follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 1
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
ANNAGRAMMATICA‘S
Little Book of
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS
by Mary Campbell
COMING SUMMER 2013 Positive Affirmations for Kids
PLEASE SEE BACK COVER
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 2
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
I am made of love....
i am blissfully in love with myself. I treat myself with meticulous care, respect, gentleness, and wis-dom. My energy is continually
engaged in giving and receiving love... with the Divine... with family, friends, and others I encounter... and with the angels and departed loved ones who watch over and guide me. I approach all living things with compassion and good will. My thoughts, words, and actions proceed out of love. I love the Divine Creator with all my heart, soul, and mind; and I love my neigh-bor as myself. My foremost healing tool is love. I am replete with health and happiness, and my joy lifts and heals the planet, reaching to the edges of the universe. I am overflowing with and surrounded by joy and love. From the bright miracle of dawn to the ten-der graces of evening, everything im-parts contentment.
BLISSFUL and SERENE, I DWELL in a GARDEN of
DIVINE LOVE
i am enchanted by light, color, and form; by the clear, bright hues of sum-mer, the stark shades of winter, the tawny overtones of autumn, and the
delicate tints of early spring. The pale green of new growth tugs at my heart, filling me with hope and anticipation for the abundance that is every day sweeter and more satisfying. I am called to share my portion; the universe blesses me beyond profusion.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 3
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
CONTENTS
how I got the vibe ........................................................................................................ 5 affirmations upward bound ...................................................................................... 6 feel a deeper love for yourself—Sandra Anne Taylor ......................................... 7 positive affirmations more than happy talk ................................................... 7 positive affirmations propelling you toward healthy-self-love ................ 8
affirmations transforming the negative to the positive ............................ 9 but what‘s the good news? ....................................................................................... 9 death, doom, destruction, mayhem, warty witches .......................................... 11 private wars… ‘what if?‘ ................................................................................................ 12 reprieve ............................................................................................................................. 13 love yourself — unconditionally! ................................................................................ 14 write your own affirmations ........................................................................................ 15 owning my power, claiming my truth ..................................................................... 16 reflections, my mirror affirmations ............................................................................ 17 use affirmations that complement and reinforce each other ........................... 18 meditate for inner peace and intergalactic harmony ......................................... 19
reinforce affirmations with meditation .................................................................... 20 meditation plus affirmations keeps you honest .................................................... 21 how far to decrepitude? .............................................................................................. 22 more on meditation and affirmations ...................................................................... 22 are you practicing heart coherence? ....................................................................... 23 how affirmations work ................................................................................................. 24 affirming spirit‘s eternal truth ..................................................................................... 24
now is the
now is the time for
time for boundless
boundless joy!joy!
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 4
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
CONTENTS
daily journaling prompts you on time, energy ........................................................... 25 the power of positive affirmations ................................................................................. 26 language, song, dance, and creation ........................................................................... 26 the power of language: the [living] word ................................................................... 27 ahead of his time: Emile Coué ........................................................................................ 27
think positively ...................................................................................................................... 28 quotations from norman vincent peale and others ................................................... 29 when you meditate, use positive affirmations ............................................................ 31 self-talk for winners ............................................................................................................. 31 yes, I can! ................................................................................................................................ 31 level 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 31 level 2 ...................................................................................................................................... 31 level 3 ...................................................................................................................................... 32 level 4 ...................................................................................................................................... 32 level 5 ...................................................................................................................................... 33 write your own affirmations ............................................................................................. 34
75 affirmations ..................................................................................................................... 35 affirming abundance with the turn of a phrase ........................................................ 38 borrowed affirmations ....................................................................................................... 39 positive affirmations for kids, coming late summer 2013 ........................................ 44
using positive
using positive affirmations can
affirmations can make you
make you happier… this
happier… this book will show
book will show you how
you how
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 5
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
SUGAR IN THE MORNING…
ON A LAZY SUMMER MORNING IN 2011, a particular ad headline on my computer caught my eye:
I love the way I lookI love the way I lookI love the way I look: : : aglow with happiness and health aglow with happiness and health aglow with happiness and health
ER-R-R-K! Too late, I whipped out my ANTI-AFFIRMATION STUN GUN. EGAD! It still wore its chain-saw-resistant protective packaging. ―Batteries,‖ it smirked, ―sold separately.‖
I conceded; further opposition would only endanger the children. In any case, my brain had a mind of its own. ―...AGLOW‖ had won it over and was pulling the rest of me along. I committed the text to memory, saved it on the computer, and cartwheeled after my brain toward the bathroom.
HOW I GOT THE VIBE u ntil a few years ago, I thought the whole idea of positive affirmations was lame. WORSE than lame. DELUSIONAL! Keeping a straight face was more than I could manage, gazing soulfully at my mirror image and crooning I‘M [YOU‘RE] BEAUTIFUL AND THE WORLD LOVES
ME [YOU] a dozen times, jowls flapping rhythmically like fleshy castanets.
LEFT TO RIGHT:
overstock.com
freerangestock.com
bloomshealth.com.au
positive affirmations Joy is my compass. —Alan Cohen
...continued on page 7
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 6
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
affirmations upward boundaffirmations upward boundaffirmations upward bound ggg oing oing oing up? Enjoy that Ferris-wheel exhilaration with truly uplifting affirmations that resonate with
body and spirit. Because my Higher Self — the essential, eternal ME — is always radiant with per-fect health and absolute well-being... I can affirm with genuine conviction, ―I AM BRIMMING WITH HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.‖ It rings true for the soul... it feels genuine... and it inspires me to
eat my peas. Every time I say ―I AM BRIMMING WITH HEALTH AND WELL-BEING,‖ I feel lighter... livelier... more energetic and refreshed. What effect does this affirmation have on YOU?
Now, try on THIS affirmation: ―I AM GOING TO MAKE A PROFIT OF $1 MILLION THIS CALENDAR YEAR.‖ Does it give you goose bumps? Then go for it. By all means. Me? It gives me a panic attack. I know what ―health‖ looks like and what ―well-being‖ feels like. But I can‘t warm up to a hoop-de-la over profits. Maybe if you‘d hand me the check I‘d feel the magic....
maybe God has a better planmaybe God has a better planmaybe God has a better plan aaa narrow affirmation—say, MEETING YOUR SOUL MATE AND GETTING MARRIED BY SEPTEMBER—could come back to bite you. Maybe God has a better plan.
