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Taking Theosophical ideas

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Mantramic Quality

W Q Judge claims that certain phrases have an

inherent esoteric power and this can be true

in any language or culture

Posted 6/2/07

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In his article Mantrams (This is a Sanskrit word meaning poetic hymn, prayer of incantation which has now assimilated into English as Mantra) W Q Judge introduces the concept of Mantramic Quality to describe the effect that the vibration set up by a particular phrase or in some cases just a word can have. Significance of a phrase of Mantramic Quality can go well beyond the simple etymological meaning of the words.

“Again, bodies of men are acted on by expressions having the mantramic quality; this is observed in great social or other disturbances. The reason is the same as before. A dominant idea is aroused that touches upon a want of the people or on an abuse which oppresses them, and the change

and interchange in their brains between the idea and the form of words go on until the result is accomplished. To the occultist of powerful sight

this is seen to be a "ringing" of the words coupled with the whole chain of feelings, interests, aspirations, and so forth, that grows faster and

deeper as the time for the relief or change draws near. And the greater number of persons affected by the idea involved, the larger, deeper, and

wider the result. A mild illustration may be found in Lord Beaconsfield of England. He knew about mantrams, and continually invented phrases of that quality. "Peace with honor" was one; "a scientific frontier" was another; and his last, intended to have a wider reach, but which death prevented his supplementing, was "Empress of India." King Henry of England also

tried it without himself knowing why, when he added to his titles, "Defender of the Faith." With these hints numerous illustrations will occur to you.”

Judge also says that the effectiveness of a phrase can be lost in time if the phrase is overused. This seems to happen with advertising slogans or the lyrics of pop songs.

Winston Churchill clearly understood the concept as he introduced several phrases such as “Finest Hour” and “Iron Curtain” into our culture. Harold Macmillan gave us “Winds of Change” and quite accidentally “You’ve never had it so good”.

Ted Heath had some short term success with “Cutting prices at a stroke” whereas Harold Wilson produced phrases of negative Mantramic quality with “The pound in your pocket” and “Shake out of surplus labour” with his more positive “White Heat of Technology” reversing itself as promise was unfulfilled. Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson’s “Price worth paying” in reference to high unemployment was also a memorable phrase of negative Mantramic quality as was Norman Tebbit’s “Get on your bike” as a solution to unemployment.

The rise of the spin doctor during the Blair era coupled with media hype consistently fails to produce phrases of Mantramic quality or reduces them to advertising slogans.

W Q Judge seemed to have a handle on this one when he wrote Mantrams in 1888

“And so it will be discovered by you that it is not in London or Paris or New York drawing-rooms that you will find mantrams, whether regular or irregular, used by the people. "Society," too cultured to be natural, has adopted methods of speech intended to conceal and to deceive, so that natural mantrams can not be studied within its borders.”

Mantrams By W Q Judge

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