Magic Is Play
When you were a child, you probably spent a lot of time playing. Playing, for children, has many cognitive and social benefits, such as increased confidence and self-esteem, higher levels of curiosity, and better coping skills in challenging situations (nidirect.gov.uk). When kids play, they use their imaginations and create magic. They are fully serious about their play too; they haven’t learned the concepts of irony or embarrassment and are therefore 100% sincere in what they are doing. They play and create like no one is watching.
Somewhere along the road of growing up, we learn about being embarrassed. We stop engaging in play because its “for babies,” and grownups aren’t supposed to play. The rich, fantastical worlds of our toyboxes and backyards become mere props and backdrops for our mundane lives. For many of us, we even lose touch with our creative sides; whimsical art sprung purely from the imagination is crushed out of us by a society that demands productivity and consumable “art.” We become mired in the expectations and judgements of others, and forget how it feels to wildly swing a cool stick around, fighting invisible orcs and Balrogs (ok, that was me, I was into Lord of the Rings as a kid).
I believe that this ties into several roadblocks people encounter when getting into the craft. It can even rear its ugly head for those of us who have been around for a while. We have been conditioned by our modern society to feel that magic is make-believe and silly. That only immature, naïve people practice magic in this day and age… because magic is for babies.
How many times has that little nagging grown-up logic voice in your brain said, “This is ridiculous, there’s no way this is actually real?” Even those of us with a very strong belief in our work have heard this voice from time to time.
OPINIONS INCOMING! I consider myself to be rather skeptical, as far as witchcraft and magic go. I have a strong science background and always look for the mundane solution or explanation first. But many experiences in this world cannot be explained by science (yet). I personally believe that there is something to the commonalities in many of the world’s religions, that there is a power in the natural and supernatural world that is beyond our human understanding, and that there are flat-out some things that cannot be understood as other than what they are (like that feeling you get when someone is watching you, the sixth sense).
And as I got further and further into my scientific field of study (ecology), the more I learned, the more I began to delve deeper into my craft. I know that sounds odd, but seeing the beauty and balance in a healthy ecosystem, or the persistence of nature despite mankind’s attempts to tame it and round off its rough edges… I recognize the deeper power there that is tangible and even observable, but impossible to explain in a satisfyingly logical way. Sometimes it’s best to just accept the beautiful and mysterious things in the world as just that.
I make an active decision towards belief and a rejection of the societal message that it is “dumb” to do so. How often is society right about what it tells us, anyways? I want you to internalize this starting right now: You have permission, and even an obligation to yourself, to play. To be silly. To have fun. It will be strange and even awkward at first. You might be concerned you’re doing it wrong. Whenever that nagging grown-up voice starts to pipe in, ask yourself, “Would a kid think this is weird or wrong?” Kids do not think about those things, they are always 100% in the moment. They impose their own framework on reality, they aren’t afraid they are playing wrong or that they have the wrong kind of stick for a sword. Approach the craft with this same mindset.
And this ties in well with the theme of this issue: a rejection of the hyper-consumerist mindset. A kid with a habit of creative play knows they don’t need that toy sword to play “kill the orcs”. The old broomstick in the garage does just as well. Kids are almost frustratingly resourceful with using what they already have or find laying around on the ground.
Your challenge, at the close of this issue, is to go forth and play. Go out to a park or secluded area (safely, please) and allow your mind to wander. What is the very first message from your intuition when you see something like a pile of rocks or a fallen branch (again, if that message is “there might be a snake under there,” listen to it)? Follow that message, let the impulse win this time. You will likely feel ridiculous. Laugh at this notion. Do it anyways. This is an exercise in letting go of that embarrassment and judgement and starting to lean on your intuition. It’s even better with friends. Begin setting an intention to play and have fun, and it might even begin to feel like you’re working some real magic. You are.
