#written magic

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

What kind of magic exists in your world?

oh boy I have a whole lengthy document that goes into detail about my magic system lol. I'll try to giev you the simplified rundown, and while I don't want people to outright copy all my personal story ideas, I don't mind if people take inspiration from it. I like sharing my ideas!

essentially, the world is full of magical energy. it's referred to as "ambient magic". This ambient magic can affect different species in different ways, being connected to souls and usually manifesting in some form of enhanced ability by way of the nervous system. I haven't decided how much this applies to animals. It is also a matter of debate amongst magic-biologists whether people get extra powerful abilities because they are people, or if having the extra powerful magic boosts is what drove them to evolve into sapient people.

through the nervous system, pretty much every people species has experienced some boosts to their endocrine system, allowing them to have longer lifespans than their base species might usually have. This is why elves live multiple centuries. Some people species simply got a bigger endocrine system boost than others, and it seems to be shifting in recent generations, bringing some longer lived species to a shorter lifespan while the shorter lived species are gaining years. Like the ambient magic is starting to balance them out.

Outside the endocrine system boost, pretty much every people species has a bonus ability. In the sylvanids (elves, vampires, drow) it varies more. Elves have the most varied abilities, because they adapted to a wider range of environments. So one elf might have a boost to the muscular system, but another might have a boost to their immune system. Vampires and drow kept their enhancements in the endocrine system, with vampires specializing in the production of chemicals in the salivary glands and drow just going hog wild with their bizarrely specific hormones.

The orciformes/urukin (orcs, gnomes, haufin/"halflings") the boost went to the occipital lobe. they each have a different form of "vision" that aids their lifestyles. It's kinda like a species-specific form of synesthesia. Orcs can "see" the way ambient magic gathers around living things, gnomes can "see" the trace lines between things like stars and safe hand/foot holds on cliffs, and haufin can "see" by scent.

There's a lot more people species, of course, but these are the big two groups of related people. So that's a sample of how the ambient magic affects people by giving them some form of enhanced natural ability.

Outside of this, I have three methods for controlled magic. People discovered ways they can get ambient magic to do specific things.

the easiest and most mundane form is written magic. Dwarves and gnomes pioneered this. Runes and sigils carved into wood, bone, or stones/gems/metal, as well as those written with organic-based inks or blood, can make magic do a few simple things. it's used largely as a replacement for many things we might use electricity for, such as stove tops, indoor lighting, and water heating. Circular magic sigils created on flat surfaces that can be moved to break or join the lines allow people to turn them on and off.

spoken/singing magic, largely developed by elves with some unique forms developed by other groups like goblins and merfolk. this form of magic requires more careful study and focus, as a caster cannot break concentration or fumble their words/song. It's inefficient for mundane tasks, but has a much wider range of uses than any other form of magic. Controlling organic matter is a main function of this type of magic. Elves will sing trees into homes, doctors will work with a chorus to aid in medical operations.

the final and most risky method is soul magic. ambient magic is connected to souls, after all. people have developed a lot of spiritual rituals around this form of magic, so it is mostly used by religious leaders, like clerics and priests. To channel magic through one's own soul, deep meditation and a strong will are required. Many rituals involve harming one's body in some manner, always with a bone tool. This is because you can access much stronger magic if you put yourself closer to death. these rituals are usually supervised with magic singers around to ensure the soul magic user does not die. anchoring items like heavy ceremonial accessories or incense are often used as well. It is a very niche form of magic. It can be used to enhance one's personal ambient magic ability, use one's own life energy to heal another person in an emergency, and also communicate with the dead.

There are also some ways to combine the three forms of magic, though this usually just means a combination of spoken and written magic. Experimenting with magic can lead to dangerous results. There are also forbidden things, such as necromancy, soul binding, and time travel. these are all forbidden because they come with devastating side effects and don't actually work the way people want them to. there are limits to what magic can do, and trying to force it to do the impossible will always backfire.