When you set your intention, leave wiggle room. You can‘t ultimately control the Divine, who has the big picture and can see around the bend. Co-create a major goal using affirmations that allow for the unexpected; for example: RIGHT NOW I AM CREATING SPACE FOR MY LIFE PARTNER— AN INTELLIGENT, PROSPEROUS, ATHLETIC GUY WITH A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR... WHO IS ON A SEEKER‘S SPIRITUAL PATH AND WHO LOVES TO TRAVEL, LOVES HIS FAMILY, AND LOVES ME MOST OF ALL. I AFFIRM THIS REALITY OR AN EVEN BETTER OUT-COME, ACCORDING TO SPIRIT‘S VISION AND THE HIGHEST GOOD OF ALL CONCERNED.
for extra energy...for extra energy...for extra energy... FRAME YOUR AFFIRMATIONS in the vocabulary of what you want, not what you don‘t want — ―I LOVE MY HAPPY, JOYOUS LIFE,‖ not ―I‘M NO LONGER DEPRESSED.‖ STATEMENTS BEGINNING ―I AM‖ are especially strong; ―I am‖ represents the name of God. YOU‘LL RESPOND most powerfully to your own voice. Say affirmations out loud, ideally several times a day. If possi-ble, record them on a CD. Listen to the recording as you‘re falling asleep. ‖MIRROR WORK,‖ À LA Louise Hay, can be magical. Speak to your first-person image —―I love myself‘ — and then to your second-person image — ―I love you.‖
joy workjoy workjoy work aaa ffirmations ffirmations ffirmations are fun but they‘re not a game. Immersing yourself in positive affirmations is a
healthy, compassionate, and powerful way to LOVE YOURSELF, FEEL AT HOME IN YOUR SKIN, AND RE-BUILD YOUR SELF-ESTEEM…. for the JOY of it!
af-fir-MAY-
shun (n.) — a positive
phrase about yourself or
your circumstances that
you repeat throughout the
day, using the present
tense, as if already true.
Also ―positive thinking,‖
―self-empowerment‖ –
simpledailychange.com
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 7
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
Yikes! My wrinkles had vanished, and my SKIN—ooh-la-la! It was soft and dewy as a Georgia peach!
...NNNARCISSUSARCISSUSARCISSUS IN THE AFTERNOON iii spent the rest of the day giving myself various beauty treatments, then looking in the mirror, sometimes saying the affirmation, sometimes not. A
mystifying near-disaster has yet to be explained (yikes?!)—Without warning, at about 3 p.m., the GLOW just up and WENT! Allergies turned my eyes red and watery. My lower teeth looked like Confederate troops—uniformly gray, lined up facing south. My hair went flat and stringy, and my skin had all the sheen and luster of WPA cement.
By bedtime, however, I was back in bloom — persis-tently aglow and in need of a new mirror (we wore the old one out).
I had THE VIBE, and it was powerfully intoxicating. Whether my newfound magnificence would hold up in the cold, hard light of PHYSICAL REALITY hardly mat-tered. I had entered the fertile realm OF INFINITE POTEN-
TIAL, where (by definition) anything was possible.
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS MORE
THAN ‗HAPPY TALK‘
hhh appiness is the highest form of satisfaction… the key to fulfillment… and your most important re-sponsibility to yourself and the universe.
YOUR
WELL-BEING CONTRIBUTES TO THE PLANET‘S HEALTH IN WAYS THAT RESEARCHERS REFER TO AS COHERENCE, OR ―GLOBAL ORDER.‖ (See ―heart coherence,‖ p. 22.)
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS...
...REMIND US WHO WE ARE at the core and
how vast is our potential; but ―the time
before we awaken to the knowledge of our
glorious immortality‖ is not wasted.
Have no regrets. Wherever we are, whatever
we are doing, and everything that has led us
to this time and place... all is exactly as it need-
ed to be. —O. Lawless, ―Meditations‖
There‘s no such thing as wasted time.
‗FEEL A DEEPER LOVE FOR YOURSELF‘
a uthor and intuitive Sandra Anne Taylor travels the world teaching standing-
room-only audiences to create lives of joy and abundance. She is an expert on CONSCIOUSNESS-CREATED REALITY—the theory (drawn from quantum mechanics) that revived popular interest in the LAW OF ATTRACTION — which, Tay-lor is quick to point out, is widely
m i s u n d e r s t o o d . ―There are numerous laws of attraction,‖ says the NEW YORK TIMES–bestselling au-thor of QUANTUM SUC-
CESS and a score of other books and CDs (including, with twin Sharon Klingler, SE-
CRETS OF SUCCESS).
Superficially under-stood, the Law of Attraction maintains that you can get what you want simp-ly by thinking about it — using your CONSCIOUSNESS to
create your REALITY. It‘s not that simple, Taylor explains.
...continued on p. 8
Identical twins Sharon Klingler (top) and Sandra Anne Taylor
...continued from page 5 Images below by Victorian artist-illustrator Kate Greenaway
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 8
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
Seeking happiness is instinctive. Every cell, every body process leans into the highest feeling it can conceive of. If I am awash in misery I reach for RELIEF FROM SUFFERING, EQUILIBRIUM, HAPPINESS... whatever seems attainable. EASING THE PAIN, RELIEVING THE PANIC.. these are the body‘s instinctive reactions whether one is sleepless and frantic over a missing teenager at 3 a.m. or, at the same hour, trapped in a smoke-filled room, gasping for oxygen.
USE THIS BOOK TO ERASE BAD HABITS, CREATE GOOD HABITS. When I‘m not happy, I can usually blame bad habits—not enough sleep, poor diet, lame excuses (―too old,‖ ―can‘t afford‖). Behind the bad habits there‘s probably not enough love of self…. I‘m betting this is true for you, too. Get happier with positive affirmations. This book will show you how.
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS PROPELLING YOU TOWARD
HEALTHY SELF-LOVE a ccording to the organization Mental Health Advocacy Inc., positive affirmations are an expres-or idea that is repeated, often without thinking about it, used to impress the subcon-with a thought that can motivate you, remind you of your talents and provide the
confidence you need to accomplish goals. Regular use of positive affirmations can help change your attitudes, behaviors and habits. Those who utilize the power of positive affirmations report that you can use them to heal, to find romance and prosperity, and to achieve peace of mind.
