The Power of Words

I spend most of the time at the computer. How many years have I done this? Ten or more.

And it is this morning that I realize for the first time, that I sit on the edge of my seat. Eight, ten, twelve hours a day, seven days a week, I sit on the edge of my seat.

Sitting on the edge of my seat means tense, in a hurry, impatient – I don’t want to be any of those.

I have often thought about the correlation of our figures of speech to the lives we lead. In fact, many years ago, I read a book that said the words we use materialize in our lives. A couple of examples I remember from that book whose name I don’t remember – wait, I do remember — it was by Florence Schinn, yes, I’m sure it was. The title is coming to me now too – The Power of Words. I am sure this is the title.

A couple of examples I remember from the book are:

We speak of someone being a pain the neck. We say that enough, or even just think it, and, before we know it, we have a literal pain in the neck.

Or we say, This situation is really eating at me, then over time, we develop an ulcer.

Of course, God in Heavenletters™ is telling us all the time about the power of our thoughts.

Now my spontaneous realization that I literally sit on the edge of my seat is taking the power of words even further. The power of posture!

Now I will see if I can lean back in this desk chair and still type. Yes, I can. All I have to do is to remember to do it, and then do it. I wonder if sitting back will make me more laidback. It certainly has to improve my posture.

Maybe our posture is more than posture. Maybe our posture reflects our whole stance in in life. How we position our bodies in the world must reflect how we see ourselves, and indeed reflect how others see us.

As you read this, did you sit up straighter too?

Posted by Gloria on September 8th, 2008 under these topics
Book Review, Heaven Letters, Godwriting Journal

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8 Replies

Reply from Jack van Raders on September 8, 2008

Dear Gloria, When Talking to God I do not think God minds at all if you sit on the end of your chair or floating in the air Posture is nothing to God only our Love. Oh By The way I tried to do a comment on to-days letter but as a computer clown they would not let me through. My comment was a great thank you GOD for all that God and I have created and that each day is better and I do not know how it ends but I am convinced it will be beautiful. Love you All Jack

Reply from Josiane on September 8, 2008

Hi!
I believe that posture is a lot more then we think. Actually, I believe that our body is a kind of antenna to God (our spine). (By the way, I speak French, so please forgive me.). The better we hold ourselves, the better we feel… and the other way around.
There’s a lot of informations in the way our body moves, stands, sits, etc. How are your shoulders? Low? Rise them and keep them straight for a while: you will feel lighter!
When our body is a comfortable place to inhabit, we feel good. When we do, it is easier to communicate with God… don’t you think?!!

(P.S. I just discovered your site: it is a wonderful place! Thank you very much for having thought of it, and having had the courage and will of materializing it.)

Reply from One on September 8, 2008

Querida,

I move into so many postures through the day. Sometimes I am standing on my head and sometimes my legs are folded on the chair and I am so comfortable! Then there are times when I sit bolt upright and have no choice about it. The energy does that.

I also enjoy sitting on the floor and working, so there is a low table here that’s perfect for floor work.

The body’s posture says alot about our present state of being. As Josiane says above, our posture is a reflection of how we feel.

When I hear odd noises scratching around in the garden or on the roof late at night, I sit upright!

Perhaps one can be relaxed and fully attentive at the same time. That would be ideal.

One Love

Reply from Marko on September 9, 2008

Gloria, I have a reminder saying I came uP with taped on top of my computer screen, it reads “Continuous positive self talk, appreciation & blessings”

I do believe we benefit from re-languaging how we direct our self talk and part of our spiritual practice is to keep it in the positive, since it’s in our own self interest in creating our own reality to do so.

I think the emotional charge be it good or bad behind the words we say silently or allowed is the more significant part of the creation equation.

I think if we say someone or something is a “pain in the neck” depending on the emotional charge behind it, it may not always develop into something, but it’s certainly very cautionary and wise to consider our words and the emotions behind them in the creation of our experience.

Likewise with posture.

I’m using good emotional intents and thoughts along with physical postures to more enhance and bridge that often illusive gap of what I desire and having it show up and manifest. How do I, we do this?

We might simply start to affirm and admit and feel good emotions to ourselves that we are closing the gap more. When I’m at a stop light or waiting somewhere, talking and walking I do things to close the gap.

I put my hands together and fingers open like the prayer hand pose but palms not closed but open, all fingers touching. It feels good, it centers me, as it’s such a symbolic spiritual act. It’s like a holy act all by itself.

When I walk I will at times spread my arms and hands out and bring them together. This times palms together. It symbolizes that I’m closing the gap of what I intend and what I actually do. I will say “I’m closing the gap more each day of that which a would like to experience more.”

This physical act along with the good feeling as a result, is a double empowerment in manifesting my desires. That’s my intent, hope and practice.

Thus, thought/word/good emotion and a physical act or posture is the practice I’m using to enhance and bridge the time gap and the action (if needed) to bring the desired intent or essence of my desire into my experience.

