How many times have you heard or read that words have power? Maybe it was in the context of working 'magic' or 'positive affirmations' or visualization techniques and you just dismissed it as more of that 'psychic hooha'.

Well, in my humble opinion, if you dismissed it, then you're closing your mind to an important truth.

We all have tempers - lord knows I do. And I'm DANG good at lashing out with words - I have elevated nearly to the level of an art form. Am I proud of this? Nope. I fight it, daily.

Why? I mean, some folks deserve to get blasted with both barrels, right?

Well, words have power. (heard that before?) And the other truth that goes with that is 'For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction'.

Let's take my words have power statement first. If you don't believe me, just think about these.

A stressed and frustrated mother to her child who has just stepped across her final 'line': "You are driving me crazy, how could you be so stupid?" The child's face falls, his self-esteem plummets and the seed of him believing he's stupid is planted - or, reinforced.

A dad who's had a bit too much to drink to his daughter, "You're never going to amount to anything." At the very least, a seed of self-perception is planted - and like weeds, they take hold and grow.

A high school freshman whispering to her friends, just loud enough for the girl with glasses or acne to hear, "She is so ugly, aren't you glad you don't look like her, I mean, GROSS!" A seed - 'I'm ugly' - and something the girl will never forget and have to fight inside of herself for years and maybe a lifetime.

A teacher to a student, "Great job! I can see you really worked hard on this project, you did awesome!" The kid stands a little straighter, tries to hold the grin inside. A different kind of seed is planted.

Mother to her daughter, "I am so proud of the young lady you are becoming." Again, a different kind of seed. One that can grow into healthy self-esteem if nurtured.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." (Martin Luther King, Jr) Words have POWER.

Now, about the other truth - that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. This is a proven scientific truth. It is also part of the creed of every major religion. In Wicca it is the three-fold law - everything you do comes back to you three-fold.

In Christianity it is embodied in 'You reap what you sow."

In Eastern philosophy (and now Western also) it is called 'Karma'.

It is also reiterated in our language:

Troubles come home to roost. Don't dish it out if you can't take it. What goes around, comes around.

It is the Universal Law of Cause and Effect.

What is my point? My point is that we all use words in one form or another every single day of our lives. Use them to help, to heal, to uplift - because that law of cause and effect works BOTH ways. You get back the bad you dish out, but you also get back the good.

Words can help or they can hinder  Words can hurt or they can heal  Words can beat down or they can uplift  Words can destroy or they can create  Words can be the source of sadness or the source of joy  Words can be hateful, or they can be loving  Words can make the difference to another human being  Your mouth is a gun, your tongue is the bullet - it is always loaded. The trigger - the trigger is your mind. 

Would you point a loaded gun at your child? At your neighbor? Your wife or husband? Your mother or father?

Words have power. It kind of puts this Proverb into perspective, doesn't it? It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and be proven one.

Unfortunately, proving ourselves fools is not the only effect that opening our mouths and 'cutting loose' has sometimes.