Women in my grandmother’s generation often used the phrase, “Don’t put your mouth on it.” They were not referring to something that should not be ingested. This was their reminder of the power of the spoken word. To “put your mouth on” something is to give it the power to manifest. It’s a highly valued and time-honored idea in various traditions around the world. In the Dogon cosmology Nommo is associated with this power. The ancient African mother deities Yemonja and Auset are said to be the mouth of power and to have the ability create by the power of the mouth.
Even the symbols chosen to represent the ancient African language, Mdw Ntr (commonly called hieroglyphics), indicate that words have divine power. Mdw Ntr translates to word of God/The Creator/The Oneness in English. And of course, there are the well-known mantras associated with Hindu tradition, often used in meditation to foster greater connection with the divine and the divine power within us.
In our everyday lives, we may be more familiar with phrases that athletes use to help them focus and use their abilities to the fullest. Or we may have read about the powers of positive thinking or taken a stress management class where we developed positive self-statements to assist us with remaining calm under pressure. What’s even better is that many of us have discovered that positive self-statements can help us access the inner resources that we need to accomplish a goal.
Various researchers have uncovered data that supports the traditional idea - words have power to help us create change. Dr. Candace Pert even demonstrated that our thoughts are transformed into chemical messengers that match the emotion associated with that thought.
Words reflect our beliefs but at the same time words can become beliefs. Thus, affirmations are both a goal and the foundation for achieving a goal. When we create an affirmation and use it, we begin to see ways that we can develop a skill or gain a new perspective on a challenging situation. Affirmations help us locate the source of a particular concept within ourselves and draw on it. If we want to be more peaceful, we can simply begin by stating that we are peaceful. As we repeat the word, it stimulates images and emotions and actions associated with peacefulness. We begin noticing what peaceful feels like, tastes like,
smells like, sounds like, and looks like.
These become our tools for building our best self. It’s an excellent practice to begin at any time. You can design your affirmations to focus on a goal that you want to achieve, to set the tone for your day, to create a mood, to cultivate a skill or even as stimulants for an emotional state. There are numerous possibilities to reap the dividends that come from investing in a few well-chosen words.
Affirmations help us connect words, actions, and emotions. They provide a means for understanding how our beliefs are the foundations of our actions. We see that growth is intimately tied to the ideas in our hearts and minds. From the perspective of divine #order, form follows thought. Words become seeds that grow and manifest in our reality. There is #reciprocity. We give our words and our most sincere intention then harvest the marvelous returns.
Here are some tips on using the power of words:
Think about your goal. Decide what you want.
Create a statement that indicates you already have it. Be sure this statement reflects what you want rather that what you don’t want. Thus, if you’re trying to reduce fear, put your intention on being courageous or confident or secure or self-assured rather than fear-less. Think about what you’ll have when there is less fear. What is it that you want?
If you’re aiming to accomplish a goal like weight loss, think about how you’ll feel when you’ve lost the weight. Then, create affirmations to help you claim those feelings.
Here’s an example. Perhaps, you work in a very stressful setting. You sometimes find yourself feeling anxious, moving fast but not getting much done. You’d like to be more calm, centered, peaceful, focused or all of the above.
If you’re new to affirmations, choose one word and create a sentence such as, “I am calm”. Or “I am focused”.
If you’re more experienced, try combining two words such as: “I am peaceful and focused”.
Be patient with yourself. Take some deep breaths and say your affirmation. Repeat it regularly. Notice how your behavior begins to match your words and your words remind you of the feeling and behaviors that make the words your reality.
Allow yourself to truly experience the words in your affirmations. Use all of your senses. Get every last drop. Put your mouth on it.
© Sandra Y. Lewis