Words are Words. Arrows are Arrows.

Even if others fling words at you as if they were arrows, it is best to not receive them that way.

Arrows are weapons. They are used for hunting and were used for battle. They are designed to penetrate and harm…or kill.

Words are simply building blocks for communication. We roughly convey thought through them (highlighting the word ‘roughly’).

It is very easy to read words with differences in meaning than they were written. It is easy to hear them differently than they were spoken. Even in person, when we have the added benefit of facial expression and intonation, we can still misinterpret a large percentage of what one is expressing.

When one receives words as arrows, he or she gets hurt by them. Total strangers expressing anger to their computer screen thus hurts YOU as you read.

It is best to not receive words as arrows. It is also good to not speak or write words as arrows either.

As they say: the pen is mightier than the sword. This expresses the power of words. Words are indeed powerful, but they need not be intended to harm. And even if the writer or speaker intends harm, one can still neutralize that cause as they receive them.

It may not be easy to neutralize the energy behind the words you read or hear, but it can be done. Focusing on those words makes the arrows sharper, which penetrate deeper. Moving your focus away from those words disarms them even if little by little.

We are in an information war. This is now being discussed in the public forum and by our government. As such, words are intentionally being used as arrows and swords. It is thus more important than ever to practice neutralizing their affects on you.

Forgive them for they know not what they are doing.

Place doubt between you and the information you receive. Don’t assume someone is intending to hurt you. Even if they are clearly intending to poke and prod you, remind yourself they are not in a good place: likely hurt or angry or scared. You don’t have to have compassion for them, however as you get better at insulating yourself from the sharpness of their words, that will happen organically.

Love and care for yourself FIRST. Speak loving words to and about yourself often. Catch your self deprecation and redirect it by reminding yourself of your goodness, your loveliness, your lovableness, and your beauty.

You can also credit yourself through your deeds, but don’t do this too much. Good deeds naturally result when one draws from the goodness that they ARE. If you focus too much on the doing, then you can train yourself to believe you are earning love from others.

I will finish with a short reminder of something I have written about before. When there is something you need or want from another, ask the Universe FIRST. The Universe never says no. It might ask you to take a journey from where you are to where you can receive the desired experience, but it never says no.

People say no. Some don’t yet have to ability to give you what you want from them, including the ability to love you the way you want to be loved. You can ask, but the answer might be no. So ask the Universe first, and then look for Its response. Don’t seek and search for the response. Just pay attention; it’ll come to you naturally, organically, and with no effort. When you recognize the response, you’ll feel appreciation. I recommend focusing on that feeling to cultivate more of it.