The organization recommends that affirmations be as short as four or five words so you‘ll remember them in the present tense repeated as often as you think of it,… while waiting in line, for example repeated while you‘re relaxed and focused...accompanied by deep breaths
Mental Health Advocacy Inc. suggests these positive affirmations on its web-site, MENTALHEALTHADVOCACYINC.ORG:
I release my fear and in the process I let go of my depression. I [can] reveal myself to the world without fear of judgment or criticism from others as well as myself and my anxiety will disappear. I choose to forgive and let go of anger. I choose to be happy. I will no longer allow fear to keep me from enjoying my life. I deserve happiness. I am strong and confident knowing I will come through this challenge with a greater awareness of who I am. I release all the ties that bind me to anxiety or depression.
...continued from p. 7
To attract the people, circum-stances, and possessions you want, shift toward ―a higher and brighter mental and emotional energy,‖ says Taylor. She uses positive affirmations to sustain enthusiasm and self-love.
―When we‘re doing affirmations, we‘re p r o g r a m m i n g [beneficial] neural pathways in the brain..., using repeti-tion as well as feel-ing the truth of the affirmations in our hearts.‖ If you can‘t honestly say, ―I am valuable,‖ Taylor suggests using phrases such as ―I am discovering how valuable I am.‖
Check out HayHouse..com and san-drataylor.com for information on Taylor‘s books, radio programs, and public appearances, ... posi-tive affirmations... and much more.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 9
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
H APPINESS FLOWS WHEN WE GENUINELY LOVE OURSELVES. Self-love (not to be confused with narcissism) blooms natu-rally in gardens ripe with spiritual blessings. Sadly, some Christian educators miss the point entirely, teach-ing self-denial in the name of divine love.
In 1956 (when I was 9 years old), my Sunday-school class began using a dry, dispiriting curriculum based not on the gospel (―good news‖) but on a chilly interpretation of the writings of the apostle Paul. The curriculum failed utterly to offer guidance in the principle of balancing love and care for self and others.
Within a few weeks, I had mastered the key points of the new curriculum:
no attention to self is acceptable to God or His Son;
the reward for untiring attendance upon God and neighbor, and total disregard for self, is eternal life in heaven;
when Jesus preaches ―love your neighbor as yourself,‖ he actually means ―love your neighbor instead of yourself‖;
Mr. Finn, our conspicuously well-heeled teacher, is exempt from these rules.
For some reason I was mightily impressed by this uncompromis-ing creed. Mr. Finn—a personable, easygoing, charismatic fellow, a Scout leader, and a pillar of the church — worked on my sensi-bilities over an entire school year, cementing my commitment to a belief system that I secretly knew was impossible to keep faith with.
p eople often ask, "How do I begin to affirm my good?‖ ... I suggest making lists. a separate
page for each topic, such as love, family, health.... Then write down every thought that comes up about each subject, negative and positive.... The next step is to take each nega-tive statement and turn it around into a positive affirma-tion. ... Finally, add this affirma-tion: ALL MY POSITIVE AFFIRMA-
T I O N S C O M E T R U E
FOR ME!
—Louise Hay on
bestofyoutoday.com
affirmations:
TRANSFORMING
the negative to
the positive
...but what‘s the GOOD news?
affirmations for
SELF-STYLED SPIRITU-
AL UNDERACHIEVERS
I love myself unconditionally
I am a good person who de-
serves to be happy
I take pride in who I am
I am happy just being me
I am totally comfortable being
myself
I have limitless confidence in my
abilities
I accept myself deeply and com-
pletely
―Love Yourself Positive Affirmations,‖
freeaffirmations.org
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 10
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
This was rather an awful burden to a third-grader who took herself very seriously and was willing to believe that the weight of the world rested on her shoulders — especially since Mr. Finn seemed disinclined to wrinkle his own natty suit jacket. Even an eight-year-old can spot a hyp-ocrite who preaches uncompromising self-sacrifice while flaunting his wealth at every op-portunity. To me, this only meant that I was go-ing to have to begin my austere spiritual journey without Mr. Finn‘s example or support.
ON MY OWN.... My darling, wonderful parents were much more pragmatic than I was. They were quiet rebels against institutional hypocrisy who enjoyed staying home with their children and reading the newspaper on Sunday morn-ings. Lifelong Presbyterians, they were disap-pointed in this renegade church‘s theological swing to the right. I alone in the family walked five blocks to church each week.
If Dad and Mom had known how thoroughly their baby girl was becoming saturated with Christian fundamentalism, they would have ar-rowed beyond ―disappointed‖ straight to ―seriously alarmed.‖
None of my Sunday-school classmates took Mr. Finn‘s teaching to heart Mondays through Satur-days, whereas I felt constant shame at my own selfishness... wanting new clothes and books when third-world children didn‘t even have clean drinking water! According to Mr. Finn, the U.S. had abdicated its role as a world leader and was responsible for all the planet‘s ills. Surely the nation and everyone in it would be pun-ished, and the penalty would not end even with death for those not Saved.
Knowing I was a terrible person was enough to keep me awake most nights; any remaining hours were stolen by my dread of damnation. But the dark was made truly horrifying by the TALES MY BROTHER TOLD ME.
I scared myself silly, largely because I never thought to suggest positive, hopeful WHAT-
IFS, such as... WHAT IF weapons negotiations with the Soviet Union succeed? WHAT IF millions of people pray for peace? WHAT IF government officials are genuinely dedicated to helping kids feel secure growing up on our planet?
A FEW WELL-CONSTRUCTED
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS WOULD
HAVE DONE A WHALE OF A LOT
OF GOOD BACK THEN.
WHAT IF AFFIRMATIONS WORK?
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 11
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
DEATH, DOOM, DESTRUCTION, MAYHEM,
WARTY WITCHES
w itches populated the night terrors I had endured for as long as I could remember. My big brother delight-ed in fueling these fears.
Why was our old house so creaky at night? According to Brother John, I was hearing the warty witches when they emerged from the closets in the attic. Not to worry, though; the gravity problem would probably destroy the planet be-fore the witches could carry out their evil schemes.
It seemed that gravity, which kept the planet in its proper place, would soon ―let go‖ — of what? I was never sure. The entire planet, or just individual items? Little girls in particu-lar? In any case, it didn‘t look good for us, my brother was convinced. If we dodged that bullet, sooner or later ―the Russians‖ would unleash an estimated 3 gazillion nuclear bombs, all aimed at our backyard. On the bright side, we‘d be cinders in no time at all; we‘d never feel a thing.
