Magic Words: A Dictionary

This unique 350-page dictionary is packed with more than 700 essay style entries ranging from Aalacho to Zymeloz. The publishers describe it as a, "one-of-a-kind resource for armchair linguists, pop-culture enthusiasts, Pagans, Wiccans magicians and trivia nuts". However, I wondered how useful it would be to tarot readers and I put this question to the author, Craig Conley. He explained that, "Tarot readers are historically interested in the power of symbolism, in the wisdom of the ancients, and in ritual work to establish a sacred space where transformations can occur. That's what Magic Words: A Dictionary is all about. It's the vocabulary of ceremony. 'Magic' ultimately refers to a state of consciousness -- an awareness of mysterious possibilities in humanity and the universe at large."

Craig Conley

Readers may be surprised to learn that a three-dimensional tarot deck sparked Craig's interest in magic words. He was studying the tarot iconography built into the Welsh seaside village of Portmeirion. At a statue of Hercules holding a globe on his shoulders (the World card in stone and bronze) he noticed a plaque with the single word 'nonsuch' carved on it: Gazing at the plaque, it struck him that 'nonesuch' was a magical word. He later scoured books of magic, seeking the esoteric meaning of the word and realized that there wasn't a dictionary that brought together and celebrated all the most powerfully charged magic words that have have stood the test of time. So that visit to Wales sparked not only his deck of Portmeirion Tarot cards but also this new dictionary of magic words.

Can any word become a magic word? Craig believes that it can, if intoned in the proper spirit. I asked him to expand on this theory and he explained that, "We may evoke the magic in words by their placement, musical cadence, rhyme, assonance, intonation, and emphasis. A great many 'commonplace' words come standard with a special spark. Literature, folklore, and even advertising are replete with examples of commonplace words that are rich with 'magical' connotations. 'Paris' conjures romance. The old name for China, 'Cathay,' recalls an exotic, faraway land of spices and silks. 'Riviera': elegance and excitement. 'Vacation' whisks us away to a private paradise. But the most potent magic words aren't commonplace. They are ancient, musical, poetical syllables that echo the rhythm and vibration of creative power -- sounds that resound in the heart, mind, and soul, living long after the sounds have died away. They represent the campfire storyteller's mythology in microcosm. They're dreamy, mysterious, shadowy, deep in elusive meaning, pointing to the existence of a 'transcendent' realm beyond the logic and laws of our ordinary world. Even if they sound like gibberish, they possess an implicit profundity that is transmitted through sound and cadence. We all know this phenomenon in the case of poetry. There are lines of Shakespeare that you don't have to understand in order to be struck by them."

Finally, I asked Craig if he had a favourite magic word. He replied that he had several favourites, including Open Sesame, popularized through Arabic mythology. "When Ali Baba sought to enter the cave of the forty thieves, he required the right password. Open sesame is a badge of knowledge, of wisdom, of initiation, and of authority. The phrase has been traced to the fact that sesame pods burst open when their seeds reach maturity. The name of the seed is over 4,000 years old and is one of the few ancient Egyptian words to have survived into modern languages. Most intriguing, though, is how vocal commands such as 'open sesame' seem to hark back to ancient sonic technologies. Some researchers are convinced that sound vibrations were manipulated to levitate heavy stones during the building of the Great Pyramid. Steeped as it is in history and romantic tales of adventure, the words "open sesame" are potent with mystery and intrigue, and they always transport the spirit back to that primal, womb-like cavern of wonders, that secret passage to other worlds." Craig added that it is no surprise that the word 'sesame' is related to the Egyptian 'seshemu', meaning “sexual intercourse!

Magic Words
A Dictionary
by
Craig Conley
Published by Weiser Books
ISBN 978-1-57863-434-7

-- Brian Stevenson --

Comments

[Bonnie]

Brian:

Great review! I have this book, and loved that it covers a bit of everything from Harry Potter to esoteric magick.

I also liked seeing the history of some of the words - their origin, their place in culture and literature.