Speaking and Listening

[QUOTING]

What, then, is speech? It is the production and radiation of creative energy, the energy a nature-born human being needs to perform The One Work to which he is called. That is why the Seeker of God will only speak if it is necessary.

And what, then, is listening? It is receiving sensorially that same energy which the other person is discharging by speaking.

When you speak and someone else listens, the listener will absorb into himself all the energy you are pouring out by speaking, a process which, generally speaking, is highly suspect. So speaking and listening are extremely delicate matters about which the pupil must be very careful indeed. If one pursues ones pupilship seriously, speaking and listening will be made subordinate to a Holy Law, which operates only on the plane of the liberated Soul-being. Any speaking and listening which falls below a certain level will harm and bind one to the lower nature.

Man And The Path - The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis Vol. III - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]

Remember: thoughts are things; they go somewhere. When one speaks, one is essentially verbalizing thought-energy. These sonic vibrations, in the form of what we call words, interpenetrate the aura of the listener and mingle with the vibration of the listener, raising or lowering the  overall vibration of the listener depending on the frequency embedded in the words of the speaker.

You can perhaps see the danger inherent in this for a pupil on the Path, especially if someone who is depressed, angry, gossipy, criticizing, etc. gets a hold of your ear. It's akin to having a garbage truck dump its entire contents at your front doorstep.

When someone speaks to you, their thoughts temporarily become your thoughts, as you have to consider and understand what the speaker is saying in order to formulate a response or opinion. We risk allowing ourselves to be infected by the astral negativity of others when we allow ourselves to listen to certain kinds of speech. Conversely, we can also do harm to others when we engage in lower forms of conversation. Therefore we who are on the Path are urged to "speak little, and to not lend our ear to much talk".

~ g
.