Remember when life felt magical? When every day seemed to hold some discovery, some fascination to unfold? Where did that feeling go? Why are we left with this creeping sense that something's...missing? In today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, we rush past details that once would have stopped us in our tracks. We've got bills to pay, emails to answer, places to be. No time for nonsense like stargazing or believing in magic anymore, right? Except maybe life feels kinda flat without those little bursts of awe and delight. Focusing only on productivity and rationality, we have become disconnected from the magic that exists all around us. We have become disenchanted! But what if enchantment is a choice? What if wonder still lurks around every corner, waiting for our attention to reveal it? What if we could reawaken that childlike awe for the world? 

In her lyrical memoir Enchantment, Katherine May shares how she rekindled her own sense of fascination and meaning. Through deepening her connection to nature, engaging in rituals and reflection, and above all, paying reverent attention, May shows us how to fall in love with the world once more. 

To reconnect with life's magic, May looked inward through nature's four elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Let's start with earth, since that's where May began.

For almost all of us, life's become just one long slog. May knew this grind all too well. Parenting and working through the pandemic was no picnic. She needed a little magic. So, she started taking daily walks to a stone circle in a nearby field. The circle itself wasn't ancient or mystical - it was public art installed recently. But still, the rhythm of walking it soothed May's soul. The simple ritual of the walk began to feel meaningful. Before she knew it, she was on an honest-to-goodness spiritual pilgrimage without even trying! During this period, May had been feeling that something big was missing. She tried to pinpoint it. Know what it was? Being cool with not knowing everything. Letting a little mystery and magic in.  The poet John Keats called it "negative capability". Here's how it is commonly explained: the ability to embrace uncertainty, to perceive life's magic without needing to rationalise it. Can you think of one adult who lives like this today? Nada! Only as children did we let ourselves be enchanted. And that is what May was missing. She wanted to rekindle this lost art of perceiving magic in the world.  And the stones offered just the chance.So, how do we do it? The philosopher Mircea Eliade talked about a phenomenon called "hierophany" - a sort of mind trick where if you gaze at something with enough reverence, its power transforms it into something sacred. In ancient cultures, humans saw all of nature this way. Their worshipful way of seeing imbued the whole landscape with magic and meaning. But us moderns spend our time in what Eliade called "shallow terrain" - office blocks, suburbs, malls. Places constructed with utility in mind rather than meaning. Away from "deep terrain" like lakes or forests; brimming with generations of meaning and memory.  Spending time in deep terrain awakened May's senses. By opening herself to nature's power, May regained her own hierophantic sight. And you can, too!You may not have a stone circle nearby, but you can cultivate your own rituals of connecting to the earth. To begin with, get out of shallow terrains. Take reverent walks in nature. Notice details like shadows and birdsong. Gaze beyond what meets the eye. Look closely at the play of light filtering through the canopy overhead. If you gaze patiently, you may glimpse flashes of colour and movement - a bird flitting...

Nothing like gazing at the ocean to make you feel small in the best way. At the shore, your problems shrink down in size. There's something magical about watching the endless dance of waves and tides. May found healing in that daily rhythm. Water's always had healing power, according to legend. Back in mediaeval England, certain wells were famous for curing sickness. Folks would take a soak or sip and walk away good as new. Crazy as it sounds, don't forget that's a part of enchantment.  But, the old healing wells in May's homeland now sit abandoned and forgotten. Their legends termed illogical. Could these places still hold magic if no one remembers or even spares the time to unlock it? Turns out the magic comes from us, not the water alone. See, May created her own sacred springtime ritual. She'd bake wholesome loaves of bread. As she kneaded the dough with her hands, she felt a sense of peace settle over her. Her busy thoughts slowed as she focused on the task, enjoying the feeling of the soft, supple dough under her fingers. The simple beauty of that moment washed over her, wave after wave of contentment arising just from being fully present. Then carry one fresh from the oven to a forgotten well. Why? What should she do at this long-forgotten site? What might it offer her if she could but decipher its secret? Even this confusion and anticipation was a part of the enchantment. In this modern world disenchanted of magic, one must seek out and create their own enchantment. This well forgotten in time, stripped of its aura, empty of common use or understanding: she must fill it from her own imagination and will. She must supply the magic, spin the tales, ask the questions that might reopen access to buried realms of possibility and wonder. So, she'd sit awhile, tearing off chunks of bread and sending silent thanks into the earth. The power was in what she brought to the moment. We've all got rituals like that, though we may not call them such. Maybe it's something like watering the plants or swimming or dipping your toes in a lake. Repeat them with intention, and the magical meaning you assign them will stick.Or you could come up with a personal ritual of your own. Anything that connects you to the healing power of nature. Choose a...

Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing stars falling! This did happen back in 1833. A normal night on America's east coast and suddenly, the sky starts raining stars. Not just little shooting stars, but a waterfall of shimmering rainbow colours against the blackness. Can you imagine the sight it'd have made? At first people freaked out, thinking it's the end of the world. But then, hey, no one's dying - so wonder set in.  And a feeling of awe. And somewhere, a want for connection, if only you could reach out and catch them! Today science connects it to the comet debris from Tempel-Tuttle Comet. But, let's not reduce the enchantment of the moment to something so objective. It was much more than that for those gazing upwards. For most, it was an inspiration - writing songs and stories about it. Even slaves with no history books passed down tales through generations about the night the sky was falling. There are paintings and quilts commemorating it too! That night sparked a range of connections and revelations. Those stars left their mark on culture! So, why are we telling you this awesome story? Because that starry night tells us a lot about fire. Fire has two sides: beauty and danger. It's pretty, awe-inspiring, all orange and gold, but get too cosy and it'll burn you bad. Shows you nature's ferocity, doesn't it? And like moths that can't help flying into flames even if it chars their wings, we, too, are drawn to fire. See, fire stands for life's passionate parts. We can't help but have a passionate purpose and desire. A new relationship, or a creative dream sparks a fire within us. Yet often these fires cool. The initial blaze subsides. Hopes and dreams that once burned so hot can fizzle out in the winds of life. Some play it safe, avoiding sparks of passion completely just to not go through the disappointment of ashes. But in doing this, they also miss the light and warmth fire brings. True enchantment requires embracing fire’s energy, being present for both the thrill and threat of a fresh spark. A complete life experience. When you open up to all the wild and craziness of fire - the good, the bad, and the ugly - you'll get the full human experience. And that's how you make space for some wonder and enchantment!And remember, fire cannot...

Have you ever stopped to think about how amazing the air around us truly is? We breathe it in with every breath yet often take it for granted. But air holds incredible power and beauty if we only open our eyes to see it. Just think about all the miracles air enables. It allows birds to soar through the skies and butterflies to float on gentle breezes. Air carries the seeds of flowers on the wind, scattering new life across the land. It even shapes the very landscape - have you seen how wind and weather carve stunning formations in rock over centuries? There's true magic in the ability of something so invisible to create such grandeur.One fellow found more than he bargained for high in the German mountains long ago. J. Lud Jordan climbed to the summit of Brocken Peak, only to find it swathed in fog. As he paused to catch his breath, something incredible appeared in the valley below - a giant figure glowing amid the mist! Now this would seem like a vision from another world. While science explains it as "Brocken spectres"  - when low clouds catch your shadow at just the right angle, magnifying your form, we think of it as the enchantment of air! Jordan must have surely felt a sense of enchantment too. The way we see it, air holds its own kind of sorcery. It signifies opportunity disguised as emptiness. If we take time to notice! Sometimes it feels the very atmosphere holds a life we'll never understand. But for all this enchantment, many of us are still disconnected from magic. Back when disenchantment caused by stress and burnout had blown May off course for years, she too did not know how to redirect her life. She grieved the loss of her bond with the land and people around her. With the traditions that had nurtured her spirit once. She felt stuck on the same old path, with no way to change course. Till she learned of Mau Piailug.Now Mau Piailug, he was something else. A navigator from Satawal, a tiny island out in the Pacific, he was super famous for teaching people the traditional way to navigate across the ocean without any instruments or tech, just using the stars and waves and stuff. Since childhood, the old ways of wayfinding had been imparted to him through song and story alone. Mau...

Children see mystery in shadows, a universe in afternoons, and stones as treasures. While us adults have forgotten how to perceive magic in the mundane. But enchantment waits patiently to be roused. Katherine May showed that rituals, knowledge, and attention resuscitate wonder. Engaging earth, water, fire and air kindles an inner glow that illuminates the world. Rediscover magic hidden in plain sight. Disenchantment dissolves when you notice nature's subtle magic, cast over every stone, leaf and star.