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The Creepiest Word
October 22, 2008
Sometime back in 2006, I remember laying on my bed reading the latest issue of Fate Magazine, when I stumbled across a very peculiar advertisement.
It was from a company I’d never heard of before called Finbarr International, based out of England.
Being a copywriter and therefore in the ad business myself, I’m always up for soaking in the persuasion language from just about anywhere. In fact it’s one of the main reasons I subscribe to a lot of different publications – to keep tabs on what different businesses are doing out there.
After reading this one over a couple times, I called my then-girlfriend and read it to her over the phone, which seemed to genuinely freak her out. She said I should be spending my money on my “wonderful girlfriend” rather than on some “creepy word.” She pleaded with me not to order, suggesting superstition or possibly something satanic, but I was adamant. I had to find out what this thing really was.
Here was what the ad said:
The Lost Word of Power
SECRET OF THE AGES REVEALED
Previously hidden. Known only to adepts.
The purchaser of this monograph is cautioned not to divulge it to others. It is the one supreme Word. It is easy to pronounce. It cannot be revealed here. Within it is the heartbeat of the Cosmos.
How to use the Word is revealed in The Lost Word Of Power, a four page pamphlet by Frater E.L. Francis.
The Word is made up of only four letters and can be spoken anywhere and at any time you need it.
We first published this monograph in 1985. Readers reported “miracles.” One man wrote “The effects are beyond anything I could possibly imagine… It is worth more than all the money in the world.” Another man who had failed with visualization, rituals etc. wrote: “With The Lost Word I actually got aid when I needed it. In fact, I’m still getting it.” (photocopies of these actual testimonials available on request.)
It is the one Word the owner of Finbarr International uses when the need presents itself.
The Word brings immediate peace and enlightenment.
It is the one Word that encapsulates cosmic energy. It is the most powerful Word in the Universe and was never revealed – as best we know – before the publication of this monograph.
Use this Word to gain the strength to face any situation.
Use this Word for Divine Revelation.
The origins of the Word are lost in the mists of time.
It was the Name of Power in Ancient Egypt. It was used to speak things into existence.
Humankind merely discovered the Word. It was always there.
The Word BRINGS SAFETY FROM PHYSICAL INJURY. Speak it when you feel threatened. It awakens the protective energies of the Universe.
The Word brings a sharp, immediate increase in mystical consciousness. It awakens psychic powers. It can give you visions of the unknown. I can give you glimpses of the future. It brings healing to the body and peace to the soul.
This monograph explains the Word in four phases. You will learn all you need to know in half an hour reading this monograph. It explains the Construction Of The Word; its Ying Yang, genderless expression of the Cosmos; and the Invocation of Cosmic Energy.
Even if you don’t understand the cosmic principles involved, it doesn’t matter. What matters is speaking the Word.
Speaking the Word can bring results that some describe as “Miraculous.”
If you believe in nothing else in this world then believe in this one Word. It will perhaps do for you what nothing else can. It is the ultimate prayer. It can be spoken anywhere, anytime you need it.
Whatever you seek in life – peace, happiness, love, health, riches – just name it; and for as long as your wish does not violate the Cosmic Law, this Word will bring you nearer to its fulfillment.
THIS IS NOT A GIMMICK.
The author of this monograph is an Adept of the Secret Arts. Initiates confirm its authenticity.
Finbarr is proud to be publisher.
What wonders can it perform for you?
I could’ve written a better (more emotional, rhythmic) ad, but this one from Finbarr still really got me. Due to the low price, it was obviously a lead generation piece designed to draw as many orders out of the publication as possible so the company could add names to their house file and make their profit on the back-end follow-up sales (something Finbarr is exceptional at, by the way).
So I made out an envelope, wrote my check, and shipped it off to Folkestone, Kent England to let Finbarr know I wanted The Lost Word of Power.
A couple weeks later, I get this little brown envelope in the mail stamped from Deutsche Post.
The Lost Word of Power had arrived.
Silly as it may seem, my girlfriend’s words of warning and my friend Jason’s classic doubt (as in “uhhh, I don’t know about this, Greg”) haunted me. For a long time, I just sortof put the thing up on my shelf and never really looked at it.
And there it lay. For over a year.
Then one day as I stocked my bookshelves after moving to St. Louis in August 2007, the little brown envelope slipped out of a stack of papers, bringing me face-to-face with The Word.
