The Power of the Word

Of late I have been pondering the Word. God literally spoke existence into being. “He spoke and it came to be.” (Psalm 33:9) In thinking about order there seems to be a process that goes something like this: our being knows, our mind organizes, and then lastly (before manifestation into the physical plane comes the word), the speaking into existence that somehow makes things that were abstract become real. We can think something in our mind forever but once it is said, for better or for worse, the ripple is concretely in the cosmos of existence. We can have a sense of something, but when someone else says it, somehow it has power. 

Mantra practice, the repetitions of a word or phrase, is considered an ancient science, involving the study of the power of the word, the sound vibration and its consequent manifestation. There is a wise woman counselor I see occasionally whose name is Charlene. She is a life coach, a mystic, a psychic, a black belt in Taekwondo, a yoga teacher, a grandmother, and has also worked high profile jobs in the corporate world. She is spiritual, yet grounded and always says things that I find helpful and also that make me think. She talked before how every time a word is spoken it has a new energy, so is different than the time before (this was in reference to being subjected to information you already know). More recently in the context of a conversation about action verses humility, we spoke about the concept of being fully engaged, in other words doing the best you can do and doing it fully. 

We are here on this plane, in these bodies for a reason, and that means action, not inertia. But then there is the question of the ego and humility. She says it is inevitable that any action we take the ego is indeed involved, it is attached, part of the process. Then she said, "how could it be otherwise". In the moment it struck me, it seemed like a resignation. Sure the ego can catapult action, maybe its motives are not always pure (competitiveness, or to impress the other), but true: the results can sometimes be positive. We push ourselves, test our limits, and although the ego may be driving for the purpose of the other, that other is ultimately what is making us better, and the ego is just doing its job. 

What initially struck me as disappointing, as time passed actually became a real comfort. I would say the phrase to myself at times:  "How could it be otherwise?". And the physical reaction was palpable. Low in my abdomen I would feel a release, a letting go. Almost a sigh that said, you are human and that is enough. It was such a freeing feeling that it kind of became a mantra. 

The mind is so funny. If I were to say, "just let go, it does not matter any way", I hold on tighter. But when I say, "how could it be otherwise"—release. I started combining this very earthly idea, with the other idea that I adopted from my sister-in-law. She is a warm-hearted, open-spirited Indian woman. She frequently says "All glory be to God". This to me seemed to be the second part of the equation. We are thinking and trying and acting like the doer. We do this and do that, and carry our actions, but when I combined how could it be otherwise followed by All glory be to God, something magical happened. The power of these words seems to release me (the doer) to become me (the channel), and I feel his Presence. It may be a fleeting moment, but the moment is real. The mantra has the effect, and the manifestation is manifest.