magical thinking

Rachel Foster - Protection Pendants

The Center For Magical Thinking
 
What is Magical Thinking? Most of us, who are familiar with the phrase, think of those people who carry a lucky rabbits foot or avoid stepping on cracks in the sidewalk. Magical thinking is for those who are afraid of the world, who won’t walk under ladders, who always say “god bless you” even when a stranger sneezes. What about reaching for the Aspirin when you have a headache and feeling better before you’ve even swallowed the pill? Does the idea of “what goes around comes around” help keep society civil? Can karma affect our pocketbooks? When the terrified public speaker has his lucky penny in his pocket, does it help him deliver a better speech? And what about baseball players? Can all those rituals really improve their batting average? What’s the difference between magical thinking and self-fulfilling prophecy? How much control do we really have?

Scientists state that schizophrenics exhibit more magical thinking than those who are clinically depressed. Schizophrenia enables sufferers to make more connections within the world (albeit paranoid connections), whereas those who suffer from depression typically see no connections, think the world is in freefall, and do not believe in fate.

Superstitions, blessings, rituals, karma, destiny…all of these things are another way to express desire. Getting blessed from a priest during Sunday mass exhibits the desire to remain safe, protected, and loved. Perhaps we think magically because the universe is so much bigger than any of us. Because we are so small. Because we are scared. Because, ultimately, we have so little power and control. Perhaps, magical thinking is the most beautiful, universal coping mechanism.

The Center for Magical Thinking was born from the desire to explore these ideas and the gray areas in between. Welcome! We are excited to have you join us. We hope you enjoy the results of our labor.

-this is the statement from the exhibition of the same title, by Rachel Foster, at Carville Annex in San Francisco. if you're in that area, it is up till Oct. 29 - you should go for me!