It’s a busy time for the Magical Living Community!
We have had extra special guests in April and more coming in May!
If you are not yet in the community, we are having a FREE open house event with our celebrity writer guest Jessica Brawner. Jessica has a new book out just in time for convention season!
May 8th at 6PM PDT
We welcome our friend Jessica for a conversation on Convention Etiquette and Survival Skills!
Jessica Brawner has been rocking the convention scene for over 20 years, and now she’s here to spill all the beans on how to have a blast at your first con or level up your pro game.
Picture this: you’re wandering through a maze of cosplayers, artists, and panels, feeling like a lost adventurer in a dungeon. Fear not! Jessica’s got your back with tips so good, they’ll make you feel like you just scored a major loot in your favorite game. Whether you’re a total rookie or a seasoned con-goer looking for new tricks, this talk is your ticket to a whole new level of fun.
So, grab your gear, pack your sense of humor, and join us for an hour of laughs, stories, and maybe even a few life-changing tips. Bring your burning questions, your craziest cosplay stories, and get ready to dive into the amazing world of fandom conventions!
FREE to attend.
And Jessica has a VERY cool gift, downloadable, for you! Only available if you attend LIVE.
You can invite your friends! Please have them sign up for themselves via the link. It’s FREE!
Sign up for free HERE: https://magicalliving.mykajabi.com/jessica-brawner-convention-etiquette-workshop
For troubleshooting or to ask anonymous questions for the Q&A portion of the event, use helpelf@magicalliving.us
Here is an Amazon link to Jessica’s book. She has other books as well.
Your Morning Motivation
This section will be a thought to help you set yourself up for a more purposeful day. It can be a very simple thing to add a bit of focused intention to your day.
How to use this section:
- Pick one thing to focus on today. I’ll make a suggestion below, but it can be whatever is right for you.
- Write it down somewhere you’ll see it several times a day. Bonus if you add in why you chose it and how it will make a change in your day/life.
- Set a timer on your phone, 4x today to look at your intention.
- At the end of the day write down how it went, what did you notice, and what you might want to try tomorrow.
What brings you a bit of joy? The intention this month is about joy; noticing when you feel it. What was it that created the moment? Take time to really focus on it and that joy expands. You program the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your brain to look for more moments like it. You’ll be bringing more and more joy into your day, your life.
Thought for the month
I did some very hard and wonderful (it turned out) things recently.
In my Magical Living community, we talk about doing things we are afraid of, or feel resistance to, but know we need to do it to get to where we want to go.
How?
How to override the Fear Dragon™ (what I call the amygdala) when it’s doing powerful tricks to keep us on the couch and in the Cave of Complacency?
That was my question as I sat in the briefing area of our liveaboard dive boat, the Navis 1, in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines.
I had elected to go for my Advanced Open Water PADI certification, something I had avoided for 50 years.
I had gotten away with being just Open Water certified since I was 15 years old, when I was first learning to scuba dive with my dad. He had a boating business and he needed me to learn so I could clean the prop of the boats. Glamorous.
Luckily I loved snorkeling and wanted to scuba dive so I was game.
These days, PADI is cracking down and I could no longer just go along with the Advanced divers. I needed that certification to do the dives I wanted to do.
But I didn’t think I could successfully complete the Advanced certification because of the math involved with underwater navigation, and calculating my deep dives. Plus I am rather claustrophobic at times and being in tight spaces underwater was never a goal!
But wreck diving was a part of the itinerary on the Navis 1, so it was going to be a part of my training. Along with Deep Water Diving, Navigation, and Night Dives. I also elected to do Fish Identification cause it sounded fun and I love knowing the names of things.
So I sat there, during the briefing, with the other 12 divers (all with serious diving cred) and wondered how I was going to manage. My hip replacement was only 3.5 months ago. I was unsteady, not very strong yet, and out of shape. This was undermining my confidence, big time. I have always been active and strong. But now I only felt vulnerable.
So I asked my deepest self “How am I going to do this? What do I need?”
The answer popped into my mind: “ACCEPTANCE”.
Weird.
But I have come to trust that inner knowing. Even if I didn’t understand it at the moment.
