Affirmations

Affirmations work on the understanding that our minds - especially when properly trained - have infinite ability to affect that which happens in our lives; both internally and externally.  As the Druidic axiom goes, "Action follows thought", and this is the principle applied when using affirmations.  So what, exactly, are they?  Well, they are essentially a kind of mantra, which is repeated over and over by the person in need of them, or over the person in need if they are unable to speak for themselves; such as babies, someone in a coma, etc.

They are most commonly used to treat disease.  Just look at that word again; dis-ease.  That is invariably what any illness is about; a sense of dis-ease within the sufferer, which they may well be unaware of, but which is the cause of the physical manifestation of their illness.  By treating the psychological dis-ease, the physical disease gradually lessens and, more often than not, disappears altogether.

This being said, dis-ease is by no means the limit of their uses.  They can be applied in a life enhancing manner to just about any aspect of your life; from positive self image and confidence to attracting friends or prosperity.  The key is keeping your wishes to a sensible degree; to a level at which your conscious mind will accept the possibility, thus allowing it into your subconscious.  In other words, if you're povity stricken and using affirmations to make yourself a millionaire, it's highly unlikely to happen.  Simply because your conscious mind is likely to respond with "Yeah, right!" and that will be that.  However, beginning with something small, like always having enough money to pay the bills and buy the food you need, will be far more acceptable a beginning for your conscious mind to accept, and provide a good foundation to build up from.

And now the warning in this... Be careful what you wish for.  A friend of mine once worked for the idea of having enough wealth to live on for the rest of his life without having to work.  He got exactly what he wished for too... It came in the shape of a near fatal motorbike accident which left pretty much every bone in his body broken.  He is living now off the insurance money he got for it, although he can never work again, and is very limited in what he can do as a result of the accident.

When designing an affirmation for yourself, it really is imperative that you think carefully through the possible consequences of what you are asking for.  Even when working to clear up dis-ease, whilst it is important to figure out the psychological cause of it, it is also important to figure out if there are any spiritual and physical plane reasons too.  This is especially important when dealing with some of the more major dis-eases, as they are often given to us as something of a wake up call, and can require a more careful look at your entire life, rather than just the immediate cause.  These can often herald the need for a total change of career, lifestyle or location, together with a change of thinking.

And so onto the part you're waiting for... how to write an affirmation.  I shall begin by addressing dis-ease, although many of the key factors in this are equally applicable to the general affirmations to improve your daily life.

For dis-ease, it is important to begin by truly identifying the problem.  For some simpler examples, something like a sore throat can often mean you are having trouble expressing yourself, or a rash can mean that someone/thing has "got under your skin".  Problems with sight can mean you are wanting to look too far into the future or past, or are not able to deal with what you see around you in the present.  You begin to get the idea?  So, take time to sit down and think upon the dis-ease in question; to discover what cause resonates for you.

Dealing with babies can be a difficult one, and it's always wise to look as carefully at their environment (are there arguments going on in the house, is their life likely to be a difficult one, etc?) as it is to look at the child itself.  Babies know more than we give them credit for, so just because they don't appear to have any responsibilities, don't believe that they don't!

Equally, those who go into a coma are often practising the most effective form of retreat from the world, short of death.  In both cases (the child and the coma), think carefully about what may be going on in their minds; try to project into their thoughts too look for inspiration on the root cause of the problem.

Once the psychology of the dis-ease is at least known, preferably also understood, it is possible to look into the counter-action to be taken by the affirmation.  For example, if the problem is feeling that you cannot express yourself, you need an affirmation to replace that belief with one which says you can not only express yourself perfectly well and eloquently, but that your expressions are heard and heeded.

Time, however, is a man-made construction, and so you should always take care to compose your affirmation speaking in the now, and not as some vague notion which will happen in the future.  In other words, write the affirmation as if it already is, not as something that will be.  With the expression example, something along the lines of " I express myself openly, clearly and eloquently, and am always heard and heeded by those I express myself to." will work far better than if it were worded in future or past tense.

This being said, when dealing with a dis-ease which traditionally takes a while to pass (such as M.E.), it is often a good idea to run a second affirmation alongside the first, which deals with a more gradual improvement.  Something simple like "Every day, in every way, I am healthier, fitter and stronger" works as a good back up to the main one.

For other matters outside of dis-ease, this attitude of keeping the affirmation in the now is equally important.  It's no good telling yourself that you will get the job/money/car/figure/whatever... you must believe that it's already yours.

Once you have prepared your affirmation, it's time to try saying it aloud to yourself.  The first few times are vital to knowing how well it will work.  If you'd dearly love to believe it, but there's that nagging voice at the back of your mind which says it won't work, pay attention to this.  It may be that you are sure you can convince that nagging voice otherwise, in which case, carry on.  But if an honest appraisal reveals that perhaps you are starting with an unrealistic goal, keep a copy of this affirmation for the future, but write another, more realistic, one to use for the time being.

When you are happy that you have an affirmation which will work, it becomes a simple matter of repeating it (preferably aloud) to yourself over and over, day after day.  In the cases where the person is unable to perform the affirmation for themselves, you need to do the work for them for a while; softly speaking the affirmation over them, whilst pouring all your own belief into the words you are saying.

As your body becomes trained to respond to them, so you will find the effects come that much quicker, but the key is always to absorb yourself entirely into the affirmation, to the point where you totally believe what you are saying is 100% true.  And then the action follows the thought... what you have learnt to believe on the emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels, will begin to manifest on the physical.

One final thing to remember with affirmations (as with so much in life) is that the Gods help those who help themselves.  In other words, it's no good performing affirmations to lose weight whilst stuffing yourself with crisps and chocolates, or affirmations to get a job without going out and actively seeking one, or affirmations to get friends or a lover whilst holing up in your house and never going out to meet people...

In other words, you can only get out of life what you put in; the affirmations will affect your thinking and energy to give you the best possible chance of achieving your goal, but it's down to you to put yourself in the right situations and do all you possibly can to help yourself on your way.