(Madisyn Taylor)
Words carry energy and this gives language its power and its potential to heal or hurt. Most of us can remember a time that someone sent a word our way, and it stuck with us. It may have been the first time we received a truly accurate compliment, or the time a friend or sibling called us a name, but either way it stuck. This experience reminds us that what we say has weight and power and that being conscious means being aware of how we use words.
The more conscious we become, the more we deepen our relationship to the words we use so that we speak from a place of actually feeling what we are saying. We begin to recognize that words are not abstract, disconnected entities used only to convey meaning; they are powerful transmitters of feeling. For the next few days, you might want to practice noticing how the words you say and hear affect your body and your emotional state. Notice how the different communication styles of the people in your life make you feel. Also, watch closely to see how your own words come out and what affect they have on the people around you.
You may notice that when we speak quickly, without thinking, or rush to get our ideas across, our words don't carry the same power as when we speak slowly and confidently, allowing those receiving our words time and space to take them in. When we carefully listen to others before we speak, our words have more integrity, and when we take time to centre ourselves before speaking, we truly begin to harness the power of speech. Then our words can be intelligent messengers of healing and light, transmitting deep and positive feelings to those who receive them.
My Thoughts:
I love words and am trying my best to make a career out of the use of them, however as a writer it is often the view of others that I will always know what to say and how to say it effectively. That unfortunately is far from the truth. Printed words have always undergone a lengthy editing session, have been mulled over and have evolved through trial and error. Speech does not have the luxury of that kind of time scale.
Like everyone else there are always times when, with the benefit of hindsight that I think of better ways to say things and this will forever be the case.
Mere words have great power. When used for good they can motivate people to almost move mountains, but that is also true of when they are used to manipulate, coerce and control. They can also be used to destroy.
We can never know just how much an impact, in a positive way or negative our words may have on others because it is always open to how they are interpreted and what the person is dealing with at that moment. All we can do is try to never use them to cause harm.