Hi there,
Paul Collis here,
Sacred Spiral Yoga.
Today I'll be offering a talk on the power of words,
Specifically when we use them a special way.
Many of us will be familiar with the Christian biblical injunction,
When the beginning was the Word,
The Word was with God,
And the Word was God.
That's a pretty astonishing statement to make about words and language.
So if we can unpack that a little bit,
Just to some degree,
We'll begin equipping ourselves with an amplified knowledge and power.
I feel the first thing to grasp is that words spoken are emanations of sound.
Of course,
We know that sound consists of vibration and frequency.
The great scientist Nikola Tesla said that we need to begin thinking in terms of vibration and frequency.
In order to greatly advance in our knowledge.
The bottom line is that everything in existence has a signature frequency that it vibrates at.
To alter that frequency is to alter the nature of that item in some way.
So our work becomes,
Obviously,
To understand how to do that when we're facing things like healing and restoration,
Personal growth,
Fulfillment,
Development,
And so on,
Even down to relationships and business.
Going back to the sound of our words spoken,
There are many things that we can observe.
But perhaps first,
In that observance,
We'll notice that we speak to different people in a different way.
Those very familiar to us,
We use certain types of words,
Sentences,
General language.
The intonation,
Pitch,
And quality of meaning will be different.
Someone we've never met before elicits more guarded words and inflections.
Speaking to our pet dog or kitchen appliances,
Perhaps,
Everything changes once again.
So what is going on here?
Put simply,
The nuances of sound are expressing our feelings,
Beliefs,
Intentions,
Identity.
All of that,
What we believe we are,
And who we believe our recipients are.
Try listening to your own voice in different situations.
Why did you express that particular quality and inflection at that time,
In that situation,
To that person or people?
Is this a simple or a complex underlying governing driver?
In reality,
We're not actually really simple beings at all.
There are years and years worth of built-up conditioning behind our behaviors,
Beliefs,
Attitudes,
Materialization,
And more.
Perhaps in large part,
The words,
Both single and strung together in sentences,
Of average folk could be said to be highly artful strategies of manipulation in order to get what it is that they want.
Someone once said,
At day's end,
We're all salesmen.
This is reflected dramatically in social media,
Where we see the bizarre face value importance of gaining likes on our posts or profiles.
This becomes a measure of value and makes the old joke of the sleazy second-hand car salesman look like child's play.
Having said all that,
Let me hasten to say that manipulation isn't all bad and negative.
When this is done in a way that uplifts oneself and others around us,
The intent is wholesome.
When it's done in such a way as to cheat or disvalue,
Use others carelessly for one's own gain.
Naturally,
This exclusivity and intent creates more of itself.
And then we end up,
For example,
With a situation that we see dominantly across the planet today.
Destruction of the rainforests,
Oceans filled with microplastics,
Industrial waste,
Garbage.
An example of extremely unwholesome manipulation.
Basically to gain power over others and environments.
So it is a selfish aim.
Back to the use of words.
Can we do an exercise as a meditation?
Stop and pause a while.
Get relaxed and present-minded.
Right here,
Right now.
Writing fast and stringing sentences together reflects a whole host of things.
Once we slow down a lot and experiment now with single words,
Listening carefully to their meaning,
Intonation we use,
A lot of information becomes visible to us.
Does the depth of what we begin to sense and realize in the nature of our spoken word reflect what it is we really wish to express?
And well,
To be blunt,
Most probably to manipulate.
Strategize would be a less provoking term.
So let's begin by saying the word calm,
Slowly and carefully a few times,
With slightly different intonations.
Calm or calm,
Calm,
Calm.
So we can see in each of those examples the different inflection carries with it a charge that speaks volumes.
So as you say the word calm or any word in this process,
Let the meaning that we have all consensually decided upon hang in the air,
So to speak.
Calm.
Can you feel that slight shift and pull towards a state of calm?
Perhaps when we are very stressed about something,
That won't really work,
But we will need further unpacking and also practice and experience to establish a solid foundation.
So now let us try the word capable.
Capable.
Capable.
Am I capable?
If there is doubt,
What does capable feel like?
Can I adopt that feeling a little?
Use the practice to change gear and direction.
Yes,
I am capable,
Perhaps not at everything,
But I know the feeling of capable regarding certain things that I do well.
Try some other words such as friendly,
Gracious,
Open,
Inclusive,
Unique.
We should also try some of the more negative connotation words such as anger,
Frustration,
Divided,
Destroy,
Aggressive.
When we take this inquiry this way,
It becomes easy to notice the great inherent power of words and how they all have their specific signature vibration.
What kind of words and signature vibration do we wish to align ourselves with?
Notice our self-talk,
That pesky inner monologue that is often just us confirming our views to ourselves.
Are there certain words that stand out?
Do we repeat them over and over again?
Once we can recognize this and begin understanding the dramatic power that words can have,
Obviously we can begin to change our views perhaps to be more inclusive and uplifting,
A little more gentle,
Caring and kind,
Tolerant and understanding,
And more.
An eloquent current spiritual teacher has said,
What or who you hold in darkness,
Holds you in darkness back.
What or who you bless,
Blesses you back.
So I trust this has opened up some food for thought and contemplation as to the nature of words and how we use them.
Obviously many folk are very careless about both the nature of their words,
Their use,
How they employ them.
When we change our word usage with full conscious awareness,
The nature of our experience changes and then the nature of our circumstances and conditions will also change.
Which direction do you wish to choose and where do you wish to go?
So rich blessings,
Take good care and I'll see everyone shortly for the next meditation,
Talk or sacred music offering.
Have a wonderful day.
Further Namaste.
