Haiku as Magic Spell

[haikurambler]

Perhaps the idea of haiku being utilised as a prayer (as some suggest) is well possible, if that is the intent.

However, there seems a more compelling case for haiku to be understood more as a magic spell than a prayer (or even poetry). More precisely, not a full spell, though. Rather, half a magic spell.

What is meant by 'half a magic spell'?

The explanation goes like this:

In order to enjoy a little haiku movie; conjured, called fourth, or evoked by the words (the 'spell') of a haiku, we need, of course, to engage with the inner vision enshrined in, or accessed through, each haiku's verbal. However, it is suggested that we may enter the haiku's inner diorama and, if we so choose and are bold, wander about in it - aimlessly, or with purpose.

In essence -it is whispered- we can do an 'inner journey', or 'pathworking', with all that this implies. (Other uses may be left to the reader's muses and their discretion.)

So, at this stage of the game we have now entered the movie and are gone into a magic spell's universe- not the 'halfway only' invitation, which is simply to contemplate a little haiku movie. The standard haiku trip has now morphed into a whole other kettle of tadpoles.

Maybe we could call this, somewhat startling, notion: 'The Hidden Secret Of Haiku'.

I quite like this idea, at least in principal, and it does seem to have its own meta-logic to it, don't you agree?

Anyway, why not do a test drive and 'see' if it works? (But, for God's sake, don't eat any fairy food - you might not return for a year and a day!) . . .


old pond
a fog jumps in
the sound of water

— Basho



^_^


-
This topic follows through from a previous one (enantiodromia): http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/forum_sm/religio/haiku-as-prayer/

[DavidGrayson]

Hi haikurambler,

I like the phrase "magic spell." From my perspective, what you describe is common to all literature and art. John Gardner described fiction as "dream," which I think is what you are pointing to. The haiku poet creates a world (or hints or implies a world) that the reader then inhabits. And because of the open-ended quality of haiku, that world can veer in many directions.

lingering snow
the game of catch continues
into the evening

Cor van den Heuvel (Baseball Haiku, p. 13)

Thanks for starting this discussion!

David

[haikurambler]

Hi, David

Yes, even the air we breath is magical. Thing about haiku, though, is it specifically generates an inner scenario, a virtual reality, and this to allow it to express its meaningful content as a direct experience to its reader. This is haiku's primary task, as we know, to let the haiku's circumscribed dream transmit its own meaning, without undue verbal interpretive bias. This use of language, unique to haiku and magic spells (et al: in the sense, for example, of mystic/magic path working http://goo.gl/7Su4V), simply enable this presentation of an inner diorama. How do you (and other members) respond to this focus?

jp

Hi haikurambler,

I like the phrase "magic spell." From my perspective, what you describe is common to all literature and art. John Gardner described fiction as "dream," which I think is what you are pointing to. The haiku poet creates a world (or hints or implies a world) that the reader then inhabits. And because of the open-ended quality of haiku, that world can veer in many directions.

lingering snow
the game of catch continues
into the evening

Cor van den Heuvel (Baseball Haiku, p. 13)

Thanks for starting this discussion!

David

[al fogel]

Nice thread..

For me, all memorable ku  (whatever genre or style) casts a magical incantation that (like a great movie) transports me to another more mystical, magical world that sometimes children and child-like adults enter. The primal energy of joy. We must remember that what creates the magic are "words"--words that someone else created and that lead to fragments that lead to phrases that end in poems. The artist/poet's contribution is in the the manipulation and arrangment of words to build a magical feeling beyond the words and into the veins leading to the heart.

each erring points the way to hollows where veins await

my prose and one-line contribution to this most interesting thread ,

Al  

[nobodhi]

¿ ( may depend on how we spell spell ) ?

 no doubt there are shamanic roots in haiku ...  ... 'tho i find its restrained  language of plainspeech and shibumi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibui) often astringent & dry ... as in a haijin's self-portrait

from behind he looks a bit cold

rather than incantory, vatic, etc

¿ ( may depend on the trance-laytion ) ?

[haikurambler]

Hi Al

This 'feeling', you mention, does it come from the haiku image or the haiku words - or are these two distinct experiences, one haiku's verbal and the other haiku's iconic effect? For example: Basho's world famous frog jump haiku; is it the words, or the image (when it kicks in) that we contemplate, would you say?


old pond
a frog jumps in
the sound of water

Basho



jp

Nice thread..

For me, all memorable ku  (whatever genre or style) casts a magical incantation that (like a great movie) transports me to another more mystical, magical world that sometimes children and child-like adults enter. The primal energy of joy. We must remember that what creates the magic are "words"--words that someone else created and that lead to fragments that lead to phrases that end in poems. The artist/poet's contribution is in the the manipulation and arrangment of words to build a magical feeling beyond the words and into the veins leading to the heart.

each erring points the way to hollows where veins await

my prose and one-line contribution to this most interesting thread ,

Al  

[haikurambler]

Hi nobodhi (good luck with that) ^_^

You talk about 'restrained language' in haiku. What would you say haiku uses its minimal language technique to achieve?


