I have been growing up with my children for the last nine years and they have shared so much ‘magic’ with me and they are part of the reason that I have learned to trust, love and open my heart up to humanity in a deeper way.
There is a contradiction that I have often encountered as I have learnt to parent concerning what is called ‘The magic of childhood.’ Many of us seek to give our children an experience of magic in their lives but why is it we seek to deliver trips to Disneyland, are not honest about who brings presents and queue up for hours to meet a Father Christmas in a shopping mall etc.
This has got me pondering why, as parents, we so easily fall into the behaviours of the generations before us and knowingly perpetuate the cultural myths of the Tooth Fairy and Father Christmas etc. as if there is no other way of bringing up our children?
The so called ‘magic of childhood,’ such as the Tooth Fairy and Father Christmas, pale into insignificance when we allow ourselves to appreciate the moments of true connection and joy that can be shared with one another.
The ‘magic’ of Christmas, Easter bunnies, birthdays, is big business, and many of us can feel the pressure to get the right present, to have everything perfect for these events in the year. And while it is fantastic to stop rushing around, spend quality time with people around us, have a party or share a meal, as parents is it possible that we can be somewhat reliant on cultural mythologies and savvy marketing campaigns to bring an element of ‘magic’ to our children’s lives –– but what are they really experiencing?
Could it be that ‘magic’ is right there in front of our eyes in all moments, at all times of the year? And if so, what is magic – and do our birthdays, Christmas Day or any of our cultural icons have anything to do with it?
What do we do when our child asks, “Did you buy this for me?” concerning a present under the tree, or when they are uncooperative one day and we decide to bring out the, “Be good or Santa won’t be coming” story… Do we consider what we are bringing into our relationships with our children when we do not respond to them with honesty? Could the words we choose to answer with, if not honest, actually begin to degrade the very sense of magic, wonder and joy that is naturally alive within every child?
I suggest that appreciating magic in our lives has a lot to do with appreciating the gold that is in our lives on a daily basis and being as open, sincere and honest as we can be in our relationships.
Feeling a sense of magic in life is very much about nurturing and keeping alive the innocence, sensitivity and openness that children are born with and which, potentially even into adulthood, we can maintain.
Is it possible that magic is everywhere – it just happens that we keep getting distracted by a false light because it comes with glitters and sparkles? Could that ‘false light’ be flashing at us like false advertising on a neon sign…. selling us short-term solutions and investments when it comes to the ‘magic’ of life, rather than us having to look with honesty at the cynicism, reactions and hard shells that we develop as we grow into adults?
Are we already clouded by a cultural idea that thinks that we can not maintain and live with a wonder and magic of life at any age? Is it truly a natural progression in life to not feel magic and become cynical as we mature?
When we reflect on our experiences, it is our relationships and moments of connection that have true meaning – not what we buy, do or have.
What maintains and supports a knowing and sense of innocence and magic in a child’s life (something we all know at the birth of a child) is when they feel they are seen for who they are and appreciated and accepted.
- Knowing that if they have a question to ask, they will know that their parents will answer that question with honesty, to the best of their ability.
- Knowing that if the world gets tricky and slippery, they have some open and loving arms to come to and be held in.
- Knowing that when their parents make mistakes, they can apologise.
- Knowing that they were born more than enough, and they never need to seek anything outside of themselves to prove who they are.
- Knowing that their parents are role-modelling letting go of their ‘stuff’ so that together they can be more loving, because living with love is more important to them than holding on to any ‘stuff.’
- Knowing that if they feel something that is not true, their parents will support them to honour what they have felt.
- That when they look up, and look at their parents straight in the eye, they connect and are with them in full – to the best of their ability.
The magic of childhood does not need to leave us in adulthood. It is felt through the quality in which we live every day, which can include:
- The knowing of the true light that shines bright within every one of us when we connect with each other.
- Exploring the oneness, wonder and expanse of the universe.
- How Love can be felt and lived.