Acceptance means to me accepting reality, what is true, and what is the present moment.
The reality was yes it’s scary, and my dive instructor was vastly experienced and confident I could do this. Glenn had been an Advanced diver for many years and had confidence in me. I was surrounded by excellent divers, all more advanced than I was.
If I got into trouble, there was help all around me. I was going to need to accept help! Not something I am usually cool with.
I have learned to be humble about what I don’t know, and willing to learn. Accept MY reality of this new hip, that will take time to get stronger. I cannot be what I used to be. I will be different, even better than before! Now, I needed to stay calm, and not put others in danger needlessly because I lost control of myself in a panic.
Did I really think I could not do this, that I was going to perish? No. So it’s a Dirty Fear. Just something the Fear Dragon wants me to believe to keep me in the Cave. Accept that I am coping with Dirty Fear. Breathe.
What often motivates me is having no regrets. Would I regret not trying? BIG TIME. I reflected on this. Could I be a bit proud of myself for even trying to do this? A bit, yes. High 5.
We listened to my dive instructor, Mark Frazer, give us the briefing of this first dive. It was a drift dive, meaning we’d ‘put in’ at one spot and the current would sweep us along this reef until we ran out of time & air was low, and then we’d surface with an inflatable orange tube flag that would signal the inflatable tenders (small boats or dinghy) to come pick us up.
I had done drift dives before, in the Red Sea, but not with an inflatable tender picking us up. We had a boat rigged for divers, and a fixed ladder. I was not clear how I’d manage to get into that dinghy from the water with all that gear. Well, we shall see!
I was using rental equipment, which meant it was unfamiliar and I had to adjust everything, every buckle and strap. Glenn and I are always each other’s ‘buddy’ which means we do checks on each other as we gear up to make sure everything is working and as safe as possible.
Glenn helped me stand up with all the gear on, which is about 40 to 50 lbs. The boat is pitching in the waves and the deck is wet.
Safety is key.
We were split into 3 groups, each with our own dive master. We were with Mark. And when it was our turn we carefully made our way to where the tender was waiting for us. The crew helped me into boat, which I really struggled with. Both boats are moving a lot and you had to judge the movements and time your step into the small boat. With all that weight and being unfamiliar with everything, I was very nervous.
We were all a bit awkward with this being the first dive. But my weaker state was alarmingly obvious to me.
The crew was going to get to know us and particularly me, as I needed the most help.
Glenn and I were in the top 3 oldest divers of this trip.
I really could not see how I was going to get into the tender from the water. Stay in the present moment. Focus on this moment and what I am experiencing right now.
Beautiful water. A wonderful dive about to start. Relax and breathe. I know what to do. Pay attention. Safety first.
The tender slowed and then idled into the position above the reef. Mark said “Ok! On 3. One, two, three.”
We did a backward roll from the edge of the tender into the ocean. It was instantly a relief. The weight was gone. I could breathe. My mask fogged up. Shit.
We signaled we were all OK. Mark waved us down. We emptied our BCDs of air and started our descent.
Already, it was beautiful Clear water, with so many fish, and a colorful reef below us.
My mask fogging was unfortunate. There wasn’t much I could do. Acceptance. I sloshed and cleared my mask throughout the dive. Not ideal.
But my ears cleared, and I was safe. Breathe slowly and stay calm. In the moment. Glenn and I followed Mark in a pretty swift current. One of many current dives we would do on this trip. The strongest currents I ever dealt with.
Acceptance. We didn’t try to fight the current. We flowed with it. Sometimes we could face into the current and slow ourselves down by finning (kicking the fins), to see something particularly interesting.
I became fascinated with what we were seeing. Time passed too quickly. After about 45 minutes we rose to 5 meters for 3 minutes for a safety decompression stop. Mark unrolled the orange tube flag and inflated it with his regulator. The tender came.
Oh boy.
The boarding procedure became clear and we’d do it 22 times. Hand cameras, weight belt, BCD and tank up to the crew member. Hold the rope ladder. Hand up fins. So far so good. Now haul yourself up the moving rope ladder which was about as helpful as climbing 2 sea snakes.