Wouldn‘t a few optimistic, positive affirmations have come in handy to dispel the heavy mists of hopelessness my brother had been at pains to spread across our entire se-cond floor? His nightly Doom and Death Report bypassed my parents‘ ears and came straight to mine... until the night they listened in (because I finally blabbed, of course). But
PLANTING SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE
d oing affirmations is consciously choosing to think certain thoughts that will create
positive results in the future. They create a focal point that will allow you to
begin changing your thinking. Affirmative statements are going beyond the reality
of the present into the creation of the future through the words you use in the now.
When you choose to say "I am very prosperous," you may actually have very little
money in the bank at the moment, but what you're doing is planting seeds for future
prosperity. Each time you repeat this statement, you're reaffirming the seeds you've
planted in the atmosphere of your mind. That's why you want it to be a happy atmos-
phere. Things grow more quickly in rich, fertile soil. —bestofyoutoday.com
AFFIRMATION
t oday I am seeing the
perfection in everyone
—Sonia Choquette
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 12
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
the damage was done. Our house would never again be a fortress against every imaginable evil.
Now that I think about it, I‘m pretty sure my brother is still grounded for destroying a tiny toddler‘s assurance of safety while the tiny toddler still had a use for it.
If I HAD been hip to affirmations, I could have protected myself with these:
I have the best possible parents—loving, strong, brave, and unworried about witches, wars, or damnation
I have smart, funny, loyal friends
The sun comes up every morning
Johnny is an idiot
Jesus loves me
When the sun was shining I was busy and cheerful; I loved school and felt safe there, and I gave little thought during the day to the long, scary night ahead. Only a few adults (a teacher I‘d had in an earlier grade and a very savvy ―auntie‖) knew about the anxiety I carried, which climbed rapidly after dark until by 8:30 it had hardened into dread, making peaceful sleep nearly impossible.
PRIVATE WARS... ‗WHAT IF?‘
m Y FEARS were inner dialogues, often starting with the phrase ―what if...‖ and becoming wildly improbable after thirty minutes or
so: What if renegade Civil War army scouts rose from their graves and went from house to house, seizing the citizens and scalping them? What if war broke out and my parents were taken away and we never saw them again?
I scared myself silly, largely because I never thought to suggest positive, hopeful ―what-ifs,‖ such as, WHAT IF millions of people prayed for peace? WHAT IF our government officials are work-ing on issues of war and weapons so that kids can be safer?
A few well-constructed personal positive affirmations would have done a world of good back then.
? WHAT IF THE WORLD
DOESN’T blow up a week from
FRIDAY
at 9:47 p.m. EDT?
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 13
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
I n 1966 I attended a lecture at Stanford University given by the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., who according to a close acquaintance,
the type of Christian minister who saw a higher calling in “afflicting the comfortable and the afflicted.” The “comfortable” were, of course, Yale students. By and large, they came from prosperous middle-class families. Their youth had been spent in well-furnished classrooms rather [streets and alleys. Coffin robed them metaphorically in hair shirts] … because of how were raised. --www.identityindependence.com/coffin.html
Coffin was playing my song. Nightmares returned, anxiety levels rose. In 1969 and 1970 I served on a justice speakers’ panel sponsored by the Omaha Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church USA. Our mission, truth be told, was to dispense guilt with a heavy hand among white congregations in the Omaha area… converting wealthy white Presbyterians steeped shame into philanthropic white Presbyterians working out their salvation by promoting housing job opportunities, education opportunities, public-initiatives, and other measures serving the needs of African Americans and other minorities in the vicinity.
By this time I was so deeply immersed in my own so overwhelmed by the threats to our country both domestic and international; and so thoroughly from my own wants, needs, interests, and abilities, that fell headlong into severe clinical depression and spent two weeks in a psychiatric hospital.
GUILT CRISIS
REPRIEVEREPRIEVEREPRIEVE
fff or several weeks during my third-grade year, my mother was in and out of the hospital — initially for a hysterectomy, and after to be treated for complications of the surgery. As a result, I hardly slept, lying in a panic all night and managing somehow to stay alert at school. Recurring nightmares dogged me, full-color
action ―shorts‖ with themes suggested by my brother at bedtime.
In a sort of semi-dreaming state I would see myself sitting in my third-grade classroom looking out through the big, old-fashioned double-hung windows on a beautiful spring day—enchanted by a huge cluster of forsythias in riotous bloom and brought to tears by the constant threat of violence and destruction against nature, against children, against the quiet elderly folks who lived on our street and grew the glorious bright-yellow shrubs I was seeing in my mind‘s eye.
From fifth grade through my freshman year in college, my fears and nightmares re-ceded. High school was a lark, in spite of the Cuban missile crisis (October 23, 1962) and the bewildering assassination of President Kennedy only a year later (November 22, 1963). The second half of the 1960s challenged the equilibrium of sturdier men and women than I, however. We wondered which was worse: war and fear of escalation overseas, or domestic unrest—race riots in scorching urban heat, destruction and violence on college campuses, more assassinations (Malcolm X 1965; M.L. King, R. Kennedy 1968)... and another wave of guilt-inducing theology, this time rounding back on us from the political and religious left (―Guilt Crisis,‖ p. 13).
My childhood fears had become a permanent track on which emergency trains could run in times of deep grieving or extreme stress. Now the fuel was guilt, supplied by the pathological ex-tremism that afflicted many white, middle-class college kids in the late 1960s.
To be fair, thousands if not millions of young people came under similar influences, took them to heart as much as I did, and suffered no lasting ill effects. In my case, some combination of conditioning, genetics, karma, lunar aspect... really, who knows what all... contributed to my sense of responsibility for the world‘s ills and my hope-lessness at being unable to heal them.
...THAT I‘M ‗BRIMMING
WITH HEALTH AND WELL-
BEING‘ IS FACTUAL
IN SPIRIT….
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 14
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
i n the fall of 1970, the fearful images, sleepless nights, and hopelessness that had simmered off and on for years erupted, and I experi-enced an emotional ―breakdown‖ that landed
me in Richard Young psychiatric hospital for two weeks. My therapist, Bob Young (brother of the late Richard Young, for whom the hospital was named), practiced a straightforward talk therapy through which I reclaimed projected bits and pieces of myself and punctured the big guilt bub-ble that inflated whenever I ―selfishly‖ wanted something — anything, from a cute boyfriend to a frivolous pair of socks.
