April 1, 1999

“Imagine living the life you imagined.” The magician posed the question and the fool answered before the priest could speak up. “That would be magic,” remarked the fool, humoring the magician. “That would be godly,” proclaimed the priest a moment later.

“Imagine living the life you imagined.” A most profound sentence. My most profound sentence. For now.

Today is April 1, April Fool’s Day.

Today is also Holy Thursday in the Roman Catholic Church, a moveable feast. Holy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter Sunday which is the first Sunday after the first full moon (which was last night, March 31) after the Vernal Equinox (which is March 21). Last night’s full moon was a blue moon, meaning it’s the second full moon in a month, an occurrence so rare that it happens only once “in a blue moon.” Rarer still (only a few times a century) is the occasion of two blue moons in one year, but that is the case this year, 1999, the last year before the odometer of human endeavor turns to Y2K. That makes now an extremely auspicious time.

Holy Thursday commemorates the last supper and the origination of the Christian priesthood – “Do this in memory of me” and all that. I was born on Holy Thursday. Being raised Roman Catholic I took that as a sign that I might be a priest. However, two years of study for the priesthood, sequestered in a seminary, cured me of that illusion.

I still celebrate Holy Thursday as an extra birthday though. That it falls on April Fool’s Day this year is fitting. That way I can claim both the priest and the fool as alter (altar?) identities.

“Imagine living the life you imagined.” is the magic of the magician. In the Tarot’s Major Arcana, the magician is card number one, the card of creative power, depicting a robed figure transmuting inspiration from the heavens to manifestation on earth. I identify with the magician, where “the white lilies of pure abstract thought intertwine with the red roses of desire” to direct the generative powers of will.

We are what we will. We possess the magical power of will. We have creative influence in our lives. Since the seventh of April marks my fiftieth birthday I am indulging myself in this exploration of imagination and will. I’m inviting you to accompany me. Humor me, it’s April Fool’s Day and we have just witnessed the last blue moon of this millennium. Now is an auspicious time. Always.

Ask along with me: Is this the life I imagined? Yes? No? Somewhat?
Ask along with me: Could I imagine it differently, more beautifully?
Ask along with me: Will I believe in my ability to make it so?

Upon the mention of belief, the priest bursts into our inquiry. “Faith,” he intones, “is a gift from God.”

The magician, choosing to believe that belief is a choice, responds, “Faith is the first act of creation. You have faith once you have decided that you are guided.”

The fool, with the mind of a child, blurts out, “It’s simply make believe. Everything is make believe. You make what you believe. You make believe, that’s all.”

Ask along with me: Will I make myself believe? Will I imagine living the life I imagined? Will I conceive it? Will I believe it? Will I achieve it or receive it?

In the Tarot deck, even before the magician, comes the fool – card number zero, with the meaning: A choice is offered.

Imagine living the life you imagined.

Ned Buratovich       April 1, 1999

Twelve years ago, on April Fools’ Day, I penned this piece to remind myself about magic, manifestation and imagination. Twelve years later, it’s time to remind myself again.

Back when I wrote this piece, I honestly didn’t know that Henry David Thoreau had already coined the phrase, “Live the life you have imagined.” I guess I wasn’t as literate as I thought, but maybe it’s better just to be a creative conduit for universal intelligence.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” -Henry David Thoreau