Command Performance- Our Psychic Movie of Magic Realism
Posted: Friday, June 25, 2010
by Ella Camp
" We don't always get what we want; but sometimes, we get what we need. "
Humans are natural born dreamers; and in our dreaming, we are creating. This creative urge is a natural inheritance. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from the genes of our human parents; we have inherited creative genes from our spiritual Creator, of whose inestimable creations we are only one. Aside from the everyday world fixed inside the rules of our society, we inhabit another world-a secret world outside that world of commonplace reality- where there are no rules graven into stone tablets; it is a world of magic realism.
Magical Realism is defined commercially as an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in otherwise realistic or " normal " settings. It is simply the manifestation in books, stories, poems and movies of a natural process that takes place everyday in the human mind. Although the movies that could be listed in this genre are abundant; in some the magical realism is more obvious. A short sample list is as follows: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Batteries Not Included- Bednobs and Broomsticks--Edward Scissorhands- Field of Dreams- Moulin Rouge- Who Framed Roger Rabbit- Harvey. These movies were projected from the magic realism function of the psyches which created them.
The most familiar and widely recognized euphemistic labels we apply to this common mental process are: daydreaming-fantasizing-poetic insight- wool-gathering-slipping away with the fairies and vivid imagination. These are the surface ripples of this pond of unknown depth- delving deeper we find the fathoms of Trance- visions-foresight- foreknowledge-divination-prescience, and the specters of apparition- delusions and hallucinations. Most of us prefer to play within the safe parameters of the shallows.
Our thoughts transform the mundane reality of life into an awesome visual production in concert with our wishes and desires, as our movie of magic realism plays in a private theater around the corner of remembrance- on a street well traveled by our daily and nocturnal treading. Oh what dazzling castles we build- replete with the luxury of spectacular feats of valorous enterprise, in which jeopardy is conquered and we are always the victors.
Stirring scenes of self-indulgent, hedonistic, sometimes carnal, sequences flicker in illogical settings as magical realism transforms and reconstructs loves tragedy. In unaccompanied solitary trysts, we test the furbelows and flounces of outrageous conduct, ordinarily averted by the thwarting rules of societys reality.
It seems we humans are never satisfied by having our ground-level basic needs satisfied- just as we cannot accept an empty primary structure in which to shelter our physical selves from the earthly elements of heat, cold, rain and storm without adding accouterments of further comfort and adorning ornamentation- neither can we be content with the limited satisfaction of our basic needs. We are creatures of escalating desires and aspirations. Put simply- the more we get, the more we want. Fulfilling the need to be who we really are is the only thing that will completely satisfy us.
The surrealistic world of magic realism is the way by which we dip into the creative collective consciousness to supply our lives with extra added attractions. Without this movie that runs constantly behind the scenes of our everyday world- our life would contain nothing more than that of an animal. It is a gift of our humanity.
We each project our own particular production, the creative subject matter drawn from the individual substance of our lives. Thus our magic realism is as diverse as are we; and spans the genres from science fiction to horror; action and adventure to romance and comedy. We are the producer, director and star of these psychic films, which are ballast against the mendacity of life, and at times, the only thing that makes it bearable.
Our magic realism technique gains improvement and potency with repetition and practice. A practiced, flamboyant personality may extend this lucid dream so far beyond the boundaries of conventional reality that its realization becomes a distant unreachable impossibility. At times we are capable of projecting this psychic reality into our everyday earthly lives; but more often what we get is the equivalent of a Hyundai rather than the red Corvette we design and dream; we get what we need instead of what we imagine we want.
If by happenstance we acquire this red Corvette, our karma may be at work, intervening with a lesson, which although we may deny, we instinctively know we require, and will allow. Attached to this magical realism experience is a warning label, one which we need surely heed- admonishing us not to stay too long at the fair, lest the gates be closed and locked, thus preventing our return to home.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)We do get what we need, Ella, much to my oftentime distress! I love your description of the psyche and what really calls the shots in our lives.Thank you Jenn- And I love your responses to my articles- you're a valid, much appreciated sounding-board- Always- Ella
Wow.My students always enjoyed reading the twilight Zone like stories within this described genre.This article is a command performance.Just beyond the literary concept of ' 'Magical Realism" is the closely related antithetical concept that we are oddly very close to God and indeed almost Godlike in that unlike other formulated entities we can actually CREATE reality merely by using our minds.More than sometimes, by using one's mind to simple wish hard for something, one gets what one wants, so one must be very, very careful what one wishes for.This article's wisdom and eloquence towards a quiet resignation and uncompromising acceptance of reality as it is, is an electron spin level away from your usual joi de vivre.I most enjoyed this sublime read.Affection, PaulI am quite content and pleased at your enjoyment of my article; although somewhat surprised that you would consider most of the others joi de vivre-I consider them to, for the most part, smack of my fundamental pragmatism. One can tell you're a teacher- you keep using those big words that I can't understand-LOL But therein lies the teaching- If I don't understand them, I look them up- and therefore learn the meaning- enabling myself to use them later. I certainly wouldn't want any article I wrote to wear the label: vio ch' en tra te. You forgot to grade my paper Teach-Affection back- Always- EllaOh, you're clearly going to Summer School session, so put away those inner tubes and frogmen flippers.You mean I flunked?! And I thought I was the teacher's pet- There I go with the magic realism again!
Way over my head guys, as is anything that partakes in the essence of magic, and Gods. I do not deny that these things may exist, I guess I just don't wish to wisk away the potential of these manifestations in our own human psyche. Seems to me, it's just another way for us to not realize, that which we may consider is to hard to obtain, unobtainable.
It's a scary world, and much easier to follow those who claim to know all the answers, as opposed to searching for those answers ourselves, leaving a world of knowledge unsought, while becoming sheep, for those who will use that trust for their own self advancement, and in my opinion, a large part of the reason that we find ourselves in today.
Love your work, Ella!You are indeed a valued fan, I count on your continuing loyalty; and thank you so much- Always- EllaAh David... so nice to see you again- I love your comments- Always- Ella
The doorway to emptiness, the end of experiencing, the acceptance of dispassion - just the dues to spirituality.Although all roads lead to Rome, so to speak, all roads are not in the same condition- some are smooth and better kept up- others are filled with potholes and ruts, but we must travel the road we've chosen- we either walk into the ruts and potholes, feeling their jolts and discomfort, or we learn ways to circumvent them, but it is our own travel plans we follow. Thank you E- Always- Ella
Wonderful piece. I got lost in it. I think you probably have a complex horoscope. You probably have had one done, but if not, I will be glad to do a work up for free.
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