Finding the love, peace and play in your life can be a challenge. But taking a lighthearted approach helps us open ourselves up to the magic that’s inside of us and fills our world. When meaningful lessons don’t feel like we’re working at all, we can make them part of our lives. And that’s the approach presented by author, artist, forest therapy guide and positive psychology coach Diane Pienta. A former businessperson whose own journey was sparked by a cancer diagnosis at a young age, Diane resolved to transform her own life.
She began exploring spirituality, alternative healing, herbalism, art, yoga and meditation. She’s now wholly devoted to Creativity, Nature, Community and Connection – always in the quest to share their power with others to experience joy, peace, and purpose. Her method helps us tune in to the inherent joy we already possess — but always with a sense of play, inspiration, and happiness. It’s all contained in her new book and Amazon #1 bestseller, Be the Magic: Bite-Sized Nuggets of Wisdom to Feed your Joy, Nourish your Soul and Open your Heart ( Citrine Publishing (February 25, 2023). Learn more at dianepienta.com, and find her on Instagram @dianepientamagicand Facebook at DianePienta
You write about leading a double life – a successful businesswoman by day, seeker of magic by night. Can you tell us a little about your personal experience, and how it led to your focusing on creativity and healing?
I’d followed a business career as a way of making a living, but my heart has always been drawn to the spiritual, the mystical and the natural world. It wasn’t until I experienced a cancer diagnosis in my early 30s that I gave myself permission to follow my heart, exploring and studying alternative healing modalities, herbalism, energy medicine, breathwork, sound and creativity, and metaphysical contributors to disease. I experienced how these modalities were healing chronic ailments that conventional medicine hadn’t been able to help me with. I found I was healthier, happier, and much more connected to myself and the world.
Creativity had this effect too. When we stop creating, a part of us starts to wither. Our ancestors made things every day as a means of survival. Today, these items are made for us. Making music, singing, painting, woodworking, sewing, writing, cooking, gardening, or any other kind of creativity can give us a deep sense of joy and accomplishment. I sleep a lot more soundly at night when I spend part of my day creating something, even when it feels like there’s “not enough time.” The more I learned, the more I wanted to share this with others.
What do you mean by “Magic” and how is that connected to our relationship and the universe’s relationship to us? How does tapping into that magic help us heal?
It’s said that the sacred is in the ordinary, and this is so true when we actually take time to pause and notice. The other day it was drizzling, and I watched rain drops in a pond — rippling out into perfect, sacred geometric circles. It was truly incredible, something I’m often too busy to even register as I quickly walk by. When we build our wonder muscles it not only opens us to the magic of the world, but it opens us to receive more creative and inspiring ideas. And this ripples out to create peace in our hearts.
The world is constantly sending us guidance towards our true path when we open our hearts and minds to see and allow it. Sometimes this guidance can look like roadblocks or obstacles when it’s just a really strong nudge to take a different, more joyful path.
An overwhelming number of people today say they experience deep loneliness and a sense of not belonging. When we can see the Universe as a helpful, loving companion who wants the best for us, we know in our bones that we’re not alone here on Planet Earth.We have a deeper sense of connection to ourselves and the world. Life becomes a lot more fun, easeful and. . . magical.
You share revealing vignettes in your book about times you experienced a sense of synchronicity. Can you talk more about the power of those experiences?
Synchronicity is the very language of Magic! We often dismiss synchronicity, as opposed to acknowledging a connection with something larger than ourselves that might actually be trying to get our attention.Developing a relationship with synchronicity can allow a deeper sense of trust. When we see “signs,” we can either dismiss them or we can give a nod to the Universe and say, “Thanks! I got it! So cool!” We’re in relationship instead of being vulnerable and alone.
And synchronicity is not always roses and rainbows. I’d been threatening to write my book for a few years but not doing it. I said to a friend, “I think I just need to have my plane grounded so I can sit and write this book.” Six minutes later my ankle was broken, most every plan was canceled, and I had nothing to do but write. It’s in these challenging times that synchronicity can be hard to see, but often provides the biggest opportunities.
