Telesthesia – Wordplay Wednesday™ 10/04/17

Working Magic with Words 

October is of course, a month of a different color. While pumpkin prevails, and black rules, words of magic—and in my humble opinion, they’re all magical—appear and disappear in many colors of meaning and power.

This week’s Wordplay Wednesday finds us wishing for crystal balls and fortune tellers that give us unwavering faith in …

TELESTHESIA (tel’es thēʹzhɘ) n. – (Parapsychology) extrasensory perception of distant objects, events, etc. [telesthetic]  [WW #132]

We’ve often heard someone lament that we weren’t born with an instruction manual. At the very least, it would be nice to have the power of telesthesia to sense our expiration date—that which would tell us how much time we are allowed, as we make our way through this convoluted realm we call Life.

While telesthesia fits right in with the celebration of witches, warlocks, ghosts, Ouija boards and Halloween, today’s elders may recall the 1960s and ‘70s, which were rife with psychic visions and predictions.

As we lift the veil between life and death, we hear the musical warning of an oft-repeated phrase floating through consciousness … Live for Today. Was it an inspired time of telesthesia?

The era has been vilified as the “Me Generation” for believing “self” matters. *“(Let’s) Live for Today | And don't worry 'bout tomorrow,” personified the war-time attitude. Oh, sorry, not “war”—back then, Vietnam was only a military presence or “conflict.” (*1967, The Grass Roots sang of our desire for love, not war.)

By promoting the #LiveForToday attitude, perhaps we exercised our innate telesthesia of the future and its growing menaces, designed to ensure we don’t Live for Today.

This week, especially, we’ve been reminded that self—to include your loved ones—is not a bad reason to live … Every day counts. Every hour counts. Every minute counts. Because we just don’t know how many we have to work with … make them all count. You count.

Enjoy memories of yesterday. Cast a telesthetic eye on tomorrow. But … Live for Today.

All our slightly skewed and odd October words will relate to the fine line that fascinates, titillates, and may terrorize our consciousness—that which we call Life.

Word Challenge: TELESTHESIA. Do you believe in instinct? Intuition? ESP? Think about it as you fit telesthesia into your week of perceptive writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week …   

aka The Wordy Witch of the West                      

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ May 17, 2017 – Vaticinate

I Foretell a Short-‘n’-Sweet Wordplay 

Is foretelling the future simply an innate ability to recognize the most probable outcome? Or, is my visceral vision that you’ll enjoy this week’s Wordplay, only wishful thinking?

VATICINATE (vɘ tisʹɘ nātʹ) vt., vi. – to prophesy; predict. [WW #112] Also on this dictionary page, is vatic: of or characteristic of a prophet.

Word Challenge: VATICINATE. Let’s gaze intently into the crystal ball and interpret its revelations to vaticinate a wonderful week of prophetic writing!

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)  

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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100th Wordplay Wednesday™ February 22, 2017 – Monoglot

100 is Great but 1 is Enough 

These days it isn’t merely beneficial, it’s nearly a necessity to speak more than one language. Silly me … I quit French in high school, oh so many years ago, to pick up another business class.

My crystal ball failed to show me how much languages would soon be such a gigantic asset in business. Story of my life. I can, however, still converse in Pig Latin; though I could use a little brush-up course. 😏

For Wordplay Wednesday’s 100^th anniversary week, I chose an appropriate example. Note that even the dictionary seems to deride in tone, those who are not language-ambidextrous*; and only the lonely are a …

MONOGLOT (mänʹō glät’) adj.– speaking or writing only one language; n. a monoglot person. [WW #100.] 

While I have not opted to learn a second language, lexicology can often seem foreign. I refuse, however, to feel inferior for preferring to work toward mastering English. This monoglot holds her English head high, albeit a little crooked, in her word eccentricities.  

It should count that I often pick up on other languages through fun phrases and less crass sounding cuss words. Besides—why would I want to confuse myself with another set of grammarrules I don’t agree with? Being a monoglot has its advantages.

If I were to learn another language at this late date, I’d choose Gaelic. Why? It’s that of my heritage, plus it isn’t as prevalent as others, thus needs a little preservation boost. (And I’d like to know what those pesky Leprechauns are saying about me!)

Seriously though. If you have a hankering to visit another country, or think your business exploits may benefit with at least a conversational skill in an alternate language, or you simply love to learn—you are never too young or too old.

L'apprentissage est l'essence de la vie … Learning is the essence of life.

Cheers to our 100^th Wordplay Wednesday!

Word Challenge: MONOGLOT. Enjoy mastering your language with pride and proficiency as you fit monoglot into your week of meaningful writings.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week …

 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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*For those who have not read my column before, yes, I know I use words out of context and play with their meanings. Hence, the title “Wordplay.” If you can’t have fun in your own language, how can you appreciate another?

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