- Appreciating ourselves and one another.
- Being aware of the natural order expressed in nature: the signs, symbols, connections and synchronicity of life. I observe this daily in the branches of a tree (how each one has its place in balance), the shape and texture of a flower’s petals, the people I have around to reflect something to learn and appreciate, the rainbow in a raindrop, the light changing throughout the day, a full moon, observing the cycle of night and day and raising my head and taking in the stars.
Being open to the wonder and magic of life as an adult is a way of role-modelling the quality we so seek to sustain within our children.
This is where, as parents, we have the opportunity to be a true role model, to live in the quality that supports our children, inspiring them by how we live responsibly and with care for our own health and wellbeing; by appreciating what is reflected in life and learning from it, with the understanding that this underpins everything we do and say. The old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do,” is something that many parents are familiar with, but the thing is we are all hypocrisy radars and sniff out inconsistency before a word has been spoken.
There is magic all around us, at all times. It can be felt and it can be lived in the smallest interaction through honouring what we feel and appreciating ourselves and others. We all have the power to choose to commit to building a life with more consistency and care. It takes commitment but it is so enriching, nurturing and joyful to explore true magic throughout the year, rather than being reliant on what is sold to us seasonally or keeping it for so called ‘special’ occasions – whether it be appreciating what the seasons reflect to us, being aware of bird song, how the sky changes, a sunset, bringing nature into the home with flowers, the sparkle in someone’s eye, enjoying the warmth of the sun on your back.
By the way, this does not mean a life desolate of dressing up, gifts, rituals and playfulness. Parties can still be planned and enjoyed and the changing ages, cycles and seasons marked and celebrated. Life has so many moments to mark, confirm and enjoy, be it coming together for a meal, allowing our bodies to rest as the day comes to a close, dancing together, appreciating our relationships and expressing it, choosing a gift from a place of love and celebrating our lives as they unfold through the years.
When it comes to parenting, what will our children reflect upon when the years have passed? In this world that can be at times chaotic, cynical, dishonest, unloving and scary, could it be that there was a beacon of light and consistency, a parent without perfection that honoured who they are, truly listened and was honest with them? A parent who shared the wonder of how life and nature reflect back to us who we are?
How would this prepare a child for adulthood while holding and nurturing that light of true magic within?
Just take a moment and look into a child’s eyes without expectation or a guard. Be open to the love and light that resides within (if you don’t have a child near you, it works just as well with an adult). See that sparkle and light shine and you will know there is true magic right there… within us all.
By Anonymous.
Further Reading:
Building true relationships and positive parenting
Do Our Kids Want a ‘Better’ Life or a ‘Connected Life’?
Leave the stuffing for the Christmas turkey
451 Comments
Children offer us all a reflection of learning in innocence and wonder of the world that we could do well to return to sooner rather than later.
Staying alive and awake to the wonders and marvels of life restores and maintains our relationship with the bigger picture. There is no need to leave childlike wonder behind as we become adults.
Matilda, this is gold as the one thing I got upset about growing up was leaving the magic I felt as a child behind. I love to bring that wonderment back into life about everything.
“…as parents is it possible that we can be somewhat reliant on cultural mythologies and savvy marketing campaigns to bring an element of ‘magic’ to our children’s lives –– but what are they really experiencing?” – often those marketing campaigns, Santa grotos, winter wonderlands in all their fantastical-ness are substitutes for real love, if there was true love at home then a family’s every day would be filled with natural magic and thus make the prior marketed love redundant.
We would do well to study the nature of children, more so than some PHD’s for in the innocent nature of a child we will always find true joy.
If we are not feeling the magic of who we are and why we are here – we ought to stop and ponder why. For so many of us seek poor substitutes to try to replace our natural feeling of wonder.
“appreciating magic in our lives has a lot to do with appreciating the gold that is in our lives on a daily basis” This is so true and beautiful and looking into the eyes of another you see the magic shine from within us all in our connection and joy of the oneness and essence of our soul. Children do indeed glow with the magic of their essence that is so visible and lights up the world reflecting this for all to feel in every moment.
