As Thomas Moore writes "The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life,"

"An enchanted life has many moments when the heart is overwhelmed by beauty and the imagination is electrified by some haunting quality in the world or be a spirit or voice speaking from deep within a thing, a place, or a person. Enchantment may be a state of rapture and ecstasy in which the soul comes to the foreground, and the literal concerns of survival and daily preoccupation at least momentarily fade into the background.

I am very excited about this week’s discussion.  I checked out some books from the library that I just can’t wait to dive into. One of them is titled “The Uses of Enchantment” by Bruno Bettelheim. It seems like this is right on the money with this discussion. I only wish I had read this book earlier.

I am a witch (in case you all haven’t figured it out yet). My journey into the witchy arts started when I was barely a toddler with my magical experiences. Now, I want you all to hold off on judgment until you understand what a true witch is. Hook noses and warts are nothing but the images of ancient church driven scare tactics. Witches, wise women, and the shaman all run deep in my family on both sides. One side of my family is all native American and deeply rooted in nature spirituality, and the other side come from the ‘old world’ where the medicine woman or “ wise woman” also called, cunning folk, held the community together by birthing babies, healing the sick and advising in emotional matters. The true nature of a witch has nothing to do with organized religion and it’s possible to be a witch and a Christian, Jew or any other religion. I personally believe that there is magic all around us. If you are drawn to something strongly and feel complete or whole while practicing or creating then it is indeed necessary to the healthy soul to not ignore your urges. As a small child I was taught to find the enchantment around me; watch a flower open, observe the clouds changing shape, and let the majesty of the mountains and oceans fill me with awe. My parents weren’t hippies (in the northern California sense of the word), but we did camp and hike often and my dad seemed to know everything there is about nature (probably due to his native American heritage).

I have a friend out in California that I consider my sister. We are both appreciators of the ‘witchyness’ of our existence. I have discussed with her on numerous occasions feeling incomplete and listless at times out here in Texas. Texas is a very ‘southern’ state when it comes to religious intolerance and basically intolerance of anything other than Baptist or Church of Christ. Even the Catholic church is subdued here. So… when I would love to be out in my yard under the full moon tossing resolutions into the fire- neighbors will talk and sooner or later I could end up with a cross burning on my lawn (figuratively speaking of course). So… I feel like part of me is missing when I can’t embrace enchantment in my life. When I vent about this we always come to a solution and I write something or I set out to create something magical. I will plant a new garden, or paint a new artwork or write a new story. It’s in the very creation of magical items that I truly feel whole.

There is enchantment in every facet of our lives and to embrace this is like a drug to the soul. When you feel love, or appreciate beauty and art- magic is at work. Look at the world around you with wonder. Look up at the moon and stars on a clear crisp night. Watch a little child discover something for the first time and see the enchantment shining in their eyes. These are the things of true magic.