Magic Words: The Power of Words

The words we speak create the world we live in one statement at a time. They can create good things or bad things, and that is why choosing words wisely is important. Learn the magical power of words and how to use your words to create the most powerful magic.

What’s in a word? A lot. Words might have literal meaning, but they create magic. How? What we say communicates our beliefs and intentions and hearing those things aloud makes them feel more real to us. That is why every time we speak, we weave a magic spell. Join Mysticsense to learn about the magical power of words. Find out how using words creates reality and why toxic words hurt. Then find out how to use your words to make your magic work for you.

What Are Words?

“ By words we learn thoughts, and by thoughts we learn life. “ – Jean Baptiste Gerard

Words are sounds we make to communicate with. Words communicate thoughts, feelings, intentions, and what we want people to know. It is the way we primarily communicate our meaning. It is currently believed that our species, homo sapiens, were the first hominids to develop language. While it is true that all species have their own ways to use sounds to communicate, hominids specifically had an increase in brain size and the development of something important-the larynx- approximately 50,000 years ago in Sub Saharan Africa. It is possible we developed the ability to talk sooner, but time and more research will shed light on that in the years to come.

Verbal language isn’t the only way we use words, though. There is sign language for the deaf and the written word, which you are using right now, to read this article. We use our words to express our feelings, be persuasive, build relationships, do work, and teach. Humans might be the only ones with the power of complex speech, but some other species use pretty complex forms of communication also. The lyrebird makes at least 37 different sounds and Koko the gorilla became world famous for learning at least 1,000 different symbols in sign language. You can read more about Koko here: What Koko the Sign-Language-Speaking Gorilla Can Teach Us About Being Human - The Atlantic

Why Words Are Powerful

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can hurt like hell.” – Chuck Palahniuk

Words create a change. When somebody is lonesome and they hear you tell them “Hello, it’s nice to see you” they instantly feel less isolated. Likewise, if everybody walks past them, ignoring them all day, their feeling of isolation gets stronger. If you tell your child starting from a very early age that they are ugly, they will learn to hate their appearance. If you encourage your sports team, telling them they can meet their goals, and praise them every time they make improvements, they will believe in themselves.

Words help us predict other people’s behaviors and intentions. If people use the word “I “ often, they are seen as more honest and genuine. If people say something about “our project” when they discuss a project they are working with you on, it can make you feel more valued as a team member than if they only refer to it as “my project”. Behaviors with words are important too. Giving someone the silent treatment can indicate you are upset with them and interrupting someone mid sentence can communicate that you feel what you have to say is more important than what they are trying to tell you. Not calling someone can also send a powerful message and you can read about that here: Why Isn’t He Calling Me?

Words can also bring people together or show them who belongs within a social group. Each generation has their own slang that differentiates them from people who are not their age and different cultures of people have even more personal slang that helps to establish group identity. Your vocabulary can indicate what your income is, your education level, and what cultural groups you identify with. Families have certain phrases they use, having heard them from other family members, and different regional words and phrases show where you are from. For example, “Bless your heart” is a phrase from the American South can be used to indicate disdain for somebody.

Mouth Magic

“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing…”- James 3:10

Words might be things some people consider to be just for communication- but communication can be used in magic. The magic that words create is called “mouth magic.” If magic is simply creating changes by moving energy, the words we use can be magical tools we use to create those changes. What people hear from us influences them and makes them do things. Two powerful ways to use mouth magic are through praise and criticism. Criticism, both constructive and toxic, can be used for magic. Praise in the form of encouragement or overindulgence can too.

Criticism

Criticism can be used to either teach or destroy. Some people are more motivated by taunts and negative feedback than praise, because they get mad and want to prove their critics wrong. However, other people feel beat down by unkind words and suffer drastic loss to their self-esteem. How can we use constructive criticism or toxic criticism for magic?

Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism focuses on what can be improved and it is used to try and build people up. If you want your art student to experiment with more of a variety of colors in their art, pointing out that they have a good grasp of the use of blues, and they should expand their use of color is a great way to do that. If you want your fitness student to cut more carbs, pointing out improvements they already made and how much more improvement they could make if they cut more carbs might get them to do it. When you use constructive criticism, you seek to help people improve. Geminis can be great at constructive criticism and you can read about that Zodiac Sign here: Gemini Traits | Star Sign in The Spotlight

Criticism

Toxic criticism might be what makes people mad enough to prove you wrong. “Yeah I knew you were too lazy to train well enough for the marathon,” might be what your friend needs to hear so they get up and train harder. Toxic criticism can also make people feel so bad about themselves, they stop doing something. This tactic can be used on an arrogant coworker who brags about how they think their work is perfect and they are constantly saying that nobody else can do anything right. Pointing out every tiny mistake they make every chance you get can bother them so much, they stop bragging and leave other people alone.

Praise

Praise is used to reward people. It can be used to encourage people, and it can also be used to spoil people. Encouraging people makes them feel good, but overindulgence is often used to endear people to the one giving praise, and can create codependence.

