Magical t h i n g s by Kristine Harper Some things are special, magical, auratic. The pendant that you inherited from your grandmother containing an old photo of your grandfather; your boyfriend’s worn-out tee shirt that always feels and smells a little bit like him; your black jeans that fit perfectly, because they have been worn out in exactly the right way and that you would hate to have to replace with a new pair (it would never be the same); the scarf your best friend bought for you on a journey – made from warm soft cashmere wool which makes her feel close every time you wear it; and the sweater knitted by your mother that gives you a comforting, tactile, almost infantile, experience when you put it on. Magical things are things that have a sig-
nificant, emotional and tactile effect on you, unlike all the other “ordinary” or insignificant things we surround ourselves with. Magical things might even seem to be a part of you, especially if we are talking about clothes; they can be described as a kind of second skin. When you are close to them, or when you touch or wear them, you feel calm, content or esthetically pleased. Magical things have a radiating aura that makes them almost sacred, and at the same time they provide you with a delightful, sensual experience. Magical things are pleasing to the eye, again and again, even though they perhaps aren’t beautiful in the classical sense of the word; they
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