Witchvox Article

Author: Grayson Smith Wessex [a WitchVox Sponsor]
Posted: January 31st. 2010
Times Viewed: 2,249

I recently sat down to watch the new HP with my wife and kids, and this led to a HP marathon. Well, I was never what you would call a Super-Fan of the whole Harry Potter thing but at some point during the Marathon I did start to loosen up and that's when I began to realize that there are some aspects of HP that ring true. So, I have decided to start a series of articles addressing interesting examples. How does Star Wars fit in? That will be self-explanatory.

In this, the first article, I will explain the word-trigger, so commonly (and easily) used to cast spells in Harry Potter (HP) .

In HP we see that spells are REMARKABLY easy to cast if you know the right words to recite and which way to flick or swish your wand. Well, although Hogwarts makes it look far too easy, there is some truth to the formula.

The first thing to note is the sheer dependency on the wand by all but the most advanced of Wizards. When intrepid Harry drops his wand he is as helpless as Luke Skywalker hanging from the roof of that ice cave waiting to become a snack for a snow-beast. What sets Luke and Harry apart is that Luke was able to summon his Light Saber, whereas Harry would have become a freeze-pop.

It is true that students of Magic are always in danger of becoming too dependent on their tools. However, I cannot stress enough how fundamental a tool the wand really is to everyday, practical magic. The wand is a tool like any other and it serves a specific purpose. It focuses the will and is an extension of the body. The wand is a necessity for any student and even advanced Sorcerers rely on it. However, the over-dependence on the tool, which makes for good literature, is a bit overstated.

The balance between usefulness and dependence on a tool is just what Luke demonstrates in the ice cave. He is not helpless without his Saber, but he really needs the right tool for the job. His innate powers allow him to obtain the tool, which augments his own natural abilities. That is the value and purpose of the wand.

This is not to say that the tool itself has no Magic; for the light-saber still works if you flip the switch, no matter how in-tune with the Force one is. Therefore the wand does obtain its own store of power and even a being of its own.

Of the Magical words that accompany the swish, flick or wave of the wand; these two are based in reality. The fanciful one-word charms uttered by HP characters are called, in occult circles, verbal Triggers. A verbal trigger is a one-word cue that affects a mental, psychic and emotional response.

First-year Academy students are taught a verbal trigger, which I was pleased to see, used in Harry Potter, or at least a variation of it. The "Spell" is used to ignite a flame. This operation would have been categorized by Agrippa as Natural Magic, better described as Practical, in that it serves every day purposes. The trigger-word is Incendia, Latin for Burn, or Flame. The trigger is accompanied by the gesture of the wand outstretched in pronation. The appropriate gesture, accompanied by the trigger, is learned, practiced and repeated over a lifetime.

Every time one lights a candle or kindles a fire they perform the gesture and recite the trigger before mechanically igniting the flame. One can easily see that the stereotypical concept of muttering old Wizard is based in truth as the Sorcerer is always practicing his art even as he goes about his everyday business. The theory behind the trigger is that, with practice, the action will manifest the desired result in the absence of a mechanical source of manifestation. In this case, a means of ignition.

Yet, there is a deeper meaning. Rather than the trivial result of generating flame from nothing, the true purpose of the operation is the statement of intent itself. The marking of every minute and mundane human activity brings sanctity to the most ordinary task.

In Kabballah, there are Blessings to mark every aspect of daily life from rising in the morning to going to the bathroom, to washing the hands afterwards. The practice of taking the time to acknowledge the small miracles in life brings sanctity to them and to the world. Similarly, ZEN (and Jedi) philosophy encourages the disciple to be mindful of every waking moment rather than lost in ones own thoughts. When slicing an apple for a snack one should savor the aroma, the feel of the knife as it cuts through the fruit and, finally, experience, fully, the flavor of the food.

The Verbal Trigger (with gesture) is one way of doing this. It serves to make almost every activity a sacred or magical moment. Incendia celebrates the small miracle of creating fire, the triumph of human ingenuity that makes this act possible. Only when this becomes realized can the Magical operation of creating fire, without a source of ignition, be possible.

If at first this seems impossible, it must be noted that extensive scientific studies were recently carried out concerning a hands-on healer using a Reiki-type method to generate extreme heat, enough to cause water to evaporate rapidly as he worked, using only his hands and no source of substantial friction. The studies confirmed the heat but cannot explain its source.

This leads me to explain the function of the wand as a tool. The Reiki-healer was able to transfer a great deal of energy and heat from his hands to his patient. But this required physical contact. Naturally, the human body retains its energies. They are bound to us until a device is introduced that allows it to be directed beyond ourselves. The Wand is just such a device. It is a transmitter of power, an antenna of sorts. The wand not only focuses and directs the will, but also personal power. Of course this power exists in absence of the wand, but it tends to stay bound to us. The wand is an aid in direction that power beyond our personal space.

The shape and construction of the wand are beyond the scope of this article but I will note that its length, shape and construction are as critical to its performance as the shape and construction of a radio antenna. [On a related note: I often wonder if Benjamin Franklin, a Freemason and inventor of the Lightning rod, instinctively knew that the wand-shape of the lightning rod, with pointed tip, conducted electrical current better than any other shape. Regardless, he got it right, and his "magic wand" greatly resembles the design of the modern Sorcerers rod.]

As for the nature of the Verbal Trigger, in HP it is usually just the Latin word for the desired affect. This too is rooted in truth. Later-Modern Occultists adopted Latin because, as a "dead" language, it is set-apart from the mundane. Latin is also an inextricable element of the western tradition and its ancient legacy adds a degree of sanctity to it. Finally, it is the language of the learned, which helps Magicians guard their secret utterances from the illiterate commoner.

Other languages also suffice. Renaissance Scholars were fond of all things Hebrew while noted Occultists Dee and Kelly went a step further to create their own Magical language. For the most part, Latin remains the default Magical language for any operation that is not otherwise associated with a specific culture.

Copyright: Original content.

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Grayson Smith Wessex

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