Everyday Magic: Your Role in a More Enchanted Life

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. ~Eden Phillpotts

What if there was magic in the world that was just out of your view? What if by honing your instincts and taking the time to look at life a little more closely, it revealed itself? The magic I’m talking about here has nothing to do with sleight of hand or pulling a bunny out of a hat. It’s about the magical realization that there’s more to life than what meets the eye.

On the radio show Fresh Air, author Amber Scorah once discussed her memoir Leaving The Witness. It’s about her life as a Jehovah’s Witness, a religion she left as a young adult. During her conversation with host Terry Garr, she was asked about her current spiritual beliefs now that she was no longer moored to a religion. Her (lightly edited) response was thought-provoking:

My spirituality is related to this kind of a spiritual feeling I think I’ve had my whole life, which I used to chalk up to being a religious experience. I think of it more now of as a spiritual experience. It’s just that there’s the magical all around us, and life is made up of these moments where, if you choose to notice them, they’re around you. And because those things, like the love I saw in my son’s eyes for me when he was a baby, are so inexplicable and transcendent, I think that they feel magical.

Finding the magic starts by looking within.

If we don’t see magic in our own lives, it may be due to the fact we don’t slow down long enough to notice what’s going on around us. It may be our human conditioning to sit back and wait for magic to happen to us, instead of realizing that we need to be a participant and part of the process.

In the new book In The Cosmic Zone, Madi Murphy tells us there’s no secret formula to making magic happen. It takes practice. We become more attuned to the magic in our lives, when we take steps to become more grounded and centered. This includes a daily practice, such as “meditation or prayer, daily movement, journaling, or affirmations.” These activities can help us better realize our inherent abilities.

Murphy believes that “magic happens when we show up, day after day, come rain or shine, and devote ourselves to being a good steward of our gifts.” These are the attributes within us that set us apart from everyone else and include the unique calling of our souls. Murphy writes:

In Native American tradition, they say that each of us is born with our own original medicine—something unique to us that we, and only we, have to offer humanity. This mirrors the Hindu and Buddhist concept of dharma, which speaks to the part we are each here to play in maintaining the cosmic order of all things. Simply put, we each have something unique to share with the world, and we are doing a disservice to ourselves and others when we do not develop this to its most exalted capacity.

Engage more with life to get more from it.

While this may seem counter-intuitive, this means finding the time to sit still and really take in the world around you. It’s during these times, with our senses alert, that we can find the magical moments in life that are key to our spiritual and psychological well-being. As Thomas Moore notes in The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life:

Those of us who have been brought up in a secular culture don’t realize how much our lives have been impoverished by the lack of magic. 

What is missing according to Moore is our inability to see “the penetrating experience that rises out of a world that is alive and that has deep and mysterious roots.” He tells us that to live in a magical world, “we have to assume the role of magician in our everyday lives.” When we live by magic, “we don’t try to understand everything that is happening and everything we’re doing. We allow nature to remain mysterious, but we tap into it to share its hidden powers.”

For you and me, this means stopping to take notice of the small wonders that are part of our daily landscape. With our lives in constant motion, our senses can be dulled by habit and routine. We often tend to overlook the subtle magic that permeates our lives. Moore mentions several magical moments in his own life, including:

• When I’ve been away on a trip, the road near my house appears as a true friend.

• The tree just outside my kitchen window is a good companion as I wash dishes.

• The birds with their outrageous colors and habits, their cries and swoops, the acrobatic way of animating the sky, their songs and chants.

Another magical way to look at life: with Awe.

In the book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform your Life, Dacher Keltner describes the magical feeling of awe, or an overwhelming sense of wonder and delight. To find it, we need to approach life as a child might, seeing the world with “fresh eyes” as if for the first time. Keltner suggests we:

• Step outside and take in the vastness of things, for example in looking at a panoramic view or up close at the detail of a leaf or flower.
• Go somewhere new, a novel environment where the sights and sounds are unexpected and unfamiliar to you.
• Revisit your favorite spots if you find that they consistently fill you with awe.

Keltner has conducted studies that show that people who find awe in everyday life “are more open to new ideas. To what is unknown. To what language can’t describe. To the absurd. To seeking new knowledge.” He concludes that:

People who feel even five minutes a day of everyday awe are more curious about art, music, poetry, new scientific discoveries, philosophy, and questions about life and death. They feel more comfortable with mysteries, with that which cannot be explained.

Ultimately, finding magic isn’t a trick to be performed or a secret formula to be memorized. It’s a profound way to engage with existence. When we embrace a daily practice of introspection, and actively participate in the tapestry of life, we sharpen our wits. We are able to perceive the deeply enriching magic that patiently awaits—not  just just beyond our view, but within our grasp.