The Meaning Behind the Magic



I am a handful of days away from attending the Magic and Meaning conference in Vegas.  My entry into the affair happened by an unusual alignment of events... life changes, spur of the moment emails, and no small amount of faith in me from my wife and friends (even as I was losing it in myself).  I've never been one to believe in fate or destiny, choosing instead to hold onto the conviction that I have some sort of control over my own life, but looking back at it all, there certainly seems to be a clearly defined path that's leading me there.  It's like, well, magic.

So what if I'm going to be the "new guy?"  Everyone is a beginner at some point.  Hell, as Chaplin pointed out in the movie Limelight, "That's all any of us are: amateurs.  We don't live long enough to be anything else."  All being a freshman really means is that I need to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open and my mouth shut as much as possible (I am me, after all...), I should be okay. 

So, what does this conference mean to me?  It's probably too early to answer that; I suspect it will mean something completely different to me on the other side.  Looking forward to it at the moment, it means beginning, growing, changing... my first real steps into the magic community that I've sheepishly felt like I've been flanking for many years. I hope it means new friendships, new mentors, and new confidence in myself and this dream I have of becoming a performing magician again... and for the first time (that voice in my head again, "Those magic shows you did in High School and College don't count - you were crap!").

I shared some of my concerns (and over-thinking) with my spiritual Brother, Kenton Knepper.  I'll get deeper into his history in the future, but for now, you should know that he's one of the Masters who will be lecturing at the conference (yeah, he's the real deal).  After reading through one of my frantic messages, concerned that I "wasn't ready for this," he simply wrote back:

"I know you'll have a great time, Brutha."

 In the end, even on the impossible chance that's all I walk away with from Magic and Meaning, I'm good with that.

Comments

  1. jcolmanOctober 17, 2017 at 9:24 AM

    I like your spirit and openness to take on a new challenge! I hope that this week is life changing for you!!

    ReplyDelete

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