Candace’s comment on my last blog post about her fortune “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change” reminded me both of how much I love language and how much I believe change is an important agent in moving us forward.
I love word play and last month I found something that absolutely delights me. I gifted myself with a divination deck, AngeLynx, by John Sacelli.
It’s rather difficult to explain what AngeLynx is, but I’ll give it a try. It’s a deck of 52 cards exploring the “Angelish” language – and I think it’s a brilliant exposition of alternate/expanded/slightly twisted meanings of various words and concepts. It’s meant to be used a divination deck and I find it a compelling jumping off point for shifting one’s perspective. The cards can be used in any favorite spread or simply pulled as a single card to be pondered. But the booklet that comes with the deck discusses readings as “re-dings; or a bell went off in my head and now I hear it again.” See – isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that exactly what a reading is meant to be?
There are 52 cards related to 52 strengths (not weaks) of the year; and each offers alternate ways to think about a particular word. And I have to say I’m loving it.
I also subscribed to John Sacelli’s mailing list and he apparently continues the word play there as well. So for example here’s what he recently wrote:
Angelish word of the week, KNOWLEDGE – KNOW LEDGE. Know your leading edge. Don’t miss your life’s adventure by staying too far from the risk; but don’t fall over the edge either.
I really think that’s brilliant. And now I can’t stop thinking about knowledge in those terms. What’s the point of knowledge if it doesn’t move you forward on your own path? As that wise fortune cookie reminded “Your life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change.” But moving blindly without consideration for your own edge is foolhardy too. And so the invitation issued is to dance consciously and always in consideration with other aspects. Sometimes it feels quite challenging to me – as if there were all kinds of intricate steps and foot positions to watch out for, and all of a sudden the music seems to have sped up exponentially, and, and, and… Tripping up seems inevitable. But that’s when light-heartedness, laughter, and compassion for yourself is most important.
I think we all too-easily forget laughter and having fun. Which is all the more reason I love work play – it makes me laugh. What makes you laugh? What delights you about language?
Well it’s 6 years later and I come across this commentary on AngeLynx. Thanks for posting? Where are you?
How funny! Still, with the loosening of time, six years is really just a blink of the eye isn’t it? I’m in Chicago and still enjoying the deck and your dictionary. Magical, fabulous work!