ecosophia: (Default)
[personal profile] ecosophia
AffirmationsI've had rather a number of readers ask me in recent months for tips on affirmations. Affirmations? Yes! ;-) Those were one of the standard working tools of the New Thought movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and have been borrowed -- not always intelligently or productively -- by the New Age movement and pop psychology more recently. They've been neglected and, indeed, often derided by the more overtly magical end of contemporary pop culture. There's a rich irony here, because sigil magic -- currently one of the most fashionable methods in the avant-garde end of occultism -- is simply a variation on the same method. 

Like most magical practices, affirmations make use of an ordinary human habit to get results that don't have to be ordinary at all. Most of us talk to ourselves in the privacy of our own heads, and that self-talk plays a large role in reinforcing our self-image and our views about the world. Very often, that works to our disadvantage. How often have you berated yourself inwardly in the wake of some failure or other, saying "Why am I so stupid?" or what have you. That reinforces a negative self-image and makes it more likely that you'll behave in ways that correspond to your conception of what "being stupid" amounts to. 

The subconscious mind listens to such things. To a very real extent, it operates on the principle uttered by the Bellman in Lewis Carroll's madcap epic poem The Hunting of the Snark:  "What I tell you three times is true." You can turn the same principle to your advantage by the simple expedient of working out something to repeat to yourself that moves you toward what you want in your life, rather than simply keeping you down in the doldrums. 

You use affirmations by choosing a simple declarative sentence that expresses your goal and repeating it to yourself, over and over again, at least a hundred times a day -- yes, I mean that! -- and preferably more often, It's especially valuable to repeat an affirmation many times whenever you catch yourself getting into negative self-talk, but don't just do this; repeat it often, and then repeat it some more. 

There are certain rules for affirmations I recommend, which we can modestly call the Seven Laws of Affirmation. Here they are: 

1. Change yourself, not the world. The single most important cause of failure in affirmations comes from trying to get the world to cater to you, rather than adjusting yourself to face the world more successfully. You can say "Lots of money comes to me" all you want; the money isn't listening, and you'll simply talk your subconscious into expecting money that won't arrive, with bankruptcy as the usual result. (I've seen this happen many times.) Instead, use something like "I see opportunities to make money wherever I go." You will, too, and if you take advantage of those opportunities, the money will come. 

2. Avoid the language of entitlement. For closely related reasons, avoid as you need not mere plague the kind of affirmation that starts "I deserve..." or that fixates on how wonderful or special you are. That sort of thing will simply make you vain, arrogant, and clueless. Choose something that motivates you to act and change, not something that inflates your ego and encourages you to sit on your precious pink rump contemplating your supposed wonderfulness. 

3. Focus is a source of strength.  Especially at first, don't try to change your whole life at once. Choose something specific, aim an affirmation squarely at that, and keep at it until you get results. Then go on to the next.  For the same reasons, one or two affirmations at a time is enough.  If you have a flotilla of different affirmations, none of them will get enough attention to matter. 

4. Put affirmations in the present tense. For example, "I am strong" rather than "I will become strong." If you put something in the future tense, the results will always be in the future for you, never in the present; you'll always be traveling, never arriving. The one variation here is that if you want to be changing in a particular way, rather than arriving at a particular goal, you can use the imperfect tense -- "I am becoming" and so on. Emil Coue's famous affirmation "Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better" used this approach. 

(Nearly everyone, when they encounter this rule, asks, "But what if the affirmation isn't true?" Of course it isn't true; if it was true, you wouldn't need an affirmation. An affirmation is a spell, not a simple statement of fact; put another way, it's a tool, not a truth. See rule #6 for getting around the discomfort that comes from knowing that you haven't achieved yet what your affirmation will bring you.) 

5. Use positive language. For example, "I am strong" rather than "I am not weak." New Thought teachers used to say that the subconscious doesn't hear negative particles such as "not" and "no," so if you say "I am not weak" your subconscious hears "I am weak." More generally, affirm what you want, don't try to negate what you don't want. They're affirmations, after all!

6. Use your imagination. This is one of the things that most often gets left out of the formula, and explains many of the failures of the method. As you repeat the affirmation, imagine that it's true. If you're using the affirmation "I am strong" to try to build strength of body and mind, imagine yourself strong, in mind, in vitality, in muscle. Feel the potency of your will, the life force surging through your veins, muscles rippling in your limbs and torso. Imagine the emotional state, the overwhelming confidence of knowing that you're the biggest, strongest, toughest son of a gun in the whole county. You don't have to believe that this is true; imagine that it's true. The more vividly you imagine it, the sooner it will become true.

7. Keep at it!  Affirmations take time to work. You're probably going to have to overcome the mental inertia of a lifetime of negative self-talk, and that won't happen instantly. Your subconscious mind will also very probably throw up roadblocks, trying to distract you from your affirmation or convince you that it won't work and you should go back to wallowing in misery instead. Ignore the distractions and keep at it, and the results will come. 

