Typically, when someone mentions the word ‘magic’ one of two things typically occur. Some will roll their eyes and assume that magic is simply fictitious, a wild made-up notion that involves images of old ladies huddled around a cauldron plotting others’ demise. Alternatively, we can view magic in a more metaphorical sense. The idea of the unknown, an idea that may be lying dormant in the subconscious mind that only chooses to make itself known to us at just the right moment. It is unprompted and unaided by conscious thought.
Magic does exist. Even the biggest pessimist could see how magic has been accessed by humanity since the dawn of time. In our current society, we can see huge technological revelations that have shifted us as a species over the past few hundred years. We all know how funny it can be to get your grandmother the latest iPad only to watch her stare it agog that such a device could exist, lest she have any clue on how to use it! Going back even further, the magic of man could surely be seen if we were to show almost any of our modern commodities to people who existed merely one or two hundred years ago. A telephone, a microwave, even an electric fan. These things which we take for granted would simply be astounding to them. Of course, we can argue that this is simply a progression of science, and technical innovation brought about through the use of clear-cut mathematics and our understanding of chemistry. But are all these things simply products of logic and the application of known knowledge, or are they representational of something deeper?
In these times where we are so blessed to have free and easy access to information and to devices that make our chores disappear at the press of a button. Have we forgotten the purpose of magic, the reason behind innovation? Whilst our ability to deliver lifesaving treatments has perhaps saved so many physical lives, we have forgotten ourselves, perhaps in turn we have simply generated an epidemic of the soul. For if the ‘soul fever’ is real, then perhaps it is time we start to revere magic for what it is once more.
One reason that magic may have become such a tired term is that many people who choose to feel the magic allow it to consume them. When there is access to intuition and the chaotic force but no force driving you. Then it is simply potential. Without taking action then you are simply just as lost as the person who sees only logic and will only listen to reason. Over the past few years, there’s been a build-up of people who subscribe to the ‘abundance’ culture and those who believe ‘you manifest your reality’. When the actuality of the message of these practices is broken down, we can see how limited the individual will truly be. With kind intent, it simply breeds narcissism and puts the individual on a path where they unwittingly believe that they are playing God. That whatever they desire will come to them because they wish it so. Whilst they may also believe in synchronicities and patterns, they wilfully blind themselves from the bigger picture to please their ego which in turn further isolates them from the true connection which they have been trying to ‘manifest’ all along.
The true power of magic arrives in the presence of self-awareness without arrogance. We give ourselves space to notice the synchronized, signs, blessings, and opportunities, but we also choose to take reverence in its meaning and apply logic to the feeling to determine the legitimacy of the message. It is the fantastical and whimsical connotations of magic that have allowed us to make a mockery of it and to lose its true meaning. A powerful force which compels us. Magic can be the spark that ignites change, but change will not always be pleasant. If you want to truly feel the power of real magic, not simply glorified thoughts curated by your ego, then you have to be willing to feel the fire. If you feed the spark and it becomes a fire then you may get burnt. After all, once the phoenix fulfils its purpose and current incarnation, it rescinds to ashes. It has to die to be born anew once more. True magic creates worthwhile change, but you may have to burn a little to attain it.
So, as we begin to see how magic is the spark, we must also acknowledge how important it is for us to have substance and rationale for us to bring real change into fruition. A wood without a spark won’t burn but a spark without a substance to feed will simply fizzle out. In our modern society, we can see the disharmony between men and women becoming only more apparent. The number of women with some form of anxiety disorder, diagnosed or not is simply unprecedented. Equally, it would seem that the frustration and feelings of hopelessness that are being experienced by many men are greater than we have ever experienced.