There was another rope we could use to further help your ascent. But I could not swing the new hip over the edge of the boat. I didn’t have the strength or flexibility yet. I ended up flopping into the boat with a lot of help, like a dead tuna.
Mortifying. Painful. Near tears, I again needed to accept it. That’s how I am going to do this. It’s ok. I get to do this amazing thing of diving in the Philippines, all along the Palawan Islands. With my husband, whom I adore.
Yes, I’m embarrassed. So what.
I’m also concerned, will I ever be strong again? Probably, but stay here and now, in this moment. I get to do amazing things, right now. I’m learning new skills even with a new, weak hip. I will achieve Advanced certification at 66 years old. My 15 year old self would be proud of me. Maybe even amazed.
I can accept that too! High 5!
Cheering you on to do the hard things!
(More in the Travel Article below)
Journal prompt:
(Each month I will give you a thought to fire up your mind. Use journaling prompts over and over again and see how the result changes.)
When do I feel joy?
Try setting out a logbook near your coffee pot or on the desk or nightstand, and every day write down something you noticed that caught your attention to what brought you a little more joy. What can you notice that gives you appreciation for the feeling of joy? When did you find yourself being fully present?
Do you resist doing this? Log that too. Ask yourself why. Stay curious and open with yourself.
Our Quest Travel Adventures
We recently spent 7 nights/8 days on a liveaboard dive boat in the Palawan Islands, Philippines.
Part of our goal in traveling the world is to visit all the extraordinary oceanic places we have heard and read about while we physically still can.
Last April, we were on an extraordinary boat on the Red Sea for a week.
This April we wanted to experience the Philippines. I found a relatively inexpensive boat, the Navis 1. It is a very ordinary boat. Not very comfortable (you get what you pay for). The crew made up for it! And the experience during the dives made it SO worth it!
I also elected to get my Advanced Open Water certification. I have been a certified PADI diver since I was 15, 1973. But I had never gone for the Advanced cert because I didn’t think I could do it! The math calculations were really hard. Underwater navigation was incomprehensible to me. And I didn’t really need it! The rules were loose and I had never had a dive outfit turn me down because I didn’t have Advanced on my PADI card. Until last year. The divemaster on that boat actually held on to me so I would not join the other divers, going past the depth limit for my certification level. I felt like I was 3 years old. And I was not allowed on the night dive, even though I had done them several times before. Enough of that!
I am SOoooooo lucky that my dive instructor turned out to be Mark Frazier, a hilarious Scot relocated to Coron, Philippines. He was patient and encouraging every step of the way. Being a stunt person doesn’t mean you don’t have fears. It means you find a way to deal with it.
A huge reason I was able to deal with the claustrophobia that can creep up on me was Mark’s steadying and calm influence. I knew he could help me if I got into trouble.
All the divers on board were experienced and helpful.
We chose 5 trainings for my Advanced course: Deep, Night, Wreck, Navigation and Fish I.D.
Diving that deep (100 ft) means you can’t just bolt out of the water when something goes wrong like running out of air. Which happened to me! Thank goodness we had just started the dive and I was only 15 ft down. A fellow helpful diver had accidentally turn my air off, when I had already turned it on.
I should have just buddy breathed with Glenn and he could have turned my air back on. But I was confused and didn’t understand what happened, only that I couldn’t breathe!
On top of that, when I surfaced and put my snorkel in my mouth, it was jammed and I couldn’t breathe through it either!
The cool thing was my whole group surfaced and checked to make sure I was ok. Mark didn’t shame me, he only said in a jocular voice, “I bet you won’t do THAT again!”
I had that experience and it wasn’t so bad. I learned. And we went on to have a wonderful dive.
Doing deep dives is useful for wreck diving and for seeing different creatures who tend to stay in deeper water.
I had not been all that keen on going inside wrecks. Being in a wreck means you can get lost, and it is pitch black sometimes. I had to get over my trepidation. If I didn’t, I’d have regrets. Yet listening to the briefing about this dive actually had me going slightly into panic and I had tears springing up into my eyes that I couldn’t control.
I practiced what I teach.
