Put Your Mouth On It
Women in my grandmother’s generation often used the phrase, “Don’t put your mouth on it.” They were not referring to something that should not be ingested. This was their reminder of the power of the spoken word. To “put your mouth on” something is to give it the power to manifest. It’s a highly valued and time-honored idea in various traditions around the world. In the Dogon cosmology Nommo is associated with this power. The ancient African mother deities Yemonja and Auset a