[hermo-dactylus]

Fountain pens and magic

I love fountain pens so much especially from a magic perspective bc it's so easy to change to whatever color ink you want (color correspondences) and you can consecrate pens for specific things and types of workings idk to me fountain pens have spirits in the way some people say tarot decks have spirits imo they all have different essences and personalities.

[ivy-kissobryos]

"As we will see when we look at galdor or charms in Old English literature, the function of the spoken verse charm is intended to control and direct the raw potency of the healing materials (whether animal, vegetable or mineral). We may imagine that the natural properties are rather like a scattergun, and they need to be aimed and channeled very carefully in order to be sure of hitting the target. The charm performs this function.

In fact, in some senses, speech during a ritual is critical to the success of the operation and, since speech is an incorporating act - it establishes a channel of communication between speaker and hearer - it must be carefully controlled. Some rituals specify that certain parts must be performed in silence, presumably because speaking will dissipate or misdirect the healer's control over the powers he expects to release.

An alternative to speech, language may be written, and a written formula may encompass and preserve the power of the charm and the ritual. Runic characters cut into horn, wood or bone and smeared with the charm-worker's blood, may have allowed better, more precise or more permanent control than mere spoken words.

Runestaves, the characters themselves, allowed communication between the worlds of men and gods, the secular and the sacred; it is likely that runes were used in divination and sortilege as a means of interpreting the flow of events. Runes and charms could both mediate between the inner and outer realms, the home and the wide world.

[...]

Charms are well evidenced in the Old English corpus, being mostly either non-religious or of only a vaguely religious character. Prayers do not seem to form part of the tradition outside of the specifically Christian, and mostly Latin, formulas present in the Lagnunga. Charms are potent in themselves, forms of word and deed which unleash power, while prayers are appeals to outside powers for their intervention. Spells are an attempt to bind these powers to the user's will."

— Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing by Stephen Pollington

[theforestpagan]

Written Magic

Written magic is just what it sounds like, spells/rituals that are only written. Written spells are great for people that don’t have easy access to privacy or quiet. You can also use written spells if you are shyer and just getting started in witchcraft or if you are on the go. Doing written spells is very easy and there are several ways to do written spells and to customize them. I will go over…

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[sunlit-music]

That’s really observant, I’d forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me of that scene in The Wise Man’s Fear. 🙂👍

[barberwitch]

Hey Barber! I’ve been reading, studying, dispensing information for a while about the craft and similar practices. I write a lot of fiction and poetry utilizing folkloric elements and always manage to incorporate something I’ve learned. But my issue comes in actual practice, application. I’m not attuned to the land, nor have I done much magic. I’ve had the knowhow for almost 8 years, so how do you suggest I start? Also, any tips for incorporating my writing skills in my practice? Thanks!

Hey there 👋🏼

So I know it sounds redundant, but..start.

Pick something you’re doing already on the mundane front and use that knowledge you’ve acquired to try something. Magic is about tipping the scales in your favor, not just relying on it as the sole provider of your wants and goals.

If you want something simple and every day, get a jar, or bowl (I’ve got a small ceramic cauldron meant for baking a small dessert) and put a bay leaf and a piece of pyrite in it. Empty your pocket of any loose change into the container. Do it anytime you’ve got change and just leave it be. If you need change, get it from somewhere else, the main thing is what you put into the container stay in the container (so if times are rough, maybe don’t immediately stick in that $20). It’s meant to bring in wealth.

If you want a folk magic tie to hang your hat on, it’s a variation of a housewarming gift that used to be given to newly weds (I’ve referenced it multiple times through the years). Jar, add in salt, a coin (preferably gold, or silver, though copper does fine), and a piece of bread. Seal it and give it to the newly moved people, or the newly married. Salt so their life always has flavor, and purity. Bread so they never hunger, and the coin so they’re never poor. It’s also multiplied due to the wheat in the bread, and break barriers with the salt. The coin conducts energy and blah blah blah.

As far as incorporating your writing into magic, here’s a post about enchanted inks for spellwork

And a follow up post about enchanting letters as spells utilizing the inks.

