Watching my Son Grow: Language

Pointing at what he wants. "Use your words, Booper!"

Rowan is busy learning one of the most powerful ways a human being can create magick in the world: words and speech. He is learning the power of naming and names and how they affect how we see and interact with the world.

To quote an elder from my Witchcraft tradition: "Words are magic. Words are something we humans use to create our world, carving packets of energy out of the universal froth, investing them with meanings and significance, and linking them up in webs and patterns of association and reflection. The magical power in words lies not only in their ability to focus our energy compactly, but also in their inherent fluidity. By changing our words around, we can change our inner perception of the world and thus how we experience it. Perceiver and perceived create each other; change the nature of the perceptions, and the ripple effect flows outward into the world and creates change there, too. Like I said; magic."*

Elephants!

For good or ill, words are how we humans communicate with one another, and we can use them or abuse them. This is why I am being so careful and correcting myself and others so often lately- I want Rowan to use powerful, affirming, accurate language. Unlearning all the ways that we use language for ill for the benefit of another (and society at large) is a tall order, but one I take on gladly. While many people bemoan "political correctness" (sic) and "censorship" when I bring up topics like these, I do not think that is what is at play here. The fact is that I want to use language accurately- so "retarded" is not a slur to make someone feel bad and neither is "gay". I have enough words in my arsenal to skewer anyone, I do not need to get lazy by using these words (that do not convey what I want them to, anyway)!

Meanwhile, Rowan astounds me with new vocabulary daily. While most are nouns, he has surprised me with some adjectives, too. And he says the phrase, "Here you go" when he hands me something. This is something he picked up from me as I would hand him things he requested. I was unaware that I said that! Obviously, my life will be on autopilot no longer- I now live with a very accurate living mirror. What better practice for a discerning Witch than to have a toddler in the home!

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* - Steven Hewell