Back then, the few antidepressant drugs on the market were only marginally effective. Talk ther-apy, conducted by M.D. psychiatrists, was the norm. Dr. Young was one of the nation‘s most esteemed psychiatrists; under his care, I quickly unlearned the ethics of self-abnegation and be-gan to practice greater kindness toward myself and, spontaneously, toward others as well.
After two weeks in the hospital, I was released with a clean bill of health.
m y wish for a textbook I could consult regarding Dr. Young‘s teaching was granted, more or less, with the publication twenty years later of Marianne Williamson‘s bestseller A Re-
turn to Love. The passage below — now a favorite around the world, though for years it was mistakenly attributed to Nelson Mandela — is especially compatible with Dr. Young‘s guidance... and ―playing small‖ was what I did best, pre–Dr. Young!
o ur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabu-lous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We‘ re all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in every-one. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
No more sleepless nights
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 15
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
IN
TE
NT
IO
NS F
ULF
ILLE
D
CHALLENGE | INTENTION
Low-to-mediocre 1st-semester
grades | Improve 2nd semester
via enthusiasm, study habits
Loving parent but ashamed of
being a ―yeller‖ | No rudeness;
civilized behavior w/ discipline
Terrified of speaking in front of a
group | Develop confidence and
poise as speaker, in general
I am an energetic student, fascinated by my course content
and eager to keep pace with the class. Can you improve this?
positive focused brief present tense
My upbeat behavior shows I love and respect all the
members of my family. When disciplining children is nec-
essary, I am polite and in control. Can you improve this?
Constantly misplacing keys, other
objects | Develop useful habits,
get organized
REPEAT YOUR AFFIRMATIONS
with focus and energy
while visualizing them
while feeling ―intentions ful-
filled‖
WR
IT
E Y
OU
R O
WN
A
FF
IR
MA
TIO
NS
SAY KEY AFFIRMATIONS…
several times a day
out loud
looking in mirror
with deep breathing
record them on a CD
print them and post where
you‘ll see them often
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 16
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
MORE affirmations for
HEALTHY SELF-LOVE
L oving myself and being happy with who I
am are natural to me
I truly like myself; this helps others to accept
me for who I am
I have a natural awareness of all the positive
things in my life
Loving myself is essential to my happiness
I deserve to go after my goals and do what
makes me happy
I find it easy to recognize my positive qualities
Being happy with myself is a normal part of
my everyday life
I find it easy to be confident and comfortable
with who I am
Accepting myself unconditionally gives me the
power to succeed
I know I have the right to be happy and noth-
ing can take that away from me
―Love Yourself Positive Affirmations,‖ freeaffirmations.org
OWNING MY POWER
CLAIMING MY TRUTH
AFFIRMATIONS REMIND ME who I am and
where I‘m going. Otherwise I‘m like the Wan-
dering-Off Bear Cub who sniffs at the edges of
the path, where, according to my infallible
bear instincts, there is evidence of interesting
activity very near… a rabbit, I believe, who
will want to play with me. Perhaps I‘ll just
step off the path momentarily, so quickly you
won‘t even be aware that I have left the path.
Like this…. [In a faint, far-off-voice] See?
ANOTHER PLAN: A ―LOST AND FOUND‖
label, a bit like Paddington Bear‘s. His label says,
―Please look after this bear.‖ Mine would say,
―Please look after this grandma.‖
A BETTER PLAN: Consult
the affirmation that re-
minds me I am energet-
ic and focused in pur-
suit of my worthy
goals and desires.
AFFIRMATIONS AL-
SO REMIND ME that I
LOVE MYSELF, something
I have been a little wobbly
about remembering from time to time, not being
certain that I was LARGE enough to be BOTH the
person LOVING and the person being LOVED.
AFFIRMATIONS ALSO REMIND ME that there are
2 little cottages in the woods, and 1 is pretty and
fresh and neat and the other is a lump of wet
smelly mold, AND (guess what!) I‘m not morally
obligated to live in the smelly
1 so that you can have the
nice 1. NO siree. I‘ll
move into the pretty
cottage and ask the
elves to Magick Away
the smelly cottage and
build another fresh,
shiny 1 for you, if you
would like it. Since I de-
serve to live in a clean, pretty
house, I also deserve to have a sweet, kindly neigh-
bor like you. Don‘t you agree, Dear?
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 17
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
I am energetic,
effective, and efficient
My prayers are answered.
Angels and guides are
acting on my behalf
I love myself fully and
unconditionally
I deserve, appreciate,
and celebrate all the
good that comes to me
I am capable of
creating great
miracles
I am fearless, for God
lives in me
Life‘s most beautiful
enchantments are
available to me
I am delighted by others‘
good fortune, success, and
achievements
I feel safe and at ease
in the world
I love and accept people as
they are, understanding that all
do the best they know how
MY MIRROR AFFIRMATIONS reflections
t he mirror-affirmation exam-
ples at right worked well for
me during a time when I was
feeling insecure and frustrated in
my efforts... undeserving, ineffec-
tive, and envious of those who
seemed to succeed easily. Your
own affirmations might be very
different in order to reflect your
particular slice of life.
Affix your affirmations where
you‘ll notice them, on or
near a mirror.
Repeat them aloud several
times morning and evening;
also during the day if possi-
ble. Give them your full at-
tention and energy.
Replace them as needs and
concerns change.
In addition, ―Queen of Affirma-
tions‖ Louise Hay recommends
you tell your reflection, with your
whole heart:
I LOVE YOU. I REALLY, RE-
ALLY LOVE YOU.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 18
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
USE AFFIRMATIONS THAT complement AND rein-
force EACH OTHER
AFFIRM THAT YOU ARE already receiving ABUNDANCE... AND LET
YOUR AFFIRMATIONS EXPRESS YOUR joy & gratitude ACCORDINGLY i f I want Spirit to smile upon my orthodontia, my new ro-mance, or my search for a bigger house to accommodate my growing family... then it only makes sense for me to affirm a Universe that can and will respond to my desires with an em-
phatic YES! Below are examples of statements that affirm — in dif-ferent ways and contexts — housing abundance in general and my successful housing search in particular.*
1. I am purchasing a solid 1890s three-bedroom house, beautiful-ly restored, landscaped with consideration for children and dogs, on a quiet street, in a parklike setting, and at an astonish-ingly low price, before October of this year. Spirit is cooperat-ing with me to manifest THIS or something even nearer to per-fection, for the health, well-being, and lasting happiness of all concerned.