I’m sure most children would not really be interested in presents or Disneyland if they were feeling truly met and appreciated for who they are. Many parents indulge their children in gifts, theme parks and entertainment to appease the guilt they can feel. Children crave connection and the best thing is it doesn’t cost a cent, society can place too much value on external things when in truth our connection to our essence and to others is our greatest gift.
Just the other day I picked up my daughter from school and we were driving home when we passed a mother deer with two little spotted fawns. I had a lot of things I wanted to do when we got home, but something told me to back up and watch the deer together. What unfolded was the most joyful display as the two fawns literally started hopping and dancing around their mother, running in circles and having a good-ole-time, basically. They looked so gentle and delicate with their spindly little legs. It reminded me how when we appreciate these beautiful moments displayed by Nature it can help us tap into the same qualities within ourselves.
We used to buy far too many presents for the kids when they were little, and often they would sit for hours in the living room with the big boxes the gifts came in. This is a subject that really deserves talking about; not only why we lie but what are we trying to achieve by spoiling our children at Christmas and birthdays.
What we do, buy or have is transient and disappears – true connection and being met for who we are is ever-lasting and that includes all our lives because where we are going back to has not ever not held us in this stead.
Commercialised ‘magic’ in the shape of Disneyland, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus are but paltry and totally inept stand ins for true everyday magic and being met for who we are – in full, if at all possible. But coming from what we have descended into, even just being respected and decently treated is a great start.
I work with vulnerable children and their families, children who have all had a very challenging start to their lives. Today two of them had birthdays and the visiting parents brought in presents, very expensive and very big. The children of course were absolutely delighted to begin with but it didn’t take long to observe that they began to play with the bubble wrap and the boxes leaving the rather flashy toys sitting on the floor. It got me to wondering whether we actually buy the presents with the child in mind or whether we buy them to fulfill some need of our own?
A great blog to ponder on and I totally get how we have disempowered ourselves by aligning with certain days of celebrations as a way of making the magic happen. To be able to step away from this conditionings and to actually connect to the magic that is within on a daily basis has changed everything in the way that I am and with people. Life feels rich and true and has a depth that I never knew was possible thanks to being inspired by Universal Medicine and the principles of The Way of The Livingness.
We cannot complain or moan of the consequences when we choose to lie to our children. How can our children learn to trust in the world when their very own father and mother has lied to them? The child that hangs on to the tooth fairy or still believes in Father Christmas when they are about to enter high school has trusted, it is no wonder they can feel distraught when they are told the truth not because they think they won’t get any more presents but because the closest people to them lied to them and they listened. How does this way of being then support our kids in life?
Again we have bastardised what is innate within us, the ability to feel life and the wonder of divine order and harmony.
I agree, simply and accurately expressed, it is harmful to continue this line of illusion and not be honest about its consequences.
‘This has got me pondering why, as parents, we so easily fall into the behaviours of the generations before us…’ it is almost unimaginable how much life would change if we cracked this – every generation has had the chance to learn lessons to return to a truly harmonious way of living impulsed by our Soul for thousands of years. Isn’t it about time we took notice of the repeated ills and worsening health of humanity and stopped repeating what obviously has not worked for so long.
Thank you for expanding our awareness of how magic can be in our lives.
A clear message. There is so much magic within us and around us, that we miss, so that we started looking for magic outside of us, like Christmas, and all the shining and glittering things that are on offer to entertain our kids. I don’t say we should skip Christmas, but the true magic what life makes children and adult tick is not found in those events, but in the magic that is found within ourselves first. And from the magic in ourselves we can connect to the magic in other people, nature and the universe.
