Yesterday we closed the reflections with a sharing about kindness, how an act of kindness can break us open. I was deeply moved by the story, so much so, I felt happy and hyper most of the day. This story impacted my energy field cascading an incredibly wonderful feeling throughout me. The cascading energy was a gift and also evidence that the ripple effect is a real thing.
Sad stories, fearful stories or stories of injustice can have the same impact. The cascading effect takes places, ripples outward and cascades through our physical bodies, our energy bodies impacting our emotions and our perceptions.
I often think about my past parental responsibilities and what I would change if I had the opportunity to raise children again. I think about my grandchildren. Teaching body and energy awareness to children would allow them to grow up with the whole picture of who they are. I believe it’s never too late to learn about ourselves no matter what age. What better way to understand than to have the full picture.
At times, I have been so overcome by words, I feel violated. Words have energy and carry the same force and effect as they intend. The old adage, “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is a misnomer. It certainly was taught to me and never made sense. According to Wikipedia, the adage was used as early as 1862 in the defense of being bullied. Words are powerful.
I’ve learned some envisioning techniques that have helped me deal with negative messages of energies I encounter. I envision my stomach area or solar plexus as a window that can be flung open like French doors. There are curtains on the window that blow in the wind. Sometimes I bring in a fan to blow things through if I need help. The idea is to keep the energy feelings moving straight through and out the other side.
Another technique is a bright light in my solar plexus. The light is like a lighthouse beacon so bright when lit, it blazes through anything and blasts it away. I can amp up the brightness as needed. Nothing gets past it.
We need a new adage, one that ripples out and sends a message of strong boundaries, inner strength and self-respect. I don’t have one yet, but it would be interesting to consider.
My physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual bodies make up my vessel and I stand at the door as the gatekeeper. I’m in charge of what passes through my window. I am a work in process. Sometimes I miss the cues and outlying anger and fear find their way in. I learn from the experience and strengthen my awareness. I am my gatekeeper. I am safe in my body. I trust myself. I am present.
‘Tis a strange mystery, the power of words!
Life is in them, and death. A word can send
The crimson colour hurrying to the cheek.
Hurrying with many meanings; or can turn
The current cold and deadly to the heart.
Anger and fear are in them; grief and joy
Are on their sound; yet slight, impalpable—
A word is but a breath of passing air.
Participants’ Reflections:
In a continuation of the ripple effect, I have a P.S. to the story from yesterday. A stranger in a different state found vaccine for me and I got my first shot yesterday. This volunteer spends two hours a day tracking vaccines around the country, helping people. My friend who was on a waiting list to receive her vaccine, all of a sudden got a call that a vaccine was available. Her husband also received the vaccine. This was all a heartbeat circle of love. This volunteer helped seven people in a different state get their vaccines. The ripple of love manifested.
The words “I am the gatekeeper” impacted me as these are all parts of me, and never more than now in my life do I feel it when I am not constrained with an outside career. Yesterday was a day where one thing piled right at the back of the next thing. I realize as gatekeeper I chose those activities. I realized during the meditation, once I choose something, I can embrace it with gratitude. I can be involved in these activities and be the gatekeeper and remember I am the one saying yes to these activities.
I love this topic. The power of words is so complex, the whole thing about sticks and stones. But words do hurt. At the same time, they are like the poem said, just puffs of air. I’m reading this book by James Gleick entitled The Information. Information is so complex. That’s what these puffs of air are. It’s the same thing as talking drums, and what black holes hold. This book shows how complex information is. It’s a connection between information and energy. Information is held in the energy and energy is held in the information. As a normal human trying to live my life in peace and serenity, yesterday I experienced an acquaintance ranting and venting at me that I wasn’t doing enough in my volunteer, overworked job. I pushed back on her without being angry or with a lot of energy. I stated my truth I’m doing the best I can, and she backed down. It doesn’t matter what people say or think about me. My truth is my truth and it’s my integrity that really counts. What they say or think is none of my business. My new adage is I am complete.
