My Word is Mighty

• The power of words in healing rituals

Female shamans in indigenous communities as well as healers in our own culture make use of word medicine and word magic. The ritual words of sayings, conjurations, prayers, and chants often bear hidden powers. The word is an embodied thought. Through the word the thought becomes action and creates reality. Thoughts and words that aim to bring misery (»harmful spells«) constitute the dark side of word magic. Examples from our everyday social reality (such as harmful words in medicine, verbal flogging in education, mobbing) show how important it is to become aware of the impact of words. Drawing on long years of experience, the author identifies practical ways to find healing, strengthening, and protective words and rituals that everyone can use in his or her everyday life.