How can people use the vignettes in your book to start and then maintain their own personal journey?
Be the Magic weaves personal experience with tried-and-true practices to help us shift into joy.We have a shared human experience, and you can know you’re not alone in your journey. Each vignette offers a different practice or perspective. Find the ones that speak to you — tune in and ask yourself if the practice feels like fun or like a “should.” If it’s a “should,” discard it. But if it gives you even a spark of joy or interest, try it out!
You can read the book all the way through, or you can follow one practice through a day or a week. Or, randomly flip to a page, asking what wisdom wants to connect with you. We need to hear different words at different times, and you can let your intuition lead you. However you choose to read this book, my hope is that it will help you flourish, thrive, and be the magic you came here to be.
How can finding the “magic” within help us heal and improve our relationships?
The first relationship to work with is our own spark of Light. When we carefully tend that spark, it often helps our relationships with others unfold more gracefully. We’re operating more from our spiritual nature, or Love, which gives us more compassion, understanding and tolerance.
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part of any journey, especially one filled with unknowing. What’s your advice for people who want to embark on a path of healing and finding joy, magic, and creativity?
Often we’re stopped by not knowing how to do something or how to achieve the end result. But we don’t need to know. Most often, we can’t know before we take the first step.
Take just one small step towards your joy. You don’t have to figure it all out at once. Just dedicating a few moments a day is the way to start. We can also do what we love for the simple pleasure of doing it — without worrying about a finished product for the world.
This was the case with my book. I had no idea how to publish and get a book out in the world, and avoided it for more than a year, but my soul wanted me to do it. I started writing a little each day, asking the Universe to guide my pen and the process. I trusted that the next steps would become clear when the manuscript was done, and that’s exactly what happened. It’s not always easy to trust the process, but just take one step and then another and you’ll get there.
Make sure you celebrate the small wins and savor even the smallest positive steps on your journey. Make it an active practice to shift from “it’s not enough” to “great job! — I did ‘x’ today!”
Surrounding ourselves with cheerleaders and supportive community can make all the difference. There’s an energy field in a group that helps us do more than we can on our own. It’s been said that geese fly 70 percent further and faster in formation than by themselves, and this is true for us too. If we’re accountable to others in a fun, supportive way, we’re more likely to take action.
What’s your advice for people who want to not just access their own magic within, but then learn how to incorporate it into their everyday lives and even workdays?
There’s great wisdom in the saying, “Let your life be your prayer.” Sometimes we think that once we’re “less busy,” we’ll have time for our joy. But unless we make a conscious effort to weave our gifts into all the moments of our one precious life, we can lose those muscles. Like anything, it needs to be practiced and exercised or it atrophies.
You can start by noticing, and asking: Does this situation, or my reaction to it, bring me closer to joy or away from it? How do I want to show up in the world? What actions can I take to bring me just two percent closer to how I want to feel?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Creativity/Play — Play or do something creative you love for even just 15 minutes a day. Not creating it often leads to listlessness or even depression. Make a list of 20 things that delight you and do one.
Gratitude — Noticing what’s good in our lives is one of the fastest ways to spiral upward and expand our minds and hearts. It also helps us to be more connected to the everyday people and things around us.
Nature — Being in nature is one of the most healing, mind-expanding places we can be. Just 15 minutes with a tree in the city can shift our bodies and minds.
Interrupt the Pattern — We all have repetitive, unconscious patterns. But we can expand our perspective and gain new insights when we interrupt those patterns.Try taking a new route, using your non-dominant hand, or skipping instead of walking, and see what happens!
Above all, give yourself lots and lots of compassion for this human experience we’re all having — which includes the complete range of emotions, challenges, difficulties, frustrations, and disappointments. Make mistakes, laugh, and learn from them. Recognize that we’re all here doing the best we can, and there will be good days and not so good days. Try to love them all.
