The Oldest Magic

 

For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated with creativity, storytelling and magic. As a child I found myself delighted by tales of wizards and sorcerers. But more than that, I was magnetically drawn to the memoirs and biographies of writers and artists. I came to understand that I found a lot of commonalities between the notions of art and magic. Both involve using signs and symbols to influence reality in subtle ways. Most people see no link whatsoever between these practices, but for me these hidden connections were of primary significance. They seeded an interest in me as a child that would eventually change the course of my entire life. However, this fascination didn't simply arise from nowhere. It was a response to the strange experiences I had as a child. I was always gifted to some degree, possessing what many have called 'second sight'. A measure of psychic and clairsentient ability. Of course, I don't expect anyone to believe what I'm saying here without evidence or proof. I'm not writing this to convince anyone of anything. But it is the truth. In many ways my childhood was bizarre and kind of frightening, but there were also moments filled with incredible wonder and beauty. By the time I was eleven years old I was convinced of the reality of the spiritual realms. I'd experienced it first-hand, for better and worse. These experiences shaped me into the man and artist I am today. Amid Night Suns is largely a response to my fascination with and experience of spirituality, and its connection to human dreaming. In many ways we build the world through our understanding of it. We shape it in our image, and as we change so does the world. This act of co-creation has been a lifelong subject of inquiry, and I still don't fully understand it.  But, while I'm still learning about these more numinous, hidden relationships, I do believe that I have experiences and insights worth sharing. That's why I've created a new YouTube channel called The Oldest Magic where I intend to discuss these topics further. The more esoteric aspects of art and storytelling, and their connections to religion, spirituality and dreams. If you enjoy what I do here at Amid Night Suns and would find more personal, in-depth discussions interesting then I encourage you to check out my new channel. Either way, I'll be cross-posting many of those videos here too. Thank you for your interest and engagement over the years, my friends. It means the world to me. It really does. I want nothing more than to help people. So, if I can continue to inspire or quicken the spirit of even a single soul through my discussions, poetry or video collages, then I'll consider it an extremely good use of my time and energy. Wishing you all the best, and with love, Raj.