2. The Universe possesses unlimited resources with which to bless and shelter all living things.
3. The Divine understands the needs of all species and bestows perfect shelter, comfort, and safety accordingly. Sparrows and sovereigns are abundantly provided for, just as you and I are, in ways far more generous than we could ever have imagined.
My heart is overflowing with happiness and gratitude for the comfortable, beautiful dwelling that even now is being pre-pared for me and my family. I thank Spirit and the angels all day long for our new home, which is perfect in every respect, down to each detail!
* To my way of thinking, affirmations are brief and memorable, easily working their way into habitual thought. Some people, however, consider items 1, 3, and 4 (above) to be a style of affirmation, so I include them as examples.
DOUBLE UP ON
MIRROR WORK
...if you‘re feeling insecure about, say, an upcoming job interview. Make eye contact with your mirror image and say out loud, with sincerity, ―I am the ideal candidate for this job. It lines up beautifully with my strengths.‖ Or something…. Repeat in the 2nd person: ―YOU are the ideal candi-date....‖ Make sure you‘ve stud-ied job requirements and know this to be credible. Do the affirmation several times a day, with and without the mir-ror.
FEEL it. Your attention might wander, so repeat each affir-mation until it clicks in and you get that pleasant vibe….
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 19
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
MEDITATE FOR INNER PEACE
AND INTERGALACTIC HARMONY
w ars begin as battles in ordinary peo-ple‘s hearts. This is one of those ad-ages that ring true poetically, but it‘s scientifically demonstrable as well..
For the sake of our own health and happiness, and for the well-being of inner and outer space (intercellular to intergalactic), we need to keep the peace.
Two types of meditation — MINDFULNESS MEDITA-TION and TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION — have been actively studied at leading universities and medical centers. Research has continually and conclusively established that THESE FORMS OF MEDITATION SUPPORT PERSONAL SERENITY AND INTERPERSONAL COOPERATION BY CREATING PHYSI-
CAL CHANGES IN THE BRAIN.
The practice of mindfulness meditation rein-forces ―present-moment awareness.‖ When the meditator‘s thought strays from focus on the present moment, the meditator uncritically leads the attention back to the object of focus. Through patient repetition, the brain in effect ―breaks the habit‖ of disorganized activity that darts between past and future, guilt and fear, resentment and worry... and forms A NEW HAB-IT — CALM, ORDERLY THINKING FOCUSED ON THE PRESENT. After just a few weeks of regular medi-tation, present-moment awareness starts to become the default consciousness. This health-ier brain activity is beneficial to many if not most automatic body processes.
People who meditate regularly tend to be par-ticularly aware of those sneaky thoughts that slide unexamined or unnoticed into conscious-ness and then wreak havoc. These include the things we say when we‘re beating up on our-selves: ―WHAT A STUPID THING TO DO! I‘M SUCH A DITZ! I DON‘T KNOW WHY THEY PUT UP WITH ME! I‘M NO USE TO ANYONE!‖
MEDITATION AND
AFFIRMATIONS ARE
COMPLEMENTARY
t o establish an affirmation in consciousness, meditate on it for 10 or 15 minutes. Say it repeatedly, being sure to absorb
the meaning as well as the content; or see yourse l f embody ing the aff i rmat ion and enjoying the satisfaction.... —adapted from Sandra Anne Taylor
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 20
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
REINFORCE affirmations WITH meditation
I f you CONSCIOUSLY pamper yourself with positive af-firmations, be sure not to UNCONSCIOUSLY shoot yourself in the foot with self-criticism at the same time.
Your meditation practice — by quieting your mind and slowing down your thinking — isolates and spotlights negative thoughts and thinking habits. When I started meditating in 1995, I uncovered deep, dark pools of men-tal sewage — hidden fears about old age I had been har-boring below the surface of conscious thought:
appliances (dentures, hearing aids, walkers) diseases disabilities drooping (boobs, eyelids)
IS THIS you?
WITHOUT YOUR AWARENESS, your mind relentlessly grinds away...
· scolding and berating you for minor matters (breaking a glass, forgetting an appointment) · fretting about trivialities: a glass of water spilled, a five-minute delay in your schedule · worrying about making a bad impression on your daughter‘s new boyfriend
WITHOUT YOUR REALIZING IT, your mind disengages and you... · slip back into old people-pleasing habits because it‘s easier than saying no · slip back into careless eating habits: too much sugar and packaged food, for example · disconnect from your body; hate how it looks and feels after three pregnancies · are too exhausted to stand up to unruly children, plan family activities, eat meals together,
monitor ―screen time‖ · serve on committees and sit in unproductive meetings because you feel obligated · are dissatisfied with quality of communication, romance, sex in your intimate relationships
MEDITATION FILTERS OUT ―JUNK THINKING,‖ the bad habits you‘re not aware of, while you replace some of the toxic thoughts with positive affirmations (―God loves me and wants me to be happy!‖).
daily meditation HELPS YOU MONITOR YOUR THOUGHTS TO KEEP
OUT UNWELCOME OR TOXIC IDEAS AND BELIEFS
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 21
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
meditation PLUS affirma-
tions KEEP YOU honest
t hink about the happy people you know.
Their spouses/partners don‘t belittle them. They don‘t cave
to peer pressure. The world in gen-eral treats them with respect.
It‘s not hard to see why: They have healthy boundaries. Their minds don‘t seduce them into be-lieving that something is okay when it isn‘t. Their self-esteem doesn‘t allow them near that slip-pery slope where emotional abuse is acceptable because it isn‘t as bad as a beating... or where a beating is acceptable because it isn‘t as bad as the previous beating.
As mentioned, before I began my regu-lar meditation practice I had unknowingly accumulated in my consciousness a toxic buffet of assumptions about getting older... some of them absorbed from peers discussing ―age-related‖ lifestyle changes. I should have paid bet-ter attention.
I began doing so when, in a conversa-tion with my friend Cara, I found myself using age as an excuse to forgo a weekly happy-hour gath-ering I always enjoyed. Cara nod-ded sympathetically. ―I know what you mean; I don‘t ride my bicycle any more,‖ she said. I asked if it was painful to pedal the bike or if her reflexes had slowed too much to make bicycling safe.
