“My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant total amazement.” ~ Joe Versus the Volcano
I love linguistics. It’s a miracle I didn’t end up with a linguistics degree (I have an English Lit. degree though, which is still on brand). But my obsession with etymology persists. Beyond curiosity, I think that the origins of words have very specific resonances that impact magical work, particularly petition language and the creation of sigils, but also the language of intention that we use every day (AKA why I use “target” instead of “deadline”). For example:
amaze(v.)
“overwhelm or confound with sudden surprise or wonder,” 1580s, a back-formation from Middle English amased “stunned, dazed, bewildered,” (late 14c.), earlier “stupefied, irrational, foolish” (c. 1200), from Old English amasod, from a- (1), probably used here as an intensive prefix, + *mæs (see maze). Related: Amazed; amazing.
Amaze, literally, to put into a maze, is used to express perturbation or bewilderment in one’s surprise, and naturally therefore belongs to that which closely concerns one’s self or is incomprehensible. [Century Dictionary]
amazing(adj.)
early 15c., “stupefactive;” 1590s, “dreadful;” present-participle adjective from amaze. The sense of “wonderful” is recorded from 1704…
So while amazing has meant “wonderful” for over three centuries now, it originally came from being maze-like: confusing, confounding, bewildering. There’s also a direct tie to labyrinth, which has always been defined as both confusing and a type of maze (the earliest Greek definition was a maze-like building or potentially “the palace of the maze”). [There’s a whole side quest here about double-headed axes and Crete and Dionysos, which is relevant later in this post – see why I love etymology?]
Wonderful itself (literally “full of wonder”) has an equally interesting history:
wonderful(adj.)
late Old English wunderfoll, “extraordinary, marvelous; unnatural, magical” see wonder (n.) + -ful. By c. 1200 as “of exceptional quality, so far above the common as to seem marvelous;” mid-14c. as “of the nature to excite astonishment,” also “great in degree.” Related: Wonderfully; wonderfulness.
…Old English wundorlic “extraordinary; puzzling; divine; terrifying” survived into Middle English as wonderli.
So you can associate amazing to confusing/confounding, amazing to labyrinthine, or amazing to wonderful to magical (with a side dose of divine and terrifying). [It kind of reminds me of how “full of awe” can be either awful or awesome, depending on context. Another side quest for you.]
Which brings me back to the quote at the top of this post, one of my personal favorites.
Now, I don’t necessarily believe that only a few people are awake. Or maybe, even if only a few people are awake, it’s not that only a few people can be awake. If I put my conspiracy hat on (it has a tinfoil propeller on top!) I might say that the Archonic “powers that be” are highly invested in keeping humanity asleep… and that they have been failing at this goal more and more, which is why we are all careening toward literal revelation. So, more and more people waking up and experiencing full on amazement. The question is what kind of amazement they are feeling.
People are confused. What’s real? What’s true? What the hell is actually going on? Why is everything feeling increasingly wrong, broken, unwieldy? Who’s to blame (not us, those other people)? People are lost. Which way do I turn? Where’s the exit? Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket? Is that a monster I hear growling from the center of this mess?
As usual, the only way out is through. If we approach the labyrinth as an initiatory process (the way out is the way in) we know that we need to keep going and face the monster and use our intuition and deep wisdom to come back out. When you come out, you get to face the monster again, only now you are changed, the monster is changed, and a part of you transcends through integration. [something something, Potnia, something something, Orphic initiation]
That might seem purely metaphysical, but it’s also highly practical. Because people who are confused and terrified and lost will have a terrible time getting through the craziness. Of course people who are still asleep will have an even harder time (surprise apocalypse is the worst kind!). When you look at the world with a brutally clear eye, you need to be able to face it with the kind of amazement that equals wonder, magic, awe. Not because things won’t suck. They will. But because your mindset will not and this is what’s needed for correct positioning, smart decision making, and really effective enchanting.
All etymological info from: https://www.etymonline.com