Reverse the Spell: The Inner-Alchemy of Perspective

Because SCIENCE! (But mostly philosophy. And Memes. Always Memes.)

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All photos © Maverick Malone

Here’s how my brain works: I was writing a different article, googled a meme that I needed for it, stumbled across this one below, and immediately began writing an entirely new article because of where my thought process took me.

But I laughed really, really hard first.

Nothing is ever what it seems—at least not to me. I see the unseen; speak the unspoken; read between the lines and connect dots that I swear even my spirit guides didn’t know were there. So when I saw this meme, immediately my brain made the parallel of how I could use it to explain inner-alchemy, the process of transforming challenges, negativity, or “curses” into wisdom, power, and expansion.

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Story As Alchemy

We live by stories, and what we believe about experiences shapes our reality. If we examine this through the lens of the meme, it tells one such story.

Witch curses person → person (frog) is actually happier → curse backfires.

The witch represents the challenges in life and things we perceive as negative. Some difficult but totally manageable, some grief-inducing, and some absolutely fucked up (those are fun, said no one ever).

The frog represents mindset. If something happens to us that we initially perceive as negative, we have the ability to alchemize it into positive, to gain something from it, simply by making it mean something other than what we initially perceived. Easier said than done, let me tell you, and there’s a whole bunch of messy steps before the “experiencing happiness” part. Too much for a Substack post if I expect anyone to actually read it, but I’ll distill it down.

And because this is Mentally I’m Here, we’ll analyze it from the magical vertex where science and spirituality meet.

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Step One: Feel Your Feels

We can’t bypass pain (trust me, I’ve tried. It backfired, big time). In order to move energy, the emotions must be felt and then expressed. Otherwise, if we internalize them for too long, they’ll calcify in the body, and we’ll get sick. And die.

Don’t roll you eyes at me! That’s not “woo,” it’s science (with sarcasm).

Science explains that emotions are biochemical signals. If suppressed long enough, they get “stuck” in the body as stress, tension, and burnout. Those chronic negative emotions can contribute to disease by activating prolonged physiological stress responses, which contribute to increased inflammation and immune system dysregulation.

An easy way to think of it is like a trashcan (though hopefully you aren’t treating your body like one). If we’re constantly filling ourselves up with “garbage” (negative energy = negative emotions, self-talk, thoughts, etc.) and never emptying the bin, things are going to fester and get all kinds of gross. We have to take the trash out.

But how? We move the energy.

And there are numerous ways to move energy! Crying, talking, art/creativity, exercise, dance, journaling, cooking, making paper airplanes—I don’t know! Whatever YOU do that helps you move through difficult emotions is perfect. Therapy is a great place for the really scary stuff. And there’s also energy work like reiki, EFT, meditation and hypnosis. I’ve tried ‘em all.

It’s potions 101: you mix and match which modalities work for you and make that your go-to for when the shit hits the fan and the garbage overflows.

Moving through emotions helps regulate the nervous system and brings clarity. It clears space in the brain for us to then examine its potential meaning. And that, my friends, is when the magic happens.

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Step Two: Reframe & Curiosity

The brain is a magic wand. Once we’ve sat in the uncomfortable emotions and allowed them to move through us, curiosity opens the door and asks, “What is this here to teach me?” With self-inquiry, we can find the lesson; and with perspective, we can cast a counter-curse.

Perspective changes the meaning of the event in our memory. It becomes the new story we tell ourselves. It’s the way I exist now—nothing happens to me because it’s all happening for me, and from that tiny switch in prepositions, everything works to my benefit.

That’s a powerful skill.

With the right mindset and perspective, no matter what happens to you in life, you can use it to make you stronger.

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Step Three: Integrate

Our brains literally rewire themselves with repeated reframing (neuroplasticity). The more we practice finding lessons in challenging experiences, the easier and faster it becomes. It’s the whole “where focus goes, energy flows” thing again. If we place our attention on growth and positivity instead of its opposites, the energy transmutes.

Every cycle of this process (feel → move → integrate → new story) strengthens your ability to see the wider perspective and turn any negative situation into an opportunity for growth, because really that’s all “negative” experiences, emotions and people are here to do: catalyze our growth. That’s why self-awareness and critical thinking are so…well, critical! If you remain unaware of the world within you, how could you ever expect to navigate the one outside it, let alone change it?

If we use the story arc, it’s as simple as redefining a role. Negativity isn’t a villain, but a teacher. It’s Socrates in a dark cloak, lurking in the shadows; Aristotle in intimidating gladiator gear; Confucius in knight’s armor brandishing a sword. They’re not here to hurt you…they’re here to school you.

Qveen Herby describes this best in her song “Thank Goddess” when she sings, “Any adversary came here to enlighten me.”

What you thought was meant to hurt you, thwart you or keep you disempowered, actually came here to teach you and catalyze you to expand. And Qveen Herby’s songs are so empowering and many of them offer this reframe set to some incredible music, which you can even use as another tool for building out your empowered brain.

All words are spells, after all. So be conscious of what you’re consuming because the subconscious is always listening.

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Step Four: Become the Frog

The “curse” only works if you believe in it and buy into the story someone else may be telling you. Your “curse” may very well be your own mind, seeded with limiting beliefs and negative self-talk (been there.) The light in the dark is the new belief: anything can be transformed and you absolutely have that power within. You can alchemize it. But alchemy only works when you believe in your own magic.

Here are some self-inquiry questions and journal prompts to reflect on that you can use to build out this skill.

• “What’s the worst thing that happened this week, and what did it show me about myself?”

• “If I was the main character, how is this challenge shaping my story arc?”

• “What skill or strength did this ‘curse’ reveal in me?”

Through willingness to explore and get curious about our inner worlds, we protect ourselves with powerful magic no one else can thwart; that of a growth mindset, perspective, and storytelling that works to our benefit. Always.

And before long, we find ourselves like that happy, unassuming, tiny frog, perched on a lilly pad, knowing just how big and powerful we truly are within.

With love & hope always,