ON MONSTERS AND MAGIC
Bartolomé Bulos Touzard, the founder of The Dysania Concept, brings us a magical collaboration between his passion project and Project Synergy. In this essay, he details the captivating and enchanting feelings of visiting a place with a remarkable history and an even better magical tale that a lot of us know well.
The Loch Ness Monster. Concept art created by artist Tom Romain.
It was a beautiful day in the Scottish Highlands. The sky was clear, the wind was peaceful, and the sun seemed everlasting. From Callander to Inverness, the weather stunned everyone. The Highland Cattle strolled merrily, and the birds sang as a joyous response to the weather. The Scottish Highlands rarely had such pleasant weather, as clouds and wind often consumed the atmosphere. However, today, Thursday, the 14th of May, the day was lovely, and that’s all that mattered.
As I traveled through Glencoe, already halfway towards my destination, my mind was consumed by the beauty of the Highlands. History rushed through my mind - both real and fictional. William Wallace and Robert The Bruce were present in my thoughts, as were James Bond and Harry Potter. Anthony, the guide, shared stories of Scottish history, and I was amazed. I was here, watching and hearing where all these events occurred. However, as much as I loved the stories and admired the Highlands, my mind was distracted by my upcoming destination.
Glencoe, Scotland. Courtesy of Bartolomé Bulos Touzard.
There are over 30,000 lochs in Scotland. Some are long, and some are short. Some are shallow, and some are deep. Some are beautiful, and some are scary. My destination was all of these and more. We’ve all heard about this loch, and we’ve all heard about what lies in its depths. And as the day continued, with every passing second, I was closer to it.
Several hours later, still on a sunny day, after passing Fort William, I arrived at Fort Augustus. The town was gorgeous, filled with small businesses and a swing bridge, and one could tell the town relied heavily on tourism to sustain itself. Eventually, after appreciating the small town, for the first time, I laid my eye on my final destination.
The loch was stunningly terrifying. Tall trees and hills surrounded its dark waters. Its shore was full of rocks and pebbles. And in the distance, a mist blocked the horizon, making me feel the magic of it more intensely. It was straight from the stories. It was Loch Ness.
Glencoe, Scotland. Courtesy of Bartolomé Bulos Touzard.
We all know the stories of what lies in the depths of Loch Ness — a serpentine, long-necked creature with humps that rise from the water when it decides to approach the surface. So, having that image in my mind, my heart stopped when I stepped into a boat to sail around Loch Ness. And suddenly, the sun disappeared, and the sky turned grey and harsh winds kicked in. She knew I was here.
Every second in that boat was beautifully terrifying as I prayed for a glimpse of the creature. The day only turned darker and the wind harsher as the boat went further into the depths of Loch Ness, and my heart couldn’t have been more thrilled. The mist on the horizon kept me wondering what lay between the 200 meters separating me from the loch floor. Stories and sounds sprinted through my mind. Was this the moment humanity would finally discover the beast?
Loch Ness, Scotland. Courtesy of Bartolomé Bulos Touzard.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t it. But that hour when I faced Loch Ness and its depths with my wandering mind was as immersive and consuming as any experience I’ve ever had. Sadly, science hasn’t been able to prove the existence of Nessie. However, it hasn’t discredited her either. The sonar images that show something like a large creature living in the depths of Loch Ness are still inconclusive, and all recent sightings of it have been either hoaxes or debunked. Scientists have confirmed plenty of eels in Loch Ness, and an educated guess proposed by some is that Nessie is an oversized eel. However, people trying to prove the Loch Ness Monster’s existence have had no positive results.
So, why did I still feel thrilled if I knew all this before sailing around Loch Ness? Why did the beautiful darkness consume me? Why was I immersed in the narrative of this folk creature? The answer lies in the following words.
The difference between knowing and believing is related to the amount of knowledge you have. Knowing means you possess knowledge that confirms a truth. Believing means you have chosen something to be true. Hence, to create a distinction between both, the scientific method exists. Through a series of curated steps, the scientific method permits us to determine whether there is knowledge that supports a belief. And if there is, then that belief becomes something we know. And in this scenario, no knowledge supports the belief of the Loch Ness Monster.
However, there is a more meaningful argument here than whether we believe Nessie exists, and I like to call it The Monsters and Magic Mindset. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost,” perhaps that is the best way to summarise this idea. See, sometimes, believing can be the greatest pleasure, as it adds the magic dust to an experience, making it memorable beyond expectations.
On that sunny day that suddenly turned grey and dark, I knew there was no knowledge or evidence of anything living beneath the surface of Loch Ness. And as a reaction, I could’ve sat in the boat, admiring the landscape without immersing myself in the experience, denying the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. However, instead of staying comfortable in the zone of knowledge, I decided to take a risk and believed something was beneath the boat I was sitting on. I decided to maximize the experience. I believed in Monsters and Magic.
To some people in that boat, I was embarrassing myself by running around the deck, looking at all possible angles, and sharing an ear-to-ear smile. Others were infected by the mindset and joined me in standing up, wandering around, and wondering if there was something. It’s been five days since I was on that boat, and I can’t remember a single face. All I can remember is the feeling, the rush, the momentum of standing there, consumed by my imagination and creating an experience far more fantastic than I could’ve wished for — once again because I believed in Monsters and Magic.
One must always be cautious when believing, as a belief always has room for doubt and is born from the blind trust. However, some moments in life can be elevated to something beyond memorable if sprinkled with some of this magic dust. And that’s what The Monsters and Magic Mindset aims to communicate. We would’ve believed in Nessie if we were six years old sitting in that boat. But what happens when we become adults? To keep that mindset in your life is a decision you must make. To me, it just makes life as magical as it can be.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
Bartolomé Bulos, born and raised in Peru, is the Project Director for Project Synergy. He currently resides in London, as he is pursuing his degree in Music Composition and Technology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is also the founder of The Dysania Project.
