Twenty years ago, I began escaping into the fantastical world of Robin Hobb’s multiple trilogies.

I wouldn’t dare start the first book of each set until I knew the third was published. I was so absorbed in this fantasy world, I couldn’t face an unfinished story.

In these books, Robin introduced the Wit and the Skill. Today, I still ache to visit the Realm of the Elderlings and tap into these miraculous powers.

At the time, I was on my own real-life quest having left the drizzly, grey monotony of England for the enormous, bright, blue skies and bouncing animals of Australia. But the euphoria of this enchanting place wore off.

The job I moved for was familiar; the same firm, the same software, the same processes as the one I’d left behind in London. A safe choice. But office politics still jarred, if not louder, and the hours were brutal; long, merciless, deadline-driven.

Sinking into the pages of this fantasy fiction epic for hours at a time wasn’t only an escape from work pressures. It wasn’t only a remedy against the isolation of living somewhere new. Instead, the backstabbing, betrayal, and quests for true purpose and place were familiar parallels.

The uncertainty created by political wrangling and trade disputes reverberates around all of us even more so today. The threat reality of disease, invasion, and natural disasters continues to reach new heights.

Yet the Realm of the Elderlings is interwoven with secret magic and mystical creatures.

“The Wit” is the ability to form magical, telepathic connections with animals. In the kingdom of The Six Duchies, this ancient and secret ability proved lifesaving many times.

“The Skill” is a different magic, tutored to chosen students. Fostering a connection between individuals, it allows thoughts, and sometimes strength, to be shared, including over long distances. With the right training, the Skill can influence the minds of others.

In my twenties, I was naïve to the power of manifestation, but now, looking back, I wonder whether some magic from the Realm of the Elderlings shaped my life today.

My connection with the dog we adopted from the rescue shelter isn’t quite the Wit, but he and I walk together, invisibly connected, through the wild tracks close to our home. A whistle from me, a wag from him. It is enough.

The Skill is something I have learnt, thanks to copywriting mentors, training, practice, and general life experience. Today’s technology is not quite the same as the magic in the Realm of the Elderlings, but writing done well influences the minds of others.

We’re now used to sharing thoughts across great distances. The quiet heroes among us give strength, grappling with the dark and the sinister.

My own passion and purpose is supporting visionary individuals who create powerful offerings that shape our personal and global future.

Today, we live with unicorns and black swans. We fly and float and appear in front of each other instantaneously. The magic is all around us.

Inevitably, our dreams and desires awaken dragons. Are they here to harm or protect? It is up to us to find out and choose our destiny, using our wits and our skills.