What about magic?

To answer this question, let's set aside the first definition that usually springs to mind: magic is illusion. We'll set it aside, for now, because that definition is correct. Let's look instead at the definition of magic that we WISH were real.

We would like to believe in magic as power. Power over other people. Power over illness. Power over circumstances. Power over nature.

I like to have my students write about their magical imaginings, because I think it's very telling what a young human mind does with this topic. Kids dream of all kinds of magical abilities: flying, immortality, super-strength, invisibility, and size-changing are the most-common ones they come up with.

Maybe you can remember when you were young, some of the magical wishes you held in mind. Maybe you can recall how these fade away as the 'realities' of adulthood begin to confront you. Not that adults give up all magical thinking. Even adults have superstitions, beliefs in the power of words, beliefs in the power of spells, astrology, earth elements, prayers, and priesthoods.

Regardless of the age group, or the form of magical thinking, what they all have in common is the idea of POWER. And, set in the ego framework, this power must be individual power. (Remember, even group thinking is still individualistic as long as it appears to contrast with the group thinking of another, separate group.)

Non-duality proclaims that Reality is God and God is Reality. There is no power other than God. Any appearance of another power must be illusion.

If we accept that premise, even if only for the sake of argument, we see that not only are our wishes, dreams, and fantasies in the realm of magic, but so are almost all of the aspects of are human existence! A human body flying through the air is a magical thought; but so is a human body walking on the surface of a planet. An invisible person is magic; but so is a VISIBLE person! The power to leap over tall buildings is magical; but so is the ability to leap over hurdles in a track race.

This world is founded on the assumption that magic exists, that there is power other than God, and that we humans wield that power.

This thought is false. This thought is illusion.

So, our first thought was correct; magic IS illusion, and can be nothing else.

And there is no escape until we begin to at least wonder if we could be wrong. Usually, the next step is just to substitute a new magic spell for the one that's been discarded.

But, with an open mind and enough experience, we begin to see that these various forms of magic are all alike in all crucial aspects. They don't make us happy, or safe, or satisfied. . . for anything other than short snippets of time.

Eventually we begin to see that the world can offer nothing, because that's all the world is: nothing. That's all illusion is: nothing appearing to be something.

Magic doesn't exist. We wish it did, though. And this wish is obscuring our Will.

So, what if we wished to stop wishing? It can be done. For most of us, it will take time.

But one day, we'll truly see that time is magic, too. And we can give up the illusion of time just as easily as all the others.

Our True Power can only be experienced when we stop wishing there was another power. When we stop desiring magic, we will see Reality and will see our inclusion in It.