Simple Moments of Magic
too coincidental to be devoid of meaning
When some people hear the phrase “magic happens” they roll their eyes and snort. But I think they’re missing the bigger picture. Praying or making a wish and blowing on a head of dandelion seeds launches your desires into the air. And who knows where they go from there?
Miracles, chance, happy accidents, serendipity, magic. The random, seemingly unconnected events that end up making sense years later or seem too coincidental to be devoid of meaning are all part of the wondrous fabric of life.
Reflecting On
wonder
Every day magic and chance encounters can be healing and profound. The beautiful dew drops in the photo below may have gone unnoticed if I hadn’t turned my head at just the right moment. I was on my way out, getting into the car. The bush is outside my garage, and the leaf that caught the droplets had fallen there (it’s not part of the plant) and the moisture collected on its silver back could disappear at any moment. Are these moments random? Choreographed? Magical?
The Heart of It
As humans we interpret what is given to us, the many moments that make up our lives. With so much strife and sadness in the world it’s difficult to see simple moments of magic. The vibrations across the globe are low indeed, and right now magic is covered over by their insistent heaviness. But in our day to day lives we have choices to make, and we can choose appreciation. We can choose gratefulness. We can choose wisdom.
The other day on my way home from an errand, I made a turn onto a wooded road. I often take this route home as it winds past farmland and forests, making me glad to be alive. As I rounded a corner I saw a deer slowly making its way to the edge of the forest. I slowed down, stopped, and opened my window. I whispered softly to him and he drew near. His mother hung back behind a bush, keeping a watchful eye. The deer was a young male, the velvet still on his sprouting antlers. He sniffed, curious and alert, the muscles in his hind legs tense. He was ready to bolt, but didn’t, and I was able to snap some photos and enjoy his peaceful presence.
In some mythologies deer are considered magical beings, able to travel between this world and the spirit world. Because they shed and regrow their antlers, and because their antlers are often compared to tree branches, they are a symbol of rebirth and rejuvenation. The Celtic horned god, Cernunnos, depicted with stag antlers, is a god of fertility and abundance, and is considered Lord of the wild beasts. In some depictions, his antlers radiate heavenly light or light from the sun.
Other mythologies depict the deer holding the sun or the cosmos in their antlers. Sometimes their antlers are drawn as flames. These flames represent life as they were bringers of food, tools, and clothing to ancient tribes who depended on them for survival, including the Sami people of Lapland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia.
Deer can represent gentleness or influencing someone else in a gentle manner. They can also represent healing and a connection to deep forests, symbolic of the unconscious where creativity and intuition may be accessed. Some myths depict a deer god who leads a dreamer or seeker on a journey towards wisdom.
In Closing
Did this deer have a message for me? I believe he did. Thinking of his many symbols led me down a path of connection and healing. During meditation, the forested road opened dark before me, but the deer's antlers, lit with stars, showed me the way. His warm breath was life itself, and filled me with renewed energy and life force. His quiet snorts were wisdom, whispered in my ear, and I felt he was trying to tell me to take more risks (as he risked coming closer to my car?). After a while we came to a pool of cool water where I bathed and drank, refreshing my body as well as my spirit. It was there the deer left me, but I was able to find my way back without him.
These messages during meditation were personal, some of which I’m still interpreting. My encounter with the deer was magical, both in reality and during meditation. Maybe someone else wouldn’t have noticed him emerging from the forest and standing at the divide, between my world and his. It was a simple moment in the daily life of one human. Or was it?
Whatever your special encounters are this week, I hope you take time to contemplate their magic.
Until next time,
Jan
*Images by Jan M. Alexander, © 2025. All rights reserved.
*All writing on this Substack is original by Jan M. Alexander. © 2025. All rights reserved.
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I love the photo, your insights, and the magic! ❤️🦌