There have been quite a few times while I've been practicing a sleight or move (that has a highly visual impact to it) that I actually fool myself ... for a fraction of a second I'll see the result of the sleight and actually believe the illusion that was intended ... even though I know exactly how it's done ... and I'm in the middle of doing it hundreds (if not thousands) of times.

So even though one part of my brain knows more than it might want to about the subtlety and intricacy of sleight of hand, the other part that 'sees' the effect is lulled into that magical place for just a second and 'believes' what it saw ... even though it couldn't resolve how it could be ... until the other part of the brain reminds you what you're doing ... and you're suddenly back to iteration number 642. That's pretty powerful stuff if it can overcome an existing understanding of how the effect is produced and allow the illusion to dominate ... even if just for a second.

So I suppose magic can be as real as anything else you experience or perceive in any given situation ... on any given day. Magic is what you perceive it to be ... what you allow To be ... so sure magic exists ... if only in your mind ... for a fraction of second ... until, just as quickly ... it's gone.

You should watch the effects presented by a magician ... not as a puzzle to be solved ... but as a momentary and willing suspension of your current understanding of reality ... allowing it in ... and if you're lucky ... you'll experience that fraction of a second too.

It's kinda like watching a film knowing all along that it's a contrived presentation comprised of actors, directors, cinematographers, and editors all trying to tell a story, convey a message, to suspend your reality for an hour or so and draw you into their world. You don't try to find the spots where the director calls cut, or the cinematographer changes the camera angle, or the lighting director modifies the mood (that really ruins the film). You just watch the film and let all those elements take their intended effect ... the creation of an image in your mind of what's real ... and what's not. You need to let go for this to happen ... to suspend your current reality (you're sitting in a theatre at the mall) ... go along for the ride ... and transcend that (mall theatre) reality ... and be drawn into the story.

The fun part is not figuring out how it's done ... it's taking the journey and finding out what it is ... what it might mean ... what it might be ... that moment of magic !