The Kabbalah of Speech

Try saying these words to yourself:

Depressed, sad, afraid, guilty, alone, weak, fragmented, disconnected, weary, helpless, victimized, threatened, tired, drained, resentful, unappreciated, misunderstood, burdened, angry, hate, hard, not good enough, dreary, stupid, ugly, lonely, impossible, overwhelmed, isolated, too much for me, failure, I can’t, danger, panic, it’s too hard…

How do you feel? And, what happens to your goals when you feel this way? To your energy? To your willingness to take risks? To your belief in yourself and your dreams?

It's not such a pretty picture.

Now try these:

Happy, overjoyed, energized, strong, delighted, proud, empowered, flowing, intimate, ease, rested, fresh, possibility, connectedness, trust, openness, aliveness, love, awe, greatness, authenticity, harmony, success, safe, free, just right, excellence, beauty, pleasure, joy, power, creative, wholeness, shimmering, I have what it takes, I can do it, it’s a breeze….

Feel any better? Ready to get going again?

This simple but powerful exercise is designed to give you a tiny taste of the power of words. Words create! The words we use (whether in speech or thought) play a central role in generating our perspective and feelings. Our feelings generate actions and our actions generate results. It all starts with words.

Want to Know Why It Works this Way?

G-d created the world with words. According to Kabbalah, words and letters are the actual building blocks--the raw material--of creation. Everything has a name in the Holy Tongue, and each letter of that name is a channel for a specific Divine energy. The energies of these letters and the way they are combined determines the particular unique characteristics of everything in existence.

Before the words of creation were spoken, everything existed only in a primordial state of Divine "nothingness"--infinite undifferentiated potential.

But when G-d said, "Let there be light" (In Hebrew, Yehi ohr), these words became the creative force that brought into being what we know as light. The same thing applies to each and every detail of creation.

Creation, however, was not a onetime event. According to Kabbalah, the words of creation are being "spoken" by G-d continuously. Therefore, the world is being brought into being anew out of the Divine "nothingness" at every moment. In fact, the natural state of the universe is non-existence. If G-d were to stop "speaking" the words of creation for even an instant, the whole universe would disappear as if it had never been!

What Does this Mean to You?

As a human being, you have been invested with the power and the purpose to act as a partner in creation. And as such, you are invested with the same extraordinary Divine power to speak your world into existence! You have the ability to create with your words; to start to bring into being what you truly want out of the infinite potential of your own soul. Just as the creation of the universe began with words and is sustained with words, so too every creative process. The words you use actually bring things to life--and when you stop using those words, or change them, you will inevitably create something completely new.

Words of love create nurturing and connection. Words of praise inspire confidence and peace. Words of hope generate positive action. Words of encouragement bring courage into being. Words of vision cause the soul to come alive.

So choose your words with care--and let there be life!