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Change Your Life by Changing Your Words, by Michelle Arbeau

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Imagine changing the course of your life simply by using the right words. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ, who ended up safely back in Kansas by saying the magic words, "There's no place like home," you are shaping your destiny every single day through the energy of the words you speak. The words you use on a regular basis, whether thought, spoken, or written, are constantly creating your reality.

Think about some of the positive (and negative) people you know. Have you noticed that happy, successful people tend to have a positive vocabulary? Positive people exude positive energy and like all things in existence, words carry their own energetic pattern that can affect our own.

A study done in 2005 by Robert Schrauf, titled "Negative Words Dominate Language," revealed that regardless of age or nationality, each group in the study produced the same results: Fifty percent of the words we use are negative, thirty percent are positive, and twenty percent are neutral. That's a staggering statistic—but the good news is that we have the ability to change it.¹

The latest in quantum physics has revealed that at the base of an atom isn't solid matter but frozen light particles (energy). This brings scientific clout to what the metaphysical community has believed for centuries: The basis of the universe and everything in it is energy. Words are no different, and also have their own energetic signature. The words we think, speak, and write carry an energetic pattern that can interact with our own personal energetic pattern in both positive and negative ways (depending on the words and how they are used). There are many ways to measure energy, but one of the best ways, in my opinion, is through numbers. Numbers are the language of the universe; all things can be sorted, measured or counted using numbers. In fact, all numbers in existence are created using the numbers one through nine (and also zero, which is a symbol rather than a number).

Language is a gift, as no other species can speak words in a conscious manner the way that humans can. Through this conscious awareness, we are able to shape our destiny through the powerful energy of words. The key to how and what we create is in the feelings we put behind those words.

It has been said by many great spiritual teachers of past and present that there are just two emotions, from which all other emotions are derived: fear and love. Do you know which one of these two base emotions is the dominant force in your life? The answer can be found by examining the words you use.

The words you use everyday have an undertone of either love or fear (positive or negative). Examining the words you use on a daily basis will help you understand which of the base emotional patterns you're creating with.

The word love (when assigned numerical values) adds to 18 and reduces to the base number 9 (1+8=9). The 9 represents both the beginning and the end of a cycle, is the highest change pattern, and is considered the selfless humanitarian energy (as an example, the sum of the birth dates of both Gandhi and Mother Teresa is 9). Phrases such as, "Love is all there is" or, "Love conquers all" certainly ring true.

The word fear, on the other hand, vibrates to an energetic frequency of 3, the number of imagination and memory. Fears and phobias originate in the mind; we can imagine all sorts of irrational thoughts. In the negative, 3 is self-doubting and self-critical. Phrases such as, "Your mind is running away with you" or, "It's all in your imagination" support the energetic meaning of the word fear.

Now that you understand the energetic definitions of the words "love" and "fear," how do you identify with which one you create?

Grab a piece of paper and make a list of the top twenty words you use most often. Categorize them into two columns based on what you feel is their base energy: Love or Fear. Since many of us speak more negative words than positive words, it may seem at first that your list is a little lopsided.

If you do have more words in the Fear category, it's definitely time to pick new words. Negative words are like energetic junk food, and can have a strong negative influence on what you're creating in your life moment by moment.

Start changing out your negative words for a positive version by setting a goal of one word per week. Use the new word in sentences (written and spoken) as often as possible, and put it on sticky notes where it's visible to you throughout the day. These are just a couple of suggestions, but feel free to create your own strategy. It's important to find a method that works for you so that you'll stick with it. Don't expect overnight changes, but do expect over time to see your life shift into positivity with the more you think, speak, and write in the positive.

The challenge is to change your driving force from a place of fear to love—and you can start by changing your vocabulary. Words, like our mind, are tools to help us manifest what we want in life. Our feelings are the energetic momentum behind those tools, guiding the energy in a positive or negative direction. The bottom line is that the people, places, and things with which you interact should make you feel good. If they don't, that's your cue to change them.

To go more in-depth with your list and to discover the precise energetic definition of your word list, pick up a copy of The Energy of Words: Use the Vibration of Language to Manifest the Life You Desire. In it you'll find a word conversion chart to calculate a word's numerical pattern, strategies for changing your language patterns, how to create personalized affirmations that actually work, a glossary of the top positive and negative words, and many more tools to help you successfully modify your language patterns.

¹ Schrauf, Robert W. and Julia Sanchez (2004), "The Preponderance of Negative Emotion Words Across Generations and Across Cultures," Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 25:(2–3), 266–284.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2014. All rights reserved.

