Affirmations are the act of affirming or stating that something, generally an idea or behavior, is true in order to affect change within our lives. Affirmations are powerful, they change the basic thought structure and patterns of how we think about something and in doing so we change the way in which we do…. do.

Affirmations aren’t so esoteric but are actually quite effective. I have transformed my life through the use of affirmations and you can too! Simple, constructive and reinforcing statements “that strengthen the you that you are” and not “the you that you fear you are.”

Louise Hay, Woman of Wisdom, author of Heal Your Body among other wonderful works, would be a great starting point if you want to explore affirmations in greater detail.

I have used affirmations in my life many times over but it wasn’t until recent shifts in thought and lifestyle over the last 5 years that I truly could appreciate the effectiveness of consciously choosing to change with affirmations, and other tools in my magickal tool belt, my self. I have my own set of reminders that I turn to in order to get the most out of our gift to choose to change, and these are them.

Creating Affirmations

Before you start affirmations you should always know what you are up against in resisting change and growing into a new being: You self.

Finding affirmations that work for you is more important than you know but it can seem kind of tricky. You have to choose words that you agree with, that you are comfortable with and that inspire you. The vocabulary should be easily said and feel right since you will be repeating them over and over again. However, before you get to that point you have to discern what it is within you and your life that is in need of change and growth, affirmation.

A good tool is journaling. Write every day. Be honest with yourself. Read over it later. Even if you write a single paragraph it is good. Try to write every day and at or around the same hour.

In your journal a lot can be seen about your ideas about love, life, friends, money, relationships, politics… Heck, these aren’t so bad, they are the seeds of your affirmations. So in reading over your private thoughts you see that you don’t feel good about something you wrote, that is your indicator of where you need to help yourself, where you can use some help, some affirmations.

For example, say you feel that you are overweight, in  today’s society that’s not hard to imagine when you think about how much pop culture pressures us into impossible ideas about sex and beauty. Now imagine that you have written in your journal something negative about your body and weight. You look at it because it is, really, what you feel but is it healthy for you and, as a good friends said to me, “How does it serve you?” Do you feel better when think about yourself when you step in front of a reflective surface? Probably not. Right?

So, you choose words that are not only positive about your body but supportive of a better mental/physical idea about yourself. Maybe you realize that you eat bad or don’t do allot of physical activity. These are all indicators of how you can change… so you find words and re-think the nonproductive thoughts about yourself.

Maybe you try an affirming statement like:

“I love myself just the way I am. I AM beautiful. I AM worthy of love and respect. I AM a child of God and so I am perfect in my own way.”

“I am the perfect weight. I have perfect health. I love the way I look.”
A really great one I picked up from Christopher Penczak is:

“I love myself. I love all others. I am infinitely loves.”
Whatever you choose, find supportive affirmations that instill a sense of love, pride, and security. You can design your own or turn to one of many great books and teachers to find the right affirmations for you.

Say them the right way

Your affirmations should be easy to read and feel right when they roll off the tongue. In fact it helps if they have a little rhythm or if you can find a rhythm in the words.

Don’t rush through your affirmations. Take your time. Read each sentence. Digest each word. Think about the statement and speak aloud as if the statement is true. It’s a bit it like like smiling when you talk on the phone. The sound of your voice, a part of your attitude does change. Now multiply this over days, weeks and months and you can see how powerful an affirmation can become.

You read your affirmations regularly, daily in fact and we’ll get to that but while you are reading them, they should be read consciously, and with the right tone and inflection. If the affirmation is loving, you want to sound loving. If you are affirming prosperity and success then you should be reading and speaking each word powerfully and successfully.

For a while I felt as if I was “acting” but then I realized magick, manifestation, and affirmations are drawing from the same great principles; and that even if I am “acting” what I am really doing “pretending” and it is in that space of pure imagination -and being safe in that imagining- that I create the greatest things in my life. That is where magick happens when the mind, the body, the soul are one and they all agree and it can happen. It does. In your imagination.

Do your affirmations everyday

That’s right, everyday.

Not just once a day but three times a day. Consistency is so important. The mind enjoys ritual. It can feel a bit disjointed at first to introduce a new -however short- thing into your life but the “routine” is so comfortable that it is strange to our minds to disrupt it no matter how bad it may actually be for us.

Life isn’t static, it is change. Being powerful and proactive by helping yourself to change through affirmations is one way you can rejoin the living movement.

So when do you do your affirmations and for how long? Depending on the length of your affirmations and how long it takes for you to read them I suggest nine-times each or for 10 minutes, whichever comes first. I hold myself to the  9-times each because I actually have about 15 statements that I read. By the time I have spoken the list nine times it has usually been about 15 minutes.

Do your affirmations in the morning when you wake up, mid-day and bed time before you sleep.

There is allot you can do to accentuate the changes you want to affect. To be healthier, confident, loving and loved and you can find them in a variety of places but the important thing with affirmations is to make sure they are in agreement with you, that you read them well and with meaning as if theyare, and that you read them consistently.

Before you know it -generally 30-60 days, the changes have already occurred and you, like I have been, are looking at yourself with a little bit of wonder thinking, “Wow. I did that.”

Enjoy.

Scott K Smith

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