In the book of James he talks of the Tongue, how like a great ship is steered by the tiny movement of its rudder, so are our lives steered by the tiny movements of our tongue.
We are also cautioned against becoming teachers, since those who teach others, that is, use their tongue liberally to influence other people, will receive much stricter judgement.
Of course these were days before internet, text-based communication (and enforced separation), now our fate is mainly steered by the tiny movements of our fingers on keys (virtual or otherwise).
Nevertheless, the tongue is symbolic of our voice, which can be expressed as sound or text. Control over our voice is a characteristic of maturity.
Free speech is great and all, but we are not free from the consequences of what we say, nor should we be. Though technically we can talk about anything, it doesn't mean we should talk about everything. Taboo's exist for a reason, limit's are conducive to creativity and higher thought, and good relationships are about good boundaries.
Pol-itics seeks to pol-arise people, forcing them into a false dichotomy on all issues, like the black and white squares of the Chess board, or the floor of the Freemasonic lodges. That is it's purpose, to provide polarity.
Artists and alchemists have a duty to resist polarisation, to observe both sides from the central perspective, to create from a position of divine neutrality, and to be able to hold opposing ideas in mind simultaneously, a practice known as 'coincidentia oppositorum'.
We do this by controlling our tongue, resisting group-think and reactionary behaviour, and transmuting our feelings into art, medicine, and solutions.
If we were to simply speak whatever opinions we happen to be thinking of that day this would bring us all kinds of trouble, and perhaps an untimely downfall from grace.
Words are spells, and they have real true meanings, this is called Logos, from where we get the word Logic.
We cast them from our tongues or finger tips often without a second thought, but it's a magical process beyond comprehension, and those little mouth-sounds and symbols determine the course of our souls journey through life, perhaps more than anything.
As Manly P Hall said (which he paraphrased from the bible): "What a man puts in his mouth is his own business, but what comes out of his mouth is of concern to the whole world".
James gives us six different symbolic metaphors for the tongue: a bit, a rudder, a fire, a poisonous animal, a fountain, and a fig tree.
We are warned of it's fiery nature and potential for destruction, as how a single spark can cause the destruction of a whole forest, or the bite of a poisonous reptile can kill a great beast, so a single wiggle of your tongue can cause your whole life to come crashing down.
We are told it is easier for a man to tame a wild beast than to tame his own tongue, but doing so is a measure of wisdom and humility.
Equally our tongue can be a fountain of truth and goodness for all of humanity, as like a fruit tree.
The choice is entirely up to us.
~S