Magic is in believing. It is in the thoughts and feelings of people who let it be there
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a story rooted in the power of belief. It vividly illustrates the transformative energy that belief can bring into our lives. This captivating drama begins with a young orphan girl, Mary Lennox, and follows the profound changes that unfold in her life, her physical health, and the world around her as she begins to transform her inner world.
Mary’s early childhood is spent in India, where she is raised not by loving parents but by caretakers, as her mother was more concerned with avoiding the child’s presence and cries. A deadly cholera outbreak suddenly claims the lives of her parents, leaving Mary alone and forgotten. She is sent to live with her uncle in London, where she encounters a life vastly different from the one, she knew. Used to being served and obeyed in India, Mary now finds herself in a small room with a servant named Martha, surrounded by a house steeped in gloom and sickness, more suffocating than her own grief.
In this lonely house, Mary finds solace in the company of Ben Weatherstaff, a gardener, and begins to hear tales of a mysterious garden that her uncle avoids due to the painful memories of his late wife, who died there. One day, Mary discovers the hidden door to this garden, and she decides to keep it a secret. Her life begins to change when she befriends Dickon, Martha’s brother, and encounters a robin that seems to unlock her long-suppressed emotions, allowing her to truly engage with the world around her.
Mary’s secret visits to the garden continue until one night, she hears a strange, haunting cry. Summoning her courage, she follows the sound and discovers a pale, sickly boy—her cousin, Colin—who is surrounded by an atmosphere of death and despair. Despite his gloomy outlook and talk of imminent death, Colin quickly warms to Mary, much to the astonishment of the household staff, who are used to his tantrums and isolation. Mary, undeterred by his stories, decides to share her secret garden with Colin. Together with Dickon, she brings Colin outdoors for the first time, introducing him to the magic of the garden.
The garden, which had been locked away for ten years since Colin’s mother’s death, now becomes a source of new life and purpose for the three children. As they nurture the once-dead garden back to life, they each begin to realize how their own thoughts have limited them and start to feel the healing energy of the garden in themselves. Colin, who once obsessed over his impending death, starts to believe in the magic of the garden and the power of life. When Ben Weather staff sees Colin in the garden, he challenges him about his supposed illness. In a burst of anger, Colin stands up to prove that he is not crippled.
“The Magic in the garden has made me stand up, and I know I’m going to live to be a man.”
Inspired by the growth and vitality around him, Colin shifts his focus from thoughts of sickness and death to life and health. As he embraces these positive thoughts, he begins to experience a profound transformation, gaining strength and health, breaking free from the beliefs that had kept him trapped in his own thoughts of illness.
Mary, once unlovable and self-centred, now becomes more understanding towards others and has found a new purpose by tending to her garden with deep awe and care. One day, Colin’s father, who had long dreaded and avoided seeing his son due to his own inner demons of guilt and loss, decides to finally meet him. To his astonishment, he finds his son walking, and the story concludes with a joyful reunion, leaving everyone happy.
The Secret Garden is a powerful testament to the magic of belief and the healing potential of nature and positive thinking.
“Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So, it must be all around us.”
When one starts to believe in the power of good magic—positive thoughts—and focuses on it rather than their circumstances, they begin to experience a shift from within, leading their circumstances to align with their focus. This profound truth about the magic of belief and the power of our thoughts is conveyed in a simple and clear language, making it easy for the younger generation to grasp the importance of belief and focus.
“Of course, there must be lots of Magic in the world,” he said wisely one day, “but people don’t know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen.”
Personally, I found this book to be very straightforward and easy to understand, free from complicated jargon or overly complex concepts. The author, a modern-day believer, has done an excellent job of conveying the subtle message of belief and hope, especially poignant given that she was dealing with the loss of her own son while writing it.
Mrs Sajeetha Kannan
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