Why the World Still Needs Magic

6/7/2025

On this date in 2017, the Chicago Magic Lounge broke ground on its new home—and Cook County marked the occasion by declaring June 7 “Magic Day.” Since then, that space has become a kind of sacred place for magicians like me.

So it felt like exactly the right day to explore why I think the world still needs magic.

Why We Still Need Wonder

We live in a world where almost nothing is allowed to stay unexplained.

There’s a tutorial for every effect. A “how it’s done” video for every stunt. A spoiler thread for every twist. The internet doesn’t just solve mysteries—it smothers them.

And don’t get me wrong: I love learning. I love breaking things apart, finding the seams, figuring out how they work.

But I also believe in this --
We still need magic.
Not just the tricks. The feeling.

That quickening in your chest when something impossible happens, right in front of your eyes.
That shared laugh when you’re surprised and delighted at the same time.
That moment — brief and electric — where you lean in and whisper:

“Wait… what just happened?”

Magic Is Medicine (The Good Kind)

We are taught to value certainty. Logic. Explanation.
And all of those things have their place. But so does wonder.
So does surprise. So does mystery.

Because those things remind us that not everything has to be known to be valuable.
Some things are meant to be felt.

That’s why I love performing magic.
It’s not about fooling people — it’s about freeing them.
For just a few moments, they get to step outside the ordinary, and live in a space where anything is possible.

Wonder Isn’t a Trick. It’s a Gift.

When I walk into a room as a magician, I’m not trying to prove something.
I’m not there to make people feel small or “gotcha’d.”

I’m there to offer an invitation.
To remind people — gently, playfully, honestly — that joy still exists.
That wonder still has a place in our grown-up lives.
That curiosity isn’t something we have to outgrow.

I sometimes say that magicians are like quiet whispers in the universe.
We don’t shout. We don’t preach.
We just tap you on the shoulder and say:

"Hey… don’t forget. There’s still magic in the world.”

Not Just Magic Shows — Magic Moments

It doesn’t have to be a card trick.
It might be a song.
A perfect bite of food. A small kindness when you need it most.
It might be a memory. A person. A look that says, I see you.

​Magic lives in more places than people realize.
I just happen to carry a deck of cards in my pocket to help point it out.

—Ryan