There is a part of the mind that is so clever, so articulate and witty, so neatly folded and perfectly pressed, that we often fail to notice the absurdity of the beliefs being expressed. I call this part of the mind Magical Thinking. It is a name that alludes to alchemy, but it is more akin to a confidence scam. For magical thinking takes the visceral truth of our intuition and turns it into self deceit.
Recently I found myself in the terrain of Magical Thinking. I recognized it by its repetition, the story stuck always at the beginning. Somehow all the lessons I had learned, all the things I knew about myself, life, people seemed untrue, without basis. It is from this place that I often make the same mistake, over and over. And this is why Magical Thinking is born of suffering; it is its twin. At some point we learned a necessary but harmful lesson – that the truth can be too awful to face. There are times, early in our life, when this is true. But as adults, when we do not listen to our deepest, truest selves, when we do not face unblinkingly into the moment, we become our own source of betrayal.
So next time you find yourself circling the same problem, idea or decision again and again, the next time you find yourself slipping as if ice beneath your feet, know you are in the land of Magical Thinking. Close your eyes, quiet your mind and ask your heart what it knows to be true. Let this be your guide.
