They say alchemy is a mysterious process, turning lead into gold, an impossible feat. But alchemy is also the conversion of thoughts into words, and there is one main mechanism for that: Writing.

Writing’s magic is found through its creation and permeation. It is created when squeezed out of the mind of the writer, and subsequently, permeates that mind.

Creation of writing is power, for it is a process of release that makes indefinite thoughts definite, and imbues the creator with fervent momentum. As the writer decides how to express her¹ thoughts, she generates the desire to continue the process, until increasingly interesting, insightful, and fulfilling words are put on the paper, and a story is pushed out. It is the acceptance of her experiences, that they are worthy enough to be recorded and remembered, and as a gratitude therefor, she is blessed knowing those memories can be accessed at any time. Those experiences not validated on paper are lost after a time, cursed to be misremembered and misinterpreted, their nuance forgotten, though they do serve an alternate purpose².

Once ink is put to paper, it works its magic. Whenever your words are read, they implant themselves in your mind and spread. They grow heavier and, left to their own, will consume your thoughts quickly; the only reason you don’t solely think about the sandwich you wrote about is because multiple ideas are competing in your head. But the most spectacular (or should I say hidden) magic of writing is that its impressions are subconscious. The most direct way of changing your perception isn’t through mindful alterations of your consciousness; it’s digging below and reprogramming your fundamental circuit board. Expression of ideas is an art; doing so properly can channel powerful feelings of invincibility, love, and the like. In somewhat similar fashion³ to Otto von Bismarck’s quote “Always beware of building castles in the air; these buildings are the easiest to build, but the hardest to destroy”, we should stand in awe the power of writing, as the effect on our internal⁴ will be rock-solid.

My title for this article is “strategic release”. Writing is release, as seen through its creation; it is strategic, as one can strategize on how to express ideas to produce the strongest psychological effects. Writing is magic in two ways—not just in its the inherent beauty of expressing through words, but also its ability to shape your perspective and direct your actions.

Footnotes

¹ We use “her” throughout, but this is intended to apply to all people.

² Intentionally rewriting one’s memories can be useful for propaganda and narrative establishment.

³ My interpretation of the quote: When we prime our imagination in a certain direction, i.e. build a castle, which is easy to do, we should be wise enough to realize when that castle no longer reflects reality. The quote has an admonitory tone. My parallel is that we should not underestimate the power of writing: Creating it is somewhat easy, but it is often overlooked how hard dislodging the thoughts writing has created in us, especially subconscious ones, is. My parallel has a reverent and net-positive tone.

⁴ For more of my view on the internal versus external, see my article “Dichotomy of Self”.