We had the chance to have an interesting conversation with “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes” author Baisakhi Saha. Sharing the lively conversation we had:

1. Akhila Saroha: If you were to describe your book “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes” in a few words without giving any spoilers, what would those words be? 

Baisakhi Saha: An experiential documentation of how to transcend the ordinary into extraordinary outcomes in alignment with our desires, Life Is Abracadabra is peppered with true anecdotes of hope and faith, of magical coincidences and miracles—they are the strangest of stories, however, the most extraordinary stories are often the true ones. 

There you go! Did I give away any spoilers? I hope not. 😀

2. Akhila Saroha: What advice would you give to budding writers who may be planning to write in the same genre as “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes”?

Baisakhi Saha: Trusting in your journey is the biggest key to unlocking the most difficult of doors, because doubts would always creep in… am I doing it right? Am I going crazy? What will others think? Now, there will always be those naysayers of society who will judge and criticize you. I remember, when I had started writing this book, a friend had asked me: Why would anyone want to read your stories? Had I listened to her, I’d have never penned this book. And look, now, the whole world is reading and loving my stories! You cannot let doubts spoil what could be your most creative endeavor. And here’s the thing: there is no right way to do anything. There’s only the way you are doing it. So, go ahead and create your masterpiece. And don’t worry about not being perfect. What is perfect anyway? What is perfect for one person may be full of flaws for another! So, who is to judge what is perfect and what is not? Perfection is merely another word for procrastination. Maybe the definition of perfection is to actually get something done. All creative endeavors call for the creator’s commitment and willingness to see the task through. So, get rid of the doubt and ride the winds of victory! 

3. Akhila Saroha: Do you think you have conveyed all you had in mind through “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes” or do you feel that there is more to come from your pen on the same subject that the book explores? How much research/revisions it took to write the book before you approved the final draft?

Baisakhi Saha: Well I have captured a journey spanning over two decades into less than three hundred pages. So, literally it is just the tip of the iceberg. And there’s always more… more where that came from! In fact, I could write an entire encyclopedia just on the topic of synchronicity—the central theme of my book! And if I had elaborated on the synchronistic elements in each chapter, it would have become a mega saga rather than a short non-fiction book. But that would have defeated the purpose of writing the book. My intention right from start was to convey its message to as many and as succinctly as possible so that any layman could understand. So, I composed my most magical experiences into 21 short stories that will more or less give the reader a true picture of the entirety of the journey. That said, I have intentions of making this an abracadabra series in the near future. 

As for revisions, having been an English teacher for several years in Latin America, I scrutinized the text for grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, semantics and language errors over and over again; I read and re-read then read it some more to polish the draft. Even so, I kept finding something or the other to edit and bugged my editor to make changes until the last minute as the manuscript went to print. Haha! Actually, when I read other books, sometimes really famous books, I tend to find minor errors here and there all the time, which I wanted to avoid in my book at all cost—the perfectionist that I am! But I realized, at some point, that when it comes to a book of more than 80,000 words, no matter how many times you read or revise it, there will always be something or the other that could be written better or a missing semicolon you discover later. I remember even after the manuscript went to print, I was suggesting edits and my editor had to reassure me several times that it was fine and didn’t need more revisions! That said, in terms of content, we didn’t edit much because there wasn’t much to remove from true stories other than perhaps shortening the length of paragraphs by polishing the language or deleting redundant information. 

4. Akhila Saroha: The book may become a sensation in the long run. How is the audience responding to the book? Is it close to the expected response?

Baisakhi Saha: Whoever has read it so far has given me excellent feedback, without exception, be it an endorser, blogger, reviewer, or a general reader. Some have even reached out to me to share their reading experience about how beautifully it is written, how much it has moved them or made their dreams bigger and stronger. So, I know that the book holds immense potential by dint of the nature of the experiences shared in it. I always felt that these were not just my stories but humanity’s stories—because if such magical experiences were a possibility for one person, they were a possibility for all of humanity. It’s only a matter of tuning into that higher dimension of reality and navigating synchronicities on our destiny paths. Besides, the book has already received many glowing endorsements from renowned luminaries and world visionaries including two-time former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Guinness World Records holder, Lonely Planet founder, international bestselling authors whose books have been made into major motion pictures, as well as prominent media personnel at Nat Geo, BBC and CNBC. 

And yes, it is the expected response. The more people come in contact with this information, the bigger ripples are created in our fields of dreams causing the expansion of our consciousness at a collective level. And the more that happens, the more magical reality becomes for all. 

