Mastering Our Own Destiny
In his latest book The Wisdom Codes, eminent science-meets-spirit-pioneer Gregg Braden guides us to a sacred world of ancient, intuitively encoded words that can literally rewire our brain and heal our hearts.
“In their presence, we are changed.” writes Braden. “When we speak the words either out loud or silently to ourselves, something shifts within us and that something is where the power of words, chemistry and neurons converge in a beautiful way. These timeless codes are designed to bring us the greatest strength and the deepest healing, in the quickest way possible.”
Braden further explains that the relationship between the words we use and the way our brains function, has been recognised by our most ancient spiritual traditions for over 5000 years. The conscious application of specific word patterns that are recited in prayers, mantras, hymns and chants, provides inspiration, safety, comfort and healing - a powerful ally when life’s inevitable challenges come our way. This, in turn, paves the way to becoming skilled masters of our own destiny instead of unwitting, hapless victims of circumstance. Take your pick.
Word-Brain Relationship Origins
As a lifelong lover of language and more recently, the art of linguistics, I was particularly interested in Braden’s reference to renowned American Linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf. He discovered our word-brain relationship in the late 1930s, as a graduate level instructor of Native American linguistics. This experience provided unique insights about the Hopi people’s paradigm-altering use of language; how they used words to describe the present moment, but not to directly describe the past or future.
For example, when the Hopi refer to lightning, they describe the experience as lightning-ing, indicating that the lightning is a state of being; or the wave is waving. Whorf believed that these word structures were responsible for the harmonious way of the Hopi and their relationship with the cosmos. Having previously traveled to the Hopi Lands in north-eastern Arizona, I appreciated the deeper understanding as to why the word ‘Hopi’, (a shortened version of Hopituh Shi-nu-mu), translates into ‘peaceful people’.
Whorf’s discovery of how our words influenced the chemistry in our bodies and the way our neurons connected, naturally sent shock waves through the scientific community but also inspired ongoing biological and neuroscientific studies about the structure of language.
Thankfully, more recent studies have since confirmed Whorf’s theory that: “Words of our everyday language directly influence the way our brain “wires” itself when it comes to how we think and even what we are capable of thinking about.”
A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress. Andrew Newberg, M.D., neuroscientist and Mark Robert Waldman.
How We Empower Prayer Through Words
Braden’s mystical side-trip to a remote Tibetan monastery in the Himalayas made me feel like grabbing my backpack and heading for the mountains again. There he met with the abbot of the monastery, and asked: “When we see your prayers, what are you doing in your body? When we see you tone and chant mantras for fourteen to sixteen hours a day on the outside, what is happening to you on the inside?”
The abbot’s (condensed) translated reply reflected the discoveries reported in recent journals: “You have never seen our prayers because a prayer cannot be seen. What you have seen is what we do to create the feeling in our bodies. The feeling is the prayer and the words create the feeling.”
Put simply, words ignite the emotion that empowers our prayers. Allowing ourselves to fully embrace what our spoken words mean on the deepest possible level of awareness, triggers the neurological and biological responses that reflect the intent of the codes. This also mirrors the early translations of the biblical book of John (chapter 16, verse 24): “We are instructed to empower our prayers through the words that invite us to be surrounded by the feeling that our prayer is already answered. Ask without hidden motive and be surrounded by your answer. Be enveloped by what you desire so that your joy may be full.”
To say that the implications of the word-life relationship are profound, is almost an understatement.
Wisdom Codes Reflect Common Life Issues
Akin to a trusty, inner-world travel guide, Braden’s meticulously researched book offers a core group of 17 deftly decoded Wisdom Codes and two bonus codes. His chosen codes include ancient Sanskrit Vedas, the Mahabharata, Buddha teachings, The Lord’s Prayer, “lost” texts of the Judeo-Christian Bible and sacred mysteries of indigenous traditions.
Reflecting some of our most commonly faced issues in life, such as protection, fear, loss, strength and love, the codes also come with captivating accounts of their ancient origins and easy to follow instructions about how to apply them.
Wisdom Code Sneak Peak
To give you an idea of how the Wisdom Codes are presented, I have chosen to share part of Wisdom Code 7 - Bhagavad Gita, a remedy for Fear. The introduction to each code includes a breakdown of the code’s use and source, followed by a succinct overview of the code’s origins, instructions on how to use the code and a handy blank notes page. For example:
Bhagavad Gita
Wisdom Code 7: The soul is never created, nor does it ever die. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.
Use: This code addresses the universal human fear of annihilation and the primal fear of nonexistence.
Source: Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, verse 20
(Code origin)
How to Use Wisdom Code 7
The power of wisdom codes comes from their repetition and doing so in the affirmative. This imprints a code on the unconscious mind. When we create a heart/brain harmony, we open a ‘hotline’ to communicate directly with the subconscious.
From a place of heart/brain harmony, recite this code line by line, either silently in your mind out loud, until you sense a shift of fear. The key is to embrace this code with a focus of awareness, breath, and feeling in the heart rather than the mind:
The soul of never created, nor does it ever die
The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless
It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed
Use Your Newfound Power of Words With Care
The Wisdom Codes is a truly unique, compelling and nourishing reference book that has earned a place in my highly competitive Spiritual Armour Kit. Just the tonic for navigating our way through this profoundly strange yet wondrous time in world history.
Note to self: Given that words form the framework for the unity or separation that we consequently experience, live consciously and choose words with great care. Always.