was given and the crystal string has been placed to capture the sun in each home.  In this house it hangs in the window over the kitchen sink.  Today, the late afternoon sun, at exactly the right time, sent a beam of light through the lush leaves of lychees trees which shade the house and straight into that small window; the sun bounced off the crystals, changing direction to hit a water filter in another part of the room and from there the reflection had bounced again, straight through the door between kitchen and bathroom, at exactly the right angle to be able to travel the distance to where I was showering and for several moments I glowed with rainbow light.

We think magic is special.  It is, because when we are open to the magic of our world and we are able to recognise it, it affects us deeply.  It affects us on a soul level and for a short while we feel the peace that we seek.    There is magic in the call of a bird.  There is ancient magic in the majesty of a mango tree almost 200 years old.  Just think of the stories she could tell – if we have the magic ability to stop and truly listen. 
The magic in a beam of light is always there, just not always visible to our eyes.  We see it in the rain drops which form a rainbow, we see it in a child’s eyes; a budding flower, a playful puppy.  We walk in that magic light each and every day.  It is all around us if we can but look – not only with our eyes, but with our hearts.

May you be surrounded by peace.
May you travel through your world aware of the peace around you.
May you be instrumental in bringing peace to those around you.
Ashirvad Shanti – Blessings of Peace.