I attended a wonderful workshop, hosted by Rev. Dr. Michelle Wadleigh, on the spiritual practice of Afformations. It was a wonderful refresher for a practice I had not used in a while.
I was introduced to Afformations, as a personal development practice, by my husband. When I first met him over 30 years ago, we bonded over what he referred to as “personal development’ books. He had a wonderful personal library of books by many authors that I later learned were part of the New Thought movement and thinking!
Having recently left a bad marriage, I desired to take a good, hard look at my life. He shared several books from his personal library that led me to embark on a quest for personal development.
One book he shared with me was Afformations: The Miracle of Self-Talk. Like affirmations, afformations are a way to train and guide your mind into the infinite possibility of what you can accomplish. One of the biggest obstacles to affirmations is dealing with the ‘monkey mind’ that says you are lying when you repeat your affirmation.
After having trouble with affirmations because I could not make myself believe them, I found this approach interesting. Instead of proclaiming what you want, you ask yourself a question about why you are experiencing that in your life. For example, instead of repeating the affirmation: I am prosperous, I ask myself: Why is prosperity flowing to me so easily?
How Rev. Michelle Explains Afformations
The brain is wired to answer questions. The moment a question is asked, the mind begins searching for evidence. It naturally recruits your Reticular Activating System (RAS) — the part of the brain that filters information — to notice opportunities, experiences, and behaviors that support the question.
Rather than trying to force yourself to believe a statement you may secretly doubt, you invite your mind into a curious search for evidence.
The energy shifts from convincing … to discovering
I am a bit embarrassed to admit that, even though I have taught about afformations in the past, I had forgotten to add this to my daily routine. Remembering this practice opened my brain up to the possibilities I had left behind … but no more. Part of our homework from the workshop was to create and use the afformation daily for the next 21 days. I intend to adapt afformations back into my life permanently!
Thanks, Michelle, for the beautiful reminder.
Find more spiritual practices to integrate into your life in my eguide: Spiritual Tools to Enrich Your Soul.