Plainly put, an affirmation is a positive statement of belief offered as an existing fact. A mainstay of New Age followers, they can be used to great effect for practitioners of magic if we learn to bump it up a bit to suit our more specific needs.
This is one time where magical thinking is understood by everyone, be they occultist or no.
Affirmations, to non-magic folk, help us make things happen by keeping us focused on our goals and making the outcome feel believable. To the New Ager they alert the consciousness of the Universe to our desires, which then works its influence on the world to bring it to fruition. To practitioners, however, it's magic, just magic. We're used to this kind of thing. A witch speaks her will into being. Magical words and charms create change just like a spell, talisman, symbol, or sigil. What we say is what is.
Of course, that means that our words have to be worthy of the results. If we want big, beautiful change we're going to have to put in big, beautiful energy. In the case of affirmations, that means that no simple statement will do. We're going to have to make it lovely, inspiring, enticing, and--most importantly--real.
The proper affirmation follows a pattern that is reliable:
- It describes your most pressing need
- It's made of positive words in present tense
- Formed with magic in mind: this will create change
Now, normally I don't use the word "need" as much as I do "desire" because I feel that spells are born out of the thing we care about most at the moment and not how much or little we have of the essentials for living. But in the case of affirmations, they're generally about a need. It would be almost silly to make an affirmation based on something like, say, making it stop raining long enough for you to get to your car. No--instead, we're looking for long term, personally important issues that need a boost: problems you keep returning to, obstacles that affect you daily, and destructive habits or mindsets that you want to change.
Positive language is a must, as all practitioners know, but you also must beware of setting your affirmation in the future. The future never actually arrives; we are always in the present, it is where we live. Make your words present so that your results will be present, too! Think of phrases like "I have," "I am," and "I do."
After all this, it's starting to look like a spell, isn't it? The key differences lay in the target and the force. With most spells, we're exerting our will upon the outside world. We move people around, change circumstances and opinions, and open once-closed opportunities. Affirmations, however, are often focused on the self. We want to shape our attitudes and responses, bring out our best selves, and make use of every resource around us for our betterment. Affirmations are a nudge that puts things into place for you, renewed every time it is spoken. The issues isn't something that needs "dealt with" or else you'd use a spell. Instead, it needs assistance and a chance to learn and grow.
So let's make an affirmation, already!
Though I dislike the concept when it's applied to spells, I do believe that the best affirmations are those that are self-written. This is because they are so personal and specific to your situation that the work of others will often fail to really hit you in the emotions, which is what you want. You want to feel it, to know it. It's as though your change has already happened and you are sitting back with an appraising look at your bountiful life. That's going to be a hard feeling to get from someone else.
Sit down with a pen and paper. Write out simple statements of the things you really need fixed in your life. Write until you can't think of any more and then go back to reshape each one. Remove words like "I want" and "Someday." Again, that's the future, and you'll never
feel like you've gotten there. Replace those future phrases with things like "I have" and "Today". Also check to make sure you're speaking positively about it; remove anything that talks about what you don't want. "I have quit smoking" is a bad affirmation. "My hands and heart are busy with positive habits." That's pretty good actually, if I do say so myself, indirectly addressing the nervousness and unconscious repetitiveness of smoking. But you see what I mean: you don't need to even mention your former behavior or circumstances; just replace them.
So that's the basic formula for a workable affirmation. We, however, are going further than that. Now that you have your corrected versions of your goal statements, recopy them to a fresh sheet of paper and then sit aside your list for a while to let your mind settle. Return to it after a few days to a week and see what's there with fresh eyes. Pretty plain, eh?
Now we get to dress things up! Since this affirmation is yours alone you can make it as fanciful as you like. Start by use the kind of words you find most affecting. Try words like bliss, glory, and power. Decorate your affirmation with adjectives like wonderful, resplendent, and joyous. Talk about change in a way that makes you excited for the day you'll see it happening.
Consider, too, the kind of thing you most need to hear. Many of us, in our darkest times, would adore anyone who could say "Everything will be alright" and mean it. You can be that person for yourself. Dig deeper than the ordinary to the core of what you really hope will happen, what your heart most needs in order to feel true comfort. Dream big but state it in a way that keeps true to this kernel of personal realism.
Go through each of the items on your list one at a time. Give each one everything you've got. Take time to work them into the very best, clearest statement you can. Then recopy them to smaller, separate pieces of paper. I like colored note paper to match the type of situation that the affirmation addresses, green for prosperity, yellow for communication, red for love, etc. Write your affirmation in a plain, open hand with a bold marker so that the words will grab your attention every time you see them.
Now that you have your perfected affirmations, you can use them at your leisure. Repeat like a ritual the affirmation for the issue that is most pressing; do this every day, several
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| Sacred Mists sells colorful paper impregnated with flower seeds for bringing your spells and affirmations to life. (Check the link below) |
times a day, until results begin to take shape. Reconnect with an affirmation during situations which pertain to the issue, such as remaining calm in arguments or speaking your mind at work; think it or speak it softly to yourself. Post your cards in your home and work space where you will see them often. Incorporate them into spellwork as a written or spoken charm. Post a tarot card that has a similar message as your affirmation. Add them to your BoS where all your most powerful thoughts reside.
More than spells, affirmations give the hope and stimulation of your aspirations every day. We need this every day--everyone does. Affirm your best, affirm what you desire to be your best, and your potential is limitless.
Here are a few of my own that I would like to share with you to inspire your own works:
I am the soul of ambition.
There is no magic so glorious as that which is my own.
Incomparable, indefatigable, undiminishable am I.
Images from:
lightworkers.org/wisdom/julie-miller
hedgemagick.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/7-chakra-balancing-affirmations-for-financial-abundance/
sacredmists.com/plantable-affirmations-seeded-wildflower-paper
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