The Magic of Language

As humans, and with the magic of social media, we share words on a regular basis. Moreso when there are subjects to be passionate about. Words tumble out in a torrent, gushing waterfalls of passionate feelings, insistent on getting points across to the restless eyes that may or may not scroll by. Even with the addition of Snapchat-like features, words are added to quick photos and moving images to note the time of day, the event or the feeling.

In a community, as in a family, people can be overbearing, pushy, demonstrative, loving, gentle, obnoxious or more. I watched the recent unfolding of the latest upset (whatever it was is over now) with awe at the amount of language used. People had passionate opinions both for and against, and memes and discourses spread like wildfire across my feed. It reminded me of the long and intense discussions my family would have over the dinner table, remembering moments of their lives during World War II. Even then, as a child, I would disengage from the action (easy enough, that was not my time period), and just observe and listen. Listening was an art, my grandfather would tell me. I learned that lesson well.

Now I remain quiet and listen again to the words people use, and they are indeed powerful.

Someone is angry with someone: “Let’s just hex them!”

Someone searching, asking some questions, “Well, in MY tradition…” (person scurries away)

Two people discussing ritual: “We’ve always done the ritual THIS way.”

How did those words make you feel? I was present at all three, and noticed the reactions to people around them. It wasn’t pleasant. People can be careless with language and not think twice. It affects people, it affects outcomes, it can affect the psyche.

Spellwork and manifestation both require very clear language. One thing I always tell customers who come to the shop when they want to manifest or do spellwork: Be VERY clear with the Universe. I like to tell the story of how I didn’t want a long distance relationship, yet the Universe obviously only heard the word DISTANCE, and that’s what I got. I can laugh about it now, but it is of the utmost importance to be clear. I learned a very distinct lesson in that experience, one I am eager to pass on to people. I love the look of realization when I point out to a customer that what they state they want contains two conflicting desires. Clarity can sometimes take that extra step.

When doing spellwork, we have very clear intent and sure, we can use flowery language. Most of the time it is direct: I want. I would like. So mote it be. In our time harried world, I am generally surprised at how verbose we have all gotten. I think it’s because we are not being heard. We are eager to make sure we get our point across, so we hurl more words into the void. It doesn’t always work to our advantage.

So, very clearly and concisely, I offer the following suggestions:

Deep breaths. Center and ground. Words come easier when we are present.

Think carefully of what you say, and how you say things. Recognize that you want to share your information, but review how you convey it. Constantly pointing out YOUR tradition comes across as a bit smug and can be off-putting to someone searching.

Do you really want to hex? Sure, we have dark moon and some people we want to remove from our life. Good old black salt works wonders. But if you are regularly revert to uttering the words hexing, pause and examine your own anger. Are you really mad at the world? Are you frustrated? Do you have that many people who annoy you, that you feel you must hex? Then change your environment, your response to them, or stop spending time with people who annoy you.

Try flipping the ways in which you do spellwork towards the positive. The way I like to explain it is, instead of focusing on the negative of what you don’t have, how about focusing on what you want coming to you? I mentioned this to a customer who was searching for ways to have the love of her life come back to her. The relief on her face when I mentioned this way was palpable. She was not comfortable with the idea of affecting a relationship already in play, and putting a positive spin on her desires helped her formulate her spellwork.

I often mention the power of words when I give workshops on building community. When I mention these examples, some people look a bit sheepish, some look delighted, as it reminds them of someone else, and some are stunned at the simplicity of tweaking a few words in conveying their intent.

The other day I was struck at the simplicity and beauty of the words Blessed Be. Blessings can be a small comfort in this increasingly bizarre world of ours. Blessed Be, my lovely community. May your words bring magic into people’s lives. That is what we are made for, especially in these dark times.