Merlin. Gandalf. Dumbledore. Devin Person.

I am a humble 21st century incarnation of the wizard archetype, playfully blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Wizards are helpful guides who bring magic, mystery, wisdom, and hope to the societies in which they serve. As a modern wizard, my life’s work is to help you—yes, specifically you!—create a slightly better reality.

Using thought to change reality is nothing new. From mindfulness meditation to the placebo effect, we know mental actions can produce real world benefits. What makes wizardry different from positive thinking, self-help, and other forms of spirituality is its focus on small actions. In an era of endless content and constant overwhelm, the wizard asks, “What’s the least you can do?”

What does a wizard do?

Whatever they want! As an undefined archetype with no centralized governing body, each wizard can be what they wish to be.

For me, this manifests as playing with reality and helping people discover the magic within them. To make the world a more magical place, here are a few things I do as a wizard:

• Ride New York City’s subway system in full wizard robes granting wishes to commuters.

• Host events, lead immersive magic rituals, guide meditations, and perform hypnosis.

• Create “onboarding wizards” for major tech companies to help them guide new users through complex processes.

• Work one-on-one with individuals looking to create magical change in their own lives.

• Interview guests on my participatory digital ritual This Podcast is a Ritual.

How did you become a wizard?

After practicing my own idiosyncratic form of magic for over a decade, I moved to New York City and decided if could be anything, I might as well become a wizard.

On November 30, 2014, I performed a magic ritual to reach out through time and space and connect with the most wizardly future version of myself I could hope to be, asking him to guide me on my journey to becoming him.

A few weeks later, a rare knee condition I suffer from (pigmented villonodular synovitis) flared up worse than ever before, swelling so bad I was bedridden for over a month. When I finally saw a specialist, I was sure they’d recommend surgery and I’d walk with a cane for the rest of my life.

Instead, the doctor told me they’d just started a study on a new experimental medication and it was really helping people with my condition. But it had one side effect: It would turn all of my hair white.

And thus I began my transformation into the wizard I am today, using humor and playful pragmatism to guide others through their own reality-changing transitions.