WordMagic: 
Healing the Earth by Purifying the Stream of Human Consciousness 
By Laurel Airica 

 

 

“The Women say the language you speak poisons your glottis tongue palate lips. They say, the language you speak is made up of words that are killing you.” Monique Wittig from Les Guerilleres; quoted by Jane Caputi in Gossips, Gorgons & Crones: the Fates of the Earth 

The world in which we live is an expression of our consciousness for our lives are metaphors for our beliefs. Many of these beliefs regarding the nature of reality are not nature-based at all; nor are they the products of our own independent realizations. They are unconsciously derived from cultural assumptions that have become embedded in the symbols, sounds and structure of our language. 

Because we are conditioned to ignore these basic linguistic elements, we are oblivious to the wisdom they can offer and yet vulnerable to the confusion they foster. By beginning not only to “watch” what we say but to listen as well, we discover that on the level of homonyms* and the alphabet, the English language reveals the story of our cultural consciousness and spiritual potential: It says that life is grim — and full of magic (crISIS). It describes our duplicitous — and divine natures (prey/pray). It points out that we are sleepwalking — through a dream of our own creation (life’s dream/life stream). It leads us onto temptation — and shows us the pathway out (evil/live). 

The Bible tells us The World is quite literally made from The Word — just as its spelling indicates that it is; and science has confirmed all that exists is sound. Once we accept that words are potent units of creative energy, loaded with history and meaning and filled with unrecognized influence, we can better appreciate the relationship between mind and matter: between the language with which we conceptualize and communicate, and the experiences we create and mistake for “reality.” 

English is now the dominant world language. How are we to arrive at holistic solutions to global problems with a language that subliminally inclines us toward dualistic and conformist thinking? Life Mastery requires a revolutionary type of Word Mastery that can be initiated readily and pleasurably through wordplay. 

‘….Life is But a Dream’ 
Puns can offer insight into the dreamlike, metaphoric nature of reality — as evidenced by the word ‘real,’ itself. Its sound twin, ‘reel,’ evokes images of film and of the projection of a fantasy — as well as of somebody staggering through this dizzying Whirled. The evolutionary impulse to awaken from illusion can thus create the sense of needing to ‘punch through to Heaven.’ 

Many think of the soul as the heavenly part of our selves that resides beyond the film-like Real. The fact that soul’s sound twin — sole — refers to singularity, aloneness and to the ability to function autonomously, seems in perfect harmony with this concept. 

However, the ‘sole’ is also something we walk on with our feet. And when we remember we have two feet — one of which is spelled ‘f-e-a-t’ and means a great accomplishment — we see how this is doubly so. 

Consider how often the feat we call ‘progress’ trods upon the souls of the many to increase  the in-come of the few. Those who are the casualties of this human race to amass the greatest wealth and power are dismissed off-handedly as having only the most ‘casual-ties’ to the winners. 

Thus, the fact that sole is also a bottom-dwelling fish, which is eaten with relish, adds another ambiguous note to the soundness of our ‘soul’ identity. So, too, does the close proximity of the word ‘identity’ to the word ‘identical.’ 

To keep us distracted from the pain and anger caused by our soul’s suppression, we are persuaded through the pervasive propaganda of ‘ads’ to enhance our lives by purchasing innumerable ‘Goods.’ Thus, Consumption — the deadly wasting disease that was the scourge of prior generations — has become the ‘buy-word’ of today and a leading indicator of our economic health, even as consumption lays waste to the lungs of the planet and every other life-sustaining system. 

From Punster to Pundit 
The frequently nightmarish quality of life appears to be conjured and projected through the collective unconscious — which, in turn, is programmed by a language that is constantly PUNishing us. Though we scrupulously ignore the subtext in our symbols and sounds, and consider ourselves to be sophisticated for doing so, the ancient Greeks and Egyptians (among many other cultures) were well aware of the power and influence possessed by words with multiple meanings — and of how such words can cast their spells upon us. 

Fortunately, Pun is a natural language so it is exceptionally easy to learn. And it provides the pleasure of endless epiphanies since puns are as prevalent in the language as wildflowers in springtime. Thus, just by seeking to discern the shadow and the light in our everyday words, one cannot help but become a philosopher. One also provides a useful service by helping bring attention to the linguistic static that keeps us stuck in old ideas. 

From English to Singlish 
Discovering the ‘secret spells of the language’ and sharing them with others is just the beginning. We also need to begin coining words, minting metaphors, turning phrases and conjuring symbols and sounds that evoke and promote greater beauty, compassion and harmony in the world. 

By collectively evolving the English language to resonate at a higher octave, we can ultimately create Singlish, an up-scale new language for the new millennium, capable of facilitating multi-layered self-expression and soul-to-soul communication. By so doing, we may finally use The Word to touch the x-static in Life — by finding and sounding our SINGular notes in the UniVerse. 

Laurel Airica is an intuitive counselor, performance artist and the creator of WordMagic: The Secret Spells of the English Language™ (not yet available). Please see July 14 calendar listing on page 41 for performance information. She will be sharing more insights and suggestions for our collective evolution of English on the Aware Show, July 9th, at 1 p.m., KPFK 90.7 FM. Laurel can be reached at airica8836@aol.com 

*Words with the same sound but different  meanings, like symbol and cymbal.


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