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When I was a schoolgirl, one of my favorite novels was the “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling. I loved how flawlessly and perfectly Rowling had created a surreal world that was so real at the same time, with the most exciting stories and adventure within it; it was satisfying for me to allow my imagination to roam and wonder beyond my rigid school education, the limited society beliefs and my cultural behaviors; that someday, there would be a mysterious person showed up at my door, in this world but not of this world, taking me to somewhere exciting and adventurous, where I truly belonged.
I loved writing novels ever since I was 13. Besides most of what I wrote, which was sarcastic novels about what I disagreed with what I was taught (and by imagining them being published, and seeing the faces of my teachers reading my compositions brought me immense satisfaction), I also loved to create an imaginary world on paper, where I could be more than who I was, more than a schoolgirl.
Haven’t all of us had at least once, hoped we were someone more than who we were, that life could be more than how it had been. Aren’t most of us intrigued with magic, mysteries, adventures, fantasies or even just things we were taught as impossible? How many of us, when we were little, wished that we were the hero that killed the dragon and saved the beautiful princess, Doris in the kingdom of OZ, one of the three musketeers or Merlin? If Hogwarts were real, how many of us would wish it to be our school? If Avatar were real, how many of us would love to go for a visit?
Just around the corner of our hearts, we know that there is something more to experience. A place inside yearning for “magic” – the word we created to include all the greatest Joy, Love, adventure and excitement. Children believe in magic because they experience it; adults don’t believe in magic simply because they forgot how to experience it. But yet, again and again, those “imaginary” movies and stories makes us smile, because they resonate with what our hearts knows is real.
What I am talking here is not about making object fly around or turning water into wine… although I believe this is possible. But I am (and believe you at least once are, too) attracted to the spirit behind the scene. Walking out of the dark cupboard under the stairs to the open sunshine, open up an old wardrobe and finding the secret kingdom of magic, or even just walking bravely following the dream, no matter what our parents, society, culture tells us we should do, then we become someone greater than we thought we could be; happens a lot in the movies, doesn’t it?
Yet, we don’t need movies or story books to create a space where we could allow ourselves to be free from the old behavior patterns and beliefs temporarily to experience a taste of magic; our hearts desire to experience something more exciting and adventurous, desire to live life in its fullest potential – and it is possible.
When I was a stressful school student way back in time, I would spend hours, lost myself in imaginary fantasy in my mind, because it was the only way I knew to comfort myself and ease my pain, which I believed was caused by this boring, hopeless “reality world”.
But now I know that the magic world is not in somewhere else far, far away; it is everywhere. As we gently put our attention on the source of all magic – the silence – and life becomes magic itself. It has always been; only when we believe that magic is somewhere else that it would appears to be so, but not actually so.
Magic -- the word created to explain anything that could never be explained; a word to describe possibility among impossibilities; a concept to replace all the rest of the infinity of the universe that is incomprehensible for the level of the mind.
The word we created to include all the greatest Joy, Love, adventure and excitement that seemingly impossible for so-called “reality”.
The word we use to allow our attention go beyond the limited boundaries that we tied to ourselves, to go beyond that false belief of impossibility.
And one of the words we use to describe the quality of our true nature.
I loved writing novels ever since I was 13. Besides most of what I wrote, which was sarcastic novels about what I disagreed with what I was taught (and by imagining them being published, and seeing the faces of my teachers reading my compositions brought me immense satisfaction), I also loved to create an imaginary world on paper, where I could be more than who I was, more than a schoolgirl.
Haven’t all of us had at least once, hoped we were someone more than who we were, that life could be more than how it had been. Aren’t most of us intrigued with magic, mysteries, adventures, fantasies or even just things we were taught as impossible? How many of us, when we were little, wished that we were the hero that killed the dragon and saved the beautiful princess, Doris in the kingdom of OZ, one of the three musketeers or Merlin? If Hogwarts were real, how many of us would wish it to be our school? If Avatar were real, how many of us would love to go for a visit?
Just around the corner of our hearts, we know that there is something more to experience. A place inside yearning for “magic” – the word we created to include all the greatest Joy, Love, adventure and excitement. Children believe in magic because they experience it; adults don’t believe in magic simply because they forgot how to experience it. But yet, again and again, those “imaginary” movies and stories makes us smile, because they resonate with what our hearts knows is real.
What I am talking here is not about making object fly around or turning water into wine… although I believe this is possible. But I am (and believe you at least once are, too) attracted to the spirit behind the scene. Walking out of the dark cupboard under the stairs to the open sunshine, open up an old wardrobe and finding the secret kingdom of magic, or even just walking bravely following the dream, no matter what our parents, society, culture tells us we should do, then we become someone greater than we thought we could be; happens a lot in the movies, doesn’t it?
Yet, we don’t need movies or story books to create a space where we could allow ourselves to be free from the old behavior patterns and beliefs temporarily to experience a taste of magic; our hearts desire to experience something more exciting and adventurous, desire to live life in its fullest potential – and it is possible.
When I was a stressful school student way back in time, I would spend hours, lost myself in imaginary fantasy in my mind, because it was the only way I knew to comfort myself and ease my pain, which I believed was caused by this boring, hopeless “reality world”.
But now I know that the magic world is not in somewhere else far, far away; it is everywhere. As we gently put our attention on the source of all magic – the silence – and life becomes magic itself. It has always been; only when we believe that magic is somewhere else that it would appears to be so, but not actually so.
Magic -- the word created to explain anything that could never be explained; a word to describe possibility among impossibilities; a concept to replace all the rest of the infinity of the universe that is incomprehensible for the level of the mind.
The word we created to include all the greatest Joy, Love, adventure and excitement that seemingly impossible for so-called “reality”.
The word we use to allow our attention go beyond the limited boundaries that we tied to ourselves, to go beyond that false belief of impossibility.
And one of the words we use to describe the quality of our true nature.
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