I'd be amazed if you ever heard of such a thing. There's a story behind it, though. The best version is my wife Kathleen's, which she told on her blog recently. It's a cool blog, with stories about real life. These days, Kathleen has been busy revising her mystery novel. I can hardly wait to see it.
When she and I began our life together 14 years ago, I learned that she had this thing she called her karma bowl, so in the spirit of encouraging what seemed like a positive thing in her life, I gave her one of my Army medals to add to her collection...
Later, from time to time she would give me a champagne cork or a flower from her hair and say, "Here, this is for your karma bowl."
Well, I didn't have one, and she knew it. This was her way of suggesting that I should get one. At first, I just smiled with appreciation. I kept the items as souvenirs, but I didn't think a karma bowl was right for me. i'm not superstitious. I knew her bowl had no magical properties, except for her feelings about it.
At some point, however, I decided to follow through on her suggestion. Kathleen began treatment for breast cancer, a stressful time for both of us. Our strategy was to try everything that seemed hopeful.
I found a wicker basket and into it I put a couple of commemorative corks, a sea bean, a special seashell given to me by Kathleen, a toy dragon, a piece of lava from Maui, a designer egg given to me by a friend, an aggregate rock from Canada given to me by Kathleen's sister, a piece of calcified coral, a section of a tree given to me by novelist John Cheever, a brick fragment from the Alhambra, some dried flowers, and a few other items.
I've kept the karma bowl near my desk ever since. The other day Kathleen noticed it and asked me how I felt about it. I said, "I'm glad it's there. It reminds me of a lot of good things, triggers good feelings."
If a man has any wisdom at all, he doesn't turn his nose up at good feelings. But is it karma? Is it magic?
Of course it is.
Origin: http://witchcraftforall.blogspot.com
