USING AFFIRMATIONS TO MAKE LIFE HAPPEN
If you’ve had a private reading with me, you know that I love to wrap up a Lenormand reading with one or more affirmations.
That’s because I swear by them!
That’s right, I’m someone who changed her life with affirmations, and while the details of this would fill volumes and are well beyond anything we could cover in a blog post, I want to tell you a little about this amazing tool and why it’s part of my Lenormand practice.
I came across affirmations through the amazing works of Louise L. Hay at a time in my life when nothing was really working. When I started to practice affirmations consistently, I couldn’t believe at the turnaround that I witnessed inside myself in my life. Now, achieving results with affirmations is seldom a straightforward path, but results are material!
The idea that we can choose our thoughts and that practicing constructive thinking can make all the difference in our life, made me rethink everything - including my Lenormand practice.
I decided I wanted my cards to speak to me positively, like a good friend.
And that’s when I really delved into studying the cards, so I can infuse them with empowering ideas and constructive advice. After all, you’ve heard me say, if we can’t do anything about a reading, what good is it, really?
From then on, I always look for a key, positive affirmation to take away from a reading.
Not only is the positive affirmation good for you all on its own, but it helps you get to the essence of a reading. It brings you that much closer to your goal and gives you more clarity about the issue and why you asked about it in the first place.
But what are affirmations exactly? And how do they work?
AFFIRMATIONS ARE ANYTHING WE SAY OR DO
This might surprise you, but anything can be an affirmation. That’s because everything speaks! We know that words carry thoughts, but so do actions and choices. The state of our home is also an affirmation: What does our home say about your state of mind?
That’s to say that our words, actions, and surroundings give away how we feel about ourselves and about life.
So we can start by cleaning up our spaces, retraining some of our behaviors, or changing our thinking, and it will have ripple effects across the different areas of our life.
But when we’re talking about the practice of affirmations, we’re usually talking about thinking and speaking positive sentences to retrain our negative habits of mind.
In this sense, affirmations need to follow a few simple rules:
- They must be formulated using the pronoun ‘I’
- They must be stated in the present tense
- They’re better without word contractions
- They must be positive and claim the result we want now
Try this: I love myself exactly as I am, right here and right now.
Sweet, right?
AFFIRMATIONS WORK IN A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS
When first starting out with this practice, it’s unlikely that you’ll get the results the affirmation is about.
For example, if you’re affirming I have a wonderful new job, when you’ve never done the affirmations work before, you’re not likely to attract a new job - and this is one way people get disappointed in the practice and turn away from it.
The reason is that you first need to till the soil of your mind before planting specific seeds. If you think of your mind as the soil and affirmations as seeds, then it will make sense that seeds can’t grow in poor soil. First we must clear up and till the soil.
The good news is that affirmations themselves help till the soil. You can stick with your job affirmation, but you’ll probably be led to another, deeper affirmation that will help till the soil.
Usually, it’s forgiveness affirmations that go deep enough to till the soil - forgiving ourselves and forgiving others. And this is when all of the heavy work is done, as we examine our past, regrets, pains, hurts, anger, etc.
Admittedly, this isn’t easy and people will often drop out of the process at this point for fear of the monster they’ll find inside themselves. Of course, there’s no monster, only a frightened child who’s been abandoned for some time.
When affirmations are used for healing, they’re like drops of water that erode a hardened surface. Beneath that surface, there’s a store of emotions that will flow out once released - usually in the form of tears. When that happens, it’s a big win.
Once forgiveness is well underway, specific affirmations can take root in the new soil of our mind and bloom into material results.
Affirmations also help us replace old thinking patterns. If we think of ourselves as failures, we’ll keep failing. We need to replace our poor self-worth with empowering beliefs, like: I learn from every experience, or another one of my favorite Louise Hay affirmations: My pathway is a series of stepping stones to every greater successes.
Furthermore, we can use affirmations to step into the unknown. This is one of my favorite ways to use affirmations. It keeps me centered as I continue to move forward.
WHAT HOLDS PEOPLE BACK
Most people who are skeptical about affirmations are waiting around for ‘science’ to ‘prove’ that affirmations do or don’t work. But why wait around when the best proof is the one you know for yourself, first-hand??
But often, it’s not only skepticism that deters people from doing affirmations, but the fear of what they’ll become or what they’ll feel when they practice them consistently. Forgiveness work is a deep process for which many aren’t ready. And it can’t be forced. In fact, forcing someone who’s not ready can be detrimental.
If you want to help others, you’re best helping yourself and just being an example.
Another reason people might not practice or fall out of the affirmations practice, is that it takes a bit a of discipline. We have to think and speak our affirmations consistently and daily for best and faster results.
But the healing process is well worth it, and as Jim Rohn put it “Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons.”
HOW TO START AN AFFIRMATION PRACTICE
Choose one affirmation to start. If there’s a big issue in your life, you can keep your affirmation general and say things like these affirmations:
I am open to the perfect solution.
All is resolved for the good of all involved.
I embrace change and am willing to move past this.
If there’s nothing special happening, but you want to start an affirmation practice, then try sweet thoughts like these:
I love myself and I love life.
I am grateful for my amazing life.
I am willing to change and to grow.
I am open to wonderful new experiences.
If you’re feeling blocked with your affirmations, it’s usually an important sign that you need to go the next level deeper, and forgiveness and soil-tilling type of work are typically what’s needed. Try these:
I forgive the past and I am free.
I am free to move forward with love in my heart.
I love myself unconditionally.
I see my parents as children, deserving of love and safety.
I am willing to forgive.
I trust Life to lead me to my good.
Regardless of what kind of work you’re doing with your affirmations, a daily practice is needed for best results. Repeating your affirmations daily, twenty to fifty times is not a lot, and usually takes just a few minutes. Repeating them morning and evening is great because you get to set the tone for your day and clear your mind for the night using wonderful thoughts.
The most powerful way to do affirmations though is while looking at yourself in the mirror. This is an exercise that will frighten many and even anger some to fury. Yes, it’s that powerful. But I won’t say more and will leave up to you to try.
HOW TO USE AFFIRMATIONS WITH YOUR LENORMAND CARDS
While all cards have a meaning that’s commonly agreed, you’re not limited to that meaning. The general meaning of the cards can branch out in different ways, and you can easily draw advice and positive thoughts from them.
You’re completely free to infuse your cards with constructive advice and positive thoughts. In fact, a reading is an excellent launchpad for practical action - if you choose for your cards to speak to you in these ways.
Suppose you get the Dog, you know it’s about friends, siblings, or colleagues. So affirm: I am grateful for my wonderful friends, or I love being a team player, or My peers and I love and support one another. Such thoughts are especially helpful when you’re having trouble because they keep you centered and help your reading forward.
Even negative cards like the Whip can inspire your positive thinking. In fact, it’s in the face of such cards that you want to focus your thoughts on positivity the most. Affirm: I can handle anything that comes my way, or Out of this situation, only good comes, or I am safe.
In time, your deck will become a trusted friend who helps you focus on your good. It can teach you to be conscious about your thoughts and what you’re creating in your life.
P.S. Want to infuse your cards with heart-centered guidance?
I love to turn any even into an opportunity, and my Lenormand practice is no exception. If you want to infuse your Lenormand cards with constructive thoughts, then you’ll love Lenormand Reader’s Card Combinations Master. Heart-centered advice and spiritual guidance are part of every card’s meaning.
