WORDS OR MEANING?

Words are wonderful tools. Words create pictures and feelings for us whether they are written or spoken. But there is a significant problem with offering words: each of us understands their meanings in a slightly different way.

Don’t get me wrong I love words, language. I am particularly enamored with any sort of dictionary or encyclopedia. However, just lately I have begun to realize how vastly different individual interpretation and understanding of words can be.

In my recent workshop for the Ozark Research Institute, I handed out envelopes to each of the 30 plus participants. These particular envelopes contained no words at all just similar photographs. The pictures of various flowers which I placed in the envelopes were truly beautiful ones taken by my daughter.

The students were advised just to hold the envelopes for a period of time without opening them. Later each told the class what vibrations they had felt or sensed from the envelopes.

Even though the contents of those envelopes were similar, each one of the students felt something different. No one was wrong even though no one expressed the word “flower”. It was obvious even with a highly detailed photograph and no written words as a distraction, individual impressions are different.

Each member of the class came from a somewhat different background, had encountered different experiences and consequently each was impressed with a completely different aspect of their personal envelope.

Some felt earth or dirt. One who had the photo of the parrot tulips quite accurately saw a deep purple color. Another simply felt water. One detected pulsing life. And one of the students who had the picture of white lilies saw the color red which I believe was simply the life energy of the flowers.

But I can honestly say no one was wrong. They simply understood things in a different way, were attracted to realities of the photos from their own unique perspective.

In my work as a counselor a great percentage of the problems that clients bring to me are those which exist in their relationships. These difficulties are apparently very similar in nature whether the relationships with which they are involved are intimate, spousal, family, friendship or workforce related.

These problems all have a major component of either misunderstanding or total lack of accurate communication.

If our goal is to communicate with each other from the wisdom of our indwelling Spirit, then that communication has to carry more depth than mere words. We need to begin speaking or writing from our intuitive vibration. We need to choose our words as well as our accompanying emotional wave length with great care.

The most ignored principle of good communication is the first one. If we want to be heard we must first listen to the other person and we must listen with love. When we can hear with our hearts, there is a much better opportunity to gain understanding and make an appropriate reply.

Unfortunately, many times we are so busy framing a response to someone’s ideas that we really are not hearing them at all. We have heard this or that similar situation before and think we have the right answer. Often we do not if simply because their situation is not exactly the same as any other problem or challenge.

If you can bring the energy of love’s wisdom, the deep understanding that exists in your heart and soul to all your interactions with others, you will begin to evolve any relationship.

Whether you are speaking to loved ones, friends or strangers, learning to use your highest spirit-inspired words will enable you to move forward with grace. You will lift and inspire all those around you.

My Buddhist friend tells me that it is an affront to Spirit to ever take offense at another’s words or actions. Why? Because if we are offended, we have judged. We believe that the words were an attack against our ego, our self image. We have taken the position that we are entitled to say that the person was “wrong”. We have decided that we have the right to be “hurt”.

We have all heard: “don’t take anything personally” “It’s not about you, it’s them.” Sometimes that is not so easy. If we practice taking the high road in our associations with others, allowing others to be who they are, as they are, life becomes much more pleasant. We can begin to learn instead of suffering.

I am not suggesting that we toss out our ability to intelligently discriminate in our relationships. We need to know when we are moving down a path that will not be for our best good.

If we have exhausted all our best ideas of verbal interaction with anyone and find ourselves at an impasse, it may be necessary to love someone from a distance. It may be necessary to move that person off the center stage of our life up to the balcony or even out to the curb.

We cannot force all relationships to work the way we wish. The most we can do is to give more inner attention to the way we speak and write. If we will do that we will encounter less resistance to our communication with others.

The 30 plus students who attended my Life Path workshop at the recent convention in Arkansas brought me great joy with their enthusiasm. I had the opportunity to counsel with many of them regarding their life desires and challenges. If I can be of help to you with a private reading and counseling sessions call me at my Florida home.

I can help you with any questions on any subject. Your guides will be with me to show the way. I can meet with you in my Florida studio or work with you by telephone. In either case I will give you a complete recording of your personal reading.

I am Reverend Lois Cheney (941)961-2783, E-Mail: RevLois@gmail.com