Graphic Design and Greedy Magicians

Gaudy billboards, eye-catching logos, tempting slogans and simple signs surround us filling our subconscious with subliminal information. Stunned by the sheer overload of sensory input, brains pried open like a man on the operating table, we are given copious amounts of anesthetic and corralled into constrictive ways of being and thinking. Well if you have ever felt like you were trapped in an endless rat race through a bureaucratic maze leading nowhere then this is the article FOR YOU! Satisfaction, ease and enlightenment guaranteed.

Advert your eyes to the adverse ads of advertising. Cancerous in nature and growing at an alarming rate, are these glaring grabs at our attention. Almost always they are trying to sell you something: an image, service, idea or product. Almost always they are trying to sell you something for a little bit less than what it is worth. The dream of personally "getting ahead" and the inherent greed that is embedded in such an idea is at the foundation of our economy today. But are we really "getting ahead"? When the cores of our intentions are greedy we are enslaved in the hierarchal system of human on human predation.

How the hell did this happen? It doesn't seem like anyone would choose this. Quality is forsaken for mass production of things that are "just good enough" or just intriguing enough to get our starving dopamine receptors excited. We give our energy, our hard earned cash, by buying in. On our "free time" we perpetuate the cycle of manufacturing that is at the root of our "un-free time".

If you sense that this is nonsense I'm sure you are not a lone. Many people to some degree are aware, distraught, disgusted and disempowered by the great web of distraction that so blatantly covers the truth. Don't be disempowered, caught like a fly. Don't think you have to buy something to be empowered, not even a self-help tape or statue of Buddha. Remember that anything that makes you feel needy of it is not a thing you need. Feel the need to get ahead? Take a step back and get behind it.

So where does the "magic" come in? Read on, dig in and know that confusion is a big part of it. I'm using language to convey language and I'm showing you some tricks. It raises more questions than answers!

If you think magic is hocus pocus and would rather stick to the facts, you need only look in the dictionary to see evidence of how language can be skewed. For "hocus pocus" means deception and "factum" in Latin means "something done". If even the meaning of those words was subject to change, how can we ever believe fully in a statement? Many a war has been fought over interpretation and many a debate bends toward effective persuasion regardless of content. Persuasion sways us from side to side using language to excite different emotions polarizing between "good" and "bad" to knock us of kilter. How can a centered person of sound mind be off to one side?

Dazzling us with one hand while the other quickly acts, the magician tricks us into believing he has some supernatural power to enact miracles. Really it is our focus and attention that is doing all of the "miracle" work. Rally a group of people's attention to a common enemy or to a shared opinion and there is no limit to what can be done behind their backs or right in front of them.

This is "magic" spelled with a "c". Notice that the word "spell" has both linguistic and magical connotations. Moreover spelling is a way of changing meaning without necessarily changing the way a word sounds. It's a twist. "Magick" with a "k" is an act designed to cause intentional change. Now think of the words "Magick spell" put together and notice that the linguistic and magical connotations are working simultaneously. If you think about different homophones you'll notice many funny things and even some fishy things. Look at the "work week" for example and think "weak". Look at "days" and think "daze". Look at "hours" and wonder about ownership. Do "minutes" make you feel small? "Seconds" make you feel like you're not first? Not feeling too present when on "vacation"? There you see some potent magic hidden in plain sight and common saying.

Who is cementing the meaning here, making language seem like individual blocks set in stone? If you've ever wondered about the "free stone masons" and why they are so powerful, think of magic/k and look up "freemasons" on Wikipedia read "a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols." Most certainly this organization is aware of the use of language to skew what is considered proper behavior. A simple exercise is to take everything out of your wallet look at the items and meditate on why you think that they are important or inherently valuable. How can some paper with symbols on it control a living breathing being?

It is obvious, hidden out in the open, that language has power over people. Ever bought something with a popular brand logo on it just to show it off to your friends and co-workers? A logo is not very different from the magically used sigil. Both are symbols created for a specific intent and to hold and be empowered by certain thought forms. Every time a brand is seen it is made more powerful, more prevalent in the arena of human mental infrastructure. If the intentions of a sigil are void , such as a virus that lives only to reproduce more of itself, it becomes an eating machine sucking the energy from all who give it attention.

Many graphic designers are unaware of the power their logos hold, only seeking to get paid and receive recognition for being able to "draw in" masses to whatever their corporate clients are selling. I myself have been a part of this and have struggled with it as an artist, always feeling a tinge of pain after creating an advertisement for something I didn't whole-heartedly believe in. But how are we to pay rent and feed ourselves and families if we don't work with the system?

We do have to stay in the system for it to change at all. This is not a matter of us vs. them! The vs. mentality is something to generally watch out for. The thought that there are higher and lower beings is an absurdity and the same goes for binary groupings.

When you are aware and present you've got nothing to prove to yourself or anyone. Have self worth. When that desire to get ahead and win the competition, the "human race", seeps into your thoughts look straight at it and acknowledge that the basis of such a desire is fear and insecurity. When you see a billboard or advertisement look straight at it and think about what it is making you feel.

Notice how language can be contorted in even the most mundane uses. Many times we internalize and perpetuate thought forms that essentially hinder us. Become aware of the thoughts you repeat to yourself. They are powerful like mantras.

Be aware of your intentions in life. Write them down. Support your intentions and let them guide you to promote positive changes. Stand up and talk about it.

Cut back on luxury and convenience, don't be afraid to do some dirty work{garden, clean, build} and to take on some clothing or furniture that is not entirely new. Most of all stay open and don't let your opinions of yourself and others cement into a hard outer shell. You are human and humans are mostly liquid.