Reply from Carol Maurer on September 9, 2008

Everyone has such good comments here! Years ago when I was a legal secretary I developed pain in my back and went to a chiropractor for regular sessions over a few months. Then I discovered, somehow, that all I needed to do was lean back in my chair to type. This caused a reaction in my boss and co-workers — it looked entirely too relaxed! “How can you sit like that? Doesn’t it hurt your back?” Sitting up straight, concentrating on what I thought was “correct” was what was hurting my back.

Another time in my life I traced a constant, nagging pain in my mid back to an experience which had made me feel I had been, metaphorically speaking, “Stabbed in the back.” Although I understood it, had resolved and forgiven it totally, it was stuck in my physical body for a very long time.

I have long believed that no matter what we are going through in life, “We always get the patience lesson.” I would love to actually GET the patience lesson, once and for all, and be done with it and just live in the moment.

Marko, I am putting your “Continuous positive self talk, appreciation and blessings” on my monitor as well. A lovely reminder!

Reply from Josiane on September 10, 2008

I don’t really know where to write this… but something struck me yesterday night, so much so that I had a hard time falling asleep…
I don’t deny the power of words: it is one of the ways we can communicate with each other. But…
The thing that made me move inside, when I got here on this site, was not so much the words as the flow, the feeling that emanates from the words. And, since then, I started to remember how I use to feel, when I was aligning words with the same kind of flow.

What I remembered, yesterday, was to feel. We talk about it often, but do we do it? I mean, a feeling is not something we make up (eventhough we can fool ourselves). It is something we open up to, as a flower to the sun. It is something we let live inside of us. At the beginning, the feeling of God is very tiny, as if God didn’t want to be an intruder, didn’t want to distrub you (It is very respectuous of you, you know ;)). It talks in whispers, it’s as subtle as the play of the light in the trees. We have to be attentive, to pay special attention to it. When we feel God, it’s just you, vibrating, loving, being happy, content.
I came to this conclusion (eventhough I’ve read it often!), because I’ve spent so much time thinking about what God is and what God’s not, what He/She can and cannot do, etc. I tried to rationnalize God. The more I thought about It, the less I felt it (it’s well known: emotions are not rationnal, and I wanted to be rationnal about God!). I remembered, yesterday, that actually, feeling God gives you the keys you need to be happy… and to understand Him/Her. You can get all the informations you want, once your heart is opened.
To truly feel God, you need to leave all the guilt, negative feelings, anger, and so on, on the side. That’s why it is said that you are perfect the way you are.. Because nothing stops you from feeling God, except yourself.
It’s true that we should ask for faith. For the simple fact of having faith. Then, every rationnal concept such as “beliefs” become secondary. There’s no more “I believe that…”, but the knowing, like we know the moon to be in the sky. There’s no friction, irritation, misunderstanding, because there’s nothing to fear: are you going to get mad if someone tells you that the moon doesn’t exist? You’ll just know that the moon is there, and maybe feel sorry that the person doesn’t see it. But it will not shake you. Faith is like the moon. It is there, or it is not. If it is, then everything is so simple… if you allow it to be.
See? All those thoughts/feelings didn’t let me sleep… but it’s worth it (or so I think!). I hope I didn’t take too much room…
Love to all (and faith ;))
Josiane

Reply from Charles Fines on September 10, 2008

Sometimes Gloria writes something that doesn’t get a response and this almost always leaves me with a vague feeling of unease, like I should at least be saying, “Yes, I heard that and it was worth listening to.”

Here, too, are thoughts from Marko and Josiane and others that call for affirmation, not loudly, but it’s there, at least in my mind. I think, here someone is making an effort to make the world a better place and the world doesn’t respond, at least noticeably. Isn’t that a bit like stepping on a flower?

This is about the power of words, or in this case the power of the lack of words. I don’t think the answer is a routine remark that mimics a heartfelt response out of duty; it would become tiresome and counterproductive for someone to always fill that gap. Sometimes you feel stirred enough to respond, sometimes, for whatever reason, you don’t.

At the same time, especially with someone new, there is the awareness of what it feels like to offer a work of art in crayon and no one puts it up on their refrigerator.

There’s a happy medium somewhere in there. Anyway, I hear you all and God has this huge refrigerator where everyone’s drawing ends up, probably even this one.

Reply from Gloria on September 10, 2008

Oh, Heavenreaders, the comments here! They take my breath away. You are incredible writers. Of course, it’s more than the writing. It’s your consciousness and the greater awareness you give us. Sometimes it’s like you say what I would crave to say if I knew how.

After reading your comments, how can I stay the same? I can’t. I become humbler and more proud at the same time.

Your words confirm what God says. As I read your words, I begin to feel that Heaven is really here.

Please note: Comments don’t have to be breathtaking! Everyday comments, ones that might be called ordinary, do a lot for the community of our hearts. A few simple words also bring us higher.

The power of words indeed.