I agree, it is simply is there everyday if we chose to be aware of it. And in our house we still hangout together at Christmas and birthdays, it is great to get together and share a meal etc, but we are continuing discarded the activities that do not support us. This feels like it supports our every day connection and vining of the magic of life
‘Is it truly a natural progression in life to not feel magic and become cynical as we mature?’ i have felt this before with my own past tendency to have to ‘take things seriously’. We miss so much in doing this, of the magic of life and of people.
“…appreciating magic in our lives has a lot to do with appreciating the gold that is in our lives on a daily basis and being as open, sincere and honest as we can be in our relationships” – appreciating magic, is the appreciation of knowing of who we truly are and being this true in every moment we possibly can.
I love the responsibility to be a role model of magic ! What joyful fun is there to be explored and discovered.
The magic of childhood is that it is just so so simple! And the magic of adulthood is that it can be the same!
The more I connect to my essence the more free I feel and the more ‘childlike’. There is playfulness and space that is felt in moving in the connection as all that used to inhibit, such as ideal and believes are simply not there.
The magic of childhood can be made into the magic of adulthood just as easily, but it requires that we are not so serious and wound up by life, it requires us to be open and surrendered to the fact that life may not always turn out the way we would like it to – and when we do that, we get to see the true magic of the everyday.
That is surely the most precious gift of all that we can give our children and that is to see them for who they truly are and not try and mould them as most of us were.
A beautiful sharing of the magic of life of all ages and the appreciation of how we can support each other in bringing the love trust openness and beauty we all are with one another and the true magic this allows.
This is a stunning summary of how we can truly support each other in relationships and should be the birthright of every child.
One of the greatest lessons I have learnt as a parent is realising how my children can teach and show me as much about life as I can show them.
Magic for me is in a flower, its delicate beauty, the gradients of colour, the inner part that is revealed as the petals unfold and, particularly if it is a rose, the exquisite scent.
The beauty of parenting is in the simplicity of connecting And sharing the moment.
Yes there is no textbook or course you can study that can teach you this.
There is nothing more inspiring than to live consistently the love that we are, as parents, children, family or friends.
Children give permission to adults to feel all we were born with.
Children have eyes of wonder, I am often in awe of children of how open, honest and in the moment they are, we can learn so much from our little friends.
I have been observing how people change when there is a young child around. It is like they give themselves permission to look silly and just be themselves. It is beautiful to watch.
I love the idea of taking a moment to look at life through the eyes of a child, what if we always lived like this – coming fresh to each moment? I think it would be quite life-changing.
Too me there is a magic of childhood that we as adults have forgotten and the reason for this is may be we have forgotten because for many of us it was denied to us? Our hearts should melt at the sight of new born babies or children playing together running around and giggling as they play, as this is what is so magical about them. The ease they have in their bodies and the natural un-abashed freedom, they are so loose limbed and gorgeous and this is what we need to cherish in them so that they grow up knowing that this is who they are.
Playing with my niece this evening, I am just blown away by the divinity, magic and joy I see in her, she inspires me to the hilt.
When I connect with her and look into her eyes I am reminded of all the magnificence of the universe and the pure love of God.
“as parents is it possible that we can be somewhat reliant on cultural mythologies and savvy marketing campaigns to bring an element of ‘magic’ to our children’s lives –– but what are they really experiencing?” this is a very sobering question for any parent, or come to that, auntie, uncle or grandparent, to really consider what we think of and hold as ‘magic’. I know I would prefer as a child (as I do an adult) to be seen for who I truly am, be listened to and know I’d be met with honesty in my questioning. There is then more space and more magic to enjoy the party, celebration and moments together.
Children show us the beauty of discovery, experimentation and play – yet we think we have to know it all and have everything planned. We’ve got this parenting thing so wrong.
So true. The universe in which we live is forever expanding and life is forever inviting us to do the same. In this regards children reflect a far wiser way of relating to life than the control obsessed way us adults seem to limit ourselves.
