#going through some growing pains with drawing digitally. but drawing directly on an iPad is way easier than my Wacom tablet

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[balitronica]

40 Mini Psychomagic Acts for Radical Personal Change by Balitronica Gomez

This list of psychomagic acts for radical change was directly influenced by the teachings of mystic, N. Grace, the literature of anthropologist, Carlos Castaneda, the philosophy and humor of Anton Lavey, and the wisdom of artist and filmmaker, Alejandro Jodowrosky. Re-interpreted and re-mixed by Balitronica Gomez of La Pocha Nostra. These exercises can be used in times of personal crisis to shift your mental and esoteric paradigms and stimulate positive changes in your personal life and performance practice.

1. Brush your teeth with your non dominant hand for a week. (Optional, use chili flavored toothpaste if you can find it, or make it.)

2. Take a different route to work or school (even if it’s longer or inconvenient). Try to use public transportation if you don’t normally.

3. Go through your closet and eliminate all of the clothing items that don’t make you feel absolutely amazing when you put them on.

4. Change a $20 bill into 20 $1 bills and hand one out to every homeless person you encounter during the day. Make sure you smile and look them in the eyes when you hand it to them, and if possible engage in a meaningful conversation.

5. When trying to make a hard decision between two or three options, commit to spending one entire day as if you had made one of the choices. Then for one week, live your life fully as if you have made the decision one way or the other. Repeat for the other options. Once you have done this exercise you’ll have a better idea of which is the best choice. This also applies to a performance art project.

6. Sleep outdoors for 3 days. If you have a garden or patio, bring your bed outdoors. Look at the sky during the night. It will give you humility.

7. Sleep upside down in your bed, placing your head where your feet would normally be.

8. At night before going to bed write down one of your fears that you’re going to let go of during your dreams and place the piece of paper under your pillow. Throw that page down the toilet or burn it the next morning. Do this for an entire week.

9. Set an alarm for anytime in the middle of the night without looking. When the alarm goes off , wake up and write down or draw in a notebook what you were dreaming about or your thoughts upon waking. Do this for a month.

10. Choose a day of the week, and for an entire month engage in cyber-dieting during that day, which means, don’t use any technological device in your home (Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, computer, etc).

11. Get a night light that you can leave on 24/7 at your home as a “ghostlight” to honor the dead among us, and your friends and relatives that have recently died.

12. Walk backwards for an entire day.

13. When you are in the middle of a crisis, look for a quiet place in your home, turn off all computer and digital devices and stay still seated naked on a comfortable chair or sofa for 50 minutes with your eyes closed and doing deep breathing. The answers you are looking for will come to you.

14. Write to your parents and let them know that regardless of how your childhood was, that you know that they did the best that they could do given the circumstances. This will be helpful for them when they are transitioning from this existence to the other side. It will make it less painful to know that they did the best they could (even if you are fully aware they could have done better). You can also do this exercise with past lovers with unresolved business.

15. Destroy or burn all of your pillows once a year and buy new ones. You’ll be destroying old states of mind and starting a new. Especially if you have shared your bed with others, whether lovers, relatives or friends.

16. Clean your entire house using either distilled water or your own favorite alcoholic beverage (rum, tequila, mescal or whisky work very well) and a new towel. Imagine that with every movement of your hand the towel is removing all of the negativity/bad energy of the space. Do this once a year (or more if necessary).

17. If you feel lonely in your house, get a pet. Even if it’s a small pet like a fish or a poisonous toad. Care give with utter tenderness. It will make you a less selfish person.

18. Write your will & last wishes. Make sure to update it every year.

19. Anthropomorphize your own death as a beautiful female partner. Imagine she is always following you like a shadow over your left shoulder.  Use her as an advisor to remain humble and grateful.

20. Return to the vacation spot that you used to go with your family when you were a kid, but go there alone. Spend some time there writing your favorite memories in a journal. When you’re having a bad day open the journal and read your memories. You’ll feel better.                                                                             

21. Talk to your neighbours for a few minutes every time you encounter them. You belong to the same neighborhood and therefore you share similar social concerns whether they like to admit it or not.

22. Talk to your house plants and give them the physical compliments you’d like to hear given to yourself.

23. If you have never left your home country leave your country for the summer and become a continental citizen.

24. If you suffer from social anxiety, practice “radical” shoplifting once a week and try to speak to someone that you don’t know everyday.

25. Detect the loneliest person at your workplace. Send them flowers anonymously for their birthday.

26. Give yourself one day a month (or one day a week if you can) where you indulge in radical self-care. Get a pedicure, drink delicious tea and honey, read the book you’ve been meaning to read, get a massage, go swimming in the ocean, go for a hike, attend a sweat lodge, or do whatever clears your head.

27. Contact the first person you fell in love with, thank them for that experience.

28. Make a list of all of the people who influenced you when you were growing up. Send them thank you cards or emails and let them know.

29. Next time you take a hot shower eat an orange or tangerine before getting out. You can throw the peels on the shower floor to create your own orange steam room.

30. Leave your favorite composer or musician on the stereo whenever you leave the house so he/she can infuse the house with sound.

31. When you break up with a partner, burn all of the lingerie or underwear that they’ve seen you in and buy new ones. Also, collect all the items they gave you, and sage them or throw them away.

32. Leave a pad of post-it notes and a sharpie in your purse or bag. Whenever you use a public restroom leave a poetic note of encouragement on the back of the door for the next person who uses the stall, something like “Leave behind all your troubles.”

33. Remember what your favorite childhood books were and read a line or so of them every night before bed or while taking a shit.

34. Buy your mother or grandmother/father/grandfather concert tickets to their favorite artist. Take them to see the concert if you can. If you have no relatives in your hometown, you can invite a lonely neighbor.

35. Make an extra pie, cake or casserole during the holidays. Give it to the first homeless person you come across on your way to work or school.

36. Let your partner pick out a new perfume or cologne for you. One that they like, regardless if you like it or not, for you are, in fact, wearing it for them, not yourself. If you don’t have a partner, ask your closest friend.

37. Eat whatever meal for breakfast your parents would never let you eat for breakfast when you were a child. Do this for a week.

38. Go into a high end department store and convince them to let you try on the most expensive suit or dress in the store. Walk out of the store without buying anything or with your new suit or dress on without paying. If you choose to shoplift, it’s at your own risk, but it can be an important anti-capitalist exercise every now and again!

39. If you’re not sure, wait. Wait indefinitely if need be.

40. Write your own psychomagic acts for personal change

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