The Power of Definition – Master of a Name

In the mini-series called Earthsea (2004) that I watched many years ago, an aspect of magic is that of knowing the name of something is to be a master of it. The main character sought to know the names of creatures in order to control and stop their evil with his magical abilities. In language, magic, to know the proper true name, meaning and definition for an aspect of reality is to be master of it, and not be subject to it under its power as a spell on your mind, cast in sorcery, to mind control you. Basic word symbol concepts are required to build more complex structures in our mind which represent reality, from the individual particular objects in reality to the common universals that link particulars together. If our conceptual blocks are falsely representing reality, it greatly affects the way we perceive and think of reality, and it affects our ability to navigate reality correctly.

Why and how do we have this power to master things? Where did this idea come from? Humans have higher order consciousness capabilities. We have the capability to abstract and define particular aspects of reality. We have the power to assign meaning and purpose through definition. That is the power to recognize identity within the diversity, variability and multiplicity of existence, universe and reality. This is the power of Logic, non-contradictory identification of reality. Everything in our reality operates within the Law of Logic, everything is what it is and it not another, identity and non-contradiction. There are no contradictions in the universe. This is the power we have to master a thing by knowing its true name (i.e. meaning). We have the power to identify specific meanings and purposes to provide a definition through symbols that reference reality. This is how we can come to master an understanding of reality. Without the abstraction and inference of consciousness to decipher and derive (derivation, differentiation, deduction) symbols from reality, there would simply be everything as one amalgamation, no difference, no different names to refer to different things, there would be no communication about anything.

Those who first create the name, who first create the definition and meaning, seem to set the grounds for understanding reality within a specific referential framework (language). The power is gained from the correct knowledge of the meaning of a symbol, its definition. That enables mastery over the name, the symbol that represents reality. We look into etymology to find the true meaning of words. Knowledge is imbued and encoded in words. They are symbols about reality. Those who first created the symbols, imbued them with specific meaning and definition. That was their original power. Over time the true meaning gets altered, and the power of the word is affected. We cannot know the true meaning, and we cannot be the master. Knowing the true name of a symbol is to know the true meaning and definition of its representation in reality, what it is that symbol really representing about reality, what it is it really saying. When we know that, then we have the power of the word symbol in our grasp, in our hands, in our possession, in ownership, in mastery, we become a master of the word symbol to reference reality accurately, master of the name and in greater mastery of understanding reality. To accept an altered meaning of a word is to not use it in its original meaning and definition, in its original power as it was created. That is where the sorcerers spell is created, when we accept symbol references to objective reality that then create a subjective unreality (secondary reality) and prevents us from seeing the world as it really is.

The symbols are arbitrary and can be anything to represent reality. But once a symbol is created, it is imbued with meaning. We can correctly or incorrectly understand reality and create symbols to represent something that is or is not, that does or doesn’t exist or should not exist like something evil or immoral. A circle does not represent a square. A square circle does not exist. Basic symbols have objective meaning in themselves with certain degrees of freedom of subjective meaning through imposition from the creator. Images in the mind that referenced reality can be referenced through symbols. The symbols themselves can also imitate the appearance of objects in reality. The more abstract the symbols, such as those of words, the more differential is the imitation displayed, i.e. it looks less like an object in reality, and more altered in form/shape, altered by our mind and created as a symbol. Those symbols that look most like something in reality, say a circle, can be likened to the sun, as it is the most important circle for life, or other circular references we can correspond. Other qualities can be decoded from the circle in reference to reality. Basic symbols can combine to become sigils, more complex symbols. Basic shapes can be altered and distorted to create new shapes and symbols. Languages are made of symbols of abstraction to represent reality. It is like the imagery of magic we have from fictional works, where they create all these symbols and say some magical words, and that gives them special powers. I don’t know if that aspect of reality is authentic or not, but it is definitely symbolic for the power of language itself, the regular symbols we use, yet this allegory from fiction escapes us all.

Mind is powerful. Words are powerful. Spells on mind are powerful mind control. With the magic of spells (words) you can get people to accept falsity as truth, and get them to do what you want. One spell alone isn’t much to alter our sense and understanding of reality, but in the secondary reality of our minds many spells are a powerful sorcery magic to manipulate us.