JP


quote author=nobodhi link=topic=1372.msg19027#msg19027 date=1314648201]
¿ ( may depend on how we spell spell ) ?

 no doubt there are shamanic roots in haiku ...  ... 'tho i find its restrained  language of plainspeech and shibumi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibui) often astringent & dry ... as in a haijin's self-portrait

from behind he looks a bit cold

rather than incantory, vatic, etc

¿ ( may depend on the trance-laytion ) ?



[/quote]

[nobodhi]

by 'restrained language' i was referring to diction  ¿ yea ? ...

as to your question as to aim of haiku, perhaps you might please elaborate a bit on the question for me to hear it better

[haikurambler]

Question restated: What is a haiku's primary task, before all others? This would be to do with the minimalism of words (and all their devices). For example, what's the primary requirement (after parsing the words, of course) the reader is obliged to action in order to engage with this well known haiku? . . .

old pond
a frog jumps in
the sound of water

Basho

by 'restrained language' i was referring to diction  ¿ yea ? ...

as to your question as to aim of haiku, perhaps you might please elaborate a bit on the question for me to hear it better

[al fogel]

This 'feeling', you mention, does it come from the haiku image or the haiku words - or are these two distinct experiences, one haiku's verbal and the other haiku's iconic effect?

John: It's both. For me, the words trigger an image in my mind's eye which travels frrom the left brain logic to right brain feeling (or visa verse). It's so interrelated that the experience seems to occur simultaneously with the reading of the words.
A simple example: the pressing of various symbolic keys on my keyboard requires the coordination of three distinct but closely related bodies: the gross,(physical)  the subtle (pran, energy) and the mental (mind). In rapidfire succession and almost simultaneously, when my gross body is activated by the subtle (energy) & mental (mind) it presses the selective keys.

Simarily, when my gross eyes and brain are stimulated and energized by haiku words, it sends a selective message to both parts of the brain for either continued visualization (resonance) or discontinuance.

Hope this clarifies,

Al  

[haikurambler]

Yes, I can follow all that, Al.

So, to clarify, haiku word's job is to transmit and maintain an evocation (and, magically, invocation?) in the mind's eye. Does that about sum it up? Furthermore, if the words exceed their function they get in the way of their transmission capabilities. They cause distracting dissonance. This is one of the chief reasons we keep the haiku words simple and transparent, I'd say. This visualisation process (right brain and deeper) seems difficult for many western peoples to grasp - possibly because we live in our heads (left brain) under the authority of scientific realism and its humanist spin. Once we conceive the haiku image (multi-sensory) the image informs us, as it did the writer of the haiku, in essence. Not the words. They show. The image does the telling.

Are you left handed, Al?

This 'feeling', you mention, does it come from the haiku image or the haiku words - or are these two distinct experiences, one haiku's verbal and the other haiku's iconic effect?

John: It's both. For me, the words trigger an image in my mind's eye which travels frrom the left brain logic to right brain feeling (or visa verse). It's so interrelated that the experience seems to occur simultaneously with the reading of the words.
A simple example: the pressing of various symbolic keys on my keyboard requires the coordination of three distinct but closely related bodies: the gross,(physical)  the subtle (pran, energy) and the mental (mind). In rapidfire succession and almost simultaneously, when my gross body is activated by the subtle (energy) & mental (mind) it presses the selective keys.

Simarily, when my gross eyes and brain are stimulated and energized by haiku words, it sends a selective message to both parts of the brain for either continued visualization (resonance) or discontinuance.

Hope this clarifies,

Al  

[al fogel]

Are you left handed, Al?

No, not in this life altho because of my belief in reincarnation, I believe that I was left-handed (artistic) in many lifetimes and also right-handed--but since right-handed predominates this time around, I'm probably more inclined to be less artistic than in other incarnations. But I'm glad I discovered haiku which (when successful) enables me to create less with more impact--probably a carryover from a left-handed /right brain branded prior life.

I'm happy for the residual carryover of creative artistic energy manifesting in the form of haiku/senryu poetry--no matter from what hand it issues forth.

Al   

[haikurambler]

Just wondering if your visual thinking predominated, which, as you astutely mention, is a left-handed attribute. There are several types of sinistrals (great word) . One type have their language centre mainly housed in the right brain - that's my type. So, thinking in both words and images is easier for me. Although, living in a left-brained culture does take the edge off a bit ^_^

Are you left handed, Al?

No, not in this life altho because of my belief in reincarnation, I believe that I was left-handed (artistic) in many lifetimes and also right-handed--but since right-handed predominates this time around, I'm probably more inclined to be less artistic than in other incarnations. But I'm glad I discovered haiku which (when successful) enables me to create less with more impact--probably a carryover from a left-handed /right brain branded prior life.

I'm happy for the residual carryover of creative artistic energy manifesting in the form of haiku/senryu poetry--no matter from what hand it issues forth.

Al