Sunday, December 18, 2005

Do You Believe in Magick?

I most certainly do! Definitely have since I was 4 years old, and still do, and always will!

I'm talking about probably the best known manifestation of Magick and its power that exists in our world today. Santa Claus.

Oh, don't give me that! Yes, I do believe in Santa Claus. In all that the Spirit of Christmas really is as represented by Santa Claus, and in the Magick that happens so freely at this time of year when people open their hearts to it.

Wanna know why I believe to this day? Because Santa Claus landed in my front yard when I was 4. Seriously! And if my parents were still alive today, they'd tell you it's true, because they saw the proof too. And they never forgot about it up to the day they died. You see, every year during the week before Christmas, I have the same dream, reliving the entire experience. And every year while they were alive I'd tell them I had the dream again, and ask "Did that really happen?" And each and every year, they'd say, oh yes, it really happened, we saw it.

So since this is the "season" for Magick, I'm going to share this story with you. Maybe, just maybe, it will help you recapture some of that Magick that, as children, we knew was really real...

We lived in Rochester, NY, in the VERY early 60's. The area between Browncroft and Blossom Roads, to be more exact. Only a few blocks away from Route 590 and Winton Road. Needless to say, a fairly high traffic area, full of cars, buses, people, and also almost directly under the flight path of the airport. All of which translates into "NOISE". You'll understand why I made note of that a little later on.

We used to go to my Aunt's house for dinner on Christmas Eve, with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins getting together in one place. Much easier and a whole lot more fun with everyone there. We came home at about 8 pm, at which time my father discovered that he did not have his house keys, and we were locked out of the house! Fortunately, our next door neighbor kept a spare key for us, as we did for them. People used to do that for each other back then.... so off I went down the driveway and over to their house, and got the key, while my parents waited on the front porch (in full sight of me, and me of them). Don't think that this was not something that a 4 year old could or would do, remember again this was in 1960... a totally different era. And besides, this is me I'm talking about! :-)

As I was walking back to our driveway and house, I was looking around and seeing all the beautiful lights on our neighbors' houses. Seeing how their glow was reflected off the snow that had fallen all around... lots of snow, piled up high along the sidewalks and edges of the street. The beautiful, sparkling colors, and the wonderous warm light that was cast by the street lamps they used to have back then. And all those colors sparkled off the snow in our front yard, a wide long blanket of undisturbed, pristine snow. You see, we had a fairly large front yard, much larger than most of the rest of the houses on our street, and I would say it was about 60 feet or so long and at least 20 feet wide. So there was a beautiful big stretch of snow there which I NEVER played in! It was too beautiful to mess up, and looked so wonderful with the sun shining off the snow during the day, that I played in our backyard. Remember that, okay?

Again, as I'm walking along, I'm admiring all that beautiful, color-sparkling snow, and all the neighbors' lights and decorations, and also how quiet it was. So quiet that I could literally hear the snow falling.... Remember what I said earlier about the usual noise in the area? Well, all of a sudden I realized that it was QUIET. There was none of that usual noise. It was silent except for the sound of the snow crunching under my boots, and the little sound it makes when it lands on top of your hood. And my parents are standing out of the porch still, right where I can see them.....

By this time, I am about half way up the driveway with the house key, and suddenly out of nowhere, we hear the sound of sleigh bells! I hear them and look towards my parents. They're right there, they're not doing it. We all look up and down the street, trying to see if someone is leaning out a window shaking the bells. Not a soul in sight! And no other sounds in the neighborhood, no cars, no buses, no airplanes, no traffic. Nothing except the sleigh bells. My parents are just as amazed as I am! Needless to say, I bolted for the porch, threw the key at my father who fumblingly unlocked and opened the door, and this little girl ran upstairs and dove into bed, snowsuit, boots, gloves and all. I remember my parents' laughing as they peeled the clothes off me, but I also remember hearing them question each other about what they had heard. "Did you...?" "Yes, I did. Did you...?" "yes"....

The next morning, Christmas morning, dawned bright and sunny, and as with most children I was downstairs fairly early, with my parents not very far behind. We opened our presents, and Dad started on breakfast. That was his meal, especially on holidays. While Dad was cooking, Mom was cleaning up some of the mess in the living room, and walked over to look out the living room window out into the front yard. We had one of those huge picture windows, so there was a good view of that beautiful, undisturbed, pristine snow in the front yard, and it was always so wonderful to see the sun shining off the snow "diamonds" out there, as we used to call them.

Mom stopped in front of the window, and I heard her sort of gasp, I think, and she called out "Ray, come here for a minute, please". He did, and she asked him, "Did you do that?" and he looked and said "No, I did not, what the...?!" Nosey me had to go look of course, asking "What is it?" as I went to the window. We all just stood there and stared, for out in the middle of the front yard, in the VERY middle of that large stretch of beautiful, undisturbed, pristine snow was marks in the snow..... like this

___________   O    O       O    O       O    O
                                      O    O       O    O        O     O

___________   O    O       O    O       O    O
                                      O    O       O    O        O     O

Right dead center in the middle of the yard, running down the length of the yard. And not a single other track anywhere around them to be found. We went out a little later and checked from the edge of our driveway and the neighbors'. Oh, and when we were opening presents that morning, there was one small package that we had found tucked under the tree that I know had not been there the night before, that my parents did not know how it got there, that they swore all these many years they did not put there, and probably most significant of all, that the tag was written, signed "Santa" in a handwriting that did not belong to either of them or any of my other relatives.

So what's your guess? No, I do not remember what that present was, but that doesn't matter. Because I DO KNOW where it came from, and from whom. And so did my parents. Just as we believed and knew that Santa had landed in our front yard that night. And I will always remember the magick of that night and day. And that's why I believe in Santa Clause, to this very day.

It's not just Santa though, that I believe in. It's the Magick and Spirit that he represents. And that's what is so very important for us to remember. Remember the joy of being a child who believed in Magick, believed in Santa. Remember how it felt, what it sounded like, what it smelled like, what it tasted like, what it looked like! Feel that in your hearts again, because you can. I believe that although Santa might not make it to every child's house every single year, He does make it to each one of us at least once in our lifetimes. And if we believe in that Magick and that Spirit and that Santa, we'll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, when we have really been touched by that Magick. It's a treasure beyond compare, and one to hold onto always.

Merry Yule, Blessings of the Winter Solstice, and Merry Christmas to All!

With Love and Magick,
Myriah



1 comment:

Emerald said...

You keep me believing! Luv ya!
Emerald