Taylor Ellwood

April 27 - June 7

Course texts:

Multi-Media Magic by Taylor Ellwood
Defining Reality by Edward Schiappa

The Magical Power of Language

An Exploration of Linguistic and Semiotic Alchemy

This course explores how language, semiotics and magic can be integrated together to produce effective practical results, as well as how language is used in general to shape the perceptions of other people. We will do the following:

•    Examine how magic has been defined by a variety of people, as well as what their agenda was in defining magic. We will also develop our own definitions of magic, as an exercise in linguistic alchemy.
•    Explore contemporary practical magical applications of language, with a heavy emphasis on contemporary sigil theory and Burroughs Cut-up technique, as well as my collage work.
•    Develop an awareness of multimodality and how it can be applied to magic (Briefly multimodality is a conscious awareness of different modes of doing, which intersect in a given medium. i.e. a book is not just something you read, but also something you experience when you turn a page, smell the book, touch the cover, imagine/visualize the concepts, characters etc.)
•    Use writing journals to shape potential events via linguistic divination

The ultimate goal of this course is to show you how to make writing and symbols an effective tool for your magical practice.