Dark Enchantments

What drives us to create?  Perhaps it is the unseen spirit of the Thing that calls to us to create it, to shape it into form, and birth it into the world. Perhaps all Things exist in some hidden dimension, and we are the simple conduits necessary for their creation. Perhaps we remain unchanged by the process, mere catalytic bio bots. 

But the things we create feel like they possess us – they wake us, tap us on the shoulder, tug at our soul. Even before we have a Name for them, we have the feel of them. 

Perhaps all Things are beings, waiting for the right key to be turned at the right time, and we are but frustrated midwives, randomly trying different keys at different times to release them. 

Or perhaps Things exist in such a dark realm, waiting for the right Creator – the one who can feel their Potential. The link between us and our creations is a strange one, a dark one; a magical link. We cultivate the link when we seek inspiration and turn into this dark realm; we erode it with rote task, mimicry, and avoidance. 

We use instinct and feeling to pick up the little threads that might become something; we root around the darkest, truest corners of ourselves because that is where the link to the unknown realm lies. 

The things we create hold us in their sway. They possess us, guide us. They are our dark enchanters, our creators, as we are theirs. As we create them, we create ourselves.

If you would like to read more, check these other essays and creative nonfiction works by MockingOwl contributors and staff.

• Pangolin Love
• The Need for Expectations
• My Baháʼí Temple Experience
• Rekindling Creativity Through a Healthy Lifestyle

Brenda Yagmin

+ postsBio

Brenda Yagmin is the creator of the urban magic/Megapolisomancy blog ‘Magia Loci’, which considers the shifting potential in our urban environments. She is pursuing a Masters in Urban Anthropology and holds an MBA. She resides in NYC where she works as an operations executive and volunteers with entrepreneurial consulting to the formerly incarcerated.

You can find more on Brenda’s blog and Facebook.