Magic

There is magic in our mundane little lives. Too bad so many people don't see it. But I'm happy to be your guide for a few minutes.

I attended a stargazing class in March, learning a lot about our nightskies before they got too light. It also clarified a few terms I've used in astrology, like sidereal time. I've discovered that most people don't look up any more. Light pollution can be partially to blame; you can't see much with street lights in your eyes. But mainly it seems that a lot of people just can't be bothered, just don't understand what's so interesting. They no longer know the name of the constellations they once looked at as children.

My stargazing teacher was apparantly a man of science: A medical doctor by day and an amateur astronomer by night. He told us about Bodes' Law and my mind made the connection from that mathematical regularity to the science fiction book "Calculating God" by Robert J. Sawyer (where science is used to prove God's existence). The expression on my teacher's face as I told him what the book was about, told me my teacher thought science fiction was rubbish. I felt sorry for him. He apparantly was not able to let his mind wonder and wander beyond what his senses could tell him. He didn't know how to explore, only to observe. You'll find magic, if you explore.

I attended a weekend class in reiki healing the last weekend of March. Reiki is a method of healing where you allow yourself to be a conduit for the healing life force that is found in everything. No hocus-pocus or religion, which was why I took an interest. But that doesn't mean it didn't bring magic into some people's lives: Several of my fellow students had epiphanies of various kinds, and the shedding of stress and getting grounded also let them see the world literally more clearly. One even said she was amazed at the colors she saw on Sunday versus Saturday.

Our thoughts are constantly somewhere other than where our bodies are. Once we connect the two, we can achieve a meditative state while still doing regular activities. Meditation is just another word for complete concentration. I'm sure you're already familiar with how time ceases to exist when you are completely absorbed in what you are doing. That sort of thing. And being present is also a way to find magic.

I experienced that suspension of time just a few days ago. It was a perfect moment that lasted more than 4 hours, when a friend and I decided to wake up with the birds. That experience was so special, I gave it its own page.

Matter has reached the point of beginning to know itself...
[Man is] a star's way of knowing about stars. --George Wald