by Sophia Ruan Gushée

During this month's ear meditation, I must address the power of words. This post was originally published several years ago but was updated on April 30, 2019.

How do these words make you feel?

Observe how these words make you feel:

• I hear you
• I see you
• I love you
• You make me laugh
• You make me smile
• I really enjoyed meeting you
• It was so nice to hear from you
• Thank you
• You look beautiful
• You can be whatever you want to be
• You are amazing

Now notice how these words make you feel:

• I'm so disappointed in you
• You don't listen
• I hate you
• You have a terrible voice
• You smell
• You're being hysterical

I won't even acknowledge worse words that trigger ferocious rage, hurt, and indignation. But we can each think of some.

How Words May Affect Water Crystals

In his New York Times bestselling book, The Hidden Messages of Water (2005), the late Dr. Masaru Emoto, an internationally renowned Japanese scientist, used high-speed photography to show how words, phrases, and music altered water crystals.

In the video below, you can see what, including positive words, can create more structure, harmony and organization in the water crystals. And negative words can create a very different effect.

While Dr. Emoto's book and work have become very popular, inevitably, he has been criticized as a pseudoscientist and his work as pseudoscience.

Dr. Emoto's response to his critics (as can be seen in the video below)?

This is not science!... As long as science needs a double-blind system [used by many journals, this is when both the identities of the reviewer and author are concealed from each other throughout the review process], no new science will appear... Everything is vibration... so it is impossible to get the same result...

If you are among those that believe in the overlooked powers of energy, then Dr. Emoto's work and interview will resonate.

At the end of the interview (in the video above) with Dr. Emoto, there's a suggested experiment that one can do to see for yourself! It's a fun experiment to do with kids.

Try This

Take 3 empty glass jars of equal size and dimensions. Fill each with the same amount of rice and water. Label them as follows:

1. I love you
2. I hate you
3. (Leave this unlabeled because you will ignore this one)

Then, every day for a month, speak to the first two bottles above with the words on the label, ignoring the third bottle. Observe what happens.

3 Tips to Speak More Mindfully

The idea that things like words, intentions, thoughts, and music can affect our water molecules is thought-provoking. What if there's something to it? Our bodies consist of up to 60% water!

Words are powerful. Choose yours thoughtfully.

1. Less is more. Listen more, talk less. 
2. Be curious about how people that fall into labels feel about the labels. There are labels used to describe race, gender, and survivors. There are also countless labels we have used forever, and with good intentions: cute, pretty, skinny, smart, good girl. Even as a young girl, I felt the limitations of well-intentioned labels: You're such a "good girl." Even this label can be limiting. Later, when I worked on a male-dominated playing field (a "Wall Street" firm), being a "good girl" wasn't necessarily going to help me be perceived as a good fit for the Wall Street landscape. This time of my life is when I most felt the limitations of the "good girl" label. It took me a long time to work through this.
3. Wonder and ask. With diverse cultures, religions, and life experiences, it's impossible for even the most thoughtful people to avoid the regret of having said certain things. We learn through these "mistakes" or experiences. Wonder what you do not yet know, and then ask someone who can shed insight on how certain words, descriptions, or labels may make them feel. Just ask!

Favorite Role Model

While there are many people who have an impressive command of their words, one person that stands out is Rather Bader Ginsburg. In the video below, she recommends sometimes turning a deaf ear. In sharing helpful advice that her mother-in-life gave her:

‘In every good marriage,’ she counseled, ‘it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.’ I have followed that advice assiduously, and not only at home through 56 years of a marital partnership nonpareil [Ginsburg’s husband Martin died in 2010]. I have employed it as well in every workplace, including the Supreme Court of the United States. When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.

Ear Meditation

For more articles related to this month's ear meditation, please click here.