Do you believe in magic(k)?

There are innumerable quizes to take on the web. "Which color are you?" "Which dragon are you?" "Are you a redneck?" You get the picture.

The latest quiz I bothered to take, was the cynic test. One of the questions was, "Do you believe in magic(k)?". I answered "yes".

There have been books and articles on the nature of "magic" in our lives. The transcendental writings of, say, Henry David Thoreau, are one example of discovering the magic in our lives, i.e. the wonder that is happening right under your nose, in your own life.

There is also the claim that there is no such thing as coincidences. The psychologist Carl Jung went one step further and noted that people would experience "meaningful coincidences", like having been invisibly guided to the right moment or person or thing, a phenomenon he called synchronicity. (The link takes you to the skeptic's take on Jung's idea, so you can draw your own conclusions.)

In my world, meaningful coincidences are verifications of correct thought or desire. They are evidence of being on the right path, that previous choices have been the right ones for you even if you didn't see it at the time. (So a bunch of meaningful but negative coincidences should tip you off that perhaps you need to change course.) One question that constantly returns to me, is why don't I do things then and there? Invariably, a reason shows up.

My priorities when moving to a new town, are to find a dentist and a hairdresser as soon as possible. (Astrology: Capricornian Saturn (teeth) and Venus (hair) in 1st house, focusing on long-term health and bolstering well-being.) The dentist I found in 1982 was my dentist for many years. He sold his business to a woman dentist, E.F., meaning to retire, but died suddenly. E.F. was my first female dentist but she managed to pull off something I greatly appreciated and admired her for: She managed to talk me through the entire procedure of changing a filling so that I wouldn't need anaesthesia.

Unfortunately, she didn't stay my dentist for long. Her son developed a chronic illness and she needed to be with him. She sold her business to another woman, whom I've seen once a year for about 3 years. She doesn't talk much, and I don't feel it easy to talk to her. Oddly, she's a Capricorn and you'd think that would mesh well with my chart, but I assume she's hitting my Saturn too exactly to transcend the feelings of limitation and fear (Saturn's shadow side). So, I've known for a couple of years that I'm not happy with my current dentist, but just haven't gotten around to shopping around for another dentist. Until now.

Last year, a new dentist's group opened next door to where I work, and several co-workers have bragged about the service. Last night, I decided to call them today and see if they were taking new clients. I also wondered idly if E.F. was working again, figuring enough time had passed for her life to have adjusted back to normal. Today, I browsed the web pages for the dentists, looking for a phone number. Each dentist seemed to have her/his own phone number. Then I saw E.F.'s name. Indeed, she is working again, and right next door!

I called, asked if E.F. was taking new customers (she was), explained that I'd been to her before a few years ago, and now have an appointment for Friday the 13th (heh), listed as "previous customer".

So my not immediately switching dentists turned out not to be a matter of dragging my feet, but of actually waiting for the absolutely right moment, the right situation, the right dentist. How did I know to wait over two years? I can't tell you. I thought I was just procrastinating. :-) But so many times, my apparant procrastination has turned out to be perfect timing. So many times, I experience synchronicity, that bit of magic that happens in an ordinary day.

Yes, I believe in magic(k).

PS: For the record, the cynic test claims I'm not a cynic because I trust my friends too much. Stupid test.