IOWA'S SENSUOUS CZECH VISIONARY,
SISTER KASI

Dear Sister,

     I know that the cross has particular significance in the Christianity Cults, but I wonder if you could tell me if there are other significances attached to it.

     Don't Leave Me Hanging in Des Moines

     Dear Don't Leave Me,

     From the beginning of civilization crosses have symbolized the protection of a deity, prevention of evil, and creation-positive energies for life. The cross, or an X, may also stand for the breaking of a seal or a spell, or be used to indicate the target point of a spell (such as an x over the heart of a doll in image magic). The Egyptian ankh, a tau, or T-shaped cross with a looped top signifies eternal life, and is worn for wisdom, peace, and good fortune. It is easy to see, given the background of the symbol why it was so ironically appropriate for use by the Romans for their executions and why it is such a powerful image for the martyrdom of Christ. Of course, in the Christian crucifix, the redemptive power is assumed to come from the figure of Jesus rather than the object to which he is attached. Still, I find it interesting to note that this might be why a vampire is reported to recoil from a cross even if the undead creature was not a Christian in its former life.

     Dear Sweet Sister Whose Mystical Knowledge Humbles Us,

     I am a writer in the International Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. I am interested in the power of words. I find that repeating any word seven times reduces it to a garbled sound devoid of meaning. When you contrast the guttural barking noise we make with the powerful images those noises convey in a specific context any one must be struck dumb by the power we each take for granted. I realize that there must be a language above and outside of the one we use for communication with each other. Please tell me, now that I have confessed my love of the magic of words themselves, if there were words which are magical in and of themselves. What is the role of words and language in the crafting of magic?

     Tongue Tied With Awe in Iowa City

     Dear Knotted Tongue,

     Magic words are generally considered names for the forces the magician intends to invoke, often the names of gods or demons. The ten cabalistic names of God, for example, are Ehei, Jod, Tetragrammaton Elohim (YHVH), El, Elohim Gibor, Adonoi Sabaoth, Elohim Sabaoth, Sasai, Adonoi Melech. Magic words are also associated by the values of their letters with specific numbers, and this creates an interesting interplay between pure mathematical science and language which you may wish to explore.

     Perhaps the most powerful magic words are those that the magician invents himself. In their construction, you must seek what is called "pure sound." A sound which independent of commonly understood meaning will convey the essence of the thought or image it represents. I believe that certain charismatic sects of fundamentalist Christians who "speak in tongues" are actually cracking this area of pure sound open just a bit. Their faith allows them to tap into the underlying structure of everything. In Genesis, it states that in the beginning there was "The Word". I am of the opinion that this is the most fundamental literal truth in Bible. That everything that is simply an expression of a single sound or word....and there are a great many magicians who have sought to learn the language of the phrasing. This may have something to do with the notion of evil ceremonies reciting Christian rituals backward, not as an affront, but as an attempt to undo what has been done. If the theory of the word is correct, if one could learn that word and speak it backwards, would not the universe itself be un-created? The English occultist Crowley suggested that "every wise magician will have constructed many such words, and he should have quintissentialised them all into one Word, which last word, once he has formed it, he should never utter consciously even in thought, until perhaps with it he gives up the ghost.

     PERSONAL TO...

     The Patient in 202: Tie up the sting of a scorpion, and the extremity of the herb basil, in which you find the seed of the herb. Obtain the heart of a swallow and place it in deer's skin along with the herb. This phylactery both casts out disobedient devils and also compels them to go away.