Word Magic
Webster defines word magic as magic involving the use of words in a manner determined by a belief that the very act of uttering a word summons or directly affects the person or thing that the word refers to.
Christopher Vogler (one of my very favorite writing teachers) describes word magic like this:
“Many cultures believed the letters of their alphabets were far more than just symbols for communication, recording transactions, or recalling history. They believed letters were powerful, magical symbols that could be used to cast spells and predict the future. The Norse runes and the Hebrew alphabet are simple letters for spelling words, but also deep symbols of cosmic significance.”
Chris goes further to say, “When you spell a word correctly, you are in effect casting a spell, charging these abstract, arbitrary symbols with meaning and power.”
I’m not sure I have to worry about any words I write casting spells. AI spell-checker can’t even come up with choices for what I’ve typed most of the time.
I do believe, however, that once the words form into sentences and sentences into paragraphs, another magic occurs – story magic. Vogler calls it The Hero’s Journey, a mystical path that readers sense on some level. Storytellers have the incredible ability to cast a spell and transport readers into an imaginary world with their word pictures. Don’t you feel a sense of magic when you read or hear some stories?
But there’s also another aspect of word magic, too.
Consider the adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” As much as we might want or wish otherwise, the truth is that words do have the power to hurt or heal us.
Whenever we speak, we should choose words carefully. And, for sure, watch what we post on social media.
Consider this quote from Pearl Strachan Hurd, a British politician in the 1930s whose sole legacy is this quote, which emphasizes the destructive power language can have.
Atom bombs conjure images of death, violence, and war. Not a pretty picture at all.
As writers and storytellers, like the shamans or medicine men and women of ancient cultures, we should recognize the incredible power we have with our words.
