Dear enchanted one,
What is the meaning of the word ‘enchanted’? Is it familiar to you in its association with the practice of spells and magic? Or perhaps the word enchantment is something you feel in the presence of indescribable beauty and magic?
In this conversation, we’ll be uncovering the origins of the word ‘enchanted’ so that you can truly come to understand this word more intimately as we look at the tapestry of how language and words have shaped our world.
🧚♀️ In this wonder-filled episode you’ll discover:
- The tool that is used to dig deep into the layer of words and language
- The root of the word ‘enchanted’ and the origins of this word
- The fascinating link to enchantment, creativity, words and magic
- Three invitations for you to take away and a bespoke journal prompt so that you can embody the enchantment of words into your everyday life
If you loved this episode, I’d love for you to subscribe (it’s 100% free!) and for you to rate it through Apple or Spotify.
In order for these conversations to reach even more enchanted souls just like you, please consider sharing this podcast with your fellow enchanting loved ones!
For more information about the ‘Enchanting Conversations’ podcast head to georgiexoxo.com.
I cannot wait to connect beyond this episode and unravel all of the whimsy, wonder and enchantment that is within and around you always.
With love and infinite blessings,
Georgie xoxo
Dear enchanted ones,
Welcome to this first episode of my new Enchanting Conversations podcast.
First and foremost: With all my heart, thank you beyond all words of expression for being here. I am simultaneously so excited but also very nervous to bring this project to life, and your love, faith and trust is an anchor that has sustained me as I bring this into the world. So thank you again and again and again.
Secondly, I am using my whimsical Wendy House in my garden as my podcast studio that some of you might know through my blog or through my free Whimsy World monthly e-letter. Both of these links, by the way, can be found in the show notes below.
This spot is truly my creative haven in the warmer months, however, until I started recording this podcast, I didn’t realise that it picks up every single sound around me! So, if you hear an enchanted soundscape of birds and the pitter patter of squirrels playing on the roof, that is what is going on right now!
So, I really hope that you come to love this whimsical backdrop but of course, if you do struggle with my audio please let me know and I will work on this for future episodes.
But before I get carried away just wanting to talk about birds and squirrels, let me bring it back to the focus of this first episode. But truthfully, do not have fear, my love for birds and other mystical creatures absolutely will feature in the future, I promise!
However, for today, I want to talk to you about the language of Enchantment and Etymology (Et-a-mology) as we answer the question ‘What is Enchantment?’.
So in our first conversation together, I want to uncover what is the meaning of the word ‘enchanted’. And at this point I’d love to know what it means to you. Is it a word that is familiar to you in its association with the practice of spells and magic? Or perhaps the word enchantment is something you feel in the presence of indescribable beauty and magic?
In this episode, we’ll be uncovering the origins of the word ‘enchanted’ so that you can truly come to understand this word more intimately as we look at the tapestry of how language and words have shaped our world.
I’m going to guide us through this understanding of enchantment through Etymology (Et-a-mology) which is basically the study of the history of words as it’s one of my great passions in life.
Because truly, I think anyone who loves writing takes great pleasure in words. In what they look like, in what they sound like, in how they caress and expand onto a blank page or within our subconscious, and of course, the bigger place of them on the canvas of our lives.
For me, words have innate magic that becomes most potent when they come together in meaning and form synchronicity. And to be truly in love with language, and deeper still, life itself, is to dig deep into their layers of soil and uncover their richness.
Now, I must just add that my ‘flowery writing style’, and my seemingly young, very English childlike tones have been criticised ALL my life. Throughout my education and by my peers even today. Mercilessly so at times. And perhaps then, you can understand why this new venture of mine makes me just tremulous with fear.
Because whereas writing onto the page in front of me feels so natural and so comforting, speaking aloud feels so foreign and like I’m clinging to the walls of my comfort zone!
So, this is also a reminder that language is yes, wonderful, but also a tool used by some for allowing and disallowing, and a means of expression and of repression. Such is the contradiction, the paradox, and the great mystery of words too.
However for me, immense healing has been found in discovering Etymology (Et-a-mology), and reveling in, and restoring the true meaning of words as one of the many paths in life to the sublime, awe, and the Enchantment I hold so dearly.
So, let’s break down that word I hold so dear, “Enchanted”, through Etymology (Et-a-mology).
The word “enchant” was first used in 1374, with a meaning of “influence” or “delude”. It was then three years later, the literal meaning of “put under a spell” came to be.
We can also find origins from Old French “enchanter (enchantee)”, which comes from the Latin “incantare (in-can-tar-ey)”, which means “to consecrate with spells, to charm, to bewitch, to ensorcel” (in-sor-cell), and forms the basis of the word “enchant.” This word has later become “incantation” in English.
But here’s where the mysticism of Etymology (Et-a-mology) deepens. For, we can separate “incantare (in-can-tar-ey)” into the prefix “in”, which meant “upon”, and the root “cantare (can-tar-ey)”, which means “to sing”.
And so, as we revel in the history of “enchant” we can understand it with a new meaning: that sometimes songs can be so beautiful that they enchant you.
In the wondrous book ‘The Enchanted Life’ by Sharon Blackie (which, by the way, I consider as required reading for the enchanted soul!) she too digs into the Etymology (Et-a-mology) of Enchantment and concludes therefore that the enchanted life is the process of “singing ourselves back into the world.”