5. Akhila Saroha: The book contains scenes that would make the readers emotional too. How did you manage to infuse them with emotions that still keep the text in the natural mode?

Baisakhi Saha: Well, tragedy always moves us to tears, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t say that the book is a blanket of positivity. Far from it, it recounts the tragic encounters, the failures, the pitfalls, the misfortunes, the challenges, the perilous circumstances, which make the account truly extraordinary. You see, it is not always about thinking positive but how to navigate any circumstance life hurls at us magically emerging victorious. And even if life is not always the rosy picture many visionaries paint these days, it is possible to find ourselves, for example, in grave danger then come out of it unscratched just by not thinking straight. Magic only happens to those who can make it real in their imaginations. That’s what makes this journey stand out! It shows how life has our back even in the most dangerous and dire circumstances, how mishaps occur due to the Lestrygonians and the Cyclops—the angry Poseidon we have set up in our hearts, how angels are everywhere among people who help us come out of stuck situations, how synchronicities carve our destiny paths inspiring us to live out our biggest dreams if only we would become aware, and more! Life can be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. Presenting the journey in its wholeness helped keep the tone neutral in spite of the emotional scenes in it. In the Afterword, the book talks about developing authentic confidence and awareness, cultivating a deep trust in life despite the dice thrown at us. 

6. Akhila Saroha: How would you describe your literary endeavours and all that went into your making as a writer before “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes” materialized? 

Baisakhi Saha: Well, my literary endeavor started as a child when I was a voracious reader and would pretty much devour anything and everything I could lay my hands on, except for newspapers! I always knew inherently that one day I would write my own books, but when or how that would unfold was unknown to me. My first book, magicNine -a true account of the inner adventures of a young girl to consciousness was penned during my time in one of the most dangerous countries of the world: Venezuela in South America, where I was experiencing intense signs & synchronicities as if the Universe was directly communicating with me and protecting me, so I felt impelled to jot them down. About three years into it, suddenly one day I had a strong impulse to publish my writings, although initially when the process had begun, I had absolutely no intention of publishing—I was just impressing myself in my own imaginations, taking my own breath away with my magical musings! But after publishing the book, my whole life changed and from being an English teacher at local institutions, I became an author and public speaker invited to present the journey in my book at prestigious venues internationally. Later, I also published a calendar and an inspirational journal in three editions based on the book, using meaningful quotes from magicNine and pictures from my live dance performances in Latin America made into inspirational posters and inserted into the calendar and journal. 

Then Life Is Abracadabra was inspired inside a dream, so I knew I had to give birth to it no matter how many obstacles came on my path. And my next book, Nrit -the dream of finding the self, is already written, which I wish to turn into a feature film post its publication. Another title in the making is: How to travel the world at the drop of a hat, and there’s also a TEDx talk of mine out there with the same name. I also have a bilingual blog on my website where I regularly pen interesting topics related to my work towards evolving consciousness on the planet. And that pretty much sums up my literary journey so far with hopefully more to come in the near future! 

7. Akhila Saroha: There are so many unique perspectives in “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes.” What was the most challenging thing about writing such complexity in a simpler version?

Baisakhi Saha: Since the book was inspired inside a dream, I knew there was a reason I was being guided to write it. Because when I awoke, I felt this inner voice telling me, “You cannot die with these stories inside you; there’s a reason they happened to you and now you must share them with the rest of the world.” 

Therefore, I had one motive while penning LIA: To bring its message to as many people as possible. Being an English teacher in Latin America for several years and having taught students of all age groups and levels of competence, I knew how best to reach the layman with short stories narrated in simple language yet delivering a profound message. Also, having lived across various continents I have an insight into mass consciousness, and how the average mind thinks and functions. Keeping these in mind, it was easier to simplify complex concepts and stay away from any flowery language, as my motive was to spread the word without the need to impress anyone. 

I have had so many uncanny experiences during my years of journeying across the globe—filled with synchronicities, magical encounters and meaningful coincidences that materialized impossible dreams, disentangled unworkable problems, got me out of inescapable situations, saved my life several times, and laid out in front of me a magical path to tread, that I realized a larger plan was unfolding for me, leading me and pleading me to live out my true purpose, and all I had to do was take the next step with faith and childlike wonder, plunge into the abyss of mystery and paradox, and allow the guidance within to reveal itself. Because it was the path of the heart that my rational mind could not completely fathom or explain. 

