Words are seeds.

Each one we speak carries the power to plant, to grow, to heal, or to harm. In African ancestral wisdom, the voice is not just sound, it is utterance, vibration, asé; a force that shapes the world. To speak with good intent is to pull from the ether into being. To affirm life. To water the soil of our future with the medicine of our mouths.

This virtue reminds us that our words are spells. What we repeat becomes real. What we name becomes known. What we curse may wither, and what we bless, flourishes. When we speak with care, especially about ourselves, we align with the divine order that creates through sound.

To offer words of good intent is to speak life, to plant hope, to uplift others with honesty and love. It is to make our tongues tools of harmony, not weapons of destruction.

When imbalanced, we speak carelessly or with malice. We curse ourselves with doubt, shame, or self-hate. Our words become weapons that sever connection or create confusion. Gossip, slander, and harsh self-talk all arise when this virtue is forgotten, creating disharmony in the spirit and in the community.

The imagery shows a woman lying down, peaceful and rooted, as a fruitful cocoa tree grows upward from her mouth. The cocoa tree, chosen for its many gifts (chocolate, cocoa butter, drink), represents the abundance that grows from good speech. The tribal markings on her cheeks symbolize the roots from which the tree of her words has sprouted.