Book Review: Magi Theology, the Essence of Illusion

Understanding true reality by finding the source of all that is True

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany as we recall the three Magi who followed the star of Bethlehem bearing gifts in search of Jesus. Like the Magi 2000 years ago, David Russell has found Jesus and bears gifts, which he shares with us in his book, Magi Theology: the essence of illusion.

P>KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - If you are looking for something new, David Russell's book, Magi Theology: the essence of illusion, may be what you are looking for. David combines the art of illusion with a mature understanding of the Catholic faith in this unique book. The combination is simply magical. I will explain.

David tells us in the introduction to his book that he has been interested in magic - properly understood as illusion or "slight of hand" and NOT what is too often associated with the occult - as far back as he can remember.

David and his book have NOTHING to do with the Occult. Rather, it is a book about the art of illusion, the kind of magic tricks which have been entertaining us for centuries. He recalls finding a book on magic tricks in the school library when he was about seven years old.

As a child, David he wanted to become a great magician. It is not mentioned in his book, but when he was 16 years old, he was the youngest documented magician to escape from the "Water Torture Cell" made famous by Harry Houdini.

David eventually became a professional magician. It seemed that his childhood dream of greatness was within his grasp, but David's professional life was short lived. As he got older, he put his bag of tricks away and moved on to a new life, which included marriage and family.

However, he recently rediscovered his marvelous bag of tricks, but with a unique twist. While helping out at a Confirmation retreat a few years ago, he heard one of the speakers say, "If you want to know what Jesus wants you to do, just look at your hands." David looked down at his hands. He describes what he saw based on something that he had imagined.

David imagined meeting Jesus face to face in a large crowd, and Jesus saying, "Perform for us! . . . I will show you how to use this talent, not in a prideful way as the greatest magician, but by being the least." So when David looked at his hands, he realized that Jesus wanted him to use his talent as a stage magician to advance the kingdom of God. 

Moreover, as a result of the union between his faith and his talent, he came to realize, as he puts it, "some special truths." Thus, in Magi Theology: the essence of illusion he shares more than his knowledge and love of magic with us; he shares these truths, which boil down to some of life's important lessons and their corresponding spiritual connections.

David believes that the illusions magicians create imitate corresponding phenomena in the spiritual realm and reflect what happens in our real lives. He defines illusion as "Something that deceives by producing a false impression," and he defines reality as "something that exists independent of ideas concerning it."

He says that we can manipulate illusions in our lives like a magician, but it causes much harm and suffering when we confuse illusion with reality. The essence of David's book, then, is to look past the illusions in our lives and see the reality, which is grounded in our faith. With these thoughts in mind, let's take a closer look at his book.

David's book is centered around the seven main categories of illusions that magicians generally perform. They are restoration, transformation, transportation, disappearance, appearance, levitation, and prediction. Each chapter begins with a little background about the specific category, then it explores the corresponding spiritual dimensions.

For example, there are many types of restoration illusions: sawing a woman in half, the guillotine, a torn-and-restored newspaper, the cut and restored rope, etc. In other words, just about anything that can be penetrated, ripped, torn, sawed or broken sets the stage for a restoration illusion. What makes a restoration illusion so captivating is that we secretly wish to restore those areas in our lives where we have experienced separation: broken relationships or poor health or financial difficulties or any number of things.

These kind of experiences remind us that the completion or fulfillment we seek cannot be found in this world. Our desires are limitless. We are in a constant state of dissatisfaction. Therefore, our hope in the things of this life to completely satisfy us is an illusion.

The good news is that we can restore the broken areas of our lives when we realize what needs to be restored and where our true satisfaction lies. When we try to restore our brokenness ourselves, the restoration is only temporary at best. We need to place God first and rely on Him to truly restore the broken areas of our lives. In other words, we need to live in this world with an eye toward the next.

Living in this manner brings us real freedom because it enables us to move beyond illusion and into reality. However, illusions are not evil in and of themselves; they are a necessary part of life which help us recognize the truth.

For example, imagine a magician telling you that he has torn a piece of paper. You do not see him actually tear it, nor do you see it torn. Then the magician tells you he is going to restore it, and he shows you a whole piece of paper. Anticlimactic, right? We need to see the paper being torn before we can appreciate the restoration.

In the same way, we need to see the parts of our lives that are torn or broken. Only after we see them and acknowledge them can these parts be restored. But we must ultimately look to God for our final and complete restoration. In this respect, our brokenness helps us see past illusions, and illusions help lead us to ultimate reality and God. And seeing past our illusions also frees us to live more fully, more productively, and with greater peace and joy.

As I noted above, the other chapters follow a similar format. Each chapter reflects on one of the seven categories (restoration, transformation, transportation, disappearance, appearance, levitation, and prediction). I have just given you a brief summary of the category on restoration. If you are interested in learning about the other six categories, you will have to read the book.

Magi Theology: the essence of illusion is a 71 page, hardcover book. I have never run across another book like it. It is unique and properly magical. I found it delightful and refreshing to read. David has also written a children's book, Bigger and Better. It too is delightful. You can find out more about these books and about David and the specialized stage performances he offers on his website davidrussellmagician.com.

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Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

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