Magic

Hello!

This is GALAXY Q #001, and we’ve got a question for you — do you believe in Magic? Well … we hope you do! Magic has a storied place in human history. It’s where reality and fantasy — and science — intertwine, depending on your perspective.

In the A block, Justin McLachlan visits a psychic and walks us through the neuroscience of divination — more of us should probably visit psychics (or at least grab a deck of Tarot cards, see below) for help with those unanswered questions.

In the B block, the editors take a look at the history and power of magical words, from abracadabra to hocus pocus, which is, incidentally, the name of some of our favorite magical movies.

In the Arcade, we’ve got runes for those of us who aren’t ancient Norse pagans, a queer-themed, queer-designed deck of Tarot cards from the The Little Gay shop, and archeologist Chris Gosden’s, in-depth, exhaustive history of magic throughout the world from Mesopotamia to Salem.

Finally, we wrap it all up with a code that magician, escape artist and amateur code-breaker Harry Houdini apparently cracked while stranded in a telegraph office in Kansas, sometime after the turn of the 20th century. Give it a shot. You’re all so smart we are expecting a flood of correct answers.

So grab your wands, dust off your spell books, and prepare to be enchanted. Alakazam!

Best,
The Editors.