Aside from that, take a look at your style and apply it to writing spells and incantations. Take notes on how the work out! Even a simple phrase or rhyme about parking, or finding lost items. Try it once, then again, third times the charm and means it may be something you use regularly!

Good luck dear, best way to start is to try something simple.

🦋Cheers, Barberwitch

[ivy-kissobryos]

Mothams and Thai Magic

I’ve been looking more into Northern Thai magic due to my heritage there. Below are some interesting quotes from Magical Use of Traditional Scripts in Northeastern Thai Villages by Fumihiko Tsumura.

The paper mostly proves my point that there are some folk practices which differ from magic done by those who are Theravada Buddhists, such as the practice of the mothams who are categorized as "secular specialists for whom literacy is not required". What is sad is that in Thailand, “the government institutionalized Buddhist education and examinations and excluded local script traditions like Tham”, leading to certain practices perhaps becoming more scarce.

To become a motham, a student must learn magical spells from his master by transcribing the master's spells into his own notebook. After he learns to repeat the spell, he will progress to learning other spells. Finally, when he has learned to a sufficient number of spells, the master permits the learner to observe the ritual of phithiyokkru to venerate his master and he becomes a motham.

Most mothams can read the Tham script, though not completely; their knowledge of traditional scripts is limited. While they learn via transcription, miswriting and lipography frequently occur in the transmission of knowledge from master to apprentice. [...] After having learned the Pali spell, he rectified two parts of it the next day. A month later, he realized another mistake and corrected the spell again.

These spells used by mothams have certain characteristics. The first concerns the mixing of multiple languages. Today, the spells are written in the Thai script, whereas the languages used are Pali and Lao (Isan). The Pali words written by a motham using the Thai script are different from the general method of writing in Pali using the Thai script as taught in contemporary Buddhist schools.

Second, most mothams are not entirely aware of the meanings of the spells. They know how to use the spells, and even if they know their meanings, their knowledge is merely fractional. They are usually unable to provide a word-for-word explanation of the spells in Pali. Generally, they do not need to learn their in-depth meanings; they complete their learning when they are able to repeat the spells.

[...] in premodern Buddhist society, oral transmission had more authenticity than written transmission because the former requires both a speaker and a listener, whereas written transmission does not. The direct link between speaker and listener is believed to aid the transmission of something more than what is only written. Even when manuscripts of bailan were made, a traditional script was transcribed by listening to voices read the old manuscript. These manuscript, made via oral transmission, are also believed to contain the same sacredness as those imparted in the oral tradition.

When mothams chant or write a spell from traditional scripts in a ritual, they always complete the process by blowing on an object, simply chanting or writing a spell does not appear to be enough to complete the ritual. In this case, something more than the spell itself is needed; therefore, their breath completes the ritual. The breath represents the corporality of the practitioner and the substance of the magical power. The magical practices concerning traditional scripts often require such substance of tangibility to help the villager understand them.

Some mothams use traditional scripts for offering ritual services. A motham in NG village makes amulets by inscribing Tham-written spells on a thin copper plate; these amulets are believed to protect the wearer from evil spirits. Sometimes, he writes spells in Tham on stones and places them in 8 directions around the entire village in order to protect the villages from evil spirits. He often writes the Tham script as part of other rituals, such as for protection from fire or when performing an exorcism. Mothams do not use Thai-printed books when learning spells; they always rely on manuscripts that differ from those used by monks. The mothams explain that this is because the manuscripts are more sacred than printed books.

It is interesting to see how a lot of these practices mirrors what I already do, especially with those to do with sacred words (like the vōcēs magicae), the power of breath and the sanctity of oral traditions.

[twistedsparklemagic]

When you pick up new witchery tools in the back-to-school sales. . .

Honestly Sharpies are my favourite for writing talismans, especially the metallic ones. I wanted a wider range of colours than I had in stock, however, and the timing worked out well for the sales.

Example:

To get a feel for it, picked up the bronze one (which looked more copper to me by the cap) and wrote up a Basic Good Luck talisman.

Runes used:

far left - thorn, for luck

far right - wynn, for blessings

centre - ing, for things in potential