February 16, 2019
What is real, and what is fiction?
I just finished reading A Discovery of Witches, the first novel in a trilogy by USC history professor Deborah Harkness. Set in contemporary England, France, and New York, the well written story features positive and negative versions of vampires, witches, daemons, and magic in a modern world where most beings are human. It’s not the kind of book I usually read, but I read a good review of it somewhere and sure enough, it’s entertaining, escapist, yet grounded in history and science.
I’ve met self-described witches before, though they have no magical powers. I don’t believe in vampires or daemons. But beliefs that may seem outlandish to you or me are entirely credible to millions and even billions of people. Many Christians and Muslims believe in devils and a god who hates gay people. Other people think that climate change is a hoax, or that trickle down economics will lead to prosperity for all. Politics can be a surreal mixture of competing interpretations of reality.
I respect science because it’s based upon experimentation and observation. Yet some scientists can be narrow-minded and dogmatic in their beliefs. And my sense of truth tells me that there is way more to life than science has been able to discover. Or to quote Prince Hamlet, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
My Irish ancestors were delightfully creative when it came to imagining alternate realities. Often based upon superstition or fear as much as wonder and mystery, Irish fairies are not of the Tinkerbell variety. From the cranky Leprechaun (shoemaker) and trickster Far Darrig (Red Man) to the scary Banshee (female herald of death) or Dullahan (headless horseman) to shapeshifters and the sociable trooping fairies, they are said to be the keepers of Tir na nOg (Land of Eternal Youth). I’ve written about three of these magical creatures myself (see the Irish children’s stories tab at the top of this page). Even today, the Irish still protect raths (fairy forts) and fairy trees around their island. They may not believe in fairies anymore, but they respect what they do not know. That’s why in olden times they did not call them by their proper name, Daoine Sidhe (Fairy People), but rather referred to them by honorific titles: the Gentry, or sometimes the Daoine Maithe (the Good People).
Do I believe in life after death? Definitely. Souls? For sure. Heaven? Yep. Hell and devils? Hell no. Angels and the Good People? Maybe. I think that a positive attitude and appreciation are forms of magic, and that one can conjure good fortune by intending to do so through love and kindness.
What is real, and what is fiction, to you?
David Wigginton 
Hi David—My Christian faith is a choice. And belonging to a church community is an important social connection as well as a source of unconditional, mutual love and friendship. But mostly I feel that having a spiritual life and belief in things unseen and bigger than oneself makes one much more interesting.
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