Almost every day I am reminded through situations that many of us experience magical thinking; this includes me. Today I was looking for something in my desk drawer at home. I knew I had put it this item there just a couple of weeks ago; now it was not to be found, even after I looked four more times.

The fact is, I had a memory lapse – I had moved the item a few days ago to another drawer. The first thorough search was sufficient. Each subsequent search was “magical thinking.” Oh, by the way, my memory finally kicked in and I found the item I was looking for – right where I had put it!

For clarification, here is a (selective) quote from Wikiwak:

“In Anthropology, Psychology, and Cognitive science, the term magical thinking is used to describe causal reasoning that looks for Correlation between acts or utterances and certain events…. In clinical psychology, magical thinking is a condition that causes the patient to experience Irrational fear of performing certain acts or having certain thoughts because they assume a correlation with their acts and threatening calamities.

Magical thinking includes all systems of magic, as it includes the idea of mental causation, i.e. the possibility of the mind having an effect on the physical world directly. In Jungian psychology, magical thinking is described in terms of Synchronicity, an approach that looks not for causality but for Meaning in the co-occurrence of certain events.”

To simplify it, how I use the phrase, magical thinking is when a person believes/hopes/expects/anticipates something that is HIGHLY likely of not happening, that is, extremely unlikely. This is like me thinking I’m going to find something in one drawer when I have moved it to another. Oh, and that scenario, it did go through my mind, ever so quickly, that maybe my wife had taken it. Thankfully I refrained from asking, and proceeded to look elsewhere until I found it.

This situation I’ve described of my magical thinking in one scenario came as a result of a memory lapse. There are many other scenarios that can create this phenomenon, including (but certainly not limited to) wanting something really really bad, thinking that we really need something – so it has to happen, having multiple forms of thinking errors – that is, believing things that are not true…

So, what kind of magical thinking have you experienced lately? Is it a problem? Has it developed into an addiction? Are you still connected with reality and able to live a functional life?

Magical Thinking

Magical thinking takes us to an unrealistic fantasy world.

It always causes problems where false expectations are hurled.

So remember, that things are not always the way they seem;

And that there is always more to the plot than one may deem.

Get grounded and accept that God has a higher plan.

He is in control – even before the world began.

Acknowledge His existence, His goodness and grace;

All is well when we are in tune with his pace.

Some Scriptures passages to contemplate in this regard:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  Isaiah 55:8 (New International Version)

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11 (New King James Version)

Have difficulty with any of this? Then reach out to someone you believe can help, maybe a trusted friend or a competent counsellor. Some pretty awesome things, even miracles, have been experienced throughout history because individuals have chosen to get grounded, be in touch with reality, and to have realistic expectation. As a result, they and others enjoy themselves and life more, the world is a better place, and heaven is the richer. The Creator has given each of us everything we need to consistently be real and at the same time expect great things. Believing is a beginning and key to living a life of freedom and uplifting power on a daily basis – check it out and experience these truths for yourself.