bra-ca-dabra... Gilli...Gilli...Goo, familiar words right from our childhood days ! These words spin magic and do so quite literally as these are words from the magic kingdom. Magic is something that has a cure for all ailments. We are happy to live in a magical world as it makes us feel happy and secure with everything in it's right place and with no worries around the corner.



So, what can we say is magic ? Is it a sleight of hand... an actual disappearance... an illusion or some hypnotic energy that grips us at that moment. Magic can be a term that can be related to any paranormal, mystical or supernatural practice or may be simple illusions that transport a person into a made up world. Often in a magical performance, we see the magician sawing a lady into half, made things disappear in random and got them back from the audience. Are we really believing what is happening in front of our eyes ? Don't we all gape when the lady is cut... expecting to find blood spurting out any moment. But, nothing happens and we clap our hands delightedly. This is nothing but 'suspension of belief' and is a term that is quite commonly used in magic. According to the practitioners of magic or should we say those who study the art of magic, magic is an art that comes from deep within the human soul. It draws reserves from the human subconsciousness and spins out unbelievable possibilities to explore and see and imagine.

Magic is something that has in itself the power to hold the attention of people anytime. There are very few instances where the magician fails to sway the audience with his or her repertoire of tricks and illusions. The concept of magic has always existed throughout the centuries. During the earlier times, magicians were known more as witches and demons as local folklore was filled with descriptions of things that had no explanation. Along with the existence of such mythological events, people possessing the art of magic were also believed to be representatives of God or the follower of Satan.

It is interesting to note that in spite of all this, magic enjoys a focal position in the study of science. There are different schools of magic that comprise of namely Traditional Magic ? where the art of knowledge is passed down orally over generations, often just within families. Practices of Witchcraft and Shamanism fall under this, often with knowledges of herbs and other remedies. We next have Ritual Magic or Ceremonial Magic, where a picture of a sorcerer is found muttering strange languages over certain symbols, namely the pentagon. Sympathetic Magic is something where certain physical objects, connected with any physical being is often used by the magician for intended purposes. We also have Religious Magic, mainly of prayers and Chaos Magic which is related to simple scientific experiments.

No matter what kind of magic it is and is practiced by what school or thought, normal human interpretation of magic is best suited for us. Magic for us is the simple art of making things disappear in thin air and getting them back from the most unexpected of places. Fantasy, mixed with the unbelieving is what keeps us glued to the seats. Right from childhood to adulthood, humans have a tendency to believe what is put in front of them as true, in spite of knowing that it is humanely impossible. But, aren't we just happy in believing in the impossible ? So, with all the intricate matters of the mind and the exhausting matters of every day life, it is necessary to believe in certain illusions and to keep the magic flowing ! It is important to have a faith in the impossible to make life possible as so long you don't go looking for answers, you are bound to stay in a state of euphoria !