Faith and The Power of Affirmation

Some people find it difficult to have faith in themselves, in external things, or even in a higher power. These people may pride themselves on being realists. While realism is a good thing, this word may be used to hide a fear of reaching beyond what can be seen and touched. Some so-called realists experience more obstacles and anxieties than those who have boundless faith and optimism, because they have a limited view of reality that can only offer further limitation.

What is faith?

When people say they have no faith in God, or a higher power, it is because they cling to material things and these form their reality. By its very nature, confusion and limitation must result. It seems logical that when one looks upwards at the planets and the stars; outwards at the beauty of Nature and inwards at the rich resources of our soul, that there is a creator and higher power behind it all, very much greater than we are. Faith is not an empty thing; it is born from humility, awe and wonder at the perfection of creation; it is a stage after belief and an essential stage before wisdom and enlightenment.

Faith requires us to listen to our intuition or to the wisdom of those whom we trust, such as the Spiritual Master, Dr George King. This demands discrimination and study, as well as open-mindedness on our part. One of the great benefits of regular Spiritual practices is that these strengthen our faith and make us more aware of a higher reality. The more we practice yoga breathing, mystic visualization, mantra, meditation or prayer, the more these glimpses will become a reality and greater faith will be born.

The benefits of faith are enormous. Unlike doubt, which erodes and is destructive, faith regenerates. It is constructive in nature and through faith we can draw upon our inner strength and power in a balanced way. By having faith in the divine source within all life, we can help build strength in others.

Affirmation

Most of us are aware of the power and creativity of positive thinking. We have all heard stories about people beating unbelievable odds through the sheer power of their will and positive thinking. This is something we can all do through the technique of affirmation.

When we affirm negative things, we are programming our subconscious mind in the wrong way. The subconscious mind governs all bodily functions and if we constantly tell it that we are getting older and sicker, then it will obediently carry out your instructions by making us older and sicker. The subconscious mind does not reason; it just obeys. It is extremely brilliant but it is not creative in that it just obeys what we tell it to do.

If you are an anxious type of person it is difficult to stop worrying. It is extremely difficult to change your negative thought pattern just by a sheer act of will, more difficult than stopping an ingrained habit such as smoking. Try instead to slowly introduce affirmations into your daily routine. These will have a ripple effect on your thought patterns and you will gradually find that the motion of the affirmation will literally knock your thoughts and words into better shape.

Never lie to yourself

Many people teach affirmations and you may already be repeating some. However, remember you should never lie to yourself and the reason for this is simple. If you tell yourself a lie, your obedient servant – the subconscious mind – will try and program the lie; this will cause confusion and eventually your circuits will break down!

If you are sick, don’t tell yourself you are healthy. Instead, repeat an affirmation like this one:

Every day in every way I am getting better and better and better.

Although very simple, this is a brilliant affirmation that can be used safely and successfully by everyone. Why? Because by repeating this you will never lie to yourself. You are not saying “I am completely well”, instead you are informing your subconscious mind of your positive intentions to become better and are programming it to carry out this instruction. You are assisting your body in its natural healing process. Also, you are working to improve every part of you– your mental and spiritual aspects as well as your physical health. Finally, this affirmation has a dynamic and powerful rhythm that will help to drive it into your subconscious mind.

Prove that you mean it

Also, you have to work along with your affirmations. I know people who think that if they are affirming something then that is the only course of action they need to take. It would not make sense to affirm that your financial situation is getting better if you stopped working and instead went on endless shopping sprees! Affirmations will work for you; they will become a part of you, and then it is up to you to prove that you really mean them, by acting upon what you are affirming. In other words, we should not be hypocrites.

Change yourself, not others

It is always better to affirm positive changes within yourself rather than requesting that other people change. The main thing in life is not that we have this relationship or another; it is not that we have this job or that college education. The main thing for each of us is that we unfold our own unique destiny in the way that is right for us. When we achieve this all the right experiences, all the good things and people that are meant to come into our life will come in the way they are meant to come in order to give us the experiences we need.

If you only use one affirmation…

If you want to select only one affirmation to use in your life, then I would suggest the following. It is totally true and totally spiritual. It is the most positive thing you could possibly affirm and will bring you growth, advancement and expansion.

I am the Divine Presence which is creating perfection throughout my whole life.
– as given in Contact Your Higher Self Through Yoga by Dr George King

This really is the ultimate affirmation and one of the best times to use it is when you are lying in bed at night at that point just before you drop off to sleep. Although your conscious mind rests while you sleep, your subconscious mind never rests. This wonderful aspect of mind continues to perform its magic.

The power of positive thought

The benefits of positive thinking are widely known. Like faith, this brings hope, optimism, confidence, joy, enthusiasm and all those positive, constructive qualities that are indications of our spiritual growth.

Why is this so?

It is because thought has tremendous power. While light travels at 186,000 miles per second, thought travels virtually instantaneously. Thought is very fine in nature but is extremely powerful. It can transform us or bring us down. Every time we think, our thought impulses are conveyed to the cells of our body and every time we suffer doubt, confusion or negativity our cells become weaker. This is why in eastern philosophy it is said that our physical body is an outer manifestation of our thoughts.

Once we understand how deeply our own thought patterns affect us, the next step is to learn to control them. We can clarify and focus them through concentration; give them direction through use of our will; purify them through affirmation; uplift them through noble thinking and the study of truth. Then our thoughts become clear and forceful and our greatest friends; slowly but surely the soul, or higher mind, will gain control of our thoughts and our lives. Then, we will no longer be blown like feathers in the winds of change; we will no longer be distracted by the whims of others; by our own doubts and confusion. Then we will be reborn and the butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis of our former self.

It is at the point where our thoughts are noble, born from the higher mind, that character is built. All the people throughout our past and present history, who have moved and inspired us, had character. It shone through their personality as strength, conviction, honor and integrity. Character is the determining factor in victory. Once character is born then we can add to our noble thoughts, noble acts of kindness, courtesy and consideration to others. Then charm is added to character and this magical combination will attract to itself all the tools it needs on the journey to our destiny.

An exercise you can try!

For the next 24 hours, practice having faith in the divinity within. Focus on positive, constructive things about yourself as well as about everything and everyone you meet. Continue this for three days. Watch everything you say and, if you fall into bad habits, note down what you said and its effects. At the end of the three days, return to your former ways and watch the results. After several days of only saying constructive things, you may find the approach you had before now seems negative and destructive. Try it for yourself! Treat this as an exercise of discipline for a few days and you may be surprised at how your perception of “reality” changes. You may also be surprised when you become more self-conscious of how much your words affect yourself and others.

About the author
Chrissie Blaze has been a Member of The Aetherius Society since 1972 and was a close student of Dr George King for 25 years. She is an ordained priest in The Aetherius Society and a member of the international body, The Ecclesiastical Synod. She is an international speaker and the author of twelve books, including the bestselling book Power Prayer (co-author, Gary Blaze) and her latest book Earth: Astrology’s Missing Planet – Reconnecting with Her Sacred Power, Dodona Books, February 2018.