Is there still such a thing as magic? Many denies it, others exaggerate it to insanity, and those left most possibly completely misinterprete it – include me here. Yet I believe. I believe in something that goes beyond our comprehension, something greater than ourselves and something that, sure enough, “science” might explain, but never truly do justice.
Do not misinterpret this magic to be about something silly like witches with crystal balls and chicken bone concoctions, superstition with black cats and salt thrown everywhere, in that nonsense about speaking to the dead on TV, or getting back at your ex with Voodoo dolls. I believe magic is, most of the time, something completely visible and as it is considered part of nature we ignore it because it is “normal”.
Someone suggested coincidence to be where magic lays. I could imaging it is in the creative art studio, in the untouched nature, at a moment of realization, or when someone does us a kindness we have done nothing to deserve.
For me astrology belongs to these nonsense topics mentioned above. I put little value into what the stars say about our future, what the alignment of Mars and Venus means for Capricorns, but occasionally I allow myself a moment of star-power-pretend when I see a shooting star. It gives a certain sense of calm to give in to something so obviously fake when it is so clearly defined. To surrender to wishful thinking not necessarily because you think it might come true, but because wishing allows for hope.
While shooting stars are nothing but pieces of rock and ice, they are still rocks that traveled in the wast nothingness that is outer space since forever. Rocks left as the dust tail of a passing comet, or simply space-junk waiting for our little pointless planet to collide with their dwelling. Then in that one unlucky moment they have the misfortune of hitting our atmosphere, we – the ridiculous human race, have a couple of seconds, if we are tentative enough, to witness these ancient rocks disintegrate in a fiery blaze all the time while wishing something ego-centric lasting but a fraction of the life-cycle of the sacrificed rock. All that time in hollow space, for a few seconds of passionate burning. That ought to in everyone eyes, if not magic, at least register as a incredible occurrence.
While I was in Brazil I saw one of these incredible occurrences. Following social convention I made a silent wish and surrendered to the calm of obviously fake magic. I admit it was a silly wish, but it was also a very honest one, and to my great surprise, my wish came true the following evening. Coincidence by all means, but that did not make the experience any less magic in my eyes. Of course all wishes comes with the bitter-sweet whiplash that “you should be careful what you wish for”, but that was a later problem.
Next week the Orioniods meteor shower is hitting the earths atmosphere, peaking on none other than my birthday. Adding to coincidence is that the Orionoids are the leftovers from the comet Halley that was last seen in our solar system in 1986, the year of my birth. Now in all honesty, I am not really a fan of coincidence, but I happen to be a huge fan of meteor showers, and my ego is apparently big enough to make me a little happier if I pretend this incredible occurrence is a birthday gift.
Now the question left to consider is: is this coincidence – this magic, the sign of divine intervention to encourage me to wish for solutions of previously granted wishes? or should I be reckless and ask the stars for something new?