And I knew that if such magical experiences were possible for one person, they were a possibility for all of humanity. So, I compiled the magical experiences from my travels through Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, North & Central America into twenty-one short stories, and kept the language in the book simple and comprehensible. They are the strangest of stories, however, the most extraordinary stories are often the true ones. 

8. Akhila Saroha: Even though “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes” comes from a personal experience with a personal touch, it still keeps you as the narrator uninvolved with the text. How as a writer did you keep that detachment?

Baisakhi Saha: Well, I had only one objective: to bring the stories to the readers exactly in the shape and form they happened to me, in my reality. Of course, my own perspective is involved in it as I am the narrator, spectator and experiencer here, which will always make the stories biased in my favor, but that was the whole point—to show people the journey through my eyes, only then could they also perceive the magic in it. And so, I painted the stories exactly how they occurred to me and how the various characters played their part in my life to cause my personal expansion or what is called self-realization, which makes the writing unbiased from my subjective perspective, as I tried to portray the entirety of the journey as objectively as possible. Know what I mean? Oh well, I’m laughing now! 

To put it simply, there is no objective observation of anything in the Universe; the observer always affects the observed. You see, the stories in the book were happening to me and also through me. The path was written for me and I was writing it! The game plays the game, the poem writes the poem; you cannot separate the painter from the painting, the dancer from the dance. 

9. Akhila Saroha: “Life is Abracadabra: 21 Magical Stories from My Travels to Make You Look at Life with New Eyes” is an attractive, easy-to-remember, and catchy title. How did you come up with it?

Baisakhi Saha: As a child, I used to be fascinated with the word ‘abracadabra’ simply because of how it sounded, like some gibberish gobbledygook incantation casting a magical spell! It’s like you utter a bunch of unintelligible nonsensical words and suddenly something magical happens, just like I was experiencing seemingly random coincidences which turned out to be neither senseless nor simple, but life-defining in terms of their depth and meaning. 

And so, there is nothing nonsense about the word ‘abracadabra’! In fact, it has a much deeper significance than just unintelligible gobbledygook. It comes from the Aramaic phrase: avra kehdabra, meaning “I shall create as I speak” or “I create like the word” and has its origin in three Hebrew words: ab (father), ben (son), ruach acadosch (holy spirit)—encompassing the holy trinity! 

Trinity is the unity of the father-son-holy ghost as three persons in one Godhead, which basically means that all three are one in the same. Each of them has a role and exists as three entities, but they ultimately comprise one main entity—like facets of God’s existence which we experience in different ways. And although we think we live in a world of duality, it is actually the trinity inherent in all that is life! For instance, the following entities existing as the trinity are essentially the same thing in varying degrees of intensity and density: 

• mind-body-spirit

• solid-liquid-gas

• here-there-space in between

• up-down-ground level 

• hot-cold-room temperature

• masculine-feminine-neutral

• electron-proton-neutron

• north pole-south pole-equator 

…and so on! Every experience of life is defined in either of the two polarities or somewhere in between where the extremes balance each other out. And so, ‘abracadabra’ represents the holy trinity, making it even more magical than just how it sounds. Abracadabra spells the magic that is life, hence, life is abracadabra! 

10. I hope that the book breaks records and reaches more readers. I wish you luck with the book.

Baisakhi Saha: Thank you very much! I hope for the same, as I have big dreams for this book and wish to take it to the international market eventually. 

Knowing you as an Author: 

1. Akhila Saroha: What were the situations that led you to take the pen and explore your capabilities as an Author? Or, how has your journey as an author been?

Baisakhi Saha: Well, my literary endeavor started as a child when I was a voracious reader and would pretty much devour anything and everything I could lay my hands on. I always knew inherently that one day I would write my own books, but when or how that would unfold was unknown to me. My first book, magicNine -a true account of the inner adventures of a young girl to consciousness was penned during my time in one of the most dangerous countries of the world: Venezuela in South America, where I was experiencing intense signs & synchronicities as if the Universe was directly communicating with me and protecting me, so I felt impelled to jot them down. About three years into it, suddenly one day I had a strong impulse to publish my writings, although initially when the process had begun, I had absolutely no intention of publishing—I was just impressing myself in my own imaginations, taking my own breath away with my magical musings! But after publishing the book, my whole life changed and from being an English teacher at local institutions, I became an author and public speaker invited to present the journey in my book at prestigious venues internationally. Later, I also published a calendar and an inspirational journal in three editions based on the book, using meaningful quotes from magicNine and pictures from my live dance performances in Latin America made into inspirational posters and inserted into the calendar and journal. 

