Curate, connect, and discover
I’ve noticed a trend in modern magick that “the words don’t matter, only the intention” and this has never really been something that has sat well with me. If the words in spell craft “don’t matter” then why do we have such a long history of magickal words of power, incantations, prayers, liturgy and charms? The spoken word has always been one of the most potent forms or aspects of my magickal workings.
The last few years of working within Fayerie Traditionalism and the rites within “An Carow Gwyn” and “An Cawdarn Rudh” I’ve come into contact with barbarous names. Also called “voces magicae” these are words that are seemingly meaningless words that are supposedly magickal or powerful in nature. These words were/are usually bastardised words from languages that were not Greek or Latin. Incantations containing barbarous words come to us from The Greek Magical Papyri (Papyri Graecae Magicae or PGM), a collection of spells and rituals and liturgy from Greco-Roman Egypt. The power of these words comes not from any supposed meaning but from their sound of resonance. This can make employing them difficult because the magician must know the proper pronunciation. For this reason I am very thankful to Robin Artisson for giving phonetic spellings of any barbarous names (commonly referred to as “strange words” in the Fayerie Traditionalism material) used in rites and spells.
Other types of magickal words similar to these are ones Robin has given in “The Clovenstone Workings” the words of power given in that book are channeled words taught to him by the fayerie close to him. One such word is the word of the Gateway Ring: NURTANUMO. This word is in itself as spirit as well as an incantation. Speaking it correctly and with the correct ritual actions create a liminal space within which a sorcerer may commune with helpful and “friendly” spirits(I say friendly to mean that the word helps to keep out any spirit that might mean one harm or does not resonate with the purpose of ones magickal working). Along with NURTANUMO and other words of power given in “The Clovenstone Workings” they are accompanied by sigils formed by the letters of the word.
Another form of incantation or words of power that I want to start exploring is charms. I mean by this the spoken charms found in most forms of American folk magic. These re usually rhyming couplets that are believed to contain a power all their own, in some traditions though, one must be born a “charmer” to use them with any effect. Seeing as these come from forms of folk magic, many of these charms call upon the power of God, Jesus, the saints, apostles, or the Holy Trinity. Many pagans within the U.S. are coming into witchcraft and paganism from Christianity and carry with them some level of trauma. This in turn can cause hang ups of one kind or another when employing any types of magick that have any Christian trappings. I personally had these issues early on in my Path. Over time I came to a realisation that helped me (the following is UPG so take it accordingly) Power is Power. I personally believe that charms and and psalms that have a history of magickal use contain their own power that has been generated through belief. Generations of people spoke these words and believed in the power of them and so they have that power. Along that line of thinking is my belief that when I speak a charm it is not just me, but every person before me who spoke it for the same purpose. I am chanting and charming with the Ancestors and they bolster no only my Power but the Power of the charm. You can find collections of charms like this in the braucherei text “The Long Lost Friend”. Another source though not American is the “Carmina Gadelica” a collection of Scottish charms, hymns, prayers and lore. Gemma Gary as also written the “Charmer’s Psalter” a collection of psalms and biblical scripture used in English folk magic. (I do plan on getting my hands on all three of these eventually)
One last note on rhyming charms. I’ve seen a an explanation for rhyming couplets being used in magick as a way to enter into light trances to work magick. You write or find a charm that aligns with your purpose, and chanting it helps to “set your intention’ as you slip into trance. As far as I can tell this is a relatively modern explanation for their Power, it is however no less of an effective method. I have used this technique to help me enter trance, more specifically the level of trance I want when using glossolalia; speaking in tongues (another potent and powerful form of spoken word magick).
Looking back at the idea of belief giving words power. This idea is why I think it is possible to use incantations from media and pop culture in actual spell work. There are cases where a tv show or book will take a pre-existing spell or incantation and reword it slightly to fit the show or scene. In this case the ritual action accompanied by the spoken spell can have great effect. In other cases if you know how the spell operates within the fictional universe, this can signal your own spirit and those spirits you work with what you want to achieve. One personal experience I have with this is using the lost and found spell from Charmed. Anytime I employ this spell I fix an image of the object in my mind, breathe deeply, recite the spell three times, and then set the spell with a sharp clap and a “so mote it be”. In this way I’m not simply reciting the spell and expecting things to appear as happens in the show. I use the incantation in conjunction with real world magickal techniques and have always gotten positive results. Once I do this spell and continue searching I will often find the lost object within an hour, sometimes a day at most.
Regardless of your views on words in magick I think it does our history and Ancestors a disservice to simply dismiss them as an arbitrary or useless aspect of magickal practice.