I have always believed in magic. As a child I believed in magic in all the ways kids typically do. There was magic in movies and stories and playing pretend. I think most people would say that we lose this magic as we age, but for me it's only grown stronger.
There is real magic to be found everywhere and in everything if you know how to look for it. Our ancestors, millennia ago, looked to the night sky and saw magic in the moon. They saw magic in the ocean, in the trees, in animals and in elements. There was magic in the unknown and the unexplained. There is still.
There is magic in music and language and art and everything that makes humankind feel connected, together, on Earth. I know what you're thinking, that this all kinda sounds like sectors of science actually, and yes! It is! And what is science if not an explanation for how real magic works? Astronomy and astrology used to be held with equal esteem, as did alchemy and chemistry. Centuries ago, science and magic were linked. The telephone was originally deemed an instrument of magic.
Now, don't misunderstand me, I'm not talking about flying around on broomsticks or shooting lightning out of your finger tips as my definition of magic. I'm a staunch supporter of modern science. In fact, the more I've studied science, biology, and anatomy, and the more I've experienced the benefits of modern medicine firsthand, the deeper appreciation I have for the magic of how it all works. Rather than erasing the wonder I have for extraordinary processes, this scientific knowledge has only strengthened my belief in magic.
Even when scientists know how and why plants grow, I still watch my garden with that child-like wonder at how absolutely incredible each working process is. Right now you’re reading this and breathing. Living and breathing! This is the magic. It's the ability to sit and appreciate the smallest, most seemingly mundane thing as something incredible and special. It's the ability to see something ordinary and value it as extraordinary, enchanting, and mysterious. This is the magic I believe in as real.
The larger-than-life "magic" in movies has done a real disservice to the ordinary, everyday magic of ordinary folk experiencing ordinary things. And when I say "ordinary" that's actually a disservice, too. Is there anything on Earth that is truly ordinary? Isn't everything actually extraordinary and incredible simply because it exists?! My answer, in short, is yes.
This is the magic I want to inspire and share. Through art and word and photographs and making things with your own hands it is my hope that you will start to believe in magic, too.
-Ro