Science v Magic: What’s Real

It’s funny how we think of science as this law of what must be, and magic as something that belongs in fairy tales. 

Science is observable. Repeatable. 

Magic is whimsical. Unrealistic. 

And then you throw Nature into the mix— and everything gets discombobulated. 

For example: Rainforests are called such because of the amount of precipitation they receive, and the plants there evolved and adapted to the wet conditions. That’s how they survive. 

But the water cycle is only part of the story. 

The transpiration of water from the roots through the leaves and back into the air is only one piece of the equation.

More than just water is required to build a cloud. You also need little particulates— bits of leaves, spores from fungi, pieces of algae— all floating in the air for the water to coalesce. 

When it gets heavy enough, the bottom drops out of the cloud… and it rains. 

It’s not just the water cycle the trees and the mushrooms and the ferns are involved in— they also give pieces of themselves to create their optimal conditions. 

Rainforests call the rain to them. 

Y’all, if this doesn’t sound magical to you, I don’t know what will. And it’s science— observable, measurable. 

Like the rainforests, we are a product of our environment. Evolutionarily this is true, but it’s also true in our modern world. 

In the physical context, clean, tidy spaces improve cognitive function and decrease anxiety. So does being outside. 

On a deeper level, our actions— driven by our thoughts and fueled by our beliefs— dictate our circumstances. 

The rainforest gives pieces of itself to the atmosphere, signaling what it would like to receive. 

So, too, do we give pieces of ourselves to the world, signaling what we would like to receive. 

While the rainforest is limited to giving and receiving rain and microscopic biota, we can reach beyond basic biological function to receive the things that sustain us: love, purpose. 

It starts with the tiniest change, the most atomic shift: your thoughts. 

Thoughts become things. 

It’s not Science v. Magic. Science seeks to explain the magic. The rainforest shows us there are two ways of seeing the same truth: we participate in creating our conditions. The forest does it with aerosols and water vapor. We do it with intention and action. 

Like the forest calling down the rain, we too can call in the things we most want in our lives, and create our own version of magic.

What does your rainforest look like? What are you calling in?