By: Barbara Longley
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the concept of magic. Not the "Las Vegas" illusion show variety, but the "really make shit happen" kind. Does it truly exist? Is it real, or does it only happen in books and movies?
Before one can prove the existence of something, that which is to be proved/disproved must be defined. What is magic? This is where the fun begins. I've done research, sought out the source, investigated the occult, shamanism and Wiccan beliefs and practices, all in search of a working definition for magic. In summary, and by pulling bits of this and that from a plethora of disciplines, magic is: bending the environment to one's will; manipulating the elements to affect a desired result; making shit happen because you can. We do this on a daily basis, only we aren't aware. It's magic, and we are all gifted.
In my upcoming release, HEART OF THE DRUID LAIRD (Carina Press/Sept. 2011), Dermot MacKay focuses his will to ignite purifying herbs and beeswax candles. He can do this in two ways: 1) draw the already existing heat out of the air in the immediate vicinity, concentrate that heat and touch it to those things he wishes to light, or 2) he can cause friction between molecules in the atmosphere, creating heat for ignition in much the same way that water molecules cause lightning.
Yeah, but that only happens in books, right? Wrong. How many of you have central air conditioners in your home? How does it work? Air flows over a condensing coil. The coil draws the heat out of the air, cold air flows through the ducts to cool your home. Magic.
I hear the mechanical engineers out there, the skeptics and the naysayers. "That's not magic," they say, "that's science." Hah! Scientists are simply modern day wizards with credentials. Consider the Internet, 4G networks and laser technology. Scientists have manipulated microwaves, sound waves and light waves, bending these elements to their will to send us images, information, videos, you name it. Magic.
Consider the "talk to plants" experiments from back in the seventies. Two sets of identical plants grown in identical, controlled environments. One set gets encouragement on a daily basis from the lab techs. They talk to the plants, touch them, love them. The other set gets sunlight and water. Over and over it has been proved that the plants who were loved grew better, were healthier, and produced better flowers, fruit, whatever. The lab techs (junior wizards) made shit happen. Magic.
We use only ten percent of your brains. At some point in our evolution, I predict the remaining ninety percent will have everything to do with magic. Some say the Mayan calendar 2012 thingie is not about the end of the world, but about a new era in mankind's journey. Some say it will be an ere of remagicking the world. Oh, I do so hope that's the case.
We already create our environments, realities and futures, we just don't know it. Magic is real. Disagree? Agree? Weigh in here, people.
Wonderful post!! I agree! I think we could do a lot more magical things if only we would realize it and knew how to harness that power.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Really interesting! Reminds me of that AC Clarke quote about how advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. But then would we still call it magic?
ReplyDeleteExcellent argument. I like this very much!
ReplyDeleteWell, "we" would probably call it magic, while those less open to the universe might not. It's all in how a person chooses to see things. What we perceive is our reality. Semantics.
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on what magic really is. I'm not sure where I stand, but I am a little sad that I only use 10% of my brain. No wonder life is tough sometimes.
ReplyDeleteTami
Yeah. Me too. I'd like to access that remaining 90%, because sometimes, the 10% I do have access to just isn't working! The definition comes mostly from the Wiccan books I bought on that "field trip" we went on while you were writing Bewitching the Beast.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I love the idea of magic being in our world. So disappointing when things have a rational scientific explanation
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Janni. Except for the part about "rational scientific explanation." Science has never seemed particularly rational to me. I think the most creative minds are rarely the most rational. No one rational would think it wise to put a man on the moon. The moon has no atmosphere. It's freezing cold up there. No one rational would spend their days coming up with things like string theory, or cold fusion, or performing surgeries with blades made out of light . . . Magic does exist. We simply choose to call it something else.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! A lot of science seems like magic to my non-scientific understanding. I like that there are mysteries in the world.
ReplyDeleteMy dh has long claimed I am a witch because whenever I will something to happen, it almost always does. I think the mind is a very powerfuul tool and we are only limited by our concept of what is possible. Now, why I can't seem to manifest that into being able to housetrain my dog, I cannot fathom! One of lifes mysteries, I guess. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought this post would be about one thing, but it turned out to be completely different! Well done! I agree that what we do today would seem magical to even my grandmother, who was born over a hundred years ago. She described to me things like the family horse and buggy, iceboxes, churning butter, washboards (actually she showed it to me, because she still used it), corsets (which she still wore), and so many things that seem so quaint these days. What might she have thought of iPod Touches, eBook readers (she'd have loved them) and that "magical" writing surface that I saw just today at Brookstones?
ReplyDeleteChristine B. Honey, your puppy has a "will" too. Hah! You know about Habits of Highly Effective People, and The Promise, and other information like that? It's all about will. I once heard that our lives our a manifestation our most innermost intent. Sometimes we are so out of touch with ourselves, that we don't consciously shape it. Makes you think. I'm a goal setter. Always have been, and to me, that is exerting my will on the environment. Makes a witch, eh?
ReplyDeleteTia, I had a grandmother-in-law who lived to be 102. We used to talk about the last Indian uprising!! She too lived in a house without indoor plumbing, electricity, or central heat. Can you imagine the changes your grandmother and my in-law experienced?? Planes, personal computers, telephones, cars, TV, things we take for granted. I can't survive without my cell phone, Internet, and laptop!! I could probably deal with an outhouse a lot easier than I could without my laptop.
I love theorizing about how to define magic, find magic in our lives around us, and imagine magic working in more overt ways. However, I disagree with supporting the oft-quoted myth that "we use only 10% of our brains." I asked on twitter about the origin of this notion, and @JaneKindred was kind enough to remind me of Snopes.com - http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percent.asp
ReplyDeleteCertainly various brain injuries and brain scans give us more evidence that our brains are endlessly active in various places in these skulls of ours. We're also extremely flexible when parts of our brains cease working and functions need to be relearned or rerouted. Sometimes, I think that our brains work *at all* is a form of magic.
And certainly some relationships and the way in which is can *Love* is magic, at its purest essence.
I'll go take a look, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI read the snopes myth buster about the 10% brain usage thing. It's reassuring, but now I wonder if the last frontier didn't just disappear. Isn't the brain still relatively uncharted territory? We can't possibly know what is held within those multiple folds, twists and turns, can we? Lots of progress has been made, but I don't think all the mystery is gone. Sigh. Ah, well. There's always fantasy and paranormal fiction!
ReplyDelete@Barbara -- Oh I'm not saying we already understand the brain, far from it! For example, I have a degree in linguistics. I'm infinitely impressed with language and how language affects the brain (and thinking, now that I think about it). I think there are folds, twists, and turns still yet to discover in brain function! And possibly those folded surfaces are where the mystery (and the magic) really lives! :)
ReplyDeleteI like that idea. The magic lies in the crevices. Hah! I have a masters in education. For you it's language. For me it's a fascination about how we learn, and how learning affects the brain. You'll get this. An extensive vocabulary leads to better problem solving and reasoning skills. Isn't that cool?? Thanks for the dialogue. :0)
ReplyDeleteLike Eleri I immediately went to the Clarke quote. I'm pretty sure we would still call it magic until we had at least some rudimentary understanding of how it worked.
ReplyDelete