Magic Cabinet and Wood The concept of magic cabinets and the use of wood in magical practices has a long and fascinating history. From ancient civilizations to modern practitioners, wood has been revered for its mystical properties and connection to the spiritual realm. In many ancient cultures, wood was believed to hold powerful energies and was used to create mystical objects and tools. The use of specific types of wood was often associated with certain magical properties. For example, oak was considered sacred in Celtic traditions and was believed to have protective and healing qualities. Magic cabinets, also known as magical wardrobes or enchanted armoires, are believed to hold and channel magical energies.
It mixes magic and reality in such a brilliant way that the magic feels very real. It is about two sets of children, each from divorced families. The father from one and the mother from another have got together and this new blended family is struggling to get along.
There s much fun to be had in watching the islanders diplomatic handling of the missionaries, who are fine as far as education and healthcare and food parcels go, but no use at all when it comes to spiritual ills. What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie The narrator attempts to reclaim a source of power that has been stolen, while we enjoy a running gag about mental arithmetic.
Magic cabinets, also known as magical wardrobes or enchanted armoires, are believed to hold and channel magical energies. These cabinets are typically crafted from special types of wood that are believed to enhance their magical properties. The wood used in the construction of magic cabinets is often chosen for its specific characteristics and associations with different elements or deities.
Top 10 magical short stories
A ccording to the blurb writer on my Penguin Classics copy, Hans Christian Andersen was the “first writer to create timeless universal fairytales from his own imagination”. (Islamic golden age: “Are you sure?”)
It’s actually harder to find magical stories beyond the 19th century, outside children’s literature and fantasy, or the deliberately circumscribed forms of fable, parable and fairytale.
English Magic by Uschi Gatward review – exquisitely eerie withholding Read moreI think they still exist, in stories that don’t announce themselves as fantasy or even as magical realism, but they have become better at camouflaging themselves amid ordinary life, especially when the magic is the legacy of an older culture that has been suppressed but not quite extinguished.
So The Little Match Girl (the heartwarming story of an abused child-labourer hallucinating as she dies of hypothermia – Merry Christmas one and all!) might become, down the generations, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess.
Witches, healers and sorcerers feature in the stories I’ve chosen, but in a few of my Top 10 the enchantment comes from elsewhere – as it often does in my own stories – ineffable and mysterious. Magic is a resort of the dispossessed as much as of the powerful, a rival to the established orthodoxy, and some of these stories also show that precept in action.
1. Arrival of the Snake-Woman by Olive Senior
“She was enchanted when I took an Atlas I had borrowed from Parson and showed her first the world where our tiny island and India were located so far apart and then a map of India itself, like our island colored red.”
This story is full of delicate irony and of all kinds of surprising magic. There’s much fun to be had in watching the islanders’ diplomatic handling of the missionaries, who are fine as far as education and healthcare and food parcels go, but “no use at all” when it comes to spiritual ills. And the help these incomers offer is very much conditional.
2. The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde
More pricing-up of the soul, albeit for different motives. This strange and metaphysical story, inspired by Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and The Shadow, was my favourite as a child (I owned the beautiful edition illustrated by Harold Jones). I couldn’t have understood it fully but I loved it for its language and imagery and for its genuine spookiness. The cutting-off of the immortal part – by moonlight, with a green-handled knife on wet sand – is particularly arresting, as is the shivery final paragraph. And then we have sentences such as this: “The other kept munching scented pastilles, which he took with an affected gesture out of an oval box of lilac enamel.” Delicious.
3. What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie
The narrator attempts to reclaim a source of power that has been stolen, while we enjoy a running gag about mental arithmetic. Probably my favourite contemporary short story. I love everything about it, from the affirmation of the title to the final image. Colonialism 101.
4. Five Leaves and a Stranger byJacob Ross
Ross is such a subtle writer, and I love the mordancy found in his work. With echoes of Senior, this story follows a stranger who arrives in the narrator’s close-knit community during a time of sickness, sets up house with one of the women and has a child with her. There ensues a quest in the wilderness, redemption and a cure.
5. The Standard of Living by Dorothy Parker
Another shop-based redemption narrative featuring two modern-day Match Girls. Clever, simple, funny and charming. I love the magic trick it pulls off.
Very odd indeed … Robert Aickman. Photograph: Louisiana State University
6. Bind Your Hair by Robert Aickman
Poor old Clarinda has found herself engaged to Dudley, who has never missed a train in his life. She goes to spend a weekend with his family “in one of the remote parts of a county where the remote parts are surprisingly many and extensive”, and where a rather eccentric soiree guest seizes on her as a kindred spirit. And then – surely the most horrifying thing about going to stay with people: “Every Sunday evening, Clarinda understood, Mr Carstairs read aloud from about half past six until they had supper at eight.” Understandably, Clarinda has to escape. And then it all gets very odd indeed.
