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names and magic
Last week, I finished re-reading Snow Crash. Those of you who have read it will remember Stephenson's interest in the "nam-shub," a "speech with magical force."
That fit in with something I'd been thinking a lot about, the act of naming, and the magical power of names.
"A whole series of comparisons would be necessary to account for the magical powers proper names enjoy."
—Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life
I believe that magic is essentially a set of rituals designed to generate particular mental and physical states. Naming qualifies as such a ritual: it enables you to interact with the thing that is named using a new (and powerful) set of conceptual tools. Ritually designating a new name for some aspect of yourself can have uniquely potent effects. I was reminded of this idea recently when I was re-reading my old Industrial Culture Handbook, in which "concussion musician" Z'ev writes that he began using "different names to signify different creative persona."
I've noticed recently that a new creative persona has been emerging from the depths of my own psychology, and it has, in fact, been named. More on this soon. |
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
11:30 AM
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