―Not really,‖ she said. ―I just think sixty-three is too old to be out there on a bike.‖ Hmm.
Another friend was alarmed about my plan to drive four hundred miles by myself to visit my brother in Colorado. ―Sweetie, you‘re just too old for that stuff now,‖ she warned. (I decided to wait a few days before telling her about my upcoming tandem sky-dive.)
affirmations
i am relaxed; I am safe; I am calm.
I accept the divine plan. The universe is purposeful and I am
serene. I am infinite wisdom. I am infinite composure. I am in
the hands of God. My spirit guides me. The expanse of my spirit is like a clear sky: peaceful and
tranquil. —Eldon Taylor, Mind Programming: From
Persuasion and Brainwashing to
Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics
r emember your
magnificence!
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 22
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
HOW FAR TO DECREPITUDE? p ermanently giving up bicycling (or bridge, or happy hour, or anything else you enjoy regu-larly) is a big decision. Whether or not it‘s necessary, even contemplating it is going to help cement the illusion of decrepitude.
When the AARP started recruiting members as young as fifty, it set an unfor-tunate precedent for aging by default — that is, unknowingly crossing an invisi-ble line into senior citizenship. Giving up certain social events or forms of mobility can exact a high price in energy level, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and sense of freedom and independ-ence... sad enough, and much worse if you cross that line without conscious thought; if you drift across based on some vague idea of appropriateness; or if you succumb to pressure from your spouse, partner, or children.
Whatever your age, the flood of life‘s incessant demands can sweep you along and sap your power. You‘ll find life much less stressful and more satisfying if you use affirmations, medita-tion, and journaling to stay alert and ahead of the tide…
remembering who you are and what you want setting and achieving a few key objectives preventing bad habits from sweeping in and taking control….
ONE METHOD OF MEDITATING ON AFFIRMATIONS is to choose a single affirmation that is particularly relevant to current circumstances — ―Change is a blessing, opening the way to growth and greater happiness‖ if you are facing a new job or a move to a new house, for exam-ple. Rest your attention for ten or fifteen minutes on that affirmation, repeatedly bringing your focus back to the affirmation if you become distracted.
IF YOU‘RE HABITUALLY DISORGANIZED, meditating on an affirmation such as ―I am efficient and well organized‖ can be persuasive at the ―soul level‖ — applicable, that is, to your Higher Self. If you say it and it resonates somewhere within, it will feel satisfying... and the vibe will grow with prolonged repetition....
MORE ON MEDITATION | AFFIRMATIONS | SELF-CARE | SELF-LOVE M Y PERSONAL ENERGY, and yours, can have a powerful effect not only on other people but on the health of the planet. A famous experiment in which TM practitioners meditat-ed in a high-crime urban area showed that meditating brought down the crime rate in
the area, using only a small percentage of meditators compared to overall population.
MEDITATING ON AFFIRMATIONS that support self-care and love of self is one of the kindest things you can do for YOU, others around you, and the planetary community. Self-love opens the floodgates for loving others authentically and generously.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 23
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
ARE YOU PRACTICING HEART COHERENCE?
from glcoherence.org t he Global Coherence Initiative wants you to add heart coherence to your spiritual practice regimen: meditation, prayer, affirmations, and so forth. ―Adding heart coherence [contributes] order and increased effectiveness to whatever form of practice you are do-
ing.‖ LEARN HOW ON THE GCI WEBSITE, GLCOHERENCE.ORG.
Many people recognize that their meditations, prayers, affirmations and intentions can and do affect the world. Researchers suggest that these activities can have even more transformative and lasting impact by adding heart coherence to the process. Heart coherence is ... associated with sustained positive emotion. It is a state of energetic alignment and cooperation between heart, mind, body and spirit. In coherence, energy is accumulated, not wasted, leaving you more energy to manifest intention and harmonious out-comes.
Adding heart coherence to meditation, prayer and intention practices is an important aspect of the Glob-al Coherence Initiative. THE GLOBAL COHERENCE INITIATIVE OFFERS EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY ON HOW TO INCREASE INDIVIDUAL HEART COHERENCE. As groups of people in the Global Coherence community intention-ally send coherent love and care to the world, a more powerful heart-filled environment is created. This helps to build a reservoir of positive energy that benefits the planet. This reservoir can then be utilized to help bring balance and stabilization to people, thereby making it easier to find solutions to problems like climate change, the destruction of the rain forests, poverty, war, hunger and other global issues. In addi-tion, by sending coherent heart energy to the planet, you benefit personally. Practicing coherence has a carryover effect that helps to cushion you through stressors and challenges that occur day to day. t HE GLOBAL COHER-
ENCE INITIATIVE also has plans to ―observe changes in the earth‘s mag-
netic field and test the
hypothesis that the earth‘s field is affected by mass human emo-tion, positive or nega-tive…. Changes in the earth‘s field predict earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and similar planetary scale events, in order to give people
advance warning.‖
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 24
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
DID YOU KNOW…?
When you have shingles on your scalp, your hair hurts
That unguarded moment in the autumn of 2011 — when I failed to deploy my Anti-Affirmation Stun Gun quickly enough — set off an astonishing turn-around, with a bonus: My improvement didn‘t stop when I got back up to ground level. And it still continues, day by day….
A LL OF US can grow and improve. Using positive affirmations gives us a chance to try on the traits we want to claim. With repetition, affirmations become realistic goals. With appro-
priate action, goals become sensible objec-tives that soon manifest in physical reality.
WHEN I AFFIRM that I am ―brimming with health and well-being,‖ I‘m actually uncovering what is factual in spirit. It‘s as if I am opening the blinds on a bright, fair morning to let the sun-light in, though the sun has been shining since 6:27, when the potential warm, sunny room came into being. Likewise, my authentic self, the ―real me‖ as seen by the Divine Creator, was
already healthy, ―strong,… a beacon of light.‖ Here are my ―inaugural [2011] affirmations‖:
I am organized, effective, and energetic. I am continually in touch with Spirit. I am strong and exuberant. I am purposeful and focused. I am an inspiration to others — a beacon of light. I am friendly and interested in what others have to say. I‘m fun to be with. I am continually nourishing and strengthening my body. I enjoy carrying out my tasks and responsibilities promptly and expertly.
lush
om
e.c
om
AFFIRMING SPIRIT‘S ETERNAL TRUTH QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST?
