Last week, in our exploration of the Eight Fold Path and the Reiki Precepts we discussed the ‘intention of non-ill will and the intention of non-cruelty’. An intention is a thought and thoughts are often followed by words and actions. So this week we follow ‘right intention’ with ‘right speech’.

In the Saccavibhanga Sutta right speech is defined as “Abstaining from false speech, abstaining from malicious speech, abstaining from harsh speech and abstaining from idle chatter.”

Prerhaps as a child you were told ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all’. So how much would you say in a day if you abstained from false, harsh, malicious speech and idle chatter?

Contemplate also what you say to yourself each day. We are often harsher with ourselves than we are with others. When you make a mistake, do you say to yourself ‘a learning opportunity!’ or do you say ‘you stupid ****!’ ?

Our thoughts and emotions shape our lives and the lives of those around us. Our words too, powerfully effect our self-image and the quality of our relationships with others. We often find ourselves in a state of anxiety when we worry about what we ‘should’ do.
Try this simple experiment. Think of something you ‘should’ do.

Now say, out loud, ‘I should….’
How does this statement make you feel?

Can you feel pressure, obligation , guilt?

Now change the word ‘should’ for ‘could’ and say the statemnet out loud again.
‘I could….’
Can you feel the difference?

‘Could’ implies choice. It enables you to think about alternatives and consequences.

This week, slow down and observe your words before you speak them. You may find a different way of saying things. Or you may decide to hold your tongue 😉 In the Reiki Precepts we are taught ‘don’t get angry’. We may not be able to stop ourselves feeling angry, but we can stop ourselves from speaking angry words.

For those of you who would like to explore the power of language further, I run a one day workshop. I also include practise of empowering language in Reiki Level One Attunements. Just contact me if you’re interested.