It’s hard not to believe in magic when you have the experience of mood shifts.
What can be more extraordinary and more magical than waking up one day, after a long stretch of struggles and pain, and seeing the world transformed all of a sudden into something positive and hopeful and vibrant and alive. This is about as close to a miracle as most of us are likely to come.
To have that experience frequently is to inevitably wonder whether the world is mysterious and magical and to begin to question the wisdom of ordinary logic.
In another post, we talked about ordinary change. A process that takes time and effort and involves planning where you want to go and making a commitment to doing what it takes to get there. The experience of magic makes you begin to wonder whether all of that effort is worthwhile.
It’s kind of like having spent a lifetime of hard work and then going to a Las Vegas casino and standing next to someone who wins the jackpot. “Was I a fool to follow the direction that common sense suggested?”
We certainly think that there is room for finding creative solutions to problems, solutions that are easier and more successful than everyday wisdom suggests is possible. However, we also know that relying on the hope of a magical solution is a common theme in the lives of people who are not particularly successful.
We can’t tell you how often we think of the phrase, “God helps those who helps themselves.” We’re not sure where that phrase comes from, but we know that it resonates with our experience: magic tends to go to those who are both open to the possibility of creation and innovation, but also those who prepare and do the hard work of learning and researching.
We suggest thinking of magic as a possible add-on (if it is white magic) or a possible challenge (if it is black magic) but counting on it is generally a bad idea.