By this time, I was no longer with Christine and my and Jason’s attitudes about a lot of things “spiritual” had changed so drastically… I figured “what the hell”, pulled out the little pamphlet, and sunk into my big fluffy black leather couch to read.
It begins by explaining how the Lost Word is in fact a mantra, consisting of male and female vowel sounds, and is thus the ideal expression of the dual energy called “nous”, which is apparently the force of all creation.
Then it quotes John 1:1,3 -
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
I think this is used to at least partially explain why the ancient Egyptian priests used the Word to “speak things into existence.” …or, so they say.
It goes on to explain how the mantra represents the logos; the cosmic energy out of which all creation came. The principles concerning the dymanics of this energy “rest upon the proper use of scientifically constructed vowel sounds.”
Saying this Word is supposed to affect you physically, mentally, and spiritually. By chanting the Word, “an aura, or field of vibration, of very high refinement, is set up around the body of the chanter. This field of vibration has a particular effect on the environment. On the mystical level, the chanter has become attuned to the source of energy itself. This attunement is realized as he is made aware of an increase in the sharpness of his mystical consciousness. Lastly, on the psychological level, the mind is refreshed because of the quickening of the psychic centres.”
Ok, but… is any of this actually real?
THAT is something you’ll have to discover for yourself.
I did some research on possible alternate meanings of the Word and found something similar (but not pronounced the same) in ancient Buddhism linked to a demon who tried to tempt Buddha with visions of a bunch of beautiful women. In Buddhist cosmology, a similar word personifies unskillfulness, and the “death” of the spirtual life by making the mundane alluring, or the negative seem positive.
Weird stuff.
Anyway, the Lost Word of Power is MARA – pronounced as “Mmmaaahhh Rrrraaahhh.” (The A is like the one in “father” – unlike the Buddhist “Mara” pronounced “May-ruh”) In mantra form, it’s supposed to be chanted on the note of A natural, above middle C.
The pamphlet goes on to explain cosmic energy in more depth and provide 2 experiments you can do with the Word to feel its power. On the back page it closes with an omnious warning never to ignore any directives given to you as a result of successfully using the Word – “…this will prove most disappointing” it says.
Do I know what any of this really means? Does any of this have a basis in reality or was it just made up by some random guy a long time ago to mess with people?
There’s a reason I filed this one away in the “Strange and Unknown” section here on my site.
Either way, Finbarr International is one of the most interesting mail order companies I’ve ever seen. They’ve got some good ads too. And since then, I’ve bought a number of their little books for no other reason than just to see what this stuff was all about.
As a copywriter, you always want your ad to have a certain degree of “magic pill” feeling about it. That always sells far better than “cold hard reality” – but there’s a fine line you must walk to never go overboard with magic pill selling so that your ad draws too much attention to itself and becomes “hokey” and unbelievable, or that you’re TOO cautious and lose sales.
So it’s worth studying the works of a company like Finbarr that literally sells magic in most of their products. From what I understand, they’re the largest publisher of their kind in the world.
If you’d like to get on their fascinating mailing list, write to:
Finbarr International
5 Godwyn Road
Folkestone, Kent CT20 2QQ
England
Guaranteed to be some of the most bizarre books you’ll ever see advertised.
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Tags: ancient egyptian magick, bizarre, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, cosmic power, creepiest word, egyptian magick, finbarr international, frater aurum solis, frater francis, lost word, lost word of power, magick, mystical, mysticism, occult, speaking things into existence, strangeTopics: Strange & Unknown | 31 Comments »




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Mara is actually a buddist demon.. see wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_(demon)
See the part where I said:
“…pronounced as “Mmmaaahhh Rrrraaahhh.” (The A is like the one in “father” – unlike the Buddhist “Mara” pronounced “May-ruh”)”
I pointed out the Buddhist thing in the post. This one is apparently different.
Come on Greg, what was your experince with the word?
Hi Stan,
That’s a good question. I didn’t say in the post because… I can’t say I really know for sure
I think it would be more interesting if anyone who happens across this post to leave your own thoughts, experiences, etc in this comments section. I’m not really sure what to think about this subject yet
***after your complete page of Hype, and 5 months of pronouncing IT gregg, SURELY youve had some results ? otherwise maybe its just crap ? face reality, and reply !!
