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The magic of the host and guest

© Taylor Ellwood

Sometimes magic is more subtle than a ritual, or a sigil, or anything which is overtly associated with magic. Sometimes magic is the subtlety of a home, the invisible boundaries it has. And within that homes occurs a magic, which is very magical, and yet much forgotten in this age of commodity. It is the magic that occurs between a host and a guest.

You may think that on first reading this statement that there's nothing magical about such a relationship. And yet there is, because that relationship of host and guest carries with it many layers of meaning. And what makes magic what it is, is the meaning we invest in it and for that matter in the relationships around us. Until recently I never really thought of the relationship between the host and guest as magical. Sure, it was important to invite someone into the hospitality of one's home, but beyond that I didn't realize that perhaps there was obligation between the guest and host.

Obligation is a form of belief and also an honoring of each person. A person who enters into obligation enters into an understanding that there is a particular duty that s/he needs to fulfill. In the case of host and guest this obligation extends far beyond offering one shelter from a storm.

When a host takes in a person the obligation is not just protection from the weather, but also protection from anything else. Realistically the host is offering sanctuary for the guest. In medieval times, churches were used as holy ground and that holy ground acted as sanctuary for any person who claimed it as such. This meant the person was protected from harm by any person who sought to harm the person. To spill blood on the holy ground was to degrade that ground and was considered sacrilege. Likewise the same principle applies to our own homes.

If you think about it, your home is your sanctuary from the rest of the world. It is the place you go to center yourself, to find the stability that you need. Likewise it is a holy ground, not only because you live there, but what you believe in lives there as well. If you have altars in your home to different gods, or to magic, then you have created a temple, a holy space for yourself, and for that matter for anyone visiting. That holy space acts as a sanctuary, for you and those people.

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