On the Birth of Myth and Magic

Animism was the first stepping stone on this great mythological journey,
prescribing all of creation a vital essence;

An aliveness that blurred the lines between Us and Other,
carrying our psyches out of primordial, animalistic darkness.

Born from our existential tie to Mother Earth, our minds formed their very first
mystic beliefs around Nature and its phenomena.

The Earth, once our cradle, became our Idol.

Holding such sheer reverence, we looked to the spirits of nature for guidance and protection,
beseeching that which was beyond ourselves to ensure our wellbeing.

Plants were turned into sacred medicines and pigments.

Animals commemorated with paintings on cave walls, and totems made from
clay, wood, and bone.

Mountains, Rivers, and Stars all objects of our adoration and worship.

We named the world around us as sacred and began to create images and artifacts
to share this magic with each other.

The soul of the world, Anima Mundi, was lain bare for us to see.

The Soul of a Rose - John William Waterhouse (English, 1849 - 1917)

It was when we discovered the soul of the world that we were able to recognize
that the soul within, and the soul of nature, were One.

It was that revelation which opened our fledgling minds to the existence of some place beyond;

An afterlife.

We questioned where our souls came from before us...
…and where they went after us.

We left invaluable tools and goods in the graves of our loved ones
to carry them through to whatever lies beyond the veil.

We buried them with utmost care and attention.

We mourned death, and remembered life.

The First Mourning (1888) - William Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905)

Keepers of the sanctity of life and death, mystics arose to claim a vital role within their communities.

Spirit guides, healers, diviners, and psychopomps.

Chroniclers of tradition and culture.

Creators of ceremony and ritual.

Authors of our first magical rites.

Shamans, Priests, Priestesses, and Oracles.

Depended on for their knowledge of nature, medicine, and the wisdom of the ancestors;

Respected for their sagacity;

Exalted for the connection they had to Magic.

Priestess of Delphi (1891) - John Collier (English, 1850 – 1934)

After we thought we had understood the nature of our soul our minds took flight
to the stars and heavens.

The cosmos itself formed the basis of our earliest recorded myths and stories.

The Moon became our timekeeper.

The Sun, the sentinel of our wellbeing.

The Planets; each one a a deity created in the image of our souls

Powerful paragons.

Exemplars of timeless principles and ideals.

Upholders of order that kept chaos at bay from our ever-expanding societies.

We revered these Gods as we once did Nature.

We observed the heavens and wove the stars themselves together, creating constellations
to remember these myths and stories.

To pass down culture and tradition to future generations.

As we learned to map the heavens we began to interpret celestial happenings as omens,
guiding the lives of kings and common-folk alike.

Shamans, priestesses, and mystics became astrologers, alchemists, and prophets, interpreting the stars, and the will of the gods.

An Allegory of Astrology - Placido Costanzi (Italian, 1702-1759)

And then Science entered the fray.

We rose above our place in the natural order seeking to dissect and to analyze,
to sneak a peek behind the curtain instead of just enjoying getting
the chance to be a part of the play.

We chased the impossible secret of immortality.

The dream of the salvation and exaltation of our souls.

It was our darkest obsession, yet ultimately, an enlightening one.

Our scientific minds transformed us into true tested magicians of matter, but at what cost?

Was our connection to the heart of magic lost? Eroded by time?

Or had it simply transformed as our brains expanded past those first animistic archetypes and invited new, modern symbols to take their stead?

No matter how it's changed throughout our history, the universal truth remains:

Magic is an essential part of the human experience.

It has enthralled us since the beginning of time, and now waits, longing for us to once again partake in its sacred archaic art.