| Andries' Practical Magic by Renae Cane |
| It was a beautiful, sunny day when we were almost attacked. Andries and I went to visit a friend at his sign shop. Next door was a business that sold decorative floor tiles, and they had a large chain-link fence around the yard. The gate was closed and locked, and two big dogs, a Doberman and a Pit Bull mix, barked at us as we parked the motorcycle. They just seemed like they were making noise and not serious about it,, and I forgot about them as soon as we went inside. After about an hour or so, we went outside and got on the bike. Before Andries could start the engine, we heard the dogs again, but the barking was coming closer. I barely had time to notice that the gate was open before I saw the two dogs racing at us like they were ready to tear us apart. I had no idea what to do; my brain was frozen, my body was frozen, and I couldn't even yell or scream. Luckily, since the engine wasn't running, Andries heard and saw them, too. He didn't move his body at all, but suddenly I "felt" his energy/light body/spirit/whatever grow and expand like a balloon. I was still looking at the dogs running toward us, but I felt like a 12-foot-tall person was sitting in front of me. "Go Home", the giant bellowed. The dogs could see it, too, because all of a sudden they got a funny look and started putting on the brakes. They were so scared, they didn't even stop. They skidded enough in the gravel to slow themselves down, then they simply turned around and ran back through the gate and behind the tile building. Andries didn't say another word. He started the engine and we drove off. Later, he said that he didn't consciously do that with his energy, and he had never done it before (or was aware of doing it). Even after years of martial arts and using energy, and being flipped around by him all over the mat, that was the most amazing use of practical magic I had ever seen. We all are much, much more than our physical body, our personality, or our consciousness. We are connected to a higher power at all times, and utilizing that power is usually only a matter of letting go and allowing it, like at times when there really is nothing else we can do. It's like a joke played on us by ourselves: Your true power is in giving up your idea of controlling life. You can only begin to reach your true greatness when you surrender everything to everything and concentrate on Love, Joy, and Fun. |
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