Magic, Power, Language, Symbol: A Magician's Exploration of Linguistics

by Patrick Dunn

From the sigils of chaos magic to the numerical code of Qabalah, all magical practices operate in a web of symbols and language. Yet academics seldom examine the role that semiotics and linguistics play in the unfolding of magical works. In the follow-up to his debut Postmodern Magic , Patrick Dunn returns once again to the theoretical realm of the sign, the signified, and the changeable perceptions of a slippery reality. Intellectual and aggressively modern, his language-driven perspective on magic touches on all elements voiced and written, from speaking in tongues and creating mantras to composing Enochian spells and working with gematria. A hefty appendix includes exercises that put Dunn's theories to work, as well as the first published dictionary of English alphabet numerology. Highly literate and highly readable, Magic, Power, Language, Symbol will tickle the minds of theory-thirsty academics and seasoned mages alike, as well as anyone else eager to examine the manufacture of meaning.  

Genres: Linguistics, Magick, Occult, Magic, Nonfiction, Language, Reference

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2008

Reviews

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sé muy bien cómo reseñar este libro, quizá porque se sale bastante del área en que me suelo manejar y lo tomé como una especie de incursión curiosa. Para resumir, podría decir que es un libro tanto teórico como práctico que presenta una visión particular sobre la naturaleza de los símbolos, de la mente humana y de la realidad que experimentamos, en una perspectiva que combina los actuales conocimientos sobre lingüística y semiótica con el bagaje de las modernas teorías y prácticas ocultistas occidentales.
Me deja con sentimientos encontrados, puesto que echo de menos cosas tan fundamentales, teniendo en cuenta el título del libro, como una definición clara de qué es la magia desde esa concepción. Además, el enfoque de la magia que propone es bastante (pos)moderno (esto no es ninguna novedad, es la premisa inicial de su planteamiento y el propio autor la explicita desde el principio) y eso me plantea una serie de dilemas respecto a hasta qué punto no es una especie de "apropiación cultural" respecto a tradiciones y cosmovisiones del pasado y de otras culturas. Al fin y al cabo, el contenido fundamental parecía ser similar al de un libro de autoayuda, sólo que con un lenguaje, una metodología y una fundamentación teórica basada en esa filosofía ocultista ecléctica y contemporánea.
No está mal, hay cosas que me han parecido interesantes y que probablemente pueda incorporar, ya que me interesa mucho la perspectiva lingüística y semiótica aplicada precisamente a la meditación, a la introspección, al diálogo interno, etc. Pero no tiene más alcance para mí, quizá porque no comulgo con el cuadro general.

[Mateusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunn's work is approachable, plain and clear and combines a rare insight of a professional linguist engaged in magical practice.

Apart from some intuited techniques that I knew from before, I got some food for thought to combine it via synergy of an arsenal of tools used to achieve aims: mainly in Theurgy and street-magick, when the semiotic web of adverts, entities, energies, psychomorphs, human minds, and interlocking beings, dimensions, genius loci is dense and force one to engage all the time.

Reminded of old de Saussere's ideas, Korzybski and Hayakawa, as well as Wierzbicka book on universals, primes in linguistics, 'Lost Languages', cultural translation and interpretation it is overall a great feature and pleasant to read.

Combination of all these tools and more are highly successful in gnosis arretos (silent language mentioned by Proclous) in Theion Ergon, as well as communication with spirits, not to mention conscious usage of languge amongs our human tribe! Hah!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Dunn is both a magician and a linguist. With that in mind, just think of this book as A Linguist's Exploration of Magic rather than A Magician's Exploration of Linguistics, as the subtitle would have it. While Magic, Power, Language, Symbol explores magic in some depth, it will only give you a taste of what linguistics is like.

Dunn begins the book by discussing how applying semiotics (the study of symbols) can increase a spell's efficacy. From there, he uses linguistics to examine symbols and language, the bases of magic. Dunn focuses on ceremonial magic and several of the middle chapters are devoted to topics such as Enochian magic, the Qabala, and gematria. If, like me, you're not all that interested in ceremonial magic, these chapters might seem a bit long. Don't skip them though; Dunn includes interesting nuggets such as how to use glossolalia in magic. The early and last chapters are more general and will probably appeal to a broader audience.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be quite intellectualized, without practical knowledge or the emphasis of applicability. The consistent use of lingo and the heavy reference to Hebrew and Christianity was somewhat confusing and concerning.

It was not what I expected. I was looking for a catalogue or handbook of sorts and, instead, was provided with a scholarly proselytization. I'm not knocking it, but it was not what I needed or wanted.

Don't pick this book up as light reading...it takes a great deal of effort to decode all of the information and put it into a meaningful method...the integration of lingustics, mystical and gnostic, as well as a variety of religious and other information makes it difficult to tease out any specific info. Additionally, the numerology made it even more difficult to process.

[Sean Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vapid, formulaic book of the "churned out" variety, an author respinning their experience in one field (in this case high ritual magic) into others (here linguistics). Not entirely without merit, as his experiences have their own value , but what he patently lacks is any novel personal thesis. Weak prosaic bibliography an undergraduate would wince at