"And so it begins…" is a line from one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Babylon 5. The line refers to the manifestation of violence—in the case of Babylon 5, an interstellar war—that results from events that already occurred. As a magician, and knowing that I have the ability to change my reality, I have to accept the notion of personal responsibility. People who do not have the magickal mind-set often look for others to blame for their own problems. Currently, many countries in the world are experiencing extreme financial distress. Some people blame "the government" for the problem. Frankly, I find this odd since many of the countries involved in this melt down are democracies.