Magic in Children
I miss being young. Those years when your imagination soars. Where magic is all around you. Now, a fleeting memory, a desperate yearning to return to those simpler days. I often find myself nowadays wondering why magic feels absent. Why it has become harder to notice, to interact with, or feel that spark of life that once followed you everywhere.
No more.
My heart beast with nostalgia, and I find myself asking: ‘What was it about childhood that felt so magical?’ As I rinse the dishes, suddenly I’m five again. I marvel as the light shines through the thin vale of detergent illuminating colours and rainbow swirls. The goosebumps that prickle in a warm bath lingering on my arms as I focus on the sensations in my wrists. I think I realise it now. Children, are so incredibly spiritual. Their body and mind not yet tainted with the pressures of this world. They are in tune with their sensations, their surroundings.
Think about it.
Their tiny minds, expansive and open to situations, circumstances, everything because it is new. They hold a whirlwind of new emotions, openly encouraged to express themselves, wander and play curiously investigating this world. They brim with imagination, magic and openness that hasn’t been tampered with by society - yet.
A Wake Up Call in Childcare
I first came to this realisation while working at a childcare centre. Day after day, I was surprised - often intrigued, sometimes even a little jealous - by how effortlessly spiritual the little ones were. They believed in folklore and the mystical, not because they’d studied it, but because the stories were woven into their world. Dragons, fairies, mermaids… the stories we shared in circle time felt as real to them as the building blocks in their hands. They believed in everything.
They didn’t just see with their eyes… they sensed with their whole being. A child might point at a bare corner and burst into laughter, certain that a phantom puppet show was unfolding just beyond adult perception. Maybe they sensed energies or memories tucked into walls. Or maybe, they’re just brave enough to trust the magic of the unknown. Perhaps it was in their minds being reflected in their external reality. Nonetheless, they were having a wonderful time.
Philosophy of Beginner’s Mind
From mystical traditions, to ancient sages, to child-development experts, the theory of “beginners mind” comes up repeatedly. It is to experience life as it is for the first time, unclouded by judgement. This is a person’s default setting. They live here naturally - fully present, surrounded by endless wonder, and raw emotional authenticity.
As we grow up, life teaches us the value of structure, self-regulation and completing tasks. Schedules, labels, expectations, the walls constructed for safety and efficiency. The very same walls that brick over the windows where light once streamed in. Where magic was within reach, within us. We are taught that questions can be met unfavourably with judgement. That emotions need management. That imagination doesn’t “pay the bills”.
What if we leaned back into that “beginners mind”? It is still there. It is our authentic self.
What is we let ourselves wonder, just for a moment. ‘Is the wind trying to tell me something?’ ‘What might live inside that puddle?’ These aren’t silly questions, they are invitations for curiosity. Reawaken the senses of the unseen, soft portals back into the world of exploration.
Tiny Teachers, Big Lessons
It’s not that children do anything miraculous, or that it is all in their heads and they don’t know any better. It’s that their way of being is magic and the miracle. A way we too once knew by heart.
Emotional Honesty as Ritual
They don’t guard their feelings. They poor them our like sunlight through open windows. Tears, tantrums, laughter; it’s all sacred expression, flowing straight from their heart. Raw emotions remind us what it means to be human. How divine it is to feel deeply, to let emotion move through us like water, without resistance. Showing feelings isn’t weakness, it’s simply the soul trying to speak.
Imagination as a Portal
A cardboard box becomes a spacecraft, a castle, a hidden cave full of stories. It’s a dragon’s belly one day and a time machine the next. Powered by giggles, glitter glue, and a suspicious amount of sticky tape. Imagination is the soul’s first language, a quiet thread that tethers us to the unseen - to wonder, to magic, to something far older than reason. It is the bridge between the physical and divine. It is how the spirit speaks in pictures. When we imagine, we remember how to believe.
Presence as a Devotion
Children don’t ask whether an experience is “real”. They aren’t concerned with that. They don’t question the moment, they simply melt into it. They meet the world life like it’s brand new every time, there’s no past or future in their gaze. Only now. Now. Now. When we stop time travelling in our minds, we can hear what life is whispering. The endless chatter of past regrets and future worries quiets, and when that stillness sets in… we can finally breathe.
Little Mentor Teachings
Savour Every Sensation
Notice the warmth of sun on your skin. The texture of the heated liquid of tea on your tongue. The scent of a blooming jasmine as you walk the children to school. These tiny moments hold the key to grounding, reminding us that presence is a doorway to a deeper connection to spirit.
Welcome Emotions Fully
Do not push away your unwanted emotions. Sit with them and comfort your inner child. The way you would as your best friend seeking out your comfort and consolidation. Feel your emotions and know that they are okay. You are a human, living the human experience. Feel is part of that. Embrace it.
Play With Intention
Let your mind wander. Ask, ‘what if?’ questions being formed from a place of exploration or ridiculousness. Follow them wherever they lead. Invite child-like sense of wonder, awe and playfulness into your life. Let curiosity soften the edges of “adult-life” and seriousness.
Cultivating Everyday Magic
Spirituality isn’t confined to incense-laden alters or yoga studios. It lives in small ordinary acts:
Gather a few flowers on a walk and arrange them in a jar. These can be the gorgeous wild flowers growing that we see as weeds. Every petal is enchanted with life and every dandelion grants a wish and turns your chin yellow.
Watch the clouds drift and wonder if they are speaking directly to you. Is it a whale or a goddess fighting a dragon? Is it simply a reminder that you need to slow your mind?
Light a candle. Watch the flame flicker. The colours subtly turn. Not for the aesthetics, but as a quiet moment of gratitude. A solitude whisper of thanks for one small beautiful thing in your day.