This was a very rich topic for me. Words, my breath—words were very hard for me and it was the words in the book Tiananmen Square that helped me open up. I’ve moved through a lot. During the meditation, what came to me were times when I didn’t say anything. If it was a confrontation or if I didn’t say I love you; I didn’t say stop, it became a tapestry. What I saw was that I could breathe through the tapestry. It was very healing to see air flow through the tapestry where there were no words.
There’s a lot in what you read. Words definitely do hurt, they can be very painful and become memories heard for years. I was thinking about the ripple effect whether it’s something good that happens or bad. I feel for people who suffer. I was also thinking about animal sounds. Purring cats or barking dog that sound happy or fearful. There’s a lot of communication in sounds.
The power and magic of words this morning, I mentioned hearing the spring-like sounds of birds. It feels like they are talking to me. The communication is there. I also think of the amplified power of words in social media and how destructive it can be. Cyber-bullying exists and can have very real, tangible effects and is so hard to grasp physically because it’s out in the ether. The youth are young and naïve and when they suffer from cyber bulling, it’s hard to explain the concept to someone so young.
Thank you. When I went into meditation, I kept hearing the concept that words are but a whisper and they pass through. I took that into my heart about the words and stories that I create and what they mean to me and what it takes for me to let some of my stories go by as whispers which would be beneficial to me. And right now, I am making a transition and there’s places to create the story for myself about what happened. What I recognize is that words for me strung together as a story can sometimes feel like —when you have a head cold and you take Nyquil and it burns a bit but then as it goes in, it gives a soothing effect inside. In my alcohol addiction, that also happened. I feel like the words strung together is like that swig of Nyquil or Jack Daniels. It burns and soothes, but it should come with a warning. And it is this: “may be harmful to self-confidence; may be harmful to self-awareness; may be harmful to self-responsibility; may be harmful to your heart.” I’m going to take away today that I am the gatekeeper of my stories and sometimes, in my stories, I take the drink before I recognize that I swallowed it. I get to choose what I do next. Thank you.
What’s on my mind this morning does have to do with the power of words, using words to communicate and using words in a technical sense. And how as history of words has gone on, we are getting better sometimes at communicating. A friend had surgery yesterday for mesothelioma and the surgeon removed 2-3 pounds of tumors and also her left diaphragm. They put in a gortex diaphragm. As we talk about the power of words, I was realizing how well the surgeon communicated with her so that she was able to tell me. I thought about how we breathe unconsciously most of the time, and the diaphragm is the gatekeeper of the lungs. Just the fact that I can communicate this to you all and that the doctor was able to communicate with her. We take for granted how powerful technical language and language of the heart is.
This brings to mind an experience I had about 40 years ago after my daughter was born seriously ill. When people would ask me how it was going with my new baby, I had a choice of how I could respond. When I told them things weren’t going well, they would interrupt me and walk away. It became such a charged situation for me. I was afraid to go outside because people’s reactions would hurt so much. One of the techniques I learned from therapy was that I have control over the words that come out of my mouth. So when I am confronted with a situation where I am vulnerable, I can say, “Things aren’t going so well and I prefer not to say anything about it, but thank you for asking.” I memorized that script and it became my gatekeeper for functioning safely out in the world. That experience taught me I am in control of what I say. People will have a reaction to what I say. I take care of myself by mindfulness in the words I use to communicate with others. It’s been so helpful. Thank you for reminding me of that.
Thank you as always, everyone. I’ve been in a few situations in the last several months where there were hurtful words. It helped me to remember one of the four agreements “Don’t take things personally”. That turned me around. I couldn’t help going through the sticks and stones in my mind. Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me—when I understand them, because so many words come from someone’s anger and frustration and hurt. If I understand them, it makes it better.
That brings in the whole idea of compassion of where people are coming from. I like that. I can’t remove that phrase from my brain, it’s embedded in there. But if I add a phrase onto it, “when I understand them” it’s easier to change the adage. I don’t have to learn a whole new one.
Thank you. Thank you for listening to my words and my intentions. All of us collectively create a community where we can share this vulnerability and authenticity and learn from it. I think it’s powerful and palpable. I appreciate your presence. I hope you all have a gentle day, breathing through it, remembering the power of words, how we talk to ourselves. Be well.