Words Matter

I love words. I like writing them out on paper or typing them on a screen. I like whispering them to myself. And I love when they come together in the forms of a poems, song, prayer or mantra. In these piercing, lyrical patterns, which we give voice to, they bring us so much beauty and comfort.

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
― Maya Angelou, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

I know we are pretty familiar with what a poem, song, or prayer is. But what about a mantra? The Oxford Dictionary tells us a mantra is, “a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.” It comes from Sanskrit, an ancient language from South Asia. We may know that mantras are used in Hinduism, but sacred chanting is part of many spiritual traditions.

But mantras are not unique to Hinduism. Most faith traditions have sacred language that is chanted. Some may remember the album “Chant: by the Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain. It rose to #3 on the Billboard 200 music chart in 1994. Mantras and chants have a unique power to touch our spirits.

What does it do for us? According to WebMD.com, using mantras can have health benefits. They can help generate a sense of calm or relaxation; distract from distressing emotions; reduce stress, and achieve a positive mood. This has been measured in multiple studies.

I can add my own anecdotal evidence to this. The blessing for my back pain that I created a week ago, helped lift my spirits and distract me from frustration. (And my back is all better!!!)  I have also created more for myself and others. I am currently working on a short meditation for a friend who is about to give birth. And when I step out the door each morning at dawn to walk my dog, I recite aloud the following:

Rise, take up the day with energy restored. The morning air is awash with angels. There is no here the morning does not go.

That is a combination of my own words and lines from the poet Richard Wilbur and another poet who escapes my memory and my google-search abilities. These morning lines are easy to remember. They brings me peace and inspire me. I actually feel my energy rise as as say the words aloud.

Words matter. We hear that all the time about cruel or negative things we might say in haste and then wish we could take back. But they also matter in the positive sense. We can spur ourselves on when times are tough. We can give our loved ones a comforting verbal hug with kind words. We can even cheer up a stranger with a friendly “Good Morning.”

I will end with some words from Andrew Solomon’s ground-breaking book, “The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression.”

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”