Isn’t this just breathtaking?! By the way if you want to hear Sharon Blackie discuss this in more detail then I will leave a truly profound video in the show notes where she explains this more deeply.
Now, as breathtaking as this is to me, I don’t believe that we should leave behind the magical roots of the word “enchant”. Because remember, this word also had roots in the forms of spells, and to charm and to bewitch.
Because when we look at the tapestry of how language and words have shaped our world, we see time and time again in history how words are a driving force of creation that are steeped in magic. In addition, I also believe that we must reclaim this word in its raw essence itself as magic has long been seen as something frivolous or full of superstition. No clearer and more heartbreaking was this seen in the Witches Trial.
Now, within Hebrew Etymology (Et-a-mology), ‘Abracadabra’ actually translates to ‘I will create as I speak’ and in Aramaic to, ‘I create like the word.’
Moreover, there’s the Greek “magike” that relates to “art” and the Old Persian “magush”, which is “to be able to have power.” In addition, in the Bible, Earth is described as an empty void without a life of form, and then, of course, as so many of know by heart regardless of our faith or beliefs, “…God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
So, as you can see, Etymology (Et-a-mology) is simply brimming with these definitions that place an emphasis on the relationship between the spoken word and the act of bringing forth aliveness through creative magic.
And ultimately enchanted one, no matter our background, our beliefs, or our faith, I truly and passionately believe that the potency of the language we use, the words we are in possession of, and the words we choose to narrate our experiences with ARE a magic spell that can have a profound effect on the way that we and those around us navigate the world.
So I want you to really hold this close to you as you navigate your month. Notice how words come to you this coming month. Notice what words are said to you. Whether it be through your work, discussions with your loved ones, your text conversations, or the simple pleasure of picking up a book. Ultimately, remember that words are the enchanted songs of the Earth.
My journey with enchantment and digging into the roots of its meaning through language paints as clearly as ever that the world is alive with the songs of enchantment.
We can witness this in the crackling of the singing ice, something, perhaps you have seen this in Youtuber Jonna Jinton’s stunning videos from Sweden, or in the fiery lava of a volcano that is being captured with so much luminosity in Iceland right now, or even to the dawn chorus of birdsong that surrounds me right now.
By the way, do you know that birds use their morning chorus as their signal to the Earth that have made it to another new day? Truly, could there be a more stunning example of the songs of enchantment to echo that they are singing out every inch of their aliveness?
Since discovering that Enchantment means to sing yourself back to life it has truly ushered in a newfound sense of confidence that I had kept shackled inside me.
For as I said, my voice, the vehicle I am using for this podcast has been so mercilessly teased for being too soft, too girly, too childlike, and with all of this, it has taken me so much courage to truly sing my song into the world.
Learning about the roots of Enchantment truly felt like a medicine to my mind, body and soul. For, in order to liberate myself, and to be courageous, I wanted to use this podcast as an opportunity to start singing my own song.
So, as I draw towards the end of this first episode, I want you to reflect on how you can take action from the voice of your soul, your magic, your heart, your gifts, your talents and the impact you too can sing by bringing your own song of Enchantment into the world.
To help you to get started with this reflection, I have 3 invitations for you to uncover your own enchanted song so that you can celebrate your very aliveness through Enchantment.
- Write Morning Pages or simply to write more each day. This is an incredibly powerful concept from Julia Cameron’s work called ‘The Artist’s Way’ where you truly free-flow onto the page in the mornings. Journaling is something I have cherished since childhood. For me, the act of taking pen to paper and allowing for that deeply cerebral friction of thought to take place is indescriably transformative.
- Learn a new language. I absolutely adore learning new languages. Even though it’s not something I truly excel at, I love being able to converse the basics in quite a few languages that makes my travels that more magical and profound. I’m currently looking to deepen my skills in Dutch and French but to start German properly for a work project in Switzerland next year. By the way, if this is something that sparks your interest I so highly recommend Michel Thomas and his audio trainings. They are indescribably wonderful.
- Write a poem, song or short story. You don’t have to share it, this can be something you keep close to your heart forever, however, it’s an incredibly beautiful use of time to truly spend weaving words together and sitting intimately with their unison on the page before you. You might also enjoy sharing these and this can be a beautiful letter or postcard you send to your loved ones. Alternatively, you might like to start a journal, Pinterest board, or simply the notes of your phone where you store beautiful words you find.
Before I get carried away and share even more possibilities, I’d absolutely love to know how you get on if you try any of my above invitations for bringing your enchanted song into the world. How can you use words or language to compose a melody of all the things you find serenely moving, beautiful or comforting?
Before I bring this episode to an end I truly want to highlight how much it would mean for me to hear from you on the theme of the conversation I bring here each week.
Because to me, meaningful conversations have become a lost thing in this social media age. However, their richness allows us to learn something important about ourselves, about the other person, or about the world – and, when this happens, we come away feeling better understood and connected with those around us and the world as a whole.
And now I want to hear from you. With a new understanding of the word enchantment, how will you use this to shape your world from today? You can leave your precious words and thoughts on my blog at georgiexoxo.com. Whimsy World.
I so look forward to connecting to you after this episode, and until then, with all my love and infinite blessings for being here. Take such precious take of yourself and speak next week.
With love and infinite blessings to you,
Georgie xoxo
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