Puns as Magic

"Does not a pun do with words what magic does with objects?" —Lee Siegel, Net of Magic: Wonders and Deceptions in India

Relatedly, we previously posted Momus' revelation concerning the magic of words:

http://mysteryarts.blogspot.com/2010/05/if-life-is-joke-retell-it-your-own-way.html

We can't get our heads around the Blogger content management system.  We're now blogging daily on magic words and imagery at Spotted in the Wild.  Please join us there and update your bookmark/feed.

A Magic Word's Turbulence

From our outpost at Twitter:

"A magic word—merely pronounced, it creates a turbulence, an agitation." —Thomas C. Heller

Sim Sala Bim

Here's some of the history and trivia we've dug up about the famous magic phrase "sim sala bim."

Another reason we're so extraordinarily leery of Big Science:

"The magic is gone, the sage is a technocrat, the nymphs are departed, the dryads are nothing, the rocks and trees are only that." —Lee Gutkind, Becoming a Doctor (2011)

The Reason Magic Has Survived

"The reason magic has survived and is slowly overpowering religion is that of the two, magic is the stronger. Religion is an offshoot of magic.  Because it does not have roots of its own, it lacks true strength and credibility.  Magic is real, so it commands belief.  In magic man meets the transcendental, and he comes face to face with God." —Migene González-Wippler, The Complete Book of Spells, Ceremonies, and Magic

[We're now blogging daily on magic words and imagery at Spotted in the Wild.]

The "Closed" Character of the Mysteries

“The word mystery (mysterion in Greek) derives from the Greek verb myein, ‘to close,’ referring to the closing of the lips or the eyes. This ‘closed’ character of the mysteries may be interpreted in two ways. First of all, an initiate, or mystes (plural, mystai) into the mysterion was required to keep his or her lips closed and not divulge the secret that was revealed at the private ceremony. Vows of silence were meant to ensure that the initiate would keep the holy secret from being revealed to outsiders. . . . A second way to interpret the ‘closed’ nature of the mysteries relates to the closing and the opening of the eyes. Closed eyes brought darkness to the prospective initiate both literally and metaphorically, and the opening of the eyes was an act of enlightenment.” —Marvin W. Meyer, The Ancient Mysteries (1987)

[This is an excerpt from our dictionary of magic words.]

[Our frequent updates on magic words and symbols are now at the Spotted in the Wild blog.]