The magic of comedy

(Nimue)

Comedy is a very good choice for anyone on the bard path. It can be used to get people to engage with topics they might otherwise find difficult. Comedy can challenge authority, and satire is a way of pushing back against oppression.

Energetically speaking, laugher can dispel a lot of things. It can break tension and radically shift an atmosphere. Skilfully deployed it can help us manage other emotions, or helpfully diffuse them. Fear and anger can be soothed by comedy. I’ve been told that if you are into chaos magic, laughter is a go-to tool for getting rid of unwanted entities. It can work on people too – nothing takes power from someone like making them into a laughing stock.

It’s vitally important not to punch down with this.

Laughter is a very human experience, when we laugh together that can break down barriers and make us feel more connected with each other. It can be a force of solidarity and empathy. we laugh socially – we’re more likely to laugh when other people are laughing, there’s a communal aspect to it.

When we laugh at ourselves, we can soften brittle egos and let go of the need for perfection. When we know we are safe to laugh at ourselves, we’re in a good place.

Being able to see the comedy in a situation can sometimes really help with resilience. Graveyard humour can help you get through. If the mountain really is a molehill then laughter can bring problems down to size. Not taking ourselves too seriously can make life a good deal more bearable, especially when that protects us from pomposity, grandiosity, and other such silliness.

Laughter is healing. We’ve known that for a long time. Laughing helps our bodies recover from setbacks and is good for our mental health.

Comedy therefore is a healing tool, a tool for justice and a toll for personal growth, which makes it well worth considering if you are on the bard path.