During my tour of The Magnes Collection, Dr. Daniel Viragh shared fascinating insights from the Hebrew he was reading on various historical objects . . . and then a startling factoid was mentioned. It turns out that "Abracadabra" -- those magic-inducing words that we think come from the Disney movie Aladdin and Arabian Nights -- actually have roots in the ancient Aramaic language. The phrase has a meaning; "What is said will be." Wikipedia says Abacadabra means "I create as I speak."
In my opinion, the literal meaning and the passage of this phrase through the millenia demonstrates the power of words.
This resonated with me a lot. I've embraced the 21st century idea of writing down my goals to align myself with the power of postive thinking, yet here is a similar thought expressed in an ancient language.
In other words, people from thousands of years ago, also had the idea of stating their goals, and repeating their goals, to bring forth the power to make it happen. They weren't calling for magic, they were stating a call to action with a plan.
So instead of wishful thinking or hoping for luck, you may benefit by actually stating your goals and understanding the action plan needed to make it happen.
Speaking about the power of words reminds me to invite everyone to a brief 
lecture at The Magnes Collection. My lecture topic is "Recycle, Re-purpose and the Meaning of Materials." The Magnes is calling this a "Pop up lecture". We will look at a tin and glass menorah from their collection (left), along with examples of my work.
Harriete Estel Berman
The Magnes Collection is at 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA.
This is a block from the BART station, and close to the Univeristy of California, Berkeley Campus.