A useful note: A lot of old-fashioned New Thought practitioners got very good results by doing two affirmations, one general and one specific. The general affirmation was done first thing in the morning: you get up, you go to a window (preferably open to fresh air), you stretch thoroughly, and then you breathe in and out twenty times or so, slowly and deeply, timing the repetition of your general affirmation to the rhythm of your breath. Then at other times of the day, you use your specific affirmation as often as you like. For example, there was a while when the general affirmation I was using -- once common in certain Druid circles -- went like this: (on the inbreath) "I am one with the One Life of the Universe;" (on the outbreath) "it flows through me to accomplish all my worthy desires." The specific affirmation then varied depending on circumstances. It worked well, too. 

Another useful note: don't talk about your affirmations. "To know, to dare, to will, and to be silent" applies to this as to all magical practices. Talk about them and you diffuse your power. Remain silent and focused, and your power grows. 
Page 1 of 2 << [1] [2] >>

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 04:19 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Hi JMG

How long does it usually take to tell whether your affirmation is working or whether you should try again?

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-01 02:15 am (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 08:11 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thanks John that’s a very helpful post. As a person who goes through periods of anxiety from time to time I have begun to realise how powerful the sub conscience mind is, particularly with the recent occasion which was brought on by work related stress. I realised I was creating negative mental constructs, ie “I can’t cope” and believing them. My solution was to force myself to think of a positive thought ie “I have made progress today” every time I had a negative thought. And it worked. The overlap with your post is very interesting and I will explore this further. Regards averagejoe

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 12:01 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
(from Myriam)
This post will be extremely useful to me!

I also see now the background of a spell you suggested a while back: "I am willing to do whatever it takes, without harm to myself or to anyone else, to (insert specific something here such as earn, learn, achieve, etc.)..."

Not always expressed but thought many times: May good things flow your way for the generous help you have given and continue to give to us readers!

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 01:19 pm (UTC)
fringewood: (Default)
From: [personal profile] fringewood
Thank you!

Thanks

Date: 2019-08-31 01:28 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thank you! That's just the precis I need. I'd pike your permission to print it off and send a copy to my friend Tanley, whose use of affirmations is rather desperately New Thought and tends towards the "I am wonderful, I am special...." aspect that plagues that philosophy.

Pat, the shadow of a very unpredictable hurricane.

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 01:52 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] robertmathiesen
One more useful note: I have found that affirmations work even if you don't believe they will work and don't put any faith in the process..

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] temporaryreality - Date: 2019-09-01 05:33 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 04:24 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thank you for this! It's just what I need because I tend to have a rather negative view of myself and my abilities, tending to believe that nothing I try will work out, thanks in part to a childhood spent with a very critical, disapproving mother.

I have an added layer of difficulty, though. I have OCD, so I also doubt every affirmation I choose. Is this the best one? Is there one better, or one that really gets closer to the heart of the problem? And if I choose this one then I can't work on that one, which I really need to do, too . . . etc., and then I end up choosing none of them and just wishing I could do it.

Any recommendations for this kind of self-doubt?

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-08-31 04:43 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-01 02:08 am (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-03 12:36 am (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-08-31 06:51 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 05:57 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I think you’ve struck a chord here John. I think a lot of people can relate to the solution and it’s usefulness for well being. If more people did this a lot less anti depressants would be sold!
Averagejoe

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-01 02:17 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

Date: 2019-08-31 07:58 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I used to find affirmations entirely ineffective, and considered them bloviated for that reason, but now I find some types seem to work a bit. Some of that probably has to do with therapy and time, but here are a couple of other points I'd like to add based on what I I found:

- Transpose abilities. For example could you honestly say that you are organized in a certain domain of your life - and you've had reliable feedback to that effect - but you are really not in other areas? Try transposing it to an area where you do need to be.
- Focus on areas where you have already improved a bit and it doesn't feel like trying to go from 0-100.

Some of what I've found seems to overlap with the SMART goals acronym, especially the "specific" and "achievable" criteria. SMART may be a bit businessy for this blog but I think it, along with self-knowledge, can stop affirmations from overreaching (which ultimately leads to disappointment).

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-08-31 09:15 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 12:19 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Would an affirmation like “I am living to be 100 years old” work?

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 01:14 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I would also add that one should make sure they're doing their own affirmations and NOT what they've been told to by someone else. The usage of affirmations by certain MLM uplines on their victim down line soured many both inside and outside the pyramids.

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 02:13 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
This is great. Would this work?: "I am healthy and energetic." Or is that trying to do two in one/would it be better to just go with "I am healthy." ? Thanks!

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 08:49 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I've been having some issues with getting into spirituality, and I strongly want to follow Druidry, so I'm wondering if something like, "I am a Druid," would work as a general affirmation? It would be followed, of course, with the daily practices of being a Druid.

I also have issues with internet use, and so my specific affirmation is something like "I live an analog life." Do you see any potential issues with these affirmations?

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-02 01:06 am (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-02 03:11 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-03 12:31 am (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 02:40 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
JMG, in your experience, does repeatedly writing out the affirmation on paper add anything to its effect?