1. I didn‘t have to transform from (a) a pale, limping, obscenely medicated arthritic drug addict into (b) a friendly, energetic ex-trovert. My real self, wholly di-vine, has always been complete-ly (b); (a) has never been any-thing but illusion.
2. The turnaround wasn‘t quite as quick and dramatic as TV‘s Sa-mantha or Jeannie (below) might have made it… didn‘t have to be.
3. What WAS practically instanta-neous was the change of thought — more accurately a change of labels, from arthritis, stenosis, addiction, homeless, to effective, strong… in touch with Spirit… an inspiration… friendly… fun, nourishing, strengthening…. If you haven‘t yet experi-enced the power of the-se words even the first time you use them, do not delay another minute! See how your shoulders lift, your face brightens, and strength begins to fortify your body….
lush
om
e.c
om
M EDITATION AND AFFIRMATIONS PULLED ME OUT OF A slow but steady slide into chronic illness, disability, ruptured relationships, and a period of homelessness. Start-ing with a mild case of shingles, doctors more or less piled on the diagnoses rather than helping me heal. In a two-year period I was labeled with, and usually medicat-
ed for, rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, lumbar and cervical stenosis, a torn rotator cuff, a kidney tumor, mononucleosis, an aneurysm, and opioid addiction.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 25
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
daily journaling PROMPTS YOU TO LOOK AT HOW YOU‘RE USING
YOUR TIME AND ENERGY, AND HOW YOUR EMOTIONS ARE USING YOU
Y OUR JOURNAL IS A SAFE AND PRIVATE PLACE TO VENT DIFFICULT EMOTIONS. HAVE YOURSELF A MON-
STROUS OLD TIRADE IF THAT‘S WHAT YOU NEED. WRITE A WHITE-HOT LETTER YOU DON‘T INTEND TO MAIL. THROW A PITY PARTY FOR YOURSELF. LEAVE NO SWEARWORD UNSWORN.
The point is to recognize and accept these ―difficult‖ emotions, then to move them out of your body. Dealing compassionately with your emotions is an act of profound self-care and healing. Neglecting them can set off toxic chemical reactions that will show up sooner or later as illness.
When you‘re done venting for the time being, seal off your entry by releasing all individuals con-cerned to their own spiritual processes; affirm that the only source of happiness is within each of us; forgive others and yourself for temporarily forget-ting that important truth, and reclaim your power over events and decisions in your life.
Regularly record gratitude lists and other affirma-tions in your journal. Focusing on what you appre-ciate and enjoy lifts your spirits and brings more good things into your life.
AFFIRMATIONS → AMAZING SOLUTIONS
w hen you change your thinking process, then everything in your life will also change. You'll be amazed and delighted to see how people, places, things, and circumstances
can change. Don't waste time arguing for your limitations: poor relationships, problems, ill-ness, poverty and so on. The more you talk about the problem, the more you anchor it in place. Learn to turn your negative affirmations into positive ones. For instance: "I never have enough money" becomes "Money flows into my life in an abundant way." Affirmations are solutions that will replace whatever problem you might have.... Whenever you have a prob-lem, repeat over and over: "All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. Out of this situation only good will come. I am safe."
This simple affirmation will work miracles in your life! —Louise Hay
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 26
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
simpledailychange.com
i t‘s not so hard to imagine a bit of encouragement passed from prehistoric parents to their kids in the form of an ancient but nonetheless sincere ―positive affirmation.‖ Can‘t you see Mom embarrassing young Og Junior right before he joins his first important hunt, squeez-ing him hard in a prehistoric hug and whispering, ―TAKE A FEW DEEP BREATHS, SWEETIE. I
KNOW YOU‘LL HAVE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE… AND A WEEK FROM NOW YOU‘LL BE HOME, SAFE AND SOUND, WITH EXCITING STORIES TO SHARE WITH US.‖ Or words to that effect….
The power of positive affirmations begins in the power of language… on a practical level, with the ability of language (as in the above vignette) to make Mom‘s love and encouragement memorable and, you might say, portable. On a mystical level, language has its own transcend-ent force; words can initiate the creative act, describe and direct the unfolding, giving the pro-cess unique dimensions, from form and beauty to independent expression in music and dance…. The power (physical, mental, spiritual) of language and therefore of the Affirmation is literally infinite; with skill and artistry, it can confer awesome blessings and benefits.
[Language is so powerful that] it can actually influence the way we think. George Orwell, in his novel 1984,
[showed how language can influence thought with the concept ―doublespeak‖— language] that deliberately dis-
guises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words…in effect changing what we think about a given subject or
thought-form. Language can be an incredible tool for change, both positive and negative. It can be seen as being
used to conquer entire nations and inspire untold billions. As linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf said, ―language itself
shapes a man‘s basic ideas.‖ –theunboundedspirit.com/the-power-of-language-how-language-influences-thought
THE
POWER OF
POSITIVE
AFFIRMA-
TIONS
LANGUAGE, SONG, DANCE, AND CREATION
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 27
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
THE POWER OF LANGUAGE: THE [LIVING] WORD CREATES A UNIVERSE
T HESE PASSAGES FROM THE Holy Bible, KING JAMES VERSION, represent some of the loveli-est prose in all of English literature, even apart from their religious and spiritual content. But the power of that content is truly awesome in describing how God had the desire and inten-
tion to create light, night and day, the ―host of‖ the heavens... Life... the light of men.... But the agent of creation... of God‘s intention... was the Word, or Language.
Genesis 1: 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Psalm 33: 6,9 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth....
John: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.... 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.
The Liv
ing W
ord Pro
ject:
Wo
rd Beco
mes Fle
sh.
e ven if you‘ve never heard of the French psychologist-pharmacist Émile Coué (1857-1926), you‘re probably familiar with the ―mantra-like conscious autosuggestion‖ he invented to help his patients ―cure themselves‖:
Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better" (French: Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux)
Coué‘s simple but effective system ―based on optimistic autosugges-tion‖ is called Couéism or the Coué method. Highlights (below) show thinking consistent with today‘s research concerning the science of affirmations.
The Coué method centered on a routine repetition of this particular expres-sion according to a specified ritual —- preferably as much as twenty times a day, and especially at the beginning and at the end of each day…. [Coué never claimed to be a healer, saying] ―All I do is show people how they can cure themselves."
Coué maintained that curing some of our troubles requires a change in our unconscious thought, which