There are two basic approaches to life, and we all have a mix of both, in varying degrees: magic, and mechanistic. BY “magic”, I mean, simply deciding what it is you really want to have or experience, envisioning that, and allowing for it to materialize for you. By “mechanistic”, I mean the mechanics approach, i.e., “this would have to happen so that that could happen”. The magic approach: “I want to feel joyful!”. The mechanistic approach: “If I work and save, plan my finances right, and wait long enough, and can plan the logistics to take a trip to the vacation spot, have the right food and drink, I could then relax and enjoy myself”- see, mechanics= a series of steps, each which mechanically brings about the next step. It can be very complex, and require much thought and effort.
The mechanistic approach, from the mechanistic viewpoint, is “practical”; the magic approach, from the magic viewpoint, is simple and direct. We all employ some mix of both; the magic approach is often below conscious level, but its especially magical when practiced mindfully, as in “The Secret”, for this of you familiar with that book; “The Secret” also does employ some simple mechanics- as I said, we all employ a mix. Neither approach is necessarily “better” or “right”, or “wrong”; they each can have their own beauty, and success, it might just be a matter of preference. I prefer to function as much as I mindfully can in the “magic” realm, and it certainly related to how I operate, not only in life, but in my practice. Simply knowingly deciding what will be for me, and allowing it to materialize. “Magic” — based people and mechanistic-based people may find that they aren’t very compatible with each other, or they may find that their differences serve to be complimentary to each other. You may not have thought of it this way, but every time you think of someone or something, and very soon after, that thing or person appears before you, or contacts you, that is a little bit of your own magic at work.
Mechanics repeated enough time brings one to the magical level. Magic is the end of mechanics.
There is a crossover point where magic and mechanics intertwine. A friend once said, “You must do the correct ritual to get the correct result.” Thus, all of life could be seen as magical. For example, to drive your car, you need to perform a ritual to start tjhe car. You must put the correct key in the car’s ignition and turn it the correct way for the correct period of time, until the engine starts. There are other rituals involved in getting yourself from point A to point B driving a car, and it all looks like magic from the outside.
I understand what you’re saying, Dexter.