Magic Words & Symbols Spotted in the Wild

Open Sesame

From Just English 1 by Chorny, Kostek & Weston and illustrated by Joanne Hoar, 1966.  For the origin, meanings, and uses of "open sesame," see Magic Words: A Dictionary.

Refuting the Amazing Kreskin on time travel.

Decoding Words' Secret Meanings

Here's a fascinating way to decode the hidden meanings of words, using the Mantong alphabet code or the Christopher Smart alphabet code.

26 [Coffin Stone] Letters

Magic Words in the Wilds of Old Literature

When we encounter fun and intriguing examples of magic words in the wilds of old literature and magazines, we post them here: https://www.oneletterwords.com/weblog/?tag=magic+word

Rare magic spells

From our Abecedarian blog, a rare magic spell for conjuring a mermaid, and a magic spell for conjuring bunnies.

A Self-Assembling Divination Deck

Here’s a sneak peek at our article on how to effortlessly create Your Own Self-Assembling Divination Deck, revealing one of the best-kept secrets of cartomancy.

"Coincidence" as a Banishing Word of Scientism

From our main blog at OneLetterWords, here's a passage from William S. Burroughs (The Adding Machine) on how "coincidence" is a magic word for so-called rationalist science heroes to banish evidence of metaphysical phenomena.  Burroughs also notes a surefire way to prove that scientism deals not with logic but with faith.

Tarot in the Wild

Some items of Tarot interest from our main website:

A page of swords as an exterminator

A knight of swords with a night rainbow

A fool in a lightning storm

A page of cups toasts the starry sky

A page of swords greets the rising sun

A tarot party in an old college yearbook

An entire college yearbook organized as a tarot spread

Pencil Witch

Yes, the title really is this long: Pencil Witch: Gems Gathered from the Mysteries Hidden for Ages, Under the Guidance of the Unseen Hand. Illustrated & Made Plain with as Few Occult Phrases as Possible.

Every pencil is mystical, for consider the interplays: light, warm wood encases dark, cool carbon, just as a root surrounds a stone; the tree grows as the mineral incubates; wood expands in its branched tracings while graphite diminishes in its tracks. To “pencil witch” is to perform practical magic with paper and a writing utensil. It’s the sort of magic that allows you to check your answer. The techniques here are gathered from the Mysteries hidden for ages, many of which are revealed for the first time in centuries.