Friday, November 9, 2018

Do you believe in magic?



When I sent this topic to Ramana for our weekly blog, I neglected to mention what its inspiration was. John Sebastian, a superb artist, songwriter and musician, was playing with the band in a club in New York when he noticed a young lady  dancing. This was early in the bands history and he said it was like magic watching how she reacted to the music. Now, considering the time frame there could possibly have been some chemicals involved, but this song was the result. 


Do you believe in magic in a young girl's heart

How the music can free her whenever it starts 
And it's magic, if the music is groovy 
It makes you feel lovely like an old time movie 
I'll tell you about the magic, and it'll free your soul 
But it's like tryin' to tell a stranger 'bout rock and
 roll




My readers know how important music is to me. Do I believe in the magic of music? Absolutely.



Image result for last supper



Artists have been painting and drawing throughout recorded history. In fact cave drawings are the earliest form of recorded history available. From cave paintings to Dali and all others, art is purely magical.I suspect most people have an artist or two that cast a spell over them with their work.Here are a couple of my faves.There are art styles and artists sufficient to appeal to almost anyone.


Image result for van gogh

You say you like to read about magic? J.K. Rowling's best selling Harry Potter series of books inspired millions of kids to read a fairly complex series of books. But you re an adult you say? Might I suggest  Jim Fishers Harry Dresden series which I was inspired to read thanks to an email from best selling author Dana Stabenow - author of one of my favorite mystery series featuring Alaskan investigator Kate Shugak.

Image result for harry dresden

The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I'd say that qualifies as a sort of magic on the printed page.

Have you ever listened to radio dramas? Stepped back in time to those thrilling days of yesteryear? Give this a listen - and   while listening imagine stumbling across this on the radio dial one day in the 1930s and missing the intro.             


Magic? Considering the wide spread panic this broadcast caused, I would say this qualifies as magic.

Movie magic shows itself in many forms. There is the story - a well thought out story can enchant an audience, Then there is the most obvious form of movie magic - special effects. That form of  magic has grown in leaps and bounds since the early days and frankly often the effects detract from a film. Not this one though.


When special effects are combined with a fun story the resulting movie itself is magical - like Jurassic Park, my choice for the greatest popcorn movie (my term for a movie that is just plain fun to watch) of all time,  although Jaws will always be right up there.

Magicians have been around for centuries, These days they typically call themselves illusionists,, although those purveyors of close up tricks call themselves magicians. I prefer Penn and Teller for magic.

Penn and Teller have a summer TV show called Fool Us where magicians try to fool Penn and Teller with techniques and tricks - in other words, How did you do that? If you enjoy magic, coin and  card tricks, mentalism and even some classic magician stuff.  Here is a sample.


Magic. It takes many shapes and forms, and is not necessarily the same for everybody.. There are the wonders of nature, numerology,tarot, ouija boards, and what a good friend says is the magical way life unfolds before us. So when asked "Do you believe in magic? My answer is a resounding yes.

Be sure to check Ramana's Musings for his take on today's subject. 










4 comments:

  1. Wow! You floored me there alright Shackman. Some unusually deep observations built around your passions, music and reading and when you throw in other shows, it simply zaps me. Great post way different from my somewhat cavalier treatment of the subject though I did bring in music of not quite the chemical days but the Scotch days.

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  2. yes. I believe in magic. whatever the creative spark is that most people have (at least a little bit) that makes the rest of us blink quickly and swallow hard and think ohmygosh!
    Jurassic park stands out to me when on the dash of the car a glass of water is shown. the glass doesn't move. but the water in it has rings. it "feels" the coming footprints of the dinosaur.
    who then looks into the window of the car. his eyes dilate in the shadow and light. he's looking for his prey. no words spoken and yet that to me is the most terrifying of all. it was/is magic!
    I've never been a fan of illusionists. I don't even know why.
    just like art... it's as you say a personal preference.
    I love the painting that's the outdoor café with the lights and the Starry night! the work of a brilliant and disturbed soul. the magic for me would be to walk where Van Gogh walked and created magic just to be able to eat. and now his paintings fetch millions of dollars. time is relative as they say.
    and as a minimalist my favorite form of poetry is Haiku. and the ancient ones at that. but of all the poetry you could choose... I have always loved these lines...
    " Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
    I took the one less traveled by,
    And that has made all the difference."
    a great post Shack. just great.

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  3. You’ve suggested a topic quite all-encompassing.

    Given all the examples you’ve cited here, this is a much broader interpretation of what I think of as being magic than I have, but that’s a matter of personal perspective, I guess. My view tends to be narrower but guess magic’s meaning could be expanded.

    I definitely am mesmerized, drawn into a surreal world, with certain music, other inventions in the creative arts stimulating the senses. Could be called a magic, I guess. What intrigues me is how, why and what creates this experience for each of us — that some experiences we’ll share with others, but there are differences, too, that don’t elicit such similar “magic”.

    Mind-alternating substances of any kind from external sources create what could be considered a form of what might be called a magical reaction or state.
    But then, are the consequences of internal changes in the brain, probably chemical, occurring without some outside causing source magic, too?

    Is “magic” simply a term used to describe some unexplainable feeling(s) and mental state we experience — one that seems mystical (whatever that term means) ?

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  4. I hadnt heard of Fool Us. Its one I will watch - I like magicians. But I agree the Frost poem is even more magical. True magic.

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