Words are Magic

What spell will you cast?

Photo by Jisun Han on Unsplash

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. - Children’s Rhyme

Who remembers that rhyme from primary school? The rhyme we use against bullies calling us names and a verbal reminder to ourself to have some psychological resilience. Does that silly sing-song actually work? I don’t think so. The words we use can really affect others and ourselves. The gossip from one person to another doesn’t cause us to bleed but you might see noticeable changes in the way others interact with you. A word of encouragement or compliment can change your mood for the rest of the day. Words can and do hurt but they can also uplift and inspire. Dare I say with the way that words affect us, may be words are indeed magic.

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble” - William Shakespere, Macbeth

When I think about magic, I think about spells, black cats and witches. In folklore and entertainment you cast a spell by reciting words to make it happen. We see this in things like Charmed¹, Harry Potter² and A Discovery of Witches³. I am not a witch or follow much of their practices. To me it seems that careful choices are made with words when casting spells, invigorating them with some kinds of power behind them. When withes are casting spells, there is a process to follow, rules to adhere to and incantations to be recited for the spells to work properly⁴. When getting ready to cast a spell, the words chosen for the spell are prepared, thought out and in line with the intention of the spell⁵. The spells can be for anything and some adhere to the “An it harm non, do what ye will”⁶ ⁷rule. If casting a spell and the words form a part of them, aren’t those words magic?

“Individuals who practice positive affirmations may also experience increased self-confidence and self-worth and fewer harmful consequences of stress on the body and mind” - Lisa A Koosis, The Science of Affirmations

If you are more inclined to the sciences, there is evidence there of self talk or affirmations being good for individuals⁸. The way an individual talks to themselves can either help or hinder their outlook on life, life satisfaction and physical health⁹¹⁰. Positive affirmations help open up individuals to further help, reminds you of your goals¹¹ and potentially opens up neural pathways.¹² It’s not a fix all (like magic) but it’s a tool¹³ that’s used to help keep people motivated and inspired throughout the day, week, month or life.

To take it further, the Communications Professor Dr Frank Dances, brought to light the idea of Acoustic Trigger to Conceptualisation¹⁴. He advocated talking out loud to not only hear your voice but to also help you expand your thinking. Almost like a trigger to get your brain working to create more ideas. I also want to highlight a big affirmation cheerleader who is also very successful: Brian Tracy¹⁵¹⁶ . Taking this idea of getting positive affirmations then vocalizing them, who knows what you’ll accomplish with this combination.

“We are on the verge of becoming a trauma-consious society. The Choice is ours to act on what we know - Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score¹⁷

Towards the end of Bessel Vander Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score¹⁸, he comes to the conclusion that our society (mostly USA based) is becoming more aware of the trauma of others. And I feel that this is really being reflected with the prevelance of Therapy Speak in common parlance¹⁹. Words and terminology that were normally said in private practice like: gaslight, trauma, narcissist and triggered are found in local conversations and online²⁰. I think this shows two things:

1 - more folks are going to therapy and sharing their experiences

2 - the population are becoming more aware of the words people are using

Therapy Speak does seem to annoy some but I feel that the benefits outweigh the negatives. If we are more aware that another person might be going through something, then maybe words that are chosen to be use to communicate with them will be different. Not as harsh, a softer tone to still ask for what you want but with the other person’s trauma in mind. And then if you with to break someone down, opposite tone and word choice. I’m thinking of my bullies from High School or my first office job’s assistant manager 0.o. Different words used to cast a different spell; one for help and one for harm, so to say?

“Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. They make other people good-natured. They also produce their own image on men’s souls, and a beautiful image it is.”―Blaise Pascal²¹

Words are magic - and I don’t think you can change my mind! What is said in a prayer or spell over something imbues it with the intention of what’s being said. What you say affects yourself and others with either self talk or gossip. That’s why I think that words have magic. And with that in mind, what kind of spells will you cast with your words?

1. https://charmed.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Spells

2. https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/a32598018/harry-potter-spells-list/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_opr_d_bm_prog_org_us_a32598018&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19692657274&gbraid=0AAAAACWDcWqJqO3ORrStF6oQauTM8c1KH&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JLHBhC-ARIsAK4PhcpQwET5Iv7exc1PPBpe2QL0-VB8PLSrSAF8q0T9BbfNgNA35k5qwsQaApAqEALw_wcB

3. https://ew.com/tv/a-discovery-of-witches-teresa-palmer-diana-spells/

4. https://themodernwitch.com/library-of-knowledge/spells-and-rituals/

5. https://medium.com/witchology-magazine/writing-your-own-incantations-d9f22ec5cae2

6. https://wiccaliving.com/wiccan-rede/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20first%20things,against%20harmful%20magic%20come%20from?

7. https://thecritograph.com/2021/03/24/mystic-magic-the-rule-of-three/

8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4343089/

9. https://www.healthline.com/health/positive-self-talk

10. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/positive-self-talk

11. https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/repeat-positive-affirmations-for-a-healthy-happy-life-infographic-stay-positive-thoughts/?srsltid=AfmBOopd7TtQLydH4JB6_VJC03-nO8kNrnRLlz-7hGFinsBw6pRdL_n6

12. https://positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations/#:~:text=According%20to%20research%20on%20the,et%20al.%2C%202016).

13. https://www.wondermind.com/article/daily-affirmations/

14. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED154439#:~:text=Date%3A%20N%2FA-,The%20Acoustic%20Trigger%20to%20Conceptualization%3A%20An%20Hypothesis%20Concerning%20the%20Role,Development%20of%20Higher%20Mental%20Processes.

15. https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/repeat-positive-affirmations-for-a-healthy-happy-life-infographic-stay-positive-thoughts/?srsltid=AfmBOopd7TtQLydH4JB6_VJC03-nO8kNrnRLlz-7hGFinsBw6pRdL_n6

16. https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/positive-thinking/

17. https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbyborderlines/comments/14ktghz/rbb_book_club_the_body_keeps_the_score_epilogue/

18. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/20/trauma-trust-and-triumph-psychiatrist-bessel-van-der-kolk-on-how-to-recover-from-our-deepest-pain

19.

20. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-rise-of-therapy-speak

21. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/100257-kind-words-do-not-cost-much-they-never-blister-the