Actually I only did it a couple times. And I certainly wouldn’t call reprinting the ad here on my site “hype” – it is what it is (though I think it could be done way better)
Like a lot of things, it’s probably only as real as you make it. For every person who thinks its a bunch of crap, there’s going to be at least one other who says otherwise.
This post is just meant to present a little story from a couple years ago in my life and write about something that doesn’t get a lot of attention on the search engines. (I guess it worked – after all, you and a lot of other people found it)
Hi Greg,
Are you just a tad concerned over the caution to never divulge the word? It’s so interesting, I’m going to make up my own words and sell them! Wondering what you think I should charge? LOL
IT’S BRILLIANT!! EVERYONE HAS PROBLEMS AND EVERYONE NEEDS A MIRACALE… $$$$$$$$$$$
I agree
Finbarr is very good at what they do, which is selling information of questionable value to say the least.
However…
As a side note, I did happen to read the story of the guy who started Finbarr and he said the first products he tried to sell were psychology and self-help guides – probably pretty good stuff. But then to his disappointment he said: “no one wanted to buy it”… so he started selling “magic” type products instead.
THEN his venture was successful.
When I read about it, the story of Finbarr is an interesting commentary on people in general. In business, you’ve got to go where the buyers are. You can’t force people into products that you want them to buy.
Mara (Māra) is Latvian highest ranking deity. It is pronounced Mahrah.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_(goddess)
Aigars Bruvelis’s last blog post..Rain drops – look closely
Look, it’s just somebody’s house:
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&q=5+Godwyn+Road+Folkestone,+Kent+CT20+2QQ&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=r_wOSv6NG8WktwflvvWECA&ll=51.079341,1.160557&spn=0.001624,0.002344&t=h&z=19&iwloc=A
I ordered “Miraculous” Candle Rituals Give You Conrol of Your Life, and The Infernol Conjurations of the Nortorious Grimoire of Honorious, circa 1670, and to date have not received. I sent an international money order and the priority fee amount. My order should have been received and would like to have a mailing status, since I ordered on a need basis, Please respond today.
Hi Mary,
This is my personal website and I am not affiliated with Finbarr in any way. I just wrote this post to tell about a personal experience I had with ordering from them.
If you ordered something from them and need to talk to someone, I suggest you write to them using their address in England. Personally I’ve never had a problem with them before so hopefully your issue can be resolved quickly and without hassle.
Hi.Concerning the word MARA,i have experience its effect a little,once intone properly,feeling the vibration(best intone like the OM Mantra).Concerning MARA,according to my research,and quite some time in the occult field,the MA is the feminine power and RA is the male power,(easy check in Egyptian Magic,applicable)so MARA is a combination,so resonating the power of the cosmos .But this is my experience,my journey.Godspeed on yours.
Greg – Thank you – I found your report on the
“magic word” very interesting. Words do have power and Mara seems as good as any. After all prayers as very simply just words and the thoughts that they bring to mind.
I have ordered from Finbarr International (years ago)and found several of their publications of some value. WE are ALL looking for answers and the search goes on.
THANKS AGAIN!
my friend actually has a genie and she said when you say “that word” you have 17. (some digits i can not remeber) that you will die the day after you say it. spelling is worse, so i recommend you not to say it. fortunately, one of her friends made a wish for me that i will not die in a week. i also wished that i would have better eyesight and its getting better
The Lost Word of Power anyone now what the word is could tell me
Hi Bruno – you obviously didn’t read the post because I tell what the word is right there in the text.
Hi Greg….is it possible to find free scanned versions of those finbarr books on the net?…(please do reply)
If there is a place that has them, I don’t know about it. The few times I’ve ordered Finbarr books, I always got them out of their catalog they mail me.
im a regular finbarr client, ive got loads of their books, wow are they powerful
Hi there…..my Father was a devotee of all of Finbarr’s books and as a result i have many of their titles in my library at home……cant say that i have ever had any success with them, but i think that having success with all types of books like this comes from whether you believe in them and yourself as well. It is something akin to the Law of attraction…have faith and it will happen for you.