Encouragement

Words of encouragement inspire people to do their best, and keep trying, especially when times are tough. “You can do this. I believe in you,” is what some people need to hear when they are struggling. Other people don’t need anybody to tell them they can achieve things, they just need someone by their side so they feel like they are not doing it all by themselves. That’s one of the reasons people form teams. Knowing somebody cares about whether you accomplish something or not can be the magic you need to keep you working hard toward your goals. Dark times are when you need encouragement and you can read about how to get through those times here: Dealing with Dark Times Spiritually

Overindulgent Words

Mollycoddling, spoiling, and overindulging people can be a malevolent form of magic. It can make them codependent on the person who is lavishing them with unnecessary attention, and it is not for the benefit of the person who is being overindulged. It’s for the benefit of the person doing the spoiling. This technique is used by some parents who are unable to form a life for themselves and need their kids with them at all times. It is also used by men or women who want to be with their significant other at all times. It is unhealthy because these people seek to make you feel you need them, when actually they want control of you. Anytime you feel that somebody is showering you with too much attention, take a step back and don’t let them control you.

How We Speak to Ourselves

“What you tell yourself every day will either lift you up or tear you down.” - Anonymous

What we say to ourselves might reflect what we think, but hearing it aloud reinforces it. We can say things that reflect the way things are, or we can say things that create illusions that distort reality. Positive affirmations can be used to encourage ourselves, or we can speak badly about ourselves, which is self-sabotage.

Affirmations

Positive affirmations are statements to boost self-esteem, improve self-image, and give you encouragement. Using positive affirmations gives you the courage to get out there and try to achieve things. An example of a positive affirmation is “I Have learned from past mistakes and am moving forward to better habits.” Some people think all they have to do is visualize wealth or say they are wealthy, and money will magically appear, but that’s not how affirmations work. Affirmations build you up so you believe in yourself. Then you will find ways to save money, make more money, and keep working to improve your wealth. Read more about positive affirmations here:The Power Of Positive Affirmations

Self-Sabotage

Self-sabotage with words is the opposite of positive affirmations. Self-sabotage is when you speak against yourself, and it makes you give up. An example is “I will never earn more money so I might as well give up.” In reality, there are always new ways to improve and learn. You could speak to your bank about how to make your money work for you. You could ask your department manager about job growth, and even see if they have a tuition assistance program if you wanted to take classes and advance in your career. Telling yourself you will “never” improve will make you give up before you even try. Don’t do that to yourself.

How To Use Words for Magic

“ Words are free, it’s how you use them that may cost you.”- Anonymous

There are simple ways you can use words for magic using a few techniques. Diplomacy is telling people things tactfully and it gets great results. Language choice gets people’s attention and influences them too. Your tones of voice convey meaning and being silent does too.

Diplomacy

“Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions” was said by Sir Winston Churchill. Diplomacy typically refers to managing relationships within government dealings, but within your own relationships at home, work, and in your community, diplomacy means what Churchill said it does. It is knowing how to say difficult things in a way that makes everybody feel good. “I have great news. You are finally getting your wish for a corner office! It will mean a transfer to a different department but it’s a promotion and I am really proud of you” is a great way to break the news to an employee that they are being taken out of your department and reassigned. Think of a positive way to say things people might not like, and you can make them feel good about it.

Language Choice

Using the vocabulary you know gets results is magic. If profanity is frowned upon, don’t use it. If words like “strive” and “motivation” inspire a group, go ahead and use those words. If people are comfortable with the specific words you are using, they are more comfortable with you, and therefore more likely to react favorably to you. So don’t use obscure words you know that people won’t understand, or they will think you are acting better than them. Don’t skimp on using sophisticated words for crowds that believe they are sophisticated people. Use words people like and they will respond favorably to what you have to say.

Tones of Voice

Using a soft tone of voice with an animal will help to keep it calmer when it is afraid, and if you speak enthusiastically to a crowd, they will get excited and want to listen to your message. Raising your voice in a tense situation can escalate the situation to a full-blown fight, whereas using respectful, quieter tones will help de-escalate things. Choose your tone of voice wisely to fit your goals and it will help you to achieve them.

Silence

Sometimes, saying nothing at all is best. When a family member is trying to pick a fight at the dinner table, ignoring what they say will make them stop. When your kid has asked for the millionth time “are we there yet” instead of shouting at them to stop asking that, just don’t answer. They will understand silence means you are not going to continue answering them.

What we say matters. It matters to us, and it matters to other people. We can create great things or a lot of hurt with our words. Partnerships and friendships are formed by words and schisms and wars begin with them. What we say is magical and creates our reality. Our words create beliefs, and our beliefs decide our actions. Choose your words, or mouth magic wisely. Create the world you want to see one magical word at a time.

Need help deciding just how to say something difficult? Get a reading started with one of our psychics to find out how.