Thoughts and Words
I’m a fiery person - wrathful some might say. But that’s not entirely true.
Passionate?
Possessed of strong opinions?
I don’t know. But if I have one saving grace, it’s that my
anger is generally reserved for those who I feel are cruel and mean.
That’s not to say that I don’t sometimes have mean thoughts
or express mean opinions about the people who inspire that ire though. Sadly, I
most assuredly do.
But it’s something I’m working on - something I feel is important to work on.
I’m a witch, and a wielder of words. I write to hopefully
inspire and ensnare, to pull my readers along with me to places I want them to
see or wish they’d go. At my best, I write to create fertile grounds of human hearts and
plant seeds of compassion, wonder, and knowledge. I write, because I know that
words have power, and that story can shape destiny and change the world.
Almost two weeks ago saw the passing of Rutger Hauer during
the same year as the year in which his character died in Bladerunner.
Around three weeks ago, I rewatched The Crow and remembered
how in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, a metaphorical demon stalks Bruce Lee,
attacks him, shows him his grave, and kills him. Then, at the end of the scene, the
demon turns to pursue a young Brandon. Two months before the movie was released, Brandon was dead in circumstances similar to those created during the posthumous adaptation of his father, Bruce Lee's, final film.
Story matters, words matter, and as a witch and weaver of words I consider it a responsibility to weave well and wisely.
Even if I'm not always so successful with controlling my passions.
When we think of thoughts, we often think of them as being these contained, mostly harmless things. But when you dig down into the nature of reality, it's easy to see that they're not.
The human brain takes in an incredible amount of information - around 11 million bits of information per second - too much for the mind to store. So what does the brain do?
It sorts, edits, distorts, generalizes and deletes pieces of information. Studies vary with regards to this compression ratio, but per the Encyclopedia Britannica, you only end up storing roughly 50 bits of information out of that 11 million.
In other words, you only only effectively realize that you saw things, because the brain happened to not edit them from memory before you had a chance to realize those things were even there. And what you perceive is only a fraction of what is actually there.
Moreover, the interpretation and storage of this information is massively influenced by prior knowledge and experience. So for example, if you believe in ghosts and have encountered them before, if there is a ghost in the room, then you're more likely to actually store the memory of perceiving the ghost than someone who doesn't believe.
But knowledge, beliefs, and experience are not set in stone - we know that people can be led to believe things that are categorically untrue, taught to think in a certain way, or effectively innoculated against other ways of thinking. This is how propaganda and brainwashing work, and this is ultimately how the Overton Window of a society shifts (and essentially "reality" with it).
Our thoughts are not these small, private, contained things after all. When engaged with consciously, they can literally be reality-changing.
That's not to say that positive mental attitude will save a person when everything is systemically stacked against them. That's just victim-blaming and cruel. But a change in thought and perception can lead to opportunities and solutions not realized before. If nothing else, it can lead to better dreams to fight for.
And it is even more important to keep a handle on one's thoughts and words if you happen to be a witch. We deal in a world of thoughts and words that enchant. We have to believe in their power by default, and realize that careless thoughts can inadvertently bind you as easily as if you'd cast a spell. Words spoken with will and power can easily become a curse that you feel leave as surely as you would feel a bird taking off from your hand. This is part of why witchcraft is dangerous.
So what would you have your thoughts and words do? Would you have them the ravening wolf that eats and destroys, or the seeds and stones that build a world?
The pen (or tongue) can be mightier than the sword.
Story matters, words matter, and as a witch and weaver of words I consider it a responsibility to weave well and wisely.
Even if I'm not always so successful with controlling my passions.
When we think of thoughts, we often think of them as being these contained, mostly harmless things. But when you dig down into the nature of reality, it's easy to see that they're not.
The human brain takes in an incredible amount of information - around 11 million bits of information per second - too much for the mind to store. So what does the brain do?
It sorts, edits, distorts, generalizes and deletes pieces of information. Studies vary with regards to this compression ratio, but per the Encyclopedia Britannica, you only end up storing roughly 50 bits of information out of that 11 million.
In other words, you only only effectively realize that you saw things, because the brain happened to not edit them from memory before you had a chance to realize those things were even there. And what you perceive is only a fraction of what is actually there.
Moreover, the interpretation and storage of this information is massively influenced by prior knowledge and experience. So for example, if you believe in ghosts and have encountered them before, if there is a ghost in the room, then you're more likely to actually store the memory of perceiving the ghost than someone who doesn't believe.
But knowledge, beliefs, and experience are not set in stone - we know that people can be led to believe things that are categorically untrue, taught to think in a certain way, or effectively innoculated against other ways of thinking. This is how propaganda and brainwashing work, and this is ultimately how the Overton Window of a society shifts (and essentially "reality" with it).
Our thoughts are not these small, private, contained things after all. When engaged with consciously, they can literally be reality-changing.
That's not to say that positive mental attitude will save a person when everything is systemically stacked against them. That's just victim-blaming and cruel. But a change in thought and perception can lead to opportunities and solutions not realized before. If nothing else, it can lead to better dreams to fight for.
And it is even more important to keep a handle on one's thoughts and words if you happen to be a witch. We deal in a world of thoughts and words that enchant. We have to believe in their power by default, and realize that careless thoughts can inadvertently bind you as easily as if you'd cast a spell. Words spoken with will and power can easily become a curse that you feel leave as surely as you would feel a bird taking off from your hand. This is part of why witchcraft is dangerous.
So what would you have your thoughts and words do? Would you have them the ravening wolf that eats and destroys, or the seeds and stones that build a world?
The pen (or tongue) can be mightier than the sword.
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