@Ron. – i totally agree, you have to believe or at least have an open mind. some books i just couldnt get in2 but others i clicked with right away, thats so interesting your father had a collection, when did he start collecting finbarr books?
hi can i ask if the woman who ordered finbarr books and never got them ever got info about her order?
hi,greg. i have the same finbarr booklet,as well as many others.i love those ads!i have found some of the publications useful,my favorite finbarr author is carl nagel.
wow this has happened to me so many times. I write a hugely long comment, and then it deletes it all. In my comment I explained in depth how the Buddhist and Hindu word is pronounced Mahra, with a long ah sound. That its never Mayrah. It comes from the word Mahr, meaning death, destruction, killing, hitting, shooting. There is also a personified form of Death in Hindu religions called Mara. I also went into more about the Egyptian possibility, and explained that there is no “Ma” feminine Goddess or power in Egyptian religion as far as anyone knows. There is Ma’at, and Ra, who is now being pronounced Re with an accent on the e. She was not his traditional consort. Since this is meant to be done like a Mantra I suspect the hindu and Buddhist idea, but in that case its meant to be a destructive word. Hindu religions often believe in vibrational pronounciations having power. Then I went on to talk about the Hebrew word Maha meaning Destruction, which might be related. I even went so far as to talk about the Latter Day Saints and their mention of Master Mahan’s, one who have taken a pact with Satan in order to gain his “secret” which is to learn how to benefit from destructiveness and killing. It is thought by some to be a reference to Master Masons. Joseph Smith, the founder and Prophet of the Latter Day Saints movement was a Mason himself, as well as much of his family and brought much of what they taught to the LDS scripture and temple architecture. Now I’ll even add that the term “Secret of the Ages” is very familiar, because of the book The Secret Teaching of All Ages, which eventually makes reference to the “seething” powers of “Lucifer” being the source of essential power. Mara is considered the Satan and “Lord of Evil” of Buddhism as well as other related religions and cults. The reason he faces Buddha in a temptation situation much like the temptation of Christ in the Bible, is to test his enlightenment and to lure him out of it. The Buddha passes the test, is neither tempted by the worldly things of life such as seductive women, nor is he afraid of dying when Mara threatens him with violence and death. Mara may be thought to have many demons and destructive entities under his control as well. Anyway the reason I wrote all this was just because I didn’t want people thinking that the word Mara was pronounced Mayra in Buddhism and Hinduism, because it isn’t!
I’m not sure if your other comment got deleted or not, but if it did, it wasn’t by me. The only reason why comments might not show up on the site right away is because I have to manually approve all comments made by new people who have never commented before. But if you’ve commented before using the same name and email, then it should go through without any problems. Sorry for the confusion!
Wow you responded really fast! It wasn’t your fault that my comment got deleted. It was too long in its initial form, and when I pressed submit comment, it took me to a page that said the comment was too long or rather it said it looked “spammy” and so it didn’t let it get posted. It was well written, I had it copied initially and thought I’d paste it again and edit it, but instead I discovered that I had copied something else in the meantime that I had hoped to add to the end of it. Something about the word being used by a scottish guy who got scratched on his buttocks by a cat.
So again, it’s not your fault, it was just the word limit was exceeded. Thank you for responding so fast, I really appreciate it.
I originally came upon this article from your ghost in the bed article, which I came to from your reverse speech article.
I’ve left another comment on the ghost article, requesting further information on your experience since I find it really fascinating.
I’m not sure if you have other articles that are themed similarly, but so far I’ve really enjoyed each one alot!
When I lived in New York, there was an Occult Shop called “Magikal Childe” which carried a lot of the Finbarr books. My mother and I bought many titles and discovered many things about the Inner State and how to release the many ‘gifts’ which are imbedded within us. I practiced many of the rituals I learned from these books and I must say it enhanced my life greatly especially a magical ritual that involved using mummy candles. I didn’t use it often but when I needed to effect a really big change in my life, it bought swiftly and set be on higher paths of love, money etc and especially would inform me if there was anything getting in my way of development (most of the time it revealed me, myself. Anyway – we did not find these books a waste of time or money.
i spent years looking for magickal books, that were easy to follow and that delivered outstanding results, but was always led to believe such things wouldnt work and magick had to be very complicated to get results, this is so not true, if you are comfortable performing complicated rituals fine, but if you want simple spells and rituals like me you will still get the results you seek, true magick comes from within anyway,as long as you believe in yourself, thats what gets results. i have had result after result with finbarr books, not all books i have to say, some i didnt connect with, but if you want your life to change you gotta give them a chance.
linda have you have contacted the postal service that might be the problem.
hi randal,
it was’nt me that had the problem with delivery, it was someone else on the page, i was asking if they got it sorted. i agree with you it must be the postal service, because finbarr are always prompt with delivery.