The Magician, Oil on Wood, 16"x 13" I need to say something about magic. On Christmas morning I was thinking about my own childhood and trying to remember when I started to believe that magic was no longer real. It probably coincided with the disheartening realization that Santa was fictional, and at this same time it was appallingly clear that adults actually do lie. Maybe some of you knew this already, you smart kids, but I was one who embraced naivety, or perhaps it was more like ignorance. Either way, there is still a sweet innocence in this place that children live, and I was totally there.
It may seem like a minor event compared to all that happens in one’s life, but when I think about it, it was a solid game changer. I humorously thought “fuck adults”, making us believe there is magic in the world, with imaginary characters running amuck through each holiday or event! The Easter bunny hiding his eggs, like why would a rabbit be in possession of eggs anyway? And the stealthy, winged tooth fairy, who manages to take your last fallen, baby tooth from under your pillow while you safely dream away, and sure, she always carries money in order to place it there in exchange. Were we better off believing in such things?
It may seem like a minor event compared to all that happens in one’s life, but when I think about it, it was a solid game changer. I humorously thought “fuck adults”, making us believe there is magic in the world, with imaginary characters running amuck through each holiday or event! The Easter bunny hiding his eggs, like why would a rabbit be in possession of eggs anyway? And the stealthy, winged tooth fairy, who manages to take your last fallen, baby tooth from under your pillow while you safely dream away, and sure, she always carries money in order to place it there in exchange. Were we better off believing in such things?
Mermaid, Oil on Wood, 12"x 12" Like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, obviously not a good idea, all things magical ceased to exist along with waking up to the truth that there is no fat, white man with a white beard and red suit saying “Ho, Ho, Ho”. He doesn’t sneak into your home on Christmas eve, whether you have a fireplace or not. There is no shinny sleigh with 8 reindeer prancing across your roof. Instead, your very exhausted parents or whoever lovingly raised you (if you were fortunate enough) stayed up late into the night with all the gift wrapping of plentiful, yet unnecessary toys and other goods, innocently helping to perpetuate the lie that they were also told as children, and all of this was ultimately to see your small faces and wide smiles full of the magic on Christmas morning. I think they relive their own magic in this moment. I know I did.
But it isn’t the fictional characters that make magic, nor do I hold any grudge or regret that my parents played along with the stories. So did I, as a parent. No, magic exists in our hearts. We are the magic, and we weave and spin it in our lives whether we are aware of it or not, through whatever we create on our life journey, especially when we do so with love. Don’t lose hope, there is magic here.
But it isn’t the fictional characters that make magic, nor do I hold any grudge or regret that my parents played along with the stories. So did I, as a parent. No, magic exists in our hearts. We are the magic, and we weave and spin it in our lives whether we are aware of it or not, through whatever we create on our life journey, especially when we do so with love. Don’t lose hope, there is magic here.
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
― W.B. Yeats
Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.”
― J.K. Rowling, Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl
Believe in your heart that you're meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
“I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.”
― Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
“Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.”
― Nora Roberts
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." - Albert Einstein
"Magic happens when you do not give up, even though you want to. The universe always falls in love with a stubborn heart." - JmStorm
“No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.”
― R.A. Salvatore, Streams of Silver
“I want to be magic. I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile. I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree. Or under a hill. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don't want to pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic.”
― Charles de Lint
“Magic's just science that we don't understand yet.”
― Arthur C. Clarke
“Hark, now hear the sailors cry,
Smell the sea, and feel the sky,
Let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic.
- Into the Mystic”
― Van Morrison, Lit Up Inside: Selected Lyrics
Fly, Oil on Wood, 12"x 12"
RSS Feed