Then Life Is Abracadabra was inspired inside a dream, so I knew I had to give birth to it no matter how many obstacles dotted my path. And my next book, Nrit -the dream of finding the self, is already written, which I wish to turn into a feature film post its publication. Another title in the making is: How to travel the world at the drop of a hat, and there’s also a TEDx talk of mine out there with the same name. I also have a bilingual blog on my website where I regularly pen interesting topics related to my work towards evolving consciousness on the planet. And that pretty much sums up my literary journey so far with hopefully more to come in the near future!

2. Akhila Saroha: If not a writer, do you see yourself engaging in any other forms of creative streams? Which would it be?

Baisakhi Saha: Yes, even now, I’m not just a writer but also an international speaker, dancer, actor, performer, teacher, translator, traveller, painter, fashionista, basically an artist of the heart! I could pick any number of the above as my career, but at some point, I have to focus on one so as to achieve success in all eventually. So, that one thing became writing which I often combine with speaking globally as travelling goes hand in hand, and the other passions still continue on the side. 

3. Akhila Saroha: We all have personal favorite authors who even influence our writings. Which ones are yours?

Baisakhi Saha: Oh well, you can even read about mine in my book, Life Is Abracadabra. There’s an entire chapter about my mysterious meeting with Neale Donald Walsch, the famous author of Conversations with God. Another chapter mentions The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho. Then my book is endorsed by another of my favorite authors, the internationally renowned James Redfield for his books, The Celestine Prophecy and The Celestine Vision, which are all about synchronicities carving our destiny paths. And although those are fictional stories, inspired by them, mine actually became a lived reality. It is all just so mind-boggling that sometimes I found it hard to distinguish between imagination and reality, and had to remind myself that my experiences were indeed real. Because magic only happens to those who can make it real in their imaginations!  

4. Akhila Saroha: Apart from writing, what are the other activities you are involved in as a person? 

Baisakhi Saha: As I mentioned earlier, I’m also an international speaker and I lecture on a wide range of topics exoteric & esoteric, including sharing my personal journey with youths and adults alike, at distinguished venues worldwide in multiple languages, which involves a lot of travelling too. As a hobby, I like dancing, acting in short films, blogging and vlogging, fashion designing, and even painting sometimes. 

5. Akhila Saroha: If you were to sum up your writing journey in one sentence, what would it be?

Baisakhi Saha: I can write a really long sentence without much substance in it, or, I can write a really short sentence that tells everything about my passion, purpose, and personal legend! 

6. Akhila Saroha: How do you see the future of reading and writing since it has gone through tremendous changes from past to present?

Baisakhi Saha: I don’t think the concept of acquiring and sharing knowledge will ever change as long as humanity exists. The format may go through many transformations though, like printed books may take on digital and audible forms, wisdom may be encapsulated in short reels and visually attractive videos, information may be at the fingertips of someone pressing the google search button, but people will always be curious to learn more, know more, be more, do more, have more, in order to transcend their consciousness into higher and higher dimensions of reality. We will still read and write in whatever form is the trend of the present moment, and continue to do so until the end of time, even unto eternity! 

7. Akhila Saroha: In your busy schedule, how do you devote time to writing? Do you allocate a certain number of hours every day? Or, how do you manage?

Baisakhi Saha: I don’t write all the time; far from it, I hardly ever make time for writing. I only write when I’m inspired. And I do a lot of other things to be inspired. I spend all this time with myself, playing in my mind, fantasizing, imagining, day-dreaming, juggling with possibilities, that penning down my thoughts is actually the last step in the process. The beginning is always the dreams, the playful imaginations, the unconscious witticisms, the childlike curiosity that makes me want to create stories and scenarios in my head, most of the time playing with the circumstances and situations of my own life and creating my masterpiece by weaving all those elements into a story. Even though writing is a lonely hobby it can set our imaginations on fire and bring out the best plots to the story at hand!  The best way to enjoy writing is to be uninhibited in the mind. In our society we are governed by rules everywhere, and free expression is severely inhibited. That is why many face what is called a writer’s block. Because most people are too worried about creating a bestseller rather than focusing on the creative sparks of their soul. I bet if JK Rowling had worried about making a bestseller or how to constantly promote her book, she could have never given birth to Harry Potter. She had to be totally free and uninhibited by all these societal expectations, in order to allow higher wisdom to seep into her conscious awareness, which she weaved into her masterpiece. You see, how simple yet profound all this is? 

