Gathering the Magic: The Alchemy of Readiness

There’s a quiet electricity that comes before any real beginning.

You feel it in your fingertips; the buzz of something about to unfold. The to-do lists and logistics keep you moving, but underneath them hums something wilder: the sense that you’re not just getting ready…you’re becoming ready.

I used to think readiness was about having everything in place. The itinerary confirmed. The bags packed. The path mapped. But the truth is, we’re rarely ready in that tidy, confident way. Readiness is more alchemy than checklist: a fusion of fear, excitement and trust.

As I gather what I’ll need for Scotland, I realize each small act of preparation is its own ritual. Folding clothes becomes grounding. Choosing a notebook becomes intention. Even the hum of anticipation feels like magic collecting in the air.

That’s the real art of readiness. We gather, not because we’re certain, but because we’re willing. We prepare, not to control the outcome, but to open ourselves to what’s coming.

In The Harbinger, each character faces that same choice: to stay in the known, or to trust the unknown calling them forward. Their courage doesn’t come from confidence; it comes from movement.

Maybe that’s what readiness really is - motion in faith. Packing our courage alongside our curiosity, and trusting that the rest will meet us on the road.

So as I gather what I need for the days ahead, I’m reminding myself: the magic isn’t waiting at the destination. It’s here, in the act of becoming ready.