If we were open to the fact that every relationship offers a space for both parties to learn, expand and evolve, we would be so much more honouring of the wonderful reflection we do get from our children as well as know how we can support them without diminishing the natural ‘beauty of discovery, experimentation and play” and in the process learn a thing or two ourselves.
The actual ‘magic of childhood’ is the fact that babies and young children are still very connected to their essence. The false magic we foster through Santa and the tooth fairy feels like a cheap compensation for the loss and/or squashing of the magic that was naturally there in their essence.
Yes, it is this innocence of a child that is so precious and needs to be nurtured and honoured and not squashed and abused.
A beautiful sharing on the true magic of life and the reflection of childhood in its joy and simplicity showing us this clearly to live and not resist in every moment with and aliveness and wonder that can continue and be reclaimed in us all gracefully.
As the adults in our children’s lives, all we need to do is stand back and never let go. What I mean by this is that we must give the child enough room to move without us imposing our ideals, beliefs and expectations on them, as must we also never let go loving them. Not the suffocating emotional kind that leaves both parties feeling bound and trapped but through a true beholding love that lets another know they are never alone nor are they expected to conform to an ideal of no truth to it.
So we could say our job as adults is to let go of our ideals and beliefs but never let go of our love.
Very beautiful Liane Mandalis, I love the feel of flow, interaction and harmony in this comment. It can feel stifling and like a dead end when we get caught in doing things like we think we should do as parents, a great counter to that apparent paralysis.
We have relegated magic to childhood and in doing so, have done ourselves a massive injustice. Magic should be a bog standard part of all of our lives, so much so that we actually do away with the need to use the word at all.
‘Feeling a sense of magic in life is very much about nurturing and keeping alive the innocence, sensitivity and openness that children are born with and which, potentially even into adulthood, we can maintain.’ I was with my 10-year-old son on the beach today. His joy in his play was truly magic; this has not changed throughout his entire childhood – the innocence in simple sand and waves – so palpable and infectious. I could have watched him all day!
‘…we so easily fall into the behaviours of the generations before us and knowingly perpetuate the cultural myths of the Tooth Fairy and Father Christmas etc. as if there is not other way of bringing up our children…’ What if, there is another way, another way that holds a deeper magic – but might seemingly seem ordinary because it’s such a natural part of us that we don’t stop to wonder at the beauty and joy of all the simplicity right there, right in front of us.
It’s clear from reading this that it is our choice as parents to keep the lies going from generation to generation. It may seem like harmless fun but is it really?
Its ridiculous to think that we can emulate the magic of God that is around us all the time with incidences occurring to bring our attention to it every day if we are willing to notice. Children are so much more attuned to this magic and they can be our teachers in this respect. Their questions as to how things work, and why things are the way they are, are all opportunities to explore the magic of the Universe. To automatically answer a child or even to feel that we have to have all the answers is not honouring the being that is in front of us, it is diminishing to both of us. To keep up the myths that have been conjured up like that of Father Christmas what does that really do for us? A great conversation and an opportunity to look deeper…
Raising children with magic and letting them experience magic within themselves, starts by parents living that magic themselves.
‘Are we already clouded by a cultural idea that thinks that we can not maintain and live with a wonder and magic of life at any age? Is it truly a natural progression in life to not feel magic and become cynical as we mature?’ – great question and one which our society affirms as a resounding yes. By having these fabricated rituals such as Father Christmas, Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy, we are confirming to ourselves that we need to create magic in life, dismissing the truth that life already abounds with magic – we just have to be open to receiving it.
It’s interesting how we undoubtably know how magical childhood is, but we tend to forget that sense of magic when we grow up into adulthood, I wonder if part of it is because we come accustomed to what is around us and we stop exploring, not so much outwards, but exploring what wonders actually lie within us – and how we start to unfold them.
Without the honesty of where we are at in life we cannot discern the truth of things and appreciate the magic versus the illusion.
Gorgeous what is presented here in the magic being in the quality and not the big events – quality can be a daily thing we build on and really makes me appreciate the wisdom and beauty that children naturally carry.