In many ancient cultures it was noted that women were predominately the ones to connect to the ‘magic’ be it spirits of ancestors or messages from some form of divine being. I believe that it’s a mixture of openness and higher levels of neuroticism that makes women naturally more inclined to understand or acknowledge the ‘presence’ of magic. By design, women are vessels to create and channel life. For all humans, life is of a cyclical nature. Our production of hormones and consequently ability to absorb nutrients differs for all of us depending on the season. As we age often in turn we regain a childlike curiosity that was sacrificed during most of our adulthood as we focused on achieving and caring for others. In old age with the lessons we have learnt, we can unshackle ourselves from many of the pressures of everyday life, enabling us to open up our hearts and minds with greater ease. We let the magic seep back in. This process of growing up, transforming and evolving throughout our natural lifecycle allows us to have many rebirths and transformations between the birth and death of our material body. Women for many years of their lives have an innate cycle which allows them to quite literally shed away the old and be reborn a new. Perhaps it’s this innate cycle which contributes to a woman’s proclivity to recognise and absorb change more easily than their male counterparts.
If women are naturally good at identifying opportunities, threats and changes, then why do they have so much anxiety? For transformation to occur, even on an individual level, we need the feminine energy to spark the idea for change and our masculine energy to follow through with the action. Men speak action. It saddens me how profoundly popular culture deliberately slanders men and their ability to assert themselves in the name of ‘toxic masculinity’. Do we think we’d have running water in every home in the UK, that every person would have working lights in their house and someone willing to go down the drains and unblock them for you when they a sewage crisis if we didn’t have men and their tenacity to fix things? Because I’ll tell you for one, I as a woman writing this, I thank my lucky stars that there are so many great men out there willing to roll their sleeves up and crack on but I certainly wouldn’t!
This disharmony we seem to be experiencing as a society is only a reflection of the discord we are feeling within ourselves. Within all of us, there’s the inherent duality of chaos and order. One simply cannot exist without the other. As human beings, most men’s natural point of balance tends slightly more towards order opposed to most women which are slightly more chaotic. If we work on attaining our natural set point, instead of tending towards extremes, we will find it far easier to harmonise as a society and empathise with the opposite sex. We need both these dualities within ourselves and as a culture to thrive. So, let’s bridge the polarity between order and chaos instead of opposing them. Let’s respect the strong instincts and creative forces of women and let’s appreciate and admire the incredible willpower and ability to take action that men instinctually possess.
We can access magic. Some of us can discern it sooner than others. It is our duty as humans, as human BEINGS, to balance ourselves. This involves recognising our innate need to simply just ‘be’ from time to time. Magic is found when we stop trying to force it. Almost all cultures around the world have adopted some form of ‘magic key’, a way to give our minds easy access to the unknown. A way to shut down the ego and go within – a mind-silencing practice. Whether it is meditation, yoga, or prayer. We must humble ourselves enough to trust that whatever comes to us is the right thing without fear or judgment. Whether you want to call it a divine message or simply a deep intuition, it is the secret to unlocking a real meaning and gaining real guidance. When we take a moment to simply feel and observe, this in my opinion is when we’re most likely to get that ‘brain wave’ or notice something that inspires us which we wouldn’t have noticed if we hadn’t taken a step back.
You may have noticed that the word ‘inspiration’ has popped up multiple times. Inspiration is a word that often gets thrown around a lot but isn’t always fully understood. Pondering on it, it seems only natural that inspiration and magic are closely linked. If you’re a creative person or simply someone who likes to question; you may find yourself going through a phase of being uninspired from time to time. The word inspiration sparks a vivid memory for me back in my sixth-form school days (ages 16-18). As a class we were discussing our futures and a teacher asked one of my classmates what they wanted to do later in life. Their response is something I still remember to this day, “I am uninspired. You are yet to teach me something that feels worthwhile pursuing. Come back to me when I am inspired”. Even at the time, this struck a chord and gave us something to contemplate. But it is true, without inspiration we’re merely operating on autopilot. We’re checked out and there is no meaning we deem worthy of suffering for.
Let us find inspiration by connecting with one another and our surroundings. Great painters had muses, someone to evoke a strong feeling within them. Sometimes a feeling can speak louder than a thousand words. Surround yourself with people who ignite sparks in your mind and you do the same for them. Synergy is where many great creations are first conceived. We can’t seek inspiration, but we can welcome it with open arms when it arrives. If you decide to leave your mundane thoughts at the door once in a while, you give magic a chance to walk in.
