CHAPTER THREE
Finding the greater meaning
Stereotypically magic is seen as a bunch of illusions with people shoved into boxes. Whether it’s putting a woman inside to be sawn in half or to make someone disappear, magicians are oft to use boxes as a means to demonstrate his or her abilities. But why is that? In today’s society it is cliché to ask someone to “think outside the box”, but that is exactly what the magician aims to do. What does this mean? This “box” we are given is reality, a reality passed down to us from generation to generation. To “think outside the box” is to actually leave the illusion of reality that this box has given us.
Think of it as fish in an aquarium. To the fish the false reality of the aquarium is all that they know, all that there is to the world. But as humans we know that there is a whole ocean that the fish could be swimming in. Surely if there is a whole other world for the fish there must also be a whole other world for us.
The dilemma is that even if the fish become aware of the ocean, if they were to jump out of their “box” they would simply fall to the floor and die. It is the job of the magician to bring humanity’s proverbial “aquarium” to the ocean so that we can swim free with the fishes in the sea.
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There is much more to life than meets the eye and there is far more to magic than the average audience perceives. That’s the very nature of our craft. We spend hours, days, weeks, months and years perfecting something that will be invisible to an audience when performed properly. However I argue that there is even more to magic than we as the magicians realize.
I see magic as a metaphor for life. So often at a magic performance we here the audience asking “How did that happen?” or “Why did that happen?” Don’t people ask these same questions about life itself? Magic deals with mystery and isn’t the greatest mystery of all life? Things happen and we don’t know why; we plead for answers but just like a magician life never reveals its secrets.
There is something greater to life and I believe (as many spiritual seekers and leaders do) that we can come to a greater understanding of magic just as we can come to a greater understanding of our own lives if only we are open to be guided. We will never truly understand why we do what we do, just as we will never truly understand why we are here in this life; but by asking for and seeking insight we will come to a deeper understanding of our magic and maybe even our life’s purpose.
What is this greater meaning? What is our magic a metaphor of? As you will find out the answers are different for every individual, but there are many common themes. Let’s take a quick look at some of the classics of magic and analyze them by focusing on their symbols.
Making a dove appear. What does this mean? At first look we can say that the magician is becoming a God-like figure by producing life, but we can look deeper by seeing the dove as a symbol, a symbol of peace. With this insight we can perhaps say that the magician is stating that in order to have world peace the individual must first create inner peace for his or herself. We can look even deeper, but for now let’s move on.
Pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Again, here the magician is producing life as a God-like figure; but by looking to Christian traditions we see that the rabbit is a recognizable symbol of Easter, as a faith in life after death. Here the magician is offering hope in everlasting life.
Linking Rings. Solid rings penetrating each other. Two joining to become one. This can be interpreted with many spiritual messages possible, as an example perhaps the joining of the Eagle and the Condor[i] in Native American legends. In many faiths it is said that God is One, and we are all One from One, called into God’s Oneness. The joining together of the rings can symbolize that divine unity. By adding a third ring we are reminded of a Chinese proverb[ii] that says, “There are three truths: My truth, your truth, and the truth.” The joining of the three rings can symbolize the final convergence of the separate, or the loss of Ego.
Sawing a woman in half. Here, a man of great power oppresses a beautiful woman in a box to destroy her. What a terrible thing to do! He does offer hope by putting her back together again, at least in most cases (Richiardi[1] excluded). But what does this mean? It does hint at a theological idea of death and resurrection, but by looking at it’s origins we can see that there is more to it than that.
This stage illusion was first performed publically in 1921 by magician P.T. Selbit[iii]; just one year after the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed granting woman the right to vote. While even today the Woman’s Right Movement continues to fight, in this time of the early twentieth century, woman’s oppression was at a height. With this insight it is not much of a stretch to take away the often criticized label of “magician” as a dime a dozen and replace it with “performance artist.” Here the performer is no longer performing a mere magic trick, no! He is a performance artist putting on display the injustices of society during that era.
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Chapter Five details nine presentations from my personal performing repertoire that use the ideology of magic as metaphor, a style of magic that contemporary sculptor Jonathon Bechard has dubbed Meta-Magic. Applied properly, meta-magic is a very personal process and is different for everyone. How do you apply this approach to your own magic? Look at your life, from childhood to now. When were you born? Where were you born? What does your name mean? What did you fantasize about as a child? Look into your future. What are your dreams and goals? What is your attitude towards life? Meta-magic is not just a performance technique; it is a representation of who you are. It is your life magicized. It is the performance of your autobiography through magic.
The following chapter reveals my personal secrets. These personal secrets are being revealed for two reasons: to give background to the presentations detailed in Chapter Five, but more importantly to also reveal some of life’s secrets. For I believe in so doing it will inspire and motivate you the reader in your own journey of finding the greater meaning.
[1] Richiardi was a twentieth century magician famous for dramatic and gory stage presentations of classic stage illusions.
[i] Crowley, Jonette (2007). The Eagle and the Condor. Stone Tree Publishing
[ii] www.peaceinspiration.com
[iii] Steinmeyer, Jim (2003). Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible. William Heinemann/Random House
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