Magic

What is magic? Surely it must be more than sleight of hand and cheap conjuring tricks. It has to be more than misdirection and tomfoolery.

Magic is much more than that. To think of magic as parlor tricks and alchemy is to belie the wondrous nature of its true essence. Magic is that occurrence that takes you by surprise, filling you with fascination and excitement. Magic reaches in to the child inside us and suspends belief for a moment.

I happen to believe that magic exists all around us. In that instant when a flower blooms or when a child runs towards you with their arms outstretched – therein lies magic. Two lovers looking deep into each others’ eyes see magic in their partner’s gaze. To become one with nature and the universe leads to a deep understanding of magic.

True magic cannot be created, bottled, replicated, designed or destroyed. True magic comes from deep inside us and speaks to our harmonious bond with the cosmos. It connects with us at a primal level. The intrinsic sense of wonder conceived by magic is as fundamental as our desire to fight or fly.

Magic has been a part of world culture for over five thousand years. It is deeply ingrained in every society, from ancient religion and astrology to modern day illusionism. Many have died for their art – the witch hunts of the reformation claimed perhaps sixty thousand souls.

Magic as a touchstone to deeper meaning is no longer en vogue, instead it has been replaced by science and scholars. In our quest for understanding we have left behind a way of life rich in ritual, exploration and personal growth. It seems to me that modern society has turned its back on something that could provide more insight into human nature than test tubes, telescopes or empirical reasoning could ever hope to achieve.

I yearn for the day when magic returns.