The Witch in The Word. Verbal Magick & Invocation.
Say what you mean and mean what you say. The power of a verbal charm, invocation or a spell is the witches' relationship to their keeping of the word (how you treat your word determines how others may hold it).
If you spur out a verbal charm that is empowered by the act, set up for the meer speaking of it into the world and redened it will fly, however, if you lack the relationship, its force may be weaker, it may die before it lands, or simply not be reciprocated in kind by the wyrd or whatever force you are petitioning, calling or directing.
Let’s use a recollection to help reinforce this truth and bring greater understanding. I'm sure we have all at some point in our lives had a parent, beloved, or stranger in authority scream a directive at us, order us in an attempt to shift our approach by way of verbal interjection, coaxing or coercion. In the same instance, we have all, at some point, ignored, refuted or denied the word of one of these figures in favour of our own discernment, the sheer audacity or in the comparison of directions from additional sources, and end up choosing the opposite option.
This exists in the effect of the spell as well when it comes to the word. It is wholly ignorant to assume that every force of spirit is going to appreciate, want or chaperone your will to fruition, or that every spirit has neutral or benefic aims towards you. Commanding a spirit to appear, though illustrated as a method in more ceremonial forms of magick, may not work in other instances. Especially if the objective of the one doing the invocation is seeking to become a respected conspirator and ally to the force being summoned or invoked. I don’t know about you, but if someone forced subservience on me once, I would not act kindly when unleashed. The method of forcing a spirit into submission for the action of a conspirator, to me, is rather stupid for the practitioner who desires reciprocal engagement (that’s my personal opinion, though of course you do you).
Show up, speak truthfully or not at all, uphold agreements and be accountable. If you are taking from texts, pay attention to the nature of the language being used, of why and how it was formed, its relevance to you (is this work permitted by its sources for you to use it etc…), be aware and respectful of the way a spirit may respond and meet them humbly but as an equal - know agency in all things.
We can observe the word in structure in the same way we see the method of preyer:
Confession
petition
Intercession
Thanksgiving
Praise
Though not applicable to every charm or verbal invocation these catagories identify the nature of how their spirit is perceived to receive the word. What could we reshape from this recipe? As in this example, the church expresses a belief that people must actively pray and build a relationship to “God” to effectively worship and or receive aid (not at all true to all spirits and or godds). To further the crafting and using of prayer as a form of active petition or offering, the bible further defines the action of prayer is to be made with genuine affinity to this God and that the work of such things is also in developing this awareness or feeling. Its safe to assume as by the nature of the preyer that though not always the case, the pretext of why most people pray, is to get what they want, whether thats into heaven, Keep yourself in Gods good graces, to not be smote or in the case of some older historical documentation of folk, to enact what they might see as justice (but lets be real also vengence). Though the irony is the language and how it is changed, as if the separation of ethical request from evil aims is need versus want, as though if you tell yourself its for God, for his assumed will, that it is then justified. This nonsensical approach breathes concepts of coercion and deception. A witch meets the spirit on equal face, it says that if we seek a boon or a relationship directly, not that these have to be mutually exclusive, we must ask from our truth or be burned with our lie. We do not obfuscate our agency to the will of a God in every arrangement (or any). Instead, we conduct a dialogue of respect and honesty, and in some cases of perfect love and perfect trust.
Some written charms also weave the one writing them into the work, the use of handwriting, for example, or the linking of a curative or curse-centric working to the target by way of their own word. Additionally, the way in which something is said, the elongation of certain vowels or pronunciations, can also inform the work.
Some heretical acts of prayer restructure ready-made prayers for the work, to uphold joint favour and respect. The act of agency, of truthfulness and honour, all become the sword on which the tongue becomes the blade with a permanence to it. What you say matters not simply because it was said but because it changes value and weight of your word depending on your ability to uphold your honour. For more on this, see the blog post here Honour
And what of Nuance?
