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 Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:59 pm
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The k bothers me, too, for several reasons. First and foremost is the fact that it makes the person using the misspelling look ignorant, and by extension it makes the rest of us in the magical community look like uneducated buffoons who can't even spell the subject of our discussion- so why should anyone take us seriously? For the same reason, I cringe when I see feminists using spellings such as "wymin" or "persun" in a misguided attempt to fight the patriarchy of the language. confused
Secondly, I come from a tradition which holds a profound respect for the power of language and the layers of meaning which are often hidden behind puns and wordplay. Given the importance of spells and spelling in the discipline of magical practice, the fact that "magick" is a misspelling of magic becomes rather alarming on a metaphysical level as well.
Thirdly, the most frequently cited justification for use of this misspelling is that this is how we distinguish between stage magic and practical magic- but if people can not tell the difference between entertaining illusions and a personal life practice simply by the content of the discussion, then one of two things has happened. Either the person in question is discussing magic in a completely inappropriate venue- in which case it's probably best that the audience does not understand, and the speaker really ought to pay closer attention to time and place- or the person's understanding of magic is so insubstantial that they really ought to seriously consider revising their studies. They should probably be doing more listening than speaking at that point, and no amount of fancy spellings will substitute for that.
Finally, I have heard people say that this is how the word used to be spelled, back in the good old days. But the spelling of English was not standardized until Webster came out with his dictionary- prior to that words were spelled more or less phonetically, and were often spelled several different ways within the same document; there was no particular "old spelling." But spelling today is standardized, and the word is spelled "magic." Anything else is a spelling error.
I can see the usefulness of the k when doing text searches online, however. But still- it seems to me that when a person is searching for information on magic online, he or she would be searching for something a little more specific than just "magic." There are many different schools of magic out there; and specific types of spells and situations; well known wizards, witches, and magicians- there are so many other keywords which can be used to bring up the particular type of magical information for which you are searching, and which don't require any sort of butchering of the language.
Just this last weekend, however, I attended a seminar led by someone who used the spelling "magick," and it really surprised me given his credentials and otherwise professional approach to the study. You usually see the "magick" spelling used in fluff and fad books, but it seems to be catching on.
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 4:30 pm
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WebenBanu Just this last weekend, however, I attended a seminar led by someone who used the spelling "magick," and it really surprised me given his credentials and otherwise professional approach to the study. You usually see the "magick" spelling used in fluff and fad books, but it seems to be catching on.
I agree with most of what you say - however, I don't think there's anything unprofessional about adopting the 'k' n 'magick', unless you're doing some creepy-koo Gematria or something similar involving very technical constructions of language. A century ago it'd've been crazy to spell magic with a k, but then Crowley wandered in and bollocksed things right up gave linguistic evolution a slight nudge, and now we've the honour (note, I spell it with a u. Scandalous. :U) of having two ways to spell a word to our own preference. Outside of your system (some form of Kemeticism?) I don't see much wrong with saying 'magick' instead of 'magic'; it strikes me as just as queer as someone pointing and screaming at some random ecletic worker, "HE CANNOT IDENTIFY THE NAMES OF ALL THE SEPHIROTH! YOU'RE DOING MAGIC WRONG! >=o!" |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:08 pm
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What?! You mean there are people practicing magic out there who can't identify all the sephiroth?!?! eek
LOL, just kidding.^_^ It's understandable that what I find meaningful on a metaphysical level may not be meaningful in the same way to someone else- however, I think that the other three reasons provide more than enough motivation to avoid the k; the magical implications serve as further food for thought.
No matter how famous he may be, even Crowley can't just invent a new spelling for an already well-known term. Neither does sheer mass of misspellings make it correct- thousands of schoolchildren misspell words every year; frequently they misspell the same words, and many of them tend to be misspelled in the same or similar ways... sometimes these errors even follow students into adulthood. But that does not suddenly make these spellings correct- it only makes them common errors, and if a person hopes to come across as a respectable speaker on any subject they must learn how to present themselves as someone other people would trust to be a source. At the most basic, that involves not making sloppy errors such as spelling and grammar mistakes. It's really not all that much to ask of a person, when you think about it- particularly when there are such wonderful spell check programs available. wink
So I'll have to disagree with you that continually misspelling the subject of a seminar is unprofessional, and was an immediate strike against the speaker from which he was recovering throughout his presentation. Let me take a moment to say, though, that I am offering my opinion on the subject here only because it was solicited in this thread- I'm not the sort of person who just goes after someone in public for using a k or any other sort of basic error. But it would be wise to consider that just because most people wouldn't approach a stranger to say, "You know... doing that makes you look kind of silly..." that doesn't mean that they're not thinking it, nor does it mean that the results of that effect aren't real. Just my $0.02, and you're welcome to take it or leave it- no offense is meant, though I understand this can be a touchy subject. ^_^
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:06 am
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:36 pm
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:42 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 11:19 am
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:24 am
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:26 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:15 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:05 pm
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Pandora Heart Starlock Pandora Heart shouldn't it just be left up to personal preference and leave it up to others to decide for themselves which version of spelling they would like to use? Perhaps, but there is something to be said for proper spelling. This is a case there where the proper spelling may be in transition. If magic with the k becomes adopted as a standard, eventually *that* will be the proper spelling. Language evolves over time.
There certainly is room for variety, particularly in a movement that is still in the process of defining itself (and may never be solidy defined!). Proper labeling seems to be a beef of some in the community who would prefer things to be more cut and dry. On this particular issue I can't get that upset over it. Magick is a fairly conventional spelling. When people start using *other* variants, that's when I get a bit worried. sweatdrop |
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 11:36 pm
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Nihilistic Seraph Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:53 pm
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 3:56 pm
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Nihilistic Seraph Starlock Pandora Heart shouldn't it just be left up to personal preference and leave it up to others to decide for themselves which version of spelling they would like to use? Perhaps, but there is something to be said for proper spelling. This is a case there where the proper spelling may be in transition. If magic with the k becomes adopted as a standard, eventually *that* will be the proper spelling. Language evolves over time. That sad sad process which makes reading Chaucer so bloody difficult.
Hehe. Indeed! |
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