Reflecting on Life

Experience by itself doesn't make you wise. Plenty of people go through a lot and learn nothing. Reflection is what turns experience into wisdom. The Mature Magician steps back from the current of his life to look at what's happening, what it means, and what he's becoming.

The Manipulator reflects only to justify himself and blame others. The Dummy doesn't reflect at all—he reacts, repeats patterns, never learns. The Mature Magician reflects with honesty and curiosity.

Reflecting on life requires:

Regular practice: The Magician creates rhythm—daily, weekly, monthly.

Journaling: The Magician writes to think. He captures insights, tracks patterns, processes experience.

Meditation: The Magician creates stillness to see clearly.

Walking in nature: The Magician lets movement and beauty open his mind.

Conversations with mentors: The Magician talks with wise others who can see what he cannot.

Powerful questions: What am I learning? What patterns do I notice? What's working? What's not? What needs to change?

Reflection only works if you're honest. The Magician who only looks at the parts that make him look good doesn't learn anything. Real reflection means looking at failures, mistakes, and the ugly parts too. Not to beat yourself up, but to actually understand what happened.

Everything Changes

Impermanence is the nature of reality. Empires rise and fall, loved ones come and go, even the stars are born and die.

"This too shall pass" applies to everything—both pain and pleasure. The Magician who understands impermanence doesn't cling to good times or despair in bad ones. His current situation is temporary.

Once the Magician really gets this, he stops gripping so hard. He learns to move with what's happening instead of fighting the current. He stops wasting energy resisting things that can't be resisted.