For your final portfolio for my English class, we were asked to create a new “This I Believe” essay based off of the research we did during our persuasive essay research and how our beliefs and perceptions changed.
My persuasive essay was on the Gothicism movement and genre, and as an epitome about how books have shaped out lives over the years, I thought about the transformative power of books and no book has affected me more than Circe by Madeline Miller. The following is my new “This I Believe” essay about the transformative power of books via personal narrative.
I believe in the transformative power of books. Stories of any kind have the ability to transport us to other worlds, but to teach us lessons and about the lives of others, fiction or not, it is what can make them great. One particular book that has changed me is Circe, a Greek mythological retelling by Madeline Miller. The funny thing about this book, is I purchased it about a year and a half before I read it. There were so many things that happened when I hopped on the train that plows the way long the journey this book takes you on, but a top contender is that astonishment and frustration I felt in having not read it sooner. Circe is by far one of the best books I have ever read and to me is the epitome of a modern classic. Classics are so for good reason. They expand our minds through timelessness, contain universal themes, and aid in our understanding of the human condition. I believe that books can change us, and that is exactly what Circe did to me.
I have long since been a student of the occult and its history, with mythology right along side it, for many years. I always kept Greek mythology at an arms-length away as I would wager to guess that it is one of the most studied sections of mythology, next to the Egyptians. I strived to discover the unknown and unpopular, but when I got into learning about Hecate, the Greek Goddess of the Underworld, I learned about Circe, and her story captured me. Many students of the occult and mythology will tell you that within the supernatural happenings of lore, there are lessons greatly applicable to real, modern life. I found this with Circe. In the retelling, Circe is continuously screwed over, overlooked, and looked down upon. She suffered many trials in her life, rather you think them to be real or not, but through her connection with pharmakoi, she never lost who she was or her belief in herself. She never gave up and she never stopped living. There are countless books that teach us this lesson, but none have ever moved me the way that Circe did and continues to do.
When I finally sunk my teeth into this novel, I bit down hard. At a mere three-hundred and eighty-five pages that I crushed in nine hours, I was transfixed by the first page. Her story brought escapism to the forefront and my heart cracked with every line. I often feel dissatisfied with the ‘real world’ when I am absorbed in a good book, but this is simply not just a good book. No book has had such a profound impact on every aspect of me as a human as this one has. I finished this book a year ago and still think about it every single day. That is not only an understatement, but as someone who does not reread books save for a select few, I have reread this book three times since.
I am a self-aware misanthrope. I am discontent and utterly annoyed by how the bulk of humans live their lives and conduct themselves in the fallacy of society as it is today. Through my life, many people have told me that I was born too late. Perhaps it is my vintage dress, eclectic style, or antique mannerisms, but I only ever saw these behaviors and preferences as practical and as far from being seen as a philistine as I could comprehend. However, after reading Circe, I knew for certain that this way of thinking, this way of diverting from the ‘social norms’, this apprehension for just accepting the ‘acceptable’ and ‘going with the flow’ was me being my authentic self. Circe taught me that it is ok to be different, ok to walk your own path, ok to be who you are despite the misunderstanding of others. With any form of magical or occult bodies of thinking that you look at, one thing is clear, you must be your most authentic self; this is the goal of any metaphysical practice. I have never felt so seen by a book before. Circe taught me that when you are going through hell, do not just keep going, but transform. I have always known this, but she told me it was ok. Thus, I believe in the transformative power of books.
Write. Read. Repeat. 
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