I agree, we must appreciate the parents who raise their children in that way, it is inspiring for those who are willing to take a moment to look in a child’s eyes and see the magic of the universe alive and well.
How delicious would it be to be an adult that reflects the joy of life, the play-full-ness that is available to us all even though there are times that are a bit more difficult than others.
“I suggest that appreciating magic in our lives has a lot to do with appreciating the gold that is in our lives on a daily basis and being as open, sincere and honest as we can be in our relationships.”
We all have a choice to see the opportunity in everything that presents itself or we can choose to let it take us down – the choice is alway ours. When we truly see the opportunity we can not but see and feel the magic in life.
I am glad you have said this ‘if you don’t have a child near you, it works just as well with an adult.’ as although it sometimes maybe easier and so transparent to be able to see the magic and sparkle in a child’s eyes it is in fact within each and everyone of us ✨
We like to create stories and fables in life, but all they do is block out our light. They need not be true – unless we choose to create and cement them in.
“Just take a moment and look into a child’s eyes without expectation or a guard.” As I read this beautiful proposal, I felt how we are guarded as a general rule even to the innocent beauty of a child’s love. “without expectation or a guard” is something to take consciously into my day, spotting the expectations, which in themselves are a kind of protection and control.
Yeah, that is something small babies are masters of being fully with you, present, really staring at you connecting. How we are with this reveals a lot of how we are with intimacy and connection with ourselves.
True to form when we are not looking things are introduced to make certain days seem more magical than others so we are distracted from the magic that all the Masters of The Ageless Wisdom have always taught is available when we are connected to our Essence, Inner-most, Esoteric and or Soul, which are all one in the same so it is simply up to us to choose our connection and then live in the Magic of God.
I just love looking into the eyes of the child in the picture above, as the whole of the universe can be seen and felt deep within them and cannot be denied.
The magic of childhood can be experienced every day of our life if we do not disconnect from our true essence.
It really struck me how our theme parks and the like are our attempts to produce on demand the inherent magic in life and nature. However it is missing the one and important ingredient, the connection with our inner hearts and joy. Replacing it with a very poor second of a momentary sense of stimulation and excitement.
The magic of childhood is truly beautiful and we are treasuring this even greater than ever before at the moment with our granddaughter of just two years and the spontaneous joy and sparkle in her reflecting to us who we really are inside also and the simplicity and honesty of feeling everything and expressing it.
“The magic of childhood” – is rekindled through our knowing and living of love. Because in this we come to know and feel again the absolute purity of those younger years in our making of maturing years where our magic deepens.
It is very sad to see how as we get older we become very cynical about life. And for some of us the rot sets in quite early and we become very grey to look at. I saw someone just like this recently and as he had experience in the army in a very tough war zone at a very young age, I could understand why for him he has decided to shut down. We do not fully appreciate the stress that being in a war zone has and the long term lasting effect it has on the men and women involved and how this then impacts their families and lives going forward.
“Is it truly a natural progression in life to not feel magic and become cynical as we mature?” The answer to this is an absolute NO, if we keep open and make Love our first priority we can not but see the magic in life – always.
Children offer us a much fresher and clearer reflection that what we get used to at work and in our social circles.
There is a huge consciousness surrounding parenting. How to give to the child. But that all feels empty as when I truly connect with myself and my child, everything is already there, we can both fill it. This goes the same with any relationship.
The magic of life is when we feel full of joy and the beauty of something right there before us and inside of us that lifts us into wonderment. Seeing a butterfly, a full blown rose, or having the penny drop in a ah ha moment, are all magical that we may not always appreciate.
A real sharing on the amazing magic that is in our everyday moments in our lives for us to treasure and appreciate with the innocence of our children an open heart and the glory of simplicity and the divineness of us all.
