Art and Magic

I love to read fantasy novels; epic stories about made-up worlds, imaginary beings, and magical powers. Currently, I’m reading a fascinating series, The Legends of the First Empire, by one of my favorite authors, Michael J. Sullivan. Yesterday, I came across this sentence in (book 2) “The Age of Swords”: “Magic is is merely a word to say 'I don't understand how you did that.'" I thought about it all afternoon. I wrote it down, so I would remember it and think about it some more, and here I am, the next day, still thinking about it.

Magic

Often, when I come across a piece of art that stops my finger from scrolling or my feet from continuing on my path, the first thing I think is, “How did they do that? It’s like magic!” It’s magical and wonderful partially because I don’t understand how it came into being. To be clear, I’m talking about a mystical kind of magic, not an illusionary trickster kind of magic.

Art and Magic: Sisters Born of Wonder

Both art and magic are gateways to the unseen. They tap into intuition, emotion, and even ancestral memory, reaching into shadowy realms that lie beyond the ordinary. In these creative and mystical acts, we glimpse worlds that transcend our immediate understanding—worlds that stir our wonder and curiosity. Art and magic are deeply intertwined. They are sisters, born of the same mother: wonder.

The Shared Alchemy of Art and Magic

Art and magic share a transformative power. Magic transforms the mundane into something extraordinary, bending our perception of reality. Similarly, an artist takes raw materials and shapes them into something entirely new, something that didn’t exist before the act of art making. Both feel like alchemy, a process of turning something ordinary into something precious. Sometimes, when I am making art, I touch that magic. I pass through that gateway and lose time as if I stepped into Tir Na nÓg, the faery realm, only to return to this world again to see that I’ve made something I have no recollection of creating. Every time it happens, I don’t know how it did. Magic.

“Magic is is merely a word to say 'I don't understand how you did that.'"

- Michael J. Sullivan

At their core, both art and magic operate on a sense of mystery. They leave us asking: How was this done? How did this come to be? For me, the answer often lies beyond logic or explanation, resting instead in a place where intuition, imagination and intention meet. I talk about this often, this intersection of intuition and intention. I think it might be part of the recipe for magic.

Bridging the Mundane and the Mystical

What makes both art and magic so captivating is their ability to bridge the gap between the mundane and the mystical. Magic suspends our belief in the ordinary, while art reveals truths that words often cannot express. They give us access to something greater than ourselves, a world of infinite possibility.

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way... things I had no words for"

-Georgia O’Keeffe

This connection to the unseen is where the power lies. In the novels I love, magic might be the hidden energies or forces that we’ll never fully understand. In art, it’s the ineffable quality that makes a piece resonate deeply, eliciting an emotional response in both the artist and the viewer. Art and magic open a portal to understanding our inner worlds and the forces that shape them.

Born of Wonder

Wonder is the birthplace of both art and magic. It’s the feeling we experience as children when we encounter something new and incomprehensible. Wonder doesn’t require us to understand; it invites us to feel, to be present, and to engage with the mysteries of life.

"Every time you call something ‘magic,’ you’re really saying: ‘You’ve captured my imagination.’"
– Anonymous

When we stand in front of a painting that takes our breath away or we encounter an extraordinary moment of synchronicity, we are reminded of the potential of human connection and the richness of the unknown. Art and magic remind us to embrace the unexplainable, to find joy in curiosity, and to believe—if only for a moment—in the impossible.

Closing the Circle

As we move through a world increasingly rooted in logic and reason (and, often lately, insanity), the gifts of art and magic are more vital than ever. They remind us of the power of imagination, the importance of wonder, and the value of exploring what lies beyond the surface. They show us that life’s little miracles are often found in the spaces we cannot fully understand. And in doing so, they remind us that we, too, are capable of magic. As we close out 2024, I look forward to living in that liminal space more fully and exploring the magic in my life.

Happy Winter Holidays to you all! It’s the most magical time of the year!