8. Akhila Saroha: Writer’s Block is an ordinary happening in the writer’s world. How do you overcome it or what do you do when you are going through it?

Baisakhi Saha: I don’t write when I have a block; I just go about my ways knowing if I don’t push it the inspiration will flow sooner or later. That said, I day-dream a lot, not because it’s necessary but because I enjoy it so much! So, I’m continuously tuned into my imaginations and it is during those moments that I find the urge to pen down my thoughts no matter how silly they may seem on the outside, because it is often those silly conjectures that create the best humor and forward the most interesting plots! Writing makes me feel so alive as if it is an extension of my soul… which it is! 

9. Akhila Saroha: What are some of the dos and don'ts you follow as a writer?

Baisakhi Saha: As mentioned earlier, an author must be free in the mind and not be afraid to express herself nor worry about what is acceptable and what is not. Writing is an extension of the author’s soul. First be wild, then be mild! What do I mean by that? At the outset, don’t put any barriers to your ideas, let the inspiration flow uninhibited. And only after you’ve written it all, jotted all the pointers, you start editing the piece, chipping away the extras to craft your art and give it a structure. You can even get it proofread by a trusted friend or acquaintance who can give you valuable feedback on the manuscript. But don’t allow others to influence your writing so much that you lose your originality. In the end, it is your creation, your painting, a projection of your soul, so make sure it is damn good! 

Inspiration comes in many forms: you may be walking on the road and an idea comes to mind; you may see a billboard or hear a song that can trigger a sensation and lift you from a stuck chapter or inspire your next plot or whatever it is, however it comes, just be open… don’t edit it in the moment because you might lose your line of thought as logic sets in and you dismiss what could have been your most creative pursuit. Don’t judge your thoughts, hints, hunches, snippets of wisdom and incredible imagination… because they are often what I call cosmic downloads i.e. your inspiration from heaven! So, just write them down. Later you can always edit, but in the moment an idea is flowing, don’t let your mind take over so as to rationalize the experience or hinder that sequence of inspiration. 

10.  Akhila Saroha: How was the book publication journey as an experience for you? Are there any guidelines you would like to share for aspiring writers?

Baisakhi Saha: Well, as I mentioned earlier, the book was inspired inside a dream while battling a life-threatening situation. When I awoke, I felt this inner voice telling me, “You cannot die with these stories inside you; there’s a reason they happened to you and now you must share them with the rest of the world.” 

And yet, my doubtful mind questioned the validity of the dream in real life. So, I wrote three stories and shared them with some publishers and literary agents to test if they would have any audience at all. To my pleasant surprise, within a matter of minutes, I received so many positive responses including a book deal from a leading publisher sitting right in my inbox that I intuitively knew my dream was guiding me to take the next best step on my journey to destiny. 

So, I compiled the magical experiences from my travels through Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, North & Central America into twenty-one short stories, and although the book had a lot of interest from leading publishers in India, I wanted to research the international market. Eventually, I found an international publisher whose Indian branch published it! I had secretly wanted Hay House to be my publisher and it happened, so I’m happy about that. 

But some dreams can take a long time to materialize. Despite having conceived and composed the book literally within a month, it took more than four years for it to be published. The reason being that I wanted to go the traditional route of publishing which takes time. Then the pandemic came in between and delayed everything with life having literally come to a halt for so many across the planet. Moreover, I remember the day the editor at Hay House contacted me to start the process, my father passed away, and I had to keep her waiting for months at a stretch, as I travelled from Costa Rica to India to sort out his unfinished businesses. And even though its publication was enormously delayed, I’m happy with the end result at how it turned out and the book cover looks stellar having received so many compliments from the general public. Finally, this book is dedicated to my father who did not live to see it come to life. 

My final words to aspiring authors would be to go for what feels right; don’t just write to make a living, but to make a life. “What’s the difference?” you may ask. Well, writing should be an expression of your soul, your art, your heart, your creativity, talents and skills. So, make sure you enjoy the process because that will be reflected in your composition, believe you me! If you don’t enjoy it, if it feels like a chore, then don’t do it. Because remember, the whole world will be reading it. So make sure, you don’t portray a mediocre projection of your soul onto the canvas… it has to be your masterpiece that you came here on earth to paint!