5 Common Myths About Magical People

As a public magical person, I have observed some common myths about us over the years. Here, I thought I’d share some of them, and discuss why they’re not actually true.

1. We are anti-scientific.

Science enthusiasts often jump to the conclusion that someone who lights a candle to help manifest, say, a new job, must necessarily be anti-science. But this is not the case! Magical people almost invariably love nature and the planet, and totally adore science! Much like the great scientist Tesla – who was tipped off to the existence of radio waves by a psychic dream about his mother – we believe that our brain waves and personal energy have power. And just as research has shown at The HeartMath Institute, we are certain this power can affect measurable change in the physical world.

Science people, you may not admit it, but we know you know “The Force” is real…Well, there you go: so do we.

Do we all want to use science to build a bunch of non-biodegradable gadgets and create chemicals that poison our environment? No. But that doesn’t mean we’re anti-science. It means we’re in favor of sustainability.

2. We are anti-Christian.

Tell a Christian you’re a magical practitioner or pagan, and it’s possible you’ll get an unfavorable response. But magical people are quite often totally cool with Christ! In fact, many believe he was something of a magical person himself. It is true that magical people don’t always think of Christ as the one and only lord and savior, but that doesn’t mean we are against people who do. On the contrary: we are quite often very enthusiastic about diversity, particularly when paired with tolerance and mutual respect.

3. We are unrealistic or delusional.

You might define a magical person as someone who believes they can affect positive change through their thoughts, actions, and expectations. This is because, like quantum physicists, we also believe that everything is energy and everything is connected. Is this more or less realistic than someone who believes reality is “cold,” “hard,” and fundamentally disconnected from their energetic being?

The other day, I read this in the lovely bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic:

“Is it delusional of me to place infinite trust in a force that I cannot see, touch, or prove–a force that might not even actually exist?

Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say it’s totally delusional.

But is it any more delusional than believing that only your suffering and pain are authentic? Or that you are alone–that you have no relationship whatsoever with the universe that created you?

…What I’m saying is this: if you’re going to live your life based on delusions (and you are because we all do), then why not at least select a delusion that is helpful?”

4. We are always putting spells on people.

I’m not 100% sure on this, but I suspect a lot of folks secretly fear that magical people are putting spells on them all the time. This is a natural result of the fact that humans are a self-conscious species that mistakenly assumes so much is about us when it’s really not. (Like how we think people are listening to us chew or thinking something about our outfit, while they’re busy worrying about how their own chewing sounds or outfit looks.)

The truth is that most of the time, we magical folk are putting spells on ourselves. Because positive vibrations draw positive conditions, romantic vibrations draw romantic conditions, and abundant vibrations draw abundant conditions, we are in the business of shifting our own vibration so that we can attract that which we desire.

Besides, wise magical folk know that – because what we send out energetically always comes back to us in some equal (but not identical) form – putting spells on other people is never a good idea. It’s like throwing a rock straight up in the sky. It’s just a matter of time before it falls right back on you.

5. We all subscribe to the same beliefs.

It’s a little confusing at first to people who are used to a faith dictated by a single book or a set of ordained authority figures, but there is no magical practitioner who has exactly the same beliefs and practices as any other magical practitioner. That’s one of the most glorious things about the magical spiritual path: it’s a path we forge on our own. So just because one of us hugs trees as a meditation, and another lights a candle to Hecate at the crossroads every full moon, it definitely doesn’t mean all of the rest of us do.

Just like no two artists are alike in the way they interpret the mysterious beauty of nature and the human condition, no two magical people are alike in the way we celebrate it.