Alexander Blok's article “Poetry of charms and spells” as an esoteric text. Part 1

The research allowed us to establish that the article “Poetry of charms and spells” has an esoteric subtext that was not previously noticed by researchers of Blok’s work. In its figurative structure and style, the article shares common features with the magical texts of folklore, which are considered in it. Russian charms are described in the article as a kind of journey in an imaginary space or ascent «on the ladder of spells», and ends with the author and his reader finding the main secret of Russian charms - the mysterious Alatyr stone, which is also a source of mystical light, and a Christian altar. In his article, Blok showed that the magical effect of spells has a real character and is due to the fact that the sorcerer invests in the execution of spells his desires and will, which are able to influence the living nature. Block explains the transformation of a word into an action as the result of the ecstatic merging of the magician’s will with the will of nature. Also, the research allowed us to establish that the ideas and literature of Russian symbolism influenced the esoteric subtext of A. Blok’s folkloristic article. The study of “Poetry of charms and spells” opens up new opportunities for establishing a number of parallels between Blok’s lyrical work and Russian verbal charms. The article discusses examples of these parallels and gives general bibliography of the topic.