Everywhere I go around the world, the word Abracadabra is recognized as the universal magical incantation (except in Asia, and I don’t know why), but most people have no idea what Abracadabra means, including probably 99% of magicians.
Abracadabra’s history is ancient. It is believed to be an Aramaic word – an ancient sacred language predating Hebrew. Its literal interpretation is, “I speak that of which I create”. I’ve modified that to be clearer: “What I Speak Is What I Create”.
And isn’t that true? Our words have tremendous creative power. The words we say to others can make or break their day. We can wound or heal. We can lift people up or knock them down. We can inspire children with confidence or we can criticize their confidence away. I remember a judgmental comment my father made about me when I was very young – probably 50 years ago – and it still reverberates in me.
Perhaps more important are the words we say to ourselves. We have a constant running message system that we repeat day after day. Are the messages you’re replaying for yourself uplifting or do they keep you anchored in past mistakes? Do you affirm your strengths or berate yourself for your limitations?
In 2014, I did a TED talk at Towson University about Abracadabra, but the quality of the video was so poor that I asked the TED folks to take it down. Lately I’ve been receiving messages from people around the world, thanking me for the talk. Apparently, the people at TED didn’t remove the video and it’s been viewed over a half-million times. So, I’m accepting the production quality because it’s helping people. And here it is…
A Reminder Tool
As a handy reminder, we have our Abracadabra wristbands available for purchase.
Abracadabra is an Aramaic word that means “What I Speak Is What I Create”. This wristband is a great tool to wear as a constant reminder to keep your thoughts and words positive and focused on what you want to create in the world.
- Package contains six wristbands
- Lettering is debossed (stamped/depressed into the band)
- Wear as a reminder to keep your thoughts and words positive
- Great for work and sports teams
- Great employee gift to kick off business initiatives