Seems. Very important word there. That indicates to me that there is a part of you that knows, or suspects, that it really isn't magic.
There may very well be magic. Really. I don't say that sarcastically. There well may be something that functions so much like magic that we might as well call it that.
There have been unlikely situations I've witnessed. Horribly bad, incredibly good. Things that make you say, "Holy crap!" But is it magic?
Trust in God and tie up your camels, they say. When a person goes out into danger and rescues a person, that is amazing. It's wonderful. And yet there are times when people die alone and afraid. There are times when people go into immense danger, drunk and unprepared, and miraculously nothing bad happens to them. Then there are people who do everything they can and meet with tragedy.
It all figures into a big picture, as far as I am concerned. So, when someone says, "Magical," many times I think, "Hardly." Of course, there are times when the way I feel around a person is magical. Beauty can arouse feelings of magic in me, certainly. But that is just a romantic way of speaking. There was one woman I went out with who was absolutely stunning. One could say that she held a spell over me, and to an extent, she did. But, of course, we all know about the little chemicals and physical processes involved in that. It doesn't make the experience feel any less grand and mythic. It's nice to be able to say, "wait a minute, my brain is being pickled in hormones!" when you need to. It helps sober one up.
I understand your point about appreciating those who help you along the way. It's a good thing. You are more gracious about it in this context than I, and I think that is a good trait of yours.
Personally, however, I cannot not disagree. I cannot, will not stay silent on certain issues. I feel, in my own system of morality, that it would be wrong to do so. They should be exposed in an open forum and given air. If people think they stink, then that's their right. It probably all boils down to taste, anyway.
Paul is selling a bill of goods that I just can't buy wholesale. And I actually think there is something wrong with it. He has a right to his point of view. He has a right to say it. He has the right to sell it. Luckily, I have a right to give my opinions. Kudos to him for having these forums up and allowing me to say what I want to say here.
Regarding beliefs and perceptions, beliefs pretty much are perceptions. What else could they be? Your beliefs are perceptions you have had that influence perceptions you are making.
You can operate on perceptions. There's a bit of ambiguity with the term operate. You can function with your perceptions. You can also manipulate your perceptions. We're in sticky territory here, because I think we would both need to define in detail what we mean when we say belief and perception so we can be sure we're talking about the same things.
In any case, I suppose, symbolically, you can throw a belief in the garbage, but I think that this way of interacting with beliefs does not respect the ways beliefs are formed and what not. My feeling on that is kinda how I feel about a lot of Tony Robbins stuff. He gives people these half-baked explanations of things, and they go off willy nilly trying to muck with people's brains with no real understanding of what they're doing or conception of ecology. Meh.
Anyway, your persistent good will is winning over my curmudgeonly irascibility. I wish you the best, too. 
