The Power of the Word

The spoken word carries tremendous power. One of the greatest lies you've ever been told is "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Broken bones heal, and the pain soon forgotten. But the damage of hurtful words spoken in anger lingers for years. Sometimes for a lifetime.

The word made manifest is a very old principle in magical thought. Spellwork is a very good example. Spellcasters know that incantations, blessings and hexes set into motion powerful spiritual vibrations. So does every word we speak. When we say "This isn't going to end well," we're opening the door for disaster. New Thought practitioners called this "Speaking the Word," and placed enormous importance in it.

A constant flow of negative, angry, depressed, dialogue obsessed with loss, poverty, loneliness and disaster will find manifestation in our immediate environment. Furthermore, it effects everyone with whom we come into contact.

The power of Word isn't limited to verbal speech. Mental dialogue has a subtle influence all its own. If you're lonely and desperately seeking companionship, you'll manifest desperation, and that's what you'll attract. If you want to manifest loving, healthy romantic partners, that's what you have to send out. I've heard so many people say, "I'll never find true love," and guess what? They're right. Not until they change their internal-and external-dialogues. The same applies to "poverty thinking." If all a person dwells upon is the terrible economic forecasts, and how he or she will never get ahead, these conditions will manifest.

Speaking the Word carries power, and the more spiritually advanced the speaker, the more authority their word carries. Some religious orders enforce vows of silence because they've realize just how much harm a single ill-advised word can cause. Bestowing blessings-and curses-is a magical practice common to every culture. Words can hurt and heal.

Be Careful What You Ask For

Just because you want something doesn't mean you'll get it. Let me rephrase that. Just because you want something doesn't mean it's yours.

New Thought teaches that the Universal Mind or Divine Will has set aside somewhere a whole bunch of goodies just for you. All you have to do is claim them. Here's the catch: you have to know how to ask for it.

I think of it this way: There are things in this world that belong to us, and things that do not. This includes people as well as objects. Often we find ourselves in possession of people and things that rightfully belong to someone else, and this creates conflict. Sometimes other people are in possession of things or people that belong to us, and this is why we so desperately yearn for them.

Much of my work as a spiritual counselor involves helping people figure out how many of the things in their lives doesn't belong to them. I advise them how to stop clinging to this clutter and let it go, to make room for the things that do belong to them.

When you pray, project or attract new experiences into your life, it's important to do it in a way that allows Divine Will room to manifest. For example, you may be infatuated with your good-looking neighbor, and commence a candle ritual to attract him or her into your life. But what is your neighbor doesn't belong to you? This could seriously compromise your spellwork, and even if it's successful, the relationship is going to have problems because you might not belong to each other. It might be wise to perform a divination first.

This idea of people owning other people might seem distasteful at first glance, but this isn't ownership in an exploitative or dysfunctional sense. Rather think of it as a metaphor implying a sense of compatibility, rightness or belonging together. Everyone knows couples who were "meant for each other." You don't have to go into details, such as hair or eye color. You know who you want, and the Divine Will knows who's yours by right. So a good Code would be: "My love, I'm seeking you just as you're seeking me. Our two hearts are one. Let's not be apart any longer. Come to me, love. Find me."

Another example: Suppose you have your heart set on a specific house in a certain neighborhood, and you pray that you get it. If it gets sold to someone else, or you can't afford it, you're heartbroken and you might lose faith in prayer or your ability to manifest through projection. The problem wasn't with your manifestation skills, it was that you were being too specific. Remember that the Divine Will has set aside for you everything you need and the means you require to obtain it.  

Rather than trying to manifest a specific house, encode your request for the house that belongs to you. "I shall obtain the house that's rightfully mine by Universal Law. It's there, waiting for me, as I am searching for it. I am ready to claim it."

There's a saying that goes, "You can't have everything." Sure you can. All you have to do is ask.