Do you believe in magic?
Issue #40 🪄 What it means to be a witch in 2024 + a free Creative Quests event in New York + magical resources.
THE QUEST DIGEST by Creative Quests is a treasure chest of ideas & stories exploring what it means to live an illuminating, creative life. Written by Sam Furness, delivered when inspiration and creativity strike. Subscribe to receive each issue or send to a friend in need of a creative boost.
Dear Questers,
We’re 10 days into this months Magic Quest and our collective paths of enquiry have taken many different twists and turns. Trying to sum up the individual experiences of 61 people is an impossible task - so this week we’ll explore some prevalent themes: Do you believe in magic? And could you possibly be a witch?
But first: there is an exciting community run event happening in New York on 3 Feb you must know about.
Magic at the Met 🖼 a Creative Quests excursion
🗓 3 Feb / 2.00pm ET
📍 Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
🎟 Free (sign up essential)
Join a group creative exploration of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, using MAGIC as our guide. Followed by reflection and libations at a nearby bar. Open to Questers and curious humans of New York.
A perfect way flex your noticing skills, explore creativity and exercise your imagination in community
👋 Hosted by NYC Quester: Hannah Singleman.
🪄 Do you believe in Magic(k)?
There are many ways to define what magic is. Although there is plenty of time left for diversion, our Questers seem to have veered more toward a sort of magical thinking territory (let’s call it Magick with a k) - rather than illusion, slight of hand or stage magic. I’ll save that kind of magic for another newsletter - as it is an equally fascinating lens to peer through.
Chris Gosden, author of History of Magic: from alchemy to witchcraft, from ice age to present defines magic as:
‘human participation in the universe through art and ritual’
I like this definition. I think it cuts through the stereotypes and ‘woo-woo’ connotations that modern magic gets lumped with and roots it in a sense of purpose, empowerment and agency. Our lives don’t need to simply happen to us - we have the ability to create change.
Just as we are part of the interconnected web of life here on earth - so too are we connected to a web far beyond this planet. What would make us humans so special that we are exempt?
Perhaps a declining belief in magic and a rise in hyper-critical thinking has actually disconnected us from our place in nature? If we all believed in magic a bit more - would we be kinder to the planet we live on?
To shed a little more light on these ideas and questions we invited a special Guest Quester into our weekly session to share how they see the world with us.
Tree Carr is an author, high priestess witch, death doula, master of esoteric magic, musician… and many other things. A truly multi-hyphenate magical human being.
In our session entitled ‘Lost Magic’ - Tree told us what it means to be a witch in 2024:
Being a witch sounds scary because we've seen all the Walt Disney films and stuff… but effectively a witch is not sinister at all. The word witch actually is an old English word that comes from the word *Wicca, which means wise one.
So we're all just a bunch of wise ones. And we're not threatening in any kind of way. We are people who step out in service to community, but also, obviously in magical ways
*Over this last week I have discovered a lot about Wicca: which is a modern-day, nature-based pagan religion. People who practice Wicca, generally call themselves witches and their belief system is centered around worshipping nature. Solticices, equinoxes and celestial events (like last night’s full moon) are all observed and celebrated - often incorporating herbalism and other natural objects into rituals. If you want know more - I highly recommend this great podcast episode of BBC Witch series about the link between being a witch and the natural world.
A central part of the Questing practice I’ve developed over the last 8 years - is the idea that by immersing our curiosity and attention in different themes (i.e - magic) over extended periods of time (usually a month) - that we can actually change the way we see the world on a day to day basis.
A wonderful thing for increasing creativity, mindfulness and empathy.
So, what does the world look like through the eyes of a witch? Tree explains all…
I think one of the primary foundations for stepping into a magical path is viewing the nature of reality through a very different lens. Our structure of reality is seeing it more through a mystic lens… of course, very much rooted in science, but we don't really see a material, reductionist view of reality. Our cosmology is deeply connected to believing anything is possible when you put your intention and your energy towards that.
Stepping into this sort of path makes even the mundane day to day more magical because you’re walking around with vantage point of reality of like… this is pretty crazy that I'm alive right now and how amazing that is. ‘Look at that bird over there!’ and ‘look at that tree!’ and like ‘wow, look at that guy singing a song randomly on the subway’. You end up moving into a shift that makes you live more magically, live more lucidly and live more connected.
You step into your day to day with a sense of possibility. Anything is possible.
Sounds pretty fun right? The everyday, reanimated with wonder and possibility? Count me in.
Whether you believe in magick, our power to communicate with the universe, feel kin with mother nature, call yourself a witch or you are dead set against all those things… We all participate in magical thinking in some way.
We toss coin into fountains, cross our fingers for luck, make wishes before blowing out birthday candles, wear certain clothes for extra power, partake in pre-match rituals when watching our favourite sports team. No matter how skeptical you are… you will never escape that itching feeling of ‘what if…’
So… maybe you’re a little witchier than you first thought?
A round up of curious finds from the world of Magic
🌲 The History of Magic by Chris Gosden is available as an audio book if you have a Spotify premium account.
🪄 The Witch podcast from BBC studios is a truly astounding listen. An immersive journey exploring identity, wild stories, ritual and the awful history of persecution (and death) many tens of thousands of women faced during the witch trails.
🃏 In 1926, Houdini spent 4 days shaming congress for being in thrall to fortune-tellers
📓 Our Guest Quester Tree Carr has released a book called ‘A Spell A Day’ - 365 spells, rituals and magics for the every day.
🏴 Witches of Scotland: Justice for people accused and convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1563-1736
▲ Beyond The Visible: the life of artist and mystic Hilma Af Klint
🤳 Witchtok: how the occult became big online
…and some other general creative things that illuminated me
🧑🎨 An emporium of design manifestos
🅰 Typefaces as people. This killlllled me.
✎ The painstakingly mathematical drawings of… The Simpsons
Finally…
A quote by the great author Alan C Moore:
‘I believe that magic is art and that art, whether it be writing, music, sculpture, or any other form is literally magic. Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words, or images, to achieve changes in consciousness.
See you next week! If you know someone in need of an inspo-boost, please send them our way. All your support is hugely appreciated.
Magical regards,
Sam x
Quest Guide / Founder
@saaamfurness
THE QUEST DIGEST by Creative Quests is a treasure chest of ideas & stories exploring what it means to live an illuminating, creative life. Delivered when inspiration and creativity strike. Subscribe to receive each issue or send to a friend in need of a creative boost.
the smol print
👁 Follow us on Instagram
✉️ Know someone in need of a creativity boost? Send them this newsletter.
❤️ Hitting the heart button makes us feel loved and listened to!
