Pagan Journeys
Pagan Journeys => Pagan Chat => Topic started by: WhitePhoenix on August 15, 2011, 10:47:32 PM
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After having a pretty stupid argument with my boyfriend last night, I'd like to throw a question out there.
Background first: I posted a status on Facebook, and I mentioned magick in it. With a K. Because for so long, that's what I've read in books. The reason for the K is a decent one; making the difference clear between stage magick and real Witchcraft. Seems reasonable to me. But Jason really got on me about it, saying it's stupid and that you can't change a word just because you want to. Seeing as he's always saying how dumb my beliefs are (he's an atheist -- sigh), it got me irritated. But later I really thought about it, and spelling it "magick" does look sort of silly. But... I've always done it, lol.
So my question is, how do you guys spell that thar word referring to your spells? Do you use the K, or is that sort of silly to you?
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I don't use a k because I think the word magic is appropriate and acceptable. Like your boyfriend, I don't see the need to make up an additional word.
Still, if you want to spell it with a k, then you should and your boyfriend ought to at least be respectful if he doesn't agree. No one should tell someone they care about that their beliefs are stupid.
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I don't use a k because I think the word magic is appropriate and acceptable. Like your boyfriend, I don't see the need to make up an additional word.
Still, if you want to spell it with a k, then you should and your boyfriend ought to at least be respectful if he doesn't agree. No one should tell someone they care about that their beliefs are stupid.
:yeahthat:
I see no need to mangle the English language just to make yourself stand out from the crowd and be different. Almost all Pagans will know exactly what you mean spelling it the normal way and non-Pagans will probably just think you can't spell. :rolleye:
Absolutely do not allow another person tell you that what you believe is stupid. It is fine to disagree, but it should always be done respectfully, not in a derogatory way. Sorry, sweetie, but that really raises some red flags with me. ()
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I would worry more about how he treats you, than what he thinks about your spelling.
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I would worry more about how he treats you, than what he thinks about your spelling.
:yeahthat: It was none other than Aleister Crowley who popularized the spelling with a "K." Pretty sure he was smarter than your Atheist boyfriend.
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Oookay, let's not have a boyfriend hating fest here. :whistle:
I may have painted him in a bad light there. He is a very sweet, caring boyfriend and loves me very much. He just hates religion. All religion. Not just mine; he calls them all stupid. He's pretty obnoxious about it (obviously, since he went out of his way to pick on my status update), and we usually avoid the subject. No, he's not an abusive boyfriend and noooo, I am not brainwashed into saying that. Promise.
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Ehh. I think I'll start dropping the K, anyhow. It -does- look silly. No offense, Mr. Crowley. :D
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:rolleye: And here I was thinking maybe this was about "K" showing up in what are supposed to be Gaelic words.... :whistle:
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I don't use the K. But I have seen some people I really respect do so. I would say it is a matter of choice.
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I don't use the k, either... and Crowley only used it to make a numerology reading come out right. Nor is it necessary to separate it from stage magic- nobody is going to confuse you and me of being Penn and Teller.
peace,
ES
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I've never used the "k". This offends the people who hung out at the local Witchcraft store. It just struck me as...silly.
When I last got in a heated discussion (and I use the term loosely) about it they came up to me and said "Well it's the only way to distinguish between stage magic and real magick."
To which I offended the playgans and fluffy bunnies by saying "Really Captain Obvious? And calling stage magic "Stage" magic is not enough to separate them?"
Got rather huffy about that. Wonder why.
But in all seriousness, I do not "K" the word because the average person knows bloody well that when I talk about the "magic" of Harry Blackstone, Chris Angel, Mike Rose (The Magic Kinda Guy from the Maryland Ren Fest http://www.mikerosemagic.com/ (http://www.mikerosemagic.com/)) and the others that I mean the stage illusions. Hell most of them no longer refer to themselves as "magicians" but "illusionists" since they work with optical illusions and stage trickery to give the (dare I say it?) illusion of magic.
And even if they didn't, odds are that they are not pagans and so would not see the other side of the coin of "real" magic.
Pagans and other actual magic users (gawd that makes it sound like I'm talking about Dungeons and Dragons dunnit?) *should* know by the simple fact that they frequently use real magic (either spells or ritual) and should bloody well know the difference between someone casting a healing spell and some schmuck on a Vegas Stage pulling a bunny out of his arse.
So no "K" for me. Magic is magic. What they do on a stage is a fascinating display of skill and slight of hand.
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I like how Mongo put it.
"So no "K" for me. Magic is magic. What they do on a stage is a fascinating display of skill and slight of hand."
To me magic is magic, but like others have said. It is personal decision.
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I think people needed to put the "k" on it because "legerdemain" and "prestidigitation" were too hard to spell... ;)
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:rotflmao:
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Seeing as he's always saying how dumb my beliefs are (he's an atheist -- sigh), it got me irritated.
Regardless of his beliefs, he should respect yours. I'd be quite firm with setting down some boundary lines here and let him know it's not okay to attack your beliefs in any way. This is a significantly greater problem than whether or not he thinks you should add a 'k' to magic. I had a slight situation similar to this with my partner--who is about as spiritual as a lump of plastic (from a non-animist point of view)--but after a calm discussion that left no room for misinterpretation I made it very clear that I will not tolerate the degradation and invalidation of my spritual practices from my significant other in any manner. There hasn't been an issue since. Without respect for your entire person a relationship will not be a healthy one.
On the topic of your post...with or without the 'k', I think I use them both at various times although I typically do not add the extra letter. Like so many things in the world of Paganism, the choice is totally up to you.