Incantations: Using Words for Power and Transformation
Humankind’s first poetry was used to invoke the gods, to bring rain, to make a sick person well again, or, more fiendishly, to make a well person sick. Of course, educated people today do not usually believe in magic spells or incantations; we are far too sophisticated to take seriously the superstitious practices of our savage ancestors, right?
Recent research in psychology is bringing us back full circle to our old reverence for the power of words. Social scientists now tell us that the words we use with other people can shape their behavior in profound ways. A few empowering words written on a blackboard will improve student scores on a test. Sales teams pay psychologists thousands of dollars to teach them how to use words to put shoppers into a “buying state of mind.” Those of us suffering from anxiety and depression are likely to meet therapists who will train us to use different words when we speak to ourselves, words more likely to bring us back to health.
Words have real power after all.
The Native American poet, Joy Harjo, writes poetry that works as an incantation, transforming her own consciousness. In her poem, “I Release You,” she addresses the fear that keeps her from the life she wants to live.
Your assignment today is to think of something you want to purge or transform in yourself and write an incantation to help you do that. If you’d like, you can use the two literary devices that Harjo draws on in her own poem: 1) Personification will allow you to address the offending quality, habit, or force as though it is a person. 2) Repetition will help you achieve the chant-like quality that allows the words to seep into the deepest corners of consciousness.
Come to class tomorrow with a poem at least 15 lines long. Write your poem in Medium, and tweet us a link. If you want to be especially wonderful, find an image to use at the top of your post.
