„Kdo jsi a ke komu mluvíš?“ Deixe a subjekt v magických formulích reiki

This article provides a deictic analysis of two magical formulas used in the spiritual-healing practice of the Traditional School of Reiki in Czechia. Drawing on autoethnographic material and using approaches from linguistic anthropology, semiotics, and speech act theory, it examines how linguistic means construct the subject of the utterance, its addressees, and the spiritual entity to which the formulas refer. The core of the analysis lies in their deictic structure, with attention paid to the tension between their grammatical and pragmatic levels. This phenomenon is captured through the concept of oscillating tension, which arises when the speaker, through different grammatical persons, refers to the same or ontologically consubstantial referent. The analysis shows that language here functions not only referentially but also performatively: as a medium of ritual transformation, it enables the speaker to act as a mediator between the profane and a spiritually constructed reality.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Český lid
Published
2025-09-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21104/cl.2025.3.05
Primary Topic
Themes in Literature Analysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

„Kdo jsi a ke komu mluvíš?“ Deixe a subjekt v magických formulích reiki

Tomáš Samek
Český lid
Themes in Literature Analysis
article

„Kdo jsi a ke komu mluvíš?“ Deixe a subjekt v magických formulích reiki

Tomáš Samek
article en

Abstract

This article provides a deictic analysis of two magical formulas used in the spiritual-healing practice of the Traditional School of Reiki in Czechia. Drawing on autoethnographic material and using approaches from linguistic anthropology, semiotics, and speech act theory, it examines how linguistic means construct the subject of the utterance, its addressees, and the spiritual entity to which the formulas refer. The core of the analysis lies in their deictic structure, with attention paid to the tension between their grammatical and pragmatic levels. This phenomenon is captured through the concept of oscillating tension, which arises when the speaker, through different grammatical persons, refers to the same or ontologically consubstantial referent. The analysis shows that language here functions not only referentially but also performatively: as a medium of ritual transformation, it enables the speaker to act as a mediator between the profane and a spiritually constructed reality.

Český lidVol. 112(3)
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
Themes in Literature Analysis
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