The Deeper Magic

Let me be perfectly clear: This is, and always will be, a blog about writing. However, a good writer is also a good reader, and a good reader understands the inner-workings of the world around them and can unravel the deeper meaning behind what’s being conveyed. There is always a story as to why things are, such as how the Statue of Liberty ended up residing in New York Harbor.

A story-seeker wants to know the story behind things. For example, they want to know the etymology of words. They aren’t satisfied taking the world around them for granted and projecting personal, unguided meaning onto what’s already there.

It is said that, in writing, “an apple is never just an apple”, and for the most part, that is true. Unintentionally, people write stories using objects that invoke deep symbolism they may not fully understand. Even a child’s story about giving their teacher an apple can convey deeper meaning than intended.

Starting in first grade, I was fascinated by mythology, and I understood that mythological beings were showing up in the stories that surround us over and over again. They were in the books I read, the movies I watched, the video games I played, and they even showed up in Saturday morning cartoons.

So I read the Illiad and the Odyssey, and I wanted to know the stories behind the constellations like Cassiopeia and Columba. I studied Achilles, Troy, Hermes, and Sparta. I wanted to learn about Babylon, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Tyre, and Phoenicia. I wondered about the history before written records, and poured over maps of stars and the solar system.

What I’ve been talking about lately on this blog is the real world equivalent to the “Deep Magic” spoken of in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. The “Emperor-beyond-the-Sea” inscribed the “elder rules of Narnia” into “the fire-stones of the Secret Hill“. They were carved “as deep into the stone as the length of a spear”. In other words, these rules don’t go away. No matter how weather-worn the stones get, the writing will still be there.

The elder rules are a constant undercurrent in Narnia, whether the Narnians are aware of it or not. Ignoring the stones, pretending they never existed, won’t stop the bad elements of the world, like the White Queen, from using them to her advantage. Edmond was ignorant of these rules, but it didn’t stop him from being subjected to them. It required Aslan’s knowledge of the Deep Magic to spare Edmond from being sacrificed.

However, there is a “Deeper Magic” that Aslan also knew. Rules written before time even began. It is this Deeper Magic that was ultimately the White Queen’s undoing.

I’ve spoken on this blog lately about some of the real world “deep magic” that exists, such as the power of silence and secrets. Then I spoke of the goddess Columbia. Next, I will speak of the Staff of Caduceus, leading up to the meaning hidden in that comic panel.

I realize these subjects may not be everyone’s cup o’ tea. And I don’t plan on doing a lot of posts about mythology, partly because writing about deep mythological lore takes an immense amount of research and verification before I’m comfortable posting them. Rest assured I’ve been writing for this blog every day, but I’m not ready to post about the staff quite yet. Not until my research is complete.

Just understand that nearly every commercially successful artist and writer out there knows of the real world “deep magic” and uses it, often against you. And that a deeper magic does indeed also exist, one that thwarts the deep magic time and time again.

Ignorance allows deep magic to flourish in plain sight, appearing in most of our popular media, often in ways that insults the audience. Mythology is treated like a religion in every part of this world, codified into nearly every story through symbology that too few understand. And I assure you this deep magic is more closely tied to your culture and everyday life than you probably realize.

Knowing the basics of mythology can help us better understand the world we live in, while also helping us grow as readers and writers. If we’re no longer ignorant to the symbolism that surrounds us, evil can no longer flourish in the public eye.