I am a professional medium and belong to a development circle. I don't feel very good about my work lately. I find myself asking my clients a lot of questions, which I know is a sign of a lazy medium. The other night I asked Spirit if I should give all of this up and do something else. I asked for a sign, but I've not yet received anything. Do you think I should give it all up? I'm a Gemini born 6/17/59. - Suzanne

Dreamchaser:

Life is not a straight, level ride; it's full of hills and valleys, highs and lows, twists and turns, and it's the same way with our spiritual gifts and abilities.

There are times when our psychic senses are very strong, times when they are peaking at amazing levels, and times when we do not feel so open and connected. We have to accept that this is going to happen.

I often liken "down periods" to the way bears hibernate in the winter: sometimes my gifts go into hibernation or go on break for a little while. They always come back, however, as will yours.

I have to disagree with you on one thing you wrote: I do not believe that asking questions is a sign of a lazy medium (or psychic, reader, counselor, etc.) In some readings I do not ask questions, and in some readings I do. It all depends on the energy of the individual I am reading for and the nature of the reading itself.

For example, I was channeling a client's husband who died very unexpectedly in his 30s, and I would always see a patch of red and black-checked flannel when I was reading for her. Finally one day I asked her what it meant to her, and she said that she buried his favorite shirt with him, which was (of course) red and black-checked flannel. Over the course of their marriage, she would put it in the rag bin, and then he would pull it out.

I also often saw a golf ball around him, and when I asked her about this, she told me she also buried him with his hole-in-one ball. So as you can see, those two questions proved quite important to her. It is not wrong OR lazy to ask questions, to a point. We are not expected to know all. If clients have a problem with that, then they are the ones who are wrong in their expectations.

When you ask Spirit for a sign, sometimes it takes more than a couple of days for you to get your answer. In fact, sometimes it takes quite a while. Sometimes the answer is different than we expect or anticipate, so we don't even recognize it when it comes. I think you should just sit back, relax, and wait for a sign, and keep your heart and mind open to all the possibilities.

I also don't think you should make any rash decisions while you are in a "down" period. You should wait until you feel like you're back on track again, then ask yourself if you still want to quit.

If you have lost satisfaction in the job itself, if you feel you are not making a difference anymore, or if you feel you are being led to do something else, then you should consider quitting. If you feel you have "lost your power," however, then you should wait for it to come back so you can use it to make a wise decision on this matter.

I wish you clear awareness of your next step forward.

*****

Astrea:

You're just in transition in terms of the way you approach your psychic work. This sort of change can be quite disconcerting for a medium! Unfortunately, there isn't any way to speed things up; we must trust spiritual processes to unfold in their own perfect time and way.

It's awful to feel unsure of ourselves, but everyone who does readings of any kind goes through these transitions. You have probably been through half a dozen since you started, but because you've gained so much mastery, you now notice little nuances in your abilities more than you did in the past.

Being a medium isn't something you can just "give up" or turn off and on like a faucet! If you are a medium, you're one for life. If you want to take a break from doing it professionally, that might be a good idea for now. I know that when I feel I'm not doing my best for my clients, I have to STOP. Usually it's just for a few hours or a few days while I rejuvenate myself.

I seriously doubt that you are being lazy in your work! Asking lots of questions just means you're trying to get all the issues straight before you start. I don't think that's lazy - it just feels THOROUGH to me.

I'm sure as long as you get results, your clients don't mind the questions. Sometimes it helps mine to talk about things before we go to work. I'm sure you know very well that sometimes people come to us when they just need to talk.

Your uneasiness may also stem from the energy of the LIVING people for whom you're reading. Are you getting a group of particularly lonely clients at the moment, or do you have one problem client who makes you feel TIRED the second he or she walks through the door? Sometimes the people we see are very draining because they are in great need.

If you can channel the Departed, you can't help but feel the vibrations of living people too. If you feel fatigued by certain clients, try to suggest they find help elsewhere, then pass them along.

Here are two personal issues I have with being a medium. If I have a client who is really greedy about some money or material possession that they want a loved one in Spirit to help them secure, it wipes me out to speak to them.

Also, I find people who cheat on their spouses very hard to read for. Selfish questions don't lure the Departed away from their Heavenly Pursuits to help us. It would help all of us readers if clients were better educated about what we can and cannot do.

Most of the time when we get burned out like you are, it's just temporary. Try taking a break for a week or two, and then see if you miss your spiritual work. If you do, go right back! If you don't, THEN you can start looking for a sign about what you should do next.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.