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MAGIC: Manifestation & Connection

Writer's picture: Sandra BashawSandra Bashaw

Dictionaries and encyclopedias provide two basic definitions of the word, magic.

 

One: According to Britannica, the colloquial definition or understanding of the idea of magic is “sleight of hand for entertainment.” Likewise, the first definition in Dictionary.com is this: “the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; legerdemain; conjuring: to pull a rabbit out of a hat by magic.”

 

In short, stage magic. Illusion.

 

Two: Other writers define magic as the ability to manifest into the visible world that which originates in the invisible world.

 

“Magic, the art of sensing and shaping the subtle, unseen forces that flow through the world, of awakening deeper levels of consciousness beyond the rational . . .” The Spiral Dance, Miriam Siros, HarperCollins, 1991.

 

In his book, Everyday Miracles: The inner art of manifestation, author and scientist David Spangler describes manifestation thus:

 

“. . . the art of fashioning a co-creative, synchronistic, and mutually supportive relationship between the inner creative energies of a person's own mind and spirit and their counterpart with the larger world in order to bring a new and desirable situation into being.”

 

These latter definitions point to interconnection. The interconnectedness of all things is the idea that everything in the universe is connected and interdependent. It suggests that our actions have consequences in the world around us, and that we are all part of a web of life.

 

On a micro level, in the science of quantum physics, some researchers have suggested that quantum entanglement may metaphorically or literally explain aspects of human connection, such as empathy, intuition, and synchronous experiences.

 

I want to suggest that interconnection and entanglement occur when both musicians and listeners are deeply engaged in the experience of music – and especially live music. It happens between musicians as they are simultaneously playing the music and listening to each other playing the music. Then it can happen when listeners hear the music and internalize it in the moment. Both the sound and the listening are happening in the invisible world.

 

When playing music for an audience, I have had, and continue to have, the intention of bringing a “desirable situation into being,” i.e. the feeling of connection. Even though we rarely talk about it, our current ensemble, Puzzle of Light, has held that intention from the time we first started playing together, some 18 years ago. In our live performances there is a fair amount of improvisation: we are listening closely to each other so that, for instance, if John plays an accent on drums, Erich or I might mirror that accent with percussion and/or rhythm guitar. Sometimes it happens spontaneously, and I think this is because we’ve enabled a “co-creative, synchronistic, and mutually supportive relationship . . .” through our years of playing together. When it happens, it is a peak experience for us.

 

And while all of the above (intention, creation and listening) are happening in the invisible world, if we’re doing a good job the experience manifests in the visible world when listeners smile, nod, tap a foot, dance, applaud or otherwise acknowledge their joy/connection to what they’ve experienced.

 

So, I have come to believe that music creates the link between the visible and invisible worlds. It builds a bridge between those two worlds as it weaves a thread between the musicians, the sound/music and the listener. This is synonymous with magic, and informs my feeling that music is one of the highest forms of magic.




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