If you ask most people this question, you'll probably get an answer something like, "What, are you crazy?" or just a plain simple "No". And most people hearing either of these two answers would almost agree 100%. But does that mean there is no such thing as magic?
That kind of depends on what your definition of magic is. No, we're not going to play a game of double talk here. We're going to show a side of "magic" that most people don't regard as magic but as something else.
That side is referred to as metaphysical science. Of course there will be people who will insist that metaphysical science is nothing more than bunk in itself, but just as we have no proof that a living god either exists or doesn't exist, we really have no proof that metaphysical science has any validity or not.
For those who are not quite sure what metaphysical science is, it's the science of unknown things such as ghosts, UFOs, etc. In other words, just about anything that we don't have a definite answer for. Magic may or may not fall into the realm of metaphysical science depending on your personal beliefs. Certainly, a person who believes in the existence of ghosts and UFOs, has more of a chance in believing in magic than someone who only believes what he sees with his own two eyes.
For those of us who are totally grounded in reality, magic is a trick. For example, pulling a rabbit out of an empty hat is accomplished by showing the false bottom of the hat. The rabbit is underneath this false bottom. At least that's what most people think. Other people think the rabbit is actually slipped into the hat from the magician's sleeve or some loading device. The point is, there is some trick involved that is no more magic than shooting Superman on TV and having bullets bounce off of him. It's all trick photography. And yet, there are those of use who truly do believe in magic. We see tricks that are so amazing that we can't possibly imagine them being tricks. In our minds the only logical explanation for pulling off such feats is that real magic, in some form, must exist and each magician is tuned into a different element of the magical world. That explains why most magicians specialize in certain areas.
Certainly if you were a child and went to a magic store to buy some tricks, once you brought them home and practiced them, you could see very clearly that these were indeed tricks and that there was no magic involved. An example would be the magical linking rings where one ring has a slit in it and that's how the rings link. No magic, just a specially made ring.
But this fact doesn't mean that metaphysical science is bunk. It doesn't mean that ghosts or spirits don't exist. It doesn't mean that there aren't creatures from other planets. And it certainly doesn't mean that somewhere in this world there isn't one person who truly has magical powers.
Magic. Is there such a thing?
We may never know.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Magic
