Oooooh...A Soapbox! Mine! Mine! All Mine!

[badstar]

Thanks to chronarchy for reminding me that I've been meaning to rant for a while.

This may result in some unpopular responses and other such consequences from a certain sector of my readership...if so, oh well.

But let me just say, i'm kinda sick of seeing "Bright blessings" everywhere and hearing/seeing "merry meet" and merry part"

Amongst some people it seems as though, if you don't use them your membership to Ye Olde Secret Magyckale Paganne Clubbe is revoked or something. Use some more original words once in a while to say hello, good-bye and wish people well.

Oh, and the whole spelling "magic" with a "k" to distinguish um..."magick" from prestidigitation. Why? If you're going to do that, why not find an alternate spelling of "path" to distinguist spiritual path from a path in the woods or a bike path? I would get it if it was another form of the word or somethign, but I looked up an etymology and nowhere did "magick" appear.

Really.

Okay...so let me just give a brief explaination of my idea of magic...and by magic i mean what others may so insistently tack an extra letter onto:

Magic just is...stuff, life, everything. This would be one reason...the biggest reason, really....that I feel no need to adopt a special magical name...(the other reason being...hey! The Gods know who I am. They knew who I was before I knew who they are. No need for another name for that specific purpose. Though, for the sake of jest, I shall now reassume my Olde Magyckal Namme of Lady Blithering Moondrivel.) And one glaring reason that I don't see the need to apend a perfectly good word.

So everything is magic, magic is everything, prestidigitation is therefore magic and I really am just enjoying copious use of the word "prestidigitation"

But even if you don't take such a view of magic as I do...consider the fact that in the English language, many many many many^n words have multiple meanings without having to be spelled differently. It's a common language thing.

Besides..."magic" is aesthetically more pleasing to the eye and inside my brain than "magick" and that might be what bugs me most of all. "Magick" is hard and sharp and rough- careful you don't get hurt on the magick! Whereas magic is...well, magic. "Magick" really loses something. It detracts from the wonder and mystery of the word. I can't say "magick" in the same way I can say "magic" it just doesn't come out right. "-ck" is much harder of a sound than "-c" inside my brain, making the end of the word sound much like "crack"..."crack" is a hard-sounding word.

So my point = Magic > Magick

*Lady Blithering Moondrivel hops off of soapbox and exists stage left*

PS: Tangerine. Smells like Christmas, tastes like citrus.

Comments

[ranger-hotsauce.livejournal.com]

"if you don't use them your membership to Ye Olde Secret Magyckale Paganne Clubbe is revoked"
That right there was the source of my "silly pagans" remark on an earlier thread. Seems we see eye to eye on that. I think that feeling like they belong to some super-special club means that they themselves are super-special (does that warrant a super-thick helmet, or a super-short yellow bus?) motivates things like bizarre spellings or secret code names, just as hating fags makes some evangelical Christians feel like they belong to a special club of the "saved". And the desire for that feeling in turn may stem from feeling pretty bad about themselves. Fix that, and the funky spellings and names will fix themselves.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

well, yeah....the reason for the "magick" spelling IS specifically to distinguish from stage magic. that's all that is.


the "magical name" thing, for some people it's a Big Ego thing. For others, it's a tool to get them into a state of mind. Personally, I don't see a need for it. I actively believe that such a thing is not needed. But...if you use one, that's your gig, just don't go all weird on me for not following suit. Some traditions, especially various flavors of Wicca are very particular abou using a "magical name" or a "craft name" in magical/religious workings.

as far as people neding to feel special....that is the case for many. A lot of people do decide to wander about the various pagan ways simply to be different. or because it's "cool"

but a lot of people also get into it, and are very sincere in their beliefs and practices, but perpetuate such silliness because those were some of the first thigns they learned and they can't think past them.

i'm just going to declare religion in general as a fucked up thing that does fucked up stuff to people and chalk it all up to that.