“In a way,” the shopman said. “Though we pay in the end. But not so heavily – as people suppose …”
Something anarchic and alarming – possibly evil – erupts into the delightfully ordered and middle-class world of this story, in which every street is known and money is ready for the granting of wishes, and birthdays are counted down to exactly and well in advance. Or does it? It’s so difficult to tell.
8. The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen
As with so many of Andersen’s tales, there’s almost nothing to this – a few pages, and even the telling is simple. How is it so powerful? It’s partly the psychological acuity – Karen’s obsession with red shoes is of manifold origin and convincingly drawn – and partly imagery: the shoe shop, the various shoes themselves, the coffins, the graveyard, the spiteful and perhaps jealous old soldier (spiteful and jealous old world, even). The inability to stop – the whirling faster and faster – is genuinely the stuff of nightmares and taps directly into our sympathies.
Even without its famous adaptation, the story has an especial glamour lent by the beauty, the repeated visual accent of red (which stands out in life more than any other colour, and I think in literature too), the dancing, the riches and expensive objects, and even by the possession/obsession – everything is thrilling for Karen (and us).
The choice of wood for a magic cabinet can vary depending on the intended purpose of the cabinet. For example, cedar is often used for its purification and protection properties, while cherry wood is associated with love and passion. Each type of wood is believed to have its own unique energy and vibration, which can be harnessed for various magical intentions. Furthermore, the construction of a magic cabinet is often done with great care and intention. Craftsmen who specialize in creating these cabinets may imbue them with protective symbols or inscribe them with sacred texts. The cabinet may also contain hidden compartments or secret mechanisms, adding to its air of mystery and enchantment. In addition to their practical use, magic cabinets are often seen as symbols of transformation and personal growth. They are believed to serve as portals to other realms and can be used as tools for meditation, divination, and ritual practices. Many practitioners use their magic cabinets as a focal point for their magical work, imbuing them with their own intentions and desires. Wooden objects, including magic cabinets, are also believed to have the ability to absorb and store energy. This makes them ideal for use in various magical rituals and spellwork. The user can charge the cabinet with their own intentions and energy, allowing it to act as a powerful tool for manifestation and transformation. In conclusion, the use of wood in magic, particularly in the construction of magic cabinets, is an ancient and revered practice. Wood is believed to hold powerful energies and can be used to channel and manifest magical intentions. Whether used for protection, purification, or personal growth, magic cabinets crafted from specific types of wood play an important role in various magical traditions and practices..
Reviews for "Unlocking the Secrets of a Magical Wooden Cabinet"
1. Jane - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with my experience at Magic Cabinet and Wood. The customer service was terrible and the staff didn't seem knowledgeable about the products they were selling. The quality of the wood was also poor, with many pieces being warped or damaged. Overall, I would not recommend shopping here if you're looking for high-quality cabinetry or wood products.
2. Mark - 1/5 - Magic Cabinet and Wood was a complete waste of my time and money. The cabinets I bought were poorly constructed and fell apart within a few months of installation. When I tried to reach out to their customer service for assistance, they were unresponsive and unhelpful. I ended up having to replace the cabinets with products from another store. Save yourself the trouble and avoid Magic Cabinet and Wood at all costs.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - I had a lot of issues with my purchase at Magic Cabinet and Wood. The cabinets I ordered were not the color I chose, and when I asked for a refund or a replacement, they were unwilling to accommodate me. The installation process was also a nightmare, with the contractors they recommended doing a shoddy job and leaving scratches and dents on the cabinets. I regret choosing Magic Cabinet and Wood for my cabinetry needs and will not be returning.
4. Mike - 3/5 - While I didn't have a terrible experience at Magic Cabinet and Wood, I wasn't overly impressed either. The quality of the products was average at best, and the prices were higher than what I could find at other stores. I also found the staff to be indifferent and not very helpful when I had questions or concerns. Overall, I wouldn't necessarily discourage others from shopping here, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.
5. Emily - 2/5 - I had high hopes for Magic Cabinet and Wood, but unfortunately, they fell short of my expectations. The cabinets I purchased were not as durable as promised, and several of them even had visible cracks and chips. The installation process was a hassle, with delays and miscommunications on the part of the company. In the end, I was left with subpar cabinets that didn't meet my needs. I would caution others against shopping at Magic Cabinet and Wood.