GEMINI: October 15-21

The word “abracadabra” is a spell that stage magicians say at the climax of their tricks: a catalyst that supposedly makes a rabbit materialize from a hat or an assistant disappear in a puff of smoke. It’s not real sorcery. It’s an illusion perpetrated by the magician’s hocus-pocus. But “abracadabra” has a little-known history, as an incantation real magicians used to generate authentic wizardry, that can be traced back to Gnostic magi of the second century. They and their successors believed merely speaking the word aloud evokes a potency not otherwise available. Try it. Say “abracadabra” to boost confidence and enhance derring-do. You already have more power than usual to change things resistant to change, and intoning some “abracadabras” may do the trick.