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] jenrichardson - Date: 2019-09-01 05:27 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] dfr1973 - Date: 2019-09-01 04:51 pm (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-02 01:36 pm (UTC) - Expand

Phrasing Advice

Date: 2019-09-01 04:13 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thank you very much for this, JMG. I am eager to try this for a year and a day.

Of the choices I have come up with so far for my specific affirmation, according to divination something along the lines of "I am fulfilling my purpose for existing" seems to indicate the most potential for improving my life. Given what you mentioned above about certain often-used affirmations developing a useful egregore, I was wondering if you know of any already existing affirmations along those lines that you might recommend?

Also: should one aim to speak affirmations aloud where possible, or does it not matter very much?

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 05:37 pm (UTC)
temporaryreality: (Default)
From: [personal profile] temporaryreality
Thank you for this! I'll have to spend some time figuring out what my intention is/should be for this practice. I definitely need something to counteract really unhelpful negative-affirmations I trained myself with early in life. Thankfully things haven't turned out as badly as they might have (so I seem to have overcome some of them in spite of fully believing and repeating them for years), but there are residues and hidden traps still being uncovered. bleh.

Data point: TSW - when you mentioned using "I remember my dreams" a few weeks ago, I immediately put that to use. The results: after remembering at most 1-2 dreams every six months or so, I started remembering several from each night, probably 7 or 8 out of each 10 nights.

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] temporaryreality - Date: 2019-09-02 05:22 am (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] temporaryreality - Date: 2019-09-02 05:53 am (UTC) - Expand

This is invaluable information

Date: 2019-09-01 08:41 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I've tried several times to improve my life using affirmations, to no avail. The reason is that the materials available were not vintage New Thought texts but the New Age pop-psych pink-bubble-of-consciousness variety. These are invariably chock full of flagrant violations of laws #1 and #2. Would that someone mature and better informed had been on hand rather than these candy merchants. Oh well. Maybe it's time to give it one more try.

Kevin

Secrecy

Date: 2019-09-01 09:33 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Until I get the habit solidified, I was thinking of putting it on a sticky note by my daily Ogham cards on my writing desk, since I already look there several times throughout the day. My spouse wouldn't snoop on my writing desk unless he was just curious. I had to explain Ogham to him because the symbols drew him over, but an affirmation isn't fancy visually. Is that secret enough?

Do you think there is a risk of an inflated ego with these? I'm one of those insecure cocky people...I chose not to get into Golden Dawn magic because I'd read your warnings about solar energy and arrogance (I do the SOP and love it).

Increasing success in school

Date: 2019-09-01 10:35 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thanks for the info! This is a handy guide.

I'm considering using affirmations to improve my success in school. What do you think of this affirmation: "I successfully learn, understand, and retain information for my classes with ease."

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-01 11:59 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thanks for this JMG! I've been thinking about affirmations for myself for a few weeks since it was brought up here. I've known for a while now that I am afraid of success. My thought for an affirmation to counter this was "I pursue and welcome success in my life." I think it works alright, but I'm not sure. Any advice for this? I think I remember you mentioning at some point that you had similar struggles.

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-07 09:23 pm (UTC) - Expand

"To know, to dare, to will, and to be silent"

Date: 2019-09-02 12:14 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Hey hey JMG,

Just curious, what are the boundaries and issues with talking about magic? You've written books about it and talked about your experiences, and thank you very much for that. What things does one need to be careful about mentioning and what things should be kept to one's self?

Also, what is a good affirmation for developing the will? I'm thinking of something along the lines of "I am focused and determined to achieve my goals"

Thanks,
Tim

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-02 12:21 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Do you think that "I study" or "I like to study" would be a better affirmation if I'm trying to motivate myself to study?

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-02 12:53 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I had an idea, contingent on the interest of other readers, and of course of our gracious host:

If the recommendation is to do an affirmation for a year and a day, how about having a "check-in," either on its own post, or on a magic Monday, at the beginning of September, 2020, for those of us who are starting an affirmation now? Could be a fascinating bit of research on effectiveness, as well as maybe some encouragement for us to continue and persevere!

(no subject)

From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2019-09-02 01:27 pm (UTC) - Expand

Thank you!

Date: 2019-09-02 03:09 am (UTC)
candace_k: (Default)
From: [personal profile] candace_k
Thank you for this and everything you do generously share!

(no subject)

Date: 2019-09-02 04:03 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
JMG, thanks for this. I have had a time for years sorting out the value of affirmations from the drama and glamor. A Druid cuts through a lot of garbage.
At 75, I have health issues and a history of an adversarial relations with my body. So, upon reading your Seven Laws, I started with "I love my body". Then something deeper rose to the surface involving plain old confidence. Would "I intend confidence" be too general?
Page 1 of 2 << [1] [2] >>

Profile

ecosophia: (Default)John Michael Greer

October 2022

S M T W T F S
      1
23 45 678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Oct. 11th, 2022 12:41 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios