A Practitioner’s Perspective

by Randy Southerland, RScP

Words are tricky. We use them every day—pouring out texts, posts, random conversations, and emails. We lean on them to connect with people, to share ideas, to be seen and heard.

And yet, for all their power, words can lead us astray and even betray us.

Ever posted something on social media that seemed harmless, only to provoke anger or misunderstanding? Ever asked a simple question and gotten a response that seemed to come from an entirely different and totally unrelated one?

Communication is messy. We try to be clear, and yet somehow the meaning gets scrambled in transmission.

I was interviewing a source for a story and had just asked a long and rather complicated question when my smartphone sitting next to me came to life and it’s AI assistant, Siri, said: “I didn’t quite get that.” My source and I laughed and I took the interruption to rephrase the question.

But then there are the moments of magic. A glance between two people that says everything. A joke between siblings that no one else gets. Those moments remind us of what real connection feels like.

There’s something deeply satisfying in being understood. In fact, I’d say some of our most profound human happiness comes when we feel truly seen, truly heard.

And if that’s true with other people, it’s even more true with Spirit.

In the New Thought metaphysical tradition—the Science of Mind teaching—we see communication not just as a human tool, but as a spiritual one. We believe the words we speak, the thoughts we focus on, shape our reality. That’s not just poetic—it’s practical metaphysics. It’s the foundation of affirmative prayer.

Ernest Holmes said: "I live in the faith that there is a Presence and Power greater than I am that nurtures and supports me in ways I could not even imagine. I know that this Presence is All knowing and All Power and is Always right where I am"

When I pray affirmatively, I’m not begging a far away god for favors. I’m not hoping to be worthy of a blessing. I’m connecting directly with the Infinite Intelligence that lives and moves through all things. I speak with clarity. I declare with confidence. I don’t just hope things work out—I state what I desire, trusting that Divine Mind responds to my clarity.

This is the truth: the Universe reflects what we declare. Not vaguely, not occasionally, but consistently. Not because Spirit needs us to perform a ritual, chat a spell or incantation, but because clarity of intention aligns us with creative power.

This is why sloppy conversation can be more than just inconvenient—it can be spiritually disempowering. If I don’t know what I want, how can I expect Divine Spirit to deliver it? If I send mixed signals, I get mixed results. The One Mind responds best when I’m honest, open, and precise.

So how do we get better at this? First, slow down and tune in. By asking ourselves: What do I really want? What am I truly trying to say? And then, by speaking it with courage.

Second, listen to Spirit itself. Universal intelligence speaks through intuition, synchronicity, and flashes of insight. We just have to be careful that we’re not talking so much and so loud we don’t hear it.

True communication is about alignment—between minds, between hearts, between me and the divine Intelligence that empowers our lives. When we communicate with truth and listen with intention, we not only connect more deeply with others—we align ourselves with this creative power.

Communication then become spiritual mastery.