Reading this is like opening the door on the magic that’s in our every day and each relationship if we choose to be open, honest and loving. I’ve observed people who hold onto their stuff aren’t so honest and the magic of life isn’t seen. If we do not feel the magic we miss it and try to make up for it often through focusing on making special occasions special which can be fraught with stress and the fear of disappointment. Appreciating the magic of the everyday is a lovely way to be. There are so many examples, some could be seen as mishaps but actually are blessings.
Telling kids things like, “Be good or Santa won’t be coming” is actually a way of cursing them and moulding them to be a certain way that ticks the parent’s own boxes.
I totally agree Susie, having been told that as I felt that same way – good or bad versus being true.
Could it be that the so called magic we present to our children such as the Tooth Fairy and Father Christmas are just a mere introduction to the lies we live as a society all together.
Do we really celebrate our birthday for being graceful for yet another round around the sun in which we have evolved back to more of who we are, or do we celebrate because of the cake, the attention and the presents we then get and get exited by?
So beautifully expressed, are we not connecting with the magic in life when we confirm and appreciate our connection to our innermost, nature and others?
To stay alive to the magic in every moment is something we could all give care and attention to. Deadening our awareness is a crime against ourselves and humanity.
What we call magic is actually our natural state of being, living in the magic of multidimensional life. And magic we call magic because we have collectively chosen to not let it be a natural part of our lives
True Nico, we are then re-making magic normal.
So well said Nico. Understanding this it makes it clear to see that we have come so far away from what was once a very natural way of being, and how much we have lost as a result. But thank goodness for Serge Benhayon who is showing us all how we can bring this multidimensionality and magic back into our lives simply by the way we live and through our day ot day choices.
So true, the bigger aspect of this is what we reflect to others, if we all collude it has no magic in life scenario, this is something that we are consciously or unconsciously telling others. Magic is not flimsy, an optional extra, a frill to life, it is life, when we appreciate this, we sparkle and when we sparkle others feel it.
This is exactly what I’m experiencing: that magic is life, not an add on, treat or something special to look forward to. It’s all around us, all the time, and the more awake and aware we are, and appreciate it, the more it seemingly appears- but really is just a reflection of what our focus has been on.
Realising we’re not raising children, but children are raising us equally is a life lesson to be reflected in all relationships.
Observe this. One child meets a group of two for the first time her cousins, connection is instant, a natural knowing, they play and fall into a flow all is easy and joyful. Pure magic.
Feeling magic in the everyday is a beautiful thing.
You only have to look at any city streets when they are busy with pedestrians to see and feel that there is very little joy in how people move and interact – compare then to a playground of children – where does the joy go?
This is a very needed blog to have the conversation about the magic in life and how every single one of us has this within, yet to some extent it is allowed for children but seems to be something only for children and as adults we grow out of it, like it is a childhood experience only, and for some children only short lived. Yet it is residing is us ALL, ALWAYS.
I love this statement: ‘Feeling a sense of magic in life is very much about nurturing and keeping alive the innocence, sensitivity and openness that children are born with and which, potentially even into adulthood, we can maintain.’
I have sometimes in anger come out and said something to my daughter that would have been said to me and been quite shocked until realising where that would have come from. It is true we can fall into what has come before us with tradition, so it is up to us to cherry pick the true from the untrue and move forward learning all the time what works and what doesn’t.
So true. The magic of our childhood does not have to leave us and in truth it never does, it just gets buried under our experiences but can be resurrected in its full glory when we are encouraged to re-connect to our inner essence and love our selves again.
What are we teaching children when we have to create magic through lies? Doesn’t that rob them from knowing the true magic of the world?
This article is very powerful. The notion of our children seeing that we are ‘work-in-progess’ is huge. I remember with my parents, I almost never saw them work through their stuff, admit that they’d got it wrong, be transparent or vulnerable, share or discuss anything that they were working through…and so I grew up with this notion that the adult was the finished article. This is a huge trap for judgement to leap into. For if we are the finished article and we don’t like what we see then of course we are going to judge and condemn. This has been one of the great blessings of what Universal Medicine has taught me; that we are all always ‘work in progress’ and thus there is absolutely no logic in judgement.
