Actually, each person has a private kingdom for his or her very own, because your body is the one part of earth that is really yours, that no one can take away during your lifetime. It’s the part of earth, moving and alive, that belongs to you and nobody else. In a way, it’s your portion of the planet, sprung up in a living, moving statue of earth-stuff, for you and no one else. So how you treat your body is important.

You just don’t live in it, either. You live through it; there’s a difference. You flow through it, moving in all of its parts. The body is your own magic country. Your conscious mind is like a monarch. Now, a good king or queen is loving and gives the people freedom to move about the country. In this case, your own feelings and thoughts and desires are like the people in your kingdom. So you should treat your own feelings graciously, and you and your kingdom will flourish. Some monarchs are dictators, setting up all kinds of impossible laws and taboos, because they’re really afraid of the people who make up their own kingdom.

If you’re a good king or queen, you’ll realize that your kingdom is a good one, and you won’t be afraid of your own people … your thoughts and feelings and desires … but will encourage them. And you and your body will have all the freedom necessary to flourish and grow.

The Power and a Special Sumari Song

Now, here’s a Sumari song, to help you remember that your existence is a charmed one. A Sumari song is one that speaks to your ordinary self and to your magical self at once. It’s a charmed song, of course. But it isn’t a spell or a sign or even a symbol, because all those things can be very tricky indeed. For example, if you believe that your magic comes from a medal or a cross or a necklace, and you lose your luckpiece, then you’re in trouble, and you think that your magic is gone. Then you can spend a lifetime trying to find it.

And if you think that spells make magic, then you aren’t secure either, because you might forget the words to the spell, since no one is infallible. Besides, people who believe in spells guard them very jealously, and often think that they alone have “the power,” and if you want to learn their methods, then you must endure trials to prove your courage. And, of course, you must promise to follow the rules, and prove that you are worthy of “the power.” Again, all of this is very silly because flowers and birds and frogs have the power too, and without having to prove themselves to anyone, or pass any tests.