"Do you Believe In Magic?"

Title: "Do you Believe In Magic?"

Topic: Magic

Source: Robbins textbook Ch. 4, pg. 87. Section is about the metaphors of Contemporary Witchcraft and Magic and how Tanya M. Luhrmann got to see some of the urbanites magic with "New Age" ideology. 

Relation: I feel that when people thing of the word "magic", they picture a man in a cape with playing cards about to throw them in the air and preform a trick. In modern days, people might think about the big- hit movies "Harry Potter", but I think that people don't know the true about magic and if it really is "real". The middle-class urbanites from England emphasize natural foods, food health, and personal stability. Their "magical" practices consist of mainly conjuring spirits, reading the tarot, and magical healing. When I was a young boy, I saw my first and only magic show at an amusement park. I could't believe my eyes. 

Description: I think I was about six or seven years old when I saw my first magic show. I was at an amusement park and they had a Big Top tent that was used as a restaurant. There was a sign outside of it that read "Magic Show in five minutes". I begged my mother if we could go, so after all the whinnying and screaming, we went. the only thing that I remember to this day was the guy on the stage with a cape and big, black, Abraham Lincoln looking hat, putting his thumb through a five dollar bill that he got from an audience member. I was so disappointed when nothing was neither real or entertaining. But one thing that I didn't know was that my mother knew and visited a shop where they read her tarot cards. I would always be in the waiting room wondering where I was. I would see pictures of Jesus, but then I would see candles in the shape of the Grim Reaper. I knew that I was in a store, but was to young to understand. my mother would tell me it was a place where she could get help that didn't involve a doctor or high bills. I didn't care so I never really asked. As I grew older, I met the lady who my mother would go see and I didn't feel like she was a witch or anything dangerous. She reminded me  of my grandmother because she was so nice and joyful. To this day I don't know if I believe in magic, but some people believe it is true and others think it doesn't. 

Commentary/Analysis: Being in college, I still don't understand "magic", but I believe that it is something that people need to believe in so that it can be true. Taking "Karma" for instance, people believe that if you do something nice, you will receive good karma in return, but mess with someone or talk shit about someone else, then in return you get bad karma. This is a believe that most younger generations believe in and if its real or not, who knows. Can it be looked at as magic? Maybe. It all depends if someone believes.