I can also relate to your family life of growing up that is was just a process to teach us the end product of what our role models were reflecting. School for me was a basic book education for the tools you would require. Graduating school was the open door to adulthood, now get out of the nest and fall or fly. Learning that we are always a work in progress is never too late to learn, but what if we lived that way every day?
Opening up to the magic of children, allowing myself to feel the equality with them, helps me bust the arrogance of my spirit.
If the magic of every moment was lived then no sweets, no treats, no obesity. If the magic of every moment was lived, no screen time, no distraction, no escape. If the magic of every moment was lived no social media. If the magic of every moment was lived no jealousy, competition or comparison….the list goes on…but it makes parenting seem rather simple?!
How could we ever not be in awe of the wisdom in the eyes of the the child in this photo? The mind-blowing arrogance of “adults know better”
“Could it be that ‘magic’ is right there in front of our eyes in all moments, at all times of the year?” Yes forget birthdays, Christmas and any other ‘event’ – everyday in every way we have the opportunity to celebrate the glory of love and who we are.
It hurts to imagine a life where magic is reserved for special days, when we know it lives within us and around us each and everyday.
“… the people I have around to reflect something to learn and appreciate, the rainbow in a raindrop ..” – love your observation of people, and the way you capture the wonder of the rain in a raindrop, it feels exquisite and has me marvelling in the beauty that is present in our everyday whatever the weather.
‘Knowing that their parents are role-modelling letting go of their ‘stuff’ so that together they can be more loving, because living with love is more important to them than holding on to any ‘stuff.’’ Even if our children are adults, as we evolve and grow, so too will they see us and have an opportunity to evolve and grow with us.
The magic of childhood is simply God’s love. A delicious elixir we soon forget the taste and smell of when we allow ourselves to be tempted by all that the human-created world offers to dull our senses to such beauty.
Such a brilliant sharing a total myth buster! Aging is not found in father xmas! And how cool we are really starting to live in a way that brings appreciation for the every day magic in our lives.
I totally agree with what you’ve shared about magic or appreciation not being limited to birthdays, Christmas or events. Every moment deserves magic.
Knowing what true magic is totally exposes the created ‘magic’ we want to bring to our children by going to a Disney movie or park etc. When I was a child I was scared of all these things, I did not like people in suits dressed up like Disney figures and I was afraid of the TV so I never saw this as magic and it very much shows how it is not true magic. True magic is never scary to anyone because it is who we are and where we are from, we know it inside out.
Even if they are ‘good ones’, telling lies to children only teaches them one thing…. It’s acceptable!
Absolutely Michael. And there is no degree of lies, no small ones, no white ones, no porky pies….it is a binary choice. But we need to be really honest here and understand that the verbal lies coming out of our mouths are just the tip of the iceberg; our movements, our choices, the intention behind what we are saying….and then, the big one, what we DON’T say. There are many, many ways to lie.
Kids are generally so accepting and already knowing, that when we tell them how it is without trying to protect them they meet us back in equality. My kids never fail to inspire me when we communicate on an equal footing and they never fail to bring humour and fun to life. Gosh, how I appreciate that!
The magic of life is there in every day and does not have to be confined to particular celebrations in order to fully appreciate how much we bring to each other and the world each day of our lives. It is a joy that can be celebrated every day, not necessarily with cake and balloons, but in how we greet, appreciate and enjoy each other’s company.
This is such a beautiful article, and a great reminder to appreciate the magic of life in the same way children do: ‘I suggest that appreciating magic in our lives has a lot to do with appreciating the gold that is in our lives on a daily basis and being as open, sincere and honest as we can be in our relationships.’
“Being open to the wonder and magic of life as an adult is a way of role-modelling the quality we so seek to sustain within our children.” This makes so much sense as adults we have the responsibility to keep life light, bright and full of wonder.