I stayed kind to myself. I breathed gently and slowly. I looked at my fears. While the possibility of danger existed, the team dove these wrecks all the time and had never lost a soul. The rest of the group was excited. I knew Mark or any of the other divers could help me if something went wrong. Glenn, an experienced Advanced diver, would be right behind me.
The biggest danger was my own fear. If I panicked I’d endanger us all.
I breathed slowly, stayed close to Mark as we entered the wreck, watched for Glenn’s flashlight reassuringly behind, and let myself become fascinated. It is incredible to be inside these old massive ships. There were the bones of a sea turtle, the view outside the ship, and going into pitch blackness through sideways passageways. Visibility dropped to about 2 feet as our fins kicked up sediment in the tight enclosures.
In one wreck there was an air pocket Mark had us poke our heads into.
Looking around the massive holds of the ship, seeing the other divers lights beaming around exploring the room was like being in an Alien movie.
I breathed slowly and managed a slight claustrophobia.
Glenn was shooting footage. I hope to post some on my YouTube channel so please subscribe so you will be notified when I do! Link below.
Spoiler alert: We all survived without a problem.
We had several wreck dives, mostly WWII era ships.
And I got my Advanced certification!
I am very grateful to my gorgeous husband Glenn, all the divers on board, the fabulous dive masters J.J., Jasmine, and especially my instructor, the wonderful Mark Frazer.
Go for your dreams! You are not too old! Examine those old limiting beliefs. They do not have to be true anymore.
Keep adventuring!
You can visit Marks page here: https://www.facebook.com/CoronWreckDiving
Subscribe to my YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@PatriciaTallmansMagicalLiving
Member result of the month – Testimonial
Each month we highlight a member’s result from my Magical Living program!
“Having done Magical Living last year, [the Power Your Progress Program] has felt like a more intensive, refresher course. Doing what we covered over the first few months of YoML in a few weeks has jump started my process. Taking longer with the self-reflection and honest appraisal of myself was more in-depth, and very valuable. The morning routine workshops helped me turn the corner, practical actions to focus my mind and body on what I wanted to do. Now, reviewing it at a quicker pace has made it more urgent, and easier to put the lessons in place NOW.”
– Edmund B.
Store
The B5Events store is currently closed for the sale of physical items, but you can still check out replays of our past events with my sci-fi alumni here: https://b5events.com/
My book Pleasure Thresholds is on Amazon! You can get it here: https://amzn.to/3TUBily
Get a personal video message from me here: https://b5events.com/store-2/a-message-from-patricia/
Our Magical Living special guest in April, Kim Rogne, has a book, For The Love Of Self: Reshape Your Perception – Reach Your Potential, you can check out here: https://amzn.to/3UlrXmX
Babylon 5 Series on Blu Ray HERE: https://amzn.to/3tDABnO
Babylon 5 : The Road Home (animated- various formats): https://amzn.to/47icXe7
❣️We get a little percentage from Amazon when you use our link for shopping. Thank you!
Stay in touch!
Keep in touch with me on social media by clicking the icons below to view my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. There’s lots going on, so make sure to follow/subscribe and say hi!
Follow my Quest Retreats accounts for travel updates and more!
Become a Talisman Apprentice!
Step into a world of endless opportunities!
Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey where the realms of Sci-Fi and Fantasy converge with personal growth and development?
As a Talisman Apprentice, you have a unique opportunity to build confidence, overcome challenges, and achieve success while being supported by a community of like-minded enthusiasts. Let me share with you some practical strategies that will help you along the way.
The Talisman’s Apprentice level is the perfect way to try out the Magical Living community. This is a way you can dip your toe in!
- LIVE Monday Meditations with Pat in Circle
- News & Updates with our member exclusive email
- Exclusive Magical Living Community on our private platform, Circle.
- The Gaming Guild hosted by Gamemaster Mike
- Watch party every month and voting rights for the next film or show
We look forward to welcoming you, Talisman!
Become a Talisman Apprentice here!
Who is Patricia Tallman?
You can learn more about me here!
Get Updates Every Month
Thank you for reading! If you would like these updates delivered straight to your email inbox every month, you can subscribe to the monthly magazine here.
Love,
Patricia, founder of Magical Living
Recent Comments