1. Strictly speaking, words play no part at all in healing. ²The motivating factor is prayer, or asking. ³What you ask for you receive. ⁴But this refers to the prayer of the heart, not to the words you use in praying. ⁵Sometimes the words and the prayer are contradictory; sometimes they agree. ⁶It does not matter. ⁷God does not understand words, for they were made by separated minds to keep them in the illusion of separation. ⁸Words can be helpful, particularly for the beginner, in helping concentration and facilitating the exclusion, or at least the control, of extraneous thoughts. ⁹Let us not forget, however, that words are but symbols of symbols. ¹⁰They are thus twice removed from reality.

2. As symbols, words have quite specific references. ²Even when they seem most abstract, the picture that comes to mind is apt to be very concrete. ³Unless a specific referent does occur to the mind in conjunction with the word, the word has little or no practical meaning, and thus cannot help the healing process. ⁴The prayer of the heart does not really ask for concrete things. ⁵It always requests some kind of experience, the specific things asked for being the bringers of the desired experience in the opinion of the asker. ⁶The words, then, are symbols for the things asked for, but the things themselves but stand for the experiences that are hoped for.

3. The prayer for things of this world will bring experiences of this world. ²If the prayer of the heart asks for this, this will be given because this will be received. ³It is impossible that the prayer of the heart remain unanswered in the perception of the one who asks. ⁴If he asks for the impossible, if he wants what does not exist or seeks for illusions in his heart, all this becomes his own. ⁵The power of his decision offers it to him as he requests. ⁶Herein lie hell and Heaven. ⁷The sleeping Son of God has but this power left to him. ⁸It is enough. ⁹His words do not matter. ¹⁰Only the Word of God has any meaning, because it symbolizes that which has no human symbols at all. ¹¹The Holy Spirit alone understands what this Word stands for. ¹²And this, too, is enough.

4. Is the teacher of God, then, to avoid the use of words in his teaching? ²No, indeed! ³There are many who must be reached through words, being as yet unable to hear in silence. ⁴The teacher of God must, however, learn to use words in a new way. ⁵Gradually, he learns how to let his words be chosen for him by ceasing to decide for himself what he will say. ⁶This process is merely a special case of the lesson in the workbook that says, “I will step back and let Him lead the way.” ⁷The teacher of God accepts the words which are offered him, and gives as he receives. ⁸He does not control the direction of his speaking. ⁹He listens and hears and speaks.

5. A major hindrance in this aspect of his learning is the teacher of God’s fear about the validity of what he hears. ²And what he hears may indeed be quite startling. ³It may also seem to be quite irrelevant to the presented problem as he perceives it, and may, in fact, confront the teacher with a situation that appears to be very embarrassing to him. ⁴All these are judgments that have no value. ⁵They are his own, coming from a shabby self-perception which he would leave behind. ⁶Judge not the words that come to you, but offer them in confidence. ⁷They are far wiser than your own. ⁸God’s teachers have God’s Word behind their symbols. ⁹And He Himself gives to the words they use the power of His Spirit, raising them from meaningless symbols to the Call of Heaven itself.