Earlier this week, I wrote about practical magic. One aspect of practical magic is the simple act of reaching out toward another being in generosity. The versions of this are as many as there are human beings, I suspect. Reaching out can be as sweaty and strenuous as building houses for Habitat for Humanity or something like that. But, reaching out as practical magic can be as simple and easy as making a phone call from someone you miss or haven’t heard from in a while and just saying: “I miss you.”
Reaching out can be toward people we know and love.
Reaching out can be toward total strangers and new acquaintances.
Reaching out can be toward beings who are not human: animals, plants, and all aspects of nature.
Reaching out can be towards our ancestors.
Reaching out as a form of practical magic begins with that space inside of us where we feel at home. You know the space. It holds the experiences you have had of all good things. I call them: generosity, peace, kindness, gratitude, joy, love, honor, awe, courage, compassion, help, health and wisdom. You likely have other words and more to describe that space. From there, we choose to share gestures, actions and words with other beings in the hopes of bringing about some good change.
With every act of this kind of practical magic, we are creating something new and good in this world of ours.
~Bob Patrick
I sent the previous post on Practical Magic to my nephew who is on the short list for a job engineering semiconductors for use in AI. The message about how practical magic can be super contrived or just simple enough to meet humanity’s needs was just the right message. The Intent is at the heart of it. If it is an act of humanism, , it will be designed and received for the betterment of society. I told him how glad I am to know there is a humanist in the lab, one who has grit but also integrity. One who can reach out to his co-workers and connect on bringing about good change.
Bob, I love your “simple” examples of how I and others can perform magic in the world.