Interpretation can be a tool of intention or a hinge of failure in the will and word. Allowances of interpretation can be a strategic tool to create doors in which to thread other workings, or a filter in which to determine reciprocal connections versus malleus-driven aims. One example of how this may go poorly is the use of languages that the caster does not themselves understand. This is a bad idea, for what I hope is now obvious if it wasn’t before. To see the word in a structural form, let’s use the image of the rose.
Rose image acquired via Vecteezy, then developed into a diagram.
Driving factors such as context can alter how magick performs, whether it’s for blessing or for cursing, deeply influence the outcome. The magick works within the container of reality, and so does the word. Examples of additional contexts can be things such as protections and wards, but equally important are things such as environment, allied agents and malevolent forces that may seek to undo whatever magick you may be weaving. If you plant the rose in a vase without water, it will die before it blooms. If you feed it with deceptive nurture, it will wilt from the strain. If you plant it with access to sunlight, and then pot a tree over it it will die, etc. The relationship you have with it can also determine further contexts. If it is transactional, a thorn or a bloom, it can depend on your depth of connection to transmute its forces from one action to another. Much to this truth we can also begin to see how knowing a curse can aid the practioner in how to offer its resolution. In this example, we are not speaking of corrupting its nature, though that is another contextual possibility. Instead, we are only observing its capacity to do both and how these aims are influenced by the context meeting with the spell itself. The word works in such a way, especially if we are seeking to partner with it as opposed to simply calling on its power and or putting it in an environment to have either effect. No matter what the aim, the rose does not lose its ability for the opposite effect, simply because you are working the alternative. As such, with verbal charms or directives not unlike the order example we reviewed at the beginning of this post, we may need to ensure the direction with the essence of character.
When not in Conspiracy with External Forces.
Before we get into this point, let me make it clear. Even if you are not drawing from an external force, you absolutely are and will be weaving with them by way of contextual reality. The elements, the land you are on, the wyrd itself will touch your work. If you cannot trust yourself, if you stumble on your conviction, you may influence the way it lands; the words you weave may falter as it twists and roots, within the aim. The potency of your own validation is critical for strengthening verbal charms. Not because you have to be perfect or happy, but because these contexts will feed the construction. Whether written, strewn into a sigil or verbalised, the clarity on which the word is premised accounts for the effectiveness or lack thereof of the output. You cannot unspeak the charm, only transmute, hone or craft to sentiment. There are also processes on ways of subverting in the method of removal. If letters construct no inherent meaning except to construct meaning, definition, organise influence and thought then not unlike the rose example, even if we ourselves are the source in which the will is transmuted into a spell and or force, we still must perfect the art of intentionality with regard to applications of complexity and clarity in how it is used, if for no other reason than once it is done it is done. Aiden Wachter makes a good example of this in the art of sigil construction in his book Six Ways. Speaking affirmatively with no fire behind the word is essentially firing an arrow into the sky with no aim; it could fall and injure you, someone else or simply collapse to no avail.
The real crux of nuance comes from definitions and the interpreted meaning. This doesn’t always mean you have to skip poetry. It does mean you have to yet again prioritise your personal relationship with the weight of your words in a world filled with heavy, influential forces. Everything has an inherent power and point of authority. By seeking the truth of a thing through honest relationships and acting on healthy values, we can see how we may work to meet them with our own power intact. A well-versed spirit worker may skillfully navigate the wyrd, cast verbal charms in the art of influence using poetic language, and in the same breath employ clean and cut wording to land the spell, the reasoning for these alterations take into account the nuance of what is also not said, how something feels and to what it is listening or being woven with the word.
Perhaps now we can see the power of words in magick, at least from a structural sense, and how and why this applies to a spell. Your word is the road and thread made interpretable, tangible and enlivened by your action. It links your agency to you and offers a bridge of connection and or conviction. Whether you are being deceptive or not, it forms a mark of identity to how external forces may work with or against you. It holds, in essence, a part of or a link to your will. Wield it wisely.
xo Ardwen Briarheart
The Fall of Man,
By Hendrick Goltzius, Painter, Dutch, 1558 - 1617