The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Words
The Power of Symbols

ORIGINS

Words are the smallest meaningful units of language that can stand on their own. We use words in both written and spoken form to express ourselves, to communicate with one another, and to document our experiences. Unlike some of the other topics in this chapter, words are purely symbols; their entire purpose is to represent something else—an idea, an object, an emotion, a sound. In the New Age realm, words have various applications, in magic, healing, and other areas.

HISTORY/LORE

Etymology is the branch of linguistics that deals with the history of words, their origins, and how their forms and meanings have changed over time. The word etymology comes from the Greek etumologia: etumon, meaning “true sense of a word,” plus logia, from logos, meaning “one who deals with.” It is believed that written language began around 3200 B.C.E. in Mesopotamia.

USES

Words are central to many New Age healing and spiritual practices. Chanting and mantra, covered in Chapter 6, are two examples of ways you can harness the power of words. Another practice, called “imprinting water,” combines words and water to create a homeopathic remedy for dealing with emotional issues, energy blockages, or trauma. The idea behind this practice is that words have their own vibrations and water can be imprinted with these vibrations. One way to do this is to write a word, such as love, on a piece of paper, tape it to the outside of a glass bottle, and then fill the bottle with water. It is then your choice how you use the water: for drinking, for watering plants, for cooking, etc. It is believed that the energy from the word (and your intention in choosing that word) will then be incorporated in the water’s use.