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fandomhigh2009-01-29 10:14 am
brandyforapples.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2009-01-29 10:14 am
Thaumaturgy 101 - First Period, Thursday 1/29
As her students came in, she stood up from her seat at her desk and walked around to lean at the front of it. She watched them, curious as to how each one of them was even if the practicalities of the classroom wouldn't allow for a meet-and-greet and even that made her silently wonder if perhaps teaching was as fulfilling as what she normally did back in New Amsterdam. A lot of things lately were making her wonder about that.
"Today, we'll be covering a very well-known maxim: To Know, To Will, To Dare, and To Keep Silent."
"Some of you might be aware of this phrase, but I've always thought that it was one of the best things to cover, a guideline of practicality in some ways.
"To Know is to know what in the hell you're doing, intellectually and practically. To know what you can handle, what you can't; to know whatever magic you plan to do inside and out. If you don't 'know' than you shouldn't be fiddling with it in the first place. You should also know your limits, what you're capable of doing: certain goals are out of your scope and attempting them will just result in trouble and frustration. You should also know exactly what you want: an unfocused piece of spellwork is no one's friend.
"To Will is your desire and ability to actually get things done. To Will is, in some ways, the most important part of spellwork in that no working will actually do anything without a will behind it, but it's also the one that can cause the most trouble. An erratic will can cause more damage than good, and a lack of will can see things fail when they need to succeed. The will is the burning drive that powers a ritual and without it, you will fail.
"To Dare is to, well, to do it. Whether it means working up the courage or finding the time and place, putting in the work itself is, of course, paramount to having a bit of magic work. Just as it's easier to speak about, say, losing a little weight or to stop biting your nails when you're nervous, putting that into practice is another thing entirely. It also means to do it properly, not skimp on any corners, really put yourself into the work. Be focused in mind and body."
She was quiet for a moment as she looked around.
"The last is To Keep Silent and this one is both one of the most difficult and the one that is hardest to understand. Why keep silent, after all? You've already done the spell, the effect is going out into the world. Why? Why silence?"
She leaned back.
"You've done your spell, you've planned it, wanted it, and done it... and you go tell someone else. If you have to tell someone else, you haven't really let it go, have you? It hooks the energy to you, like a nagging mother, restricts it. Further, the world is not a nice place. Tell others and they might try to sabotage your efforts with anything from undermining your faith in yourself to active counter-charms. And even if they don't, a spell can work more subtly, better if no one is looking out for it. Speaking about a spell is like sounding out an alarm to the thing you're trying to change. Consider this island especially, all the things that go out on the radio and how they can damage someone's efforts. So all in all, silence is your best bet."
[ocd up!]
"Today, we'll be covering a very well-known maxim: To Know, To Will, To Dare, and To Keep Silent."
"Some of you might be aware of this phrase, but I've always thought that it was one of the best things to cover, a guideline of practicality in some ways.
"To Know is to know what in the hell you're doing, intellectually and practically. To know what you can handle, what you can't; to know whatever magic you plan to do inside and out. If you don't 'know' than you shouldn't be fiddling with it in the first place. You should also know your limits, what you're capable of doing: certain goals are out of your scope and attempting them will just result in trouble and frustration. You should also know exactly what you want: an unfocused piece of spellwork is no one's friend.
"To Will is your desire and ability to actually get things done. To Will is, in some ways, the most important part of spellwork in that no working will actually do anything without a will behind it, but it's also the one that can cause the most trouble. An erratic will can cause more damage than good, and a lack of will can see things fail when they need to succeed. The will is the burning drive that powers a ritual and without it, you will fail.
"To Dare is to, well, to do it. Whether it means working up the courage or finding the time and place, putting in the work itself is, of course, paramount to having a bit of magic work. Just as it's easier to speak about, say, losing a little weight or to stop biting your nails when you're nervous, putting that into practice is another thing entirely. It also means to do it properly, not skimp on any corners, really put yourself into the work. Be focused in mind and body."
She was quiet for a moment as she looked around.
"The last is To Keep Silent and this one is both one of the most difficult and the one that is hardest to understand. Why keep silent, after all? You've already done the spell, the effect is going out into the world. Why? Why silence?"
She leaned back.
"You've done your spell, you've planned it, wanted it, and done it... and you go tell someone else. If you have to tell someone else, you haven't really let it go, have you? It hooks the energy to you, like a nagging mother, restricts it. Further, the world is not a nice place. Tell others and they might try to sabotage your efforts with anything from undermining your faith in yourself to active counter-charms. And even if they don't, a spell can work more subtly, better if no one is looking out for it. Speaking about a spell is like sounding out an alarm to the thing you're trying to change. Consider this island especially, all the things that go out on the radio and how they can damage someone's efforts. So all in all, silence is your best bet."
[ocd up!]
Re: Question 2