Hi, I'm Mark - and you suck at magic.

Okay, kids. coloring time is over, so put down those fingerpaints and get ready for the big question: What do you think magic even is?

Don’t worry—this is absolutely one of those “ask 100 people, get 100 different answers” types of questions, so this is likely the only time I’ll have complete confidence that you can’t mess it up. I mean .. hopefully, you can’t.

What magic is depends very much on who the person is. I tried to use small words for you, but go back and read that again a few times—there’s a lot of meaning packed into that sentence. A good mundane way to think of it is like asking yourself some other questions:

… what is art? 🎭🎨
… … what is beauty? 💄💅
… … … what is friendship? 🙋‍♂️🤾‍♂️

These are other things that depend a great deal on a) who the person is and b) the community that person belongs to.

In magical terms, your “community” can also be subdivided. Just stay with me a second, this will all make sense, I promise … I hope.

You can belong to a larger community with people who share similar big-pillar ideas while also being part of a smaller community inside that larger one, where you surround yourself with people who share similar ideas on more detailed things.

I can see your eyes glazing over; here’s an example that might be more accessible (I said might be, so don’t come at me if your super-special unique main-character backstory doesn’t line up here, okay? Not my fiction – not my book): In religious terms, Christianity would be the outer-most big-tent community. Then, inside that, you would have the Prodistant more-specific-tent community. And inside that, you would have a Baptist tent, a Methodist tent, an Episcipol tent… you get the idea (you get the idea, right?).

So, for our needs with this lesson, when it comes to the community you belong to, you will find you fit into a larger community that helps define some of the key magical pillars for you, and then a smaller community with a more detailed tradition of magic that fills in the gaps.

Aaaaaall of that is to say, when you want to know exactly what magic is, we can look to the United States Supreme Court’s 1964 case, Jacobellis v. Ohio, and what Justice Potter Stewart famously had to say about pr0n and how to define what it is:

“I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it…”

— Justice Potter Stewart [🔗•🌐]

So, for your next steps along this difficult path to making you not suck anymore, I want you to stop thinking about movies and TV shows – no amount of stick waving and correct Latin syll-AH-ble emph-AS-is will make fireballs shoot out at your jack-ass neighbor … 😒trust me. No, for this, you should take some time and think about some big pillar things:

Do you believe in any god-type beings?
… Are there many, or just one?
… … How do you think this would impact your magic?
… … … How far-reaching is their influence?

Do you believe in spirits?
… Are they grouped in any categorical way (good/evil, elemental, directional)?
… … How do they impact your magic?
… … … Do their categories prevent access to other categories?
… … … … Are they capable of complex interactions, or are they cogs in a greater machine just able to do their one job?

Do you believe nature has an intelligent personification – as a whole (“Mother Nature” like)?
… As multiple separate entities?
… … As both?
… … … How do you think this would impact your magic?

Do you believe in accessing something internal to perform magic?
… Something external?
… … A mixture of both?
.. … … How do you think this would impact your magic?

Do you believe there are regionally specific things to tap into?
… Are there culturally specific things to tap into?
… … Is it a more global ebb and flow?
… … … A mixture of all of it?
.. … … … How do you think this would impact your magic?

How you feel comfortable answering these questions will go a long way in directing your efforts. But at the same time, here is some very, very important advice to keep in mind: None of this (or at least, very little of it. again, I don’t know you) should be written in stone. Allow yourself the possibility to grow into new perspectives and views on all of these things.

There will be a test, and it will count for 30% of your grade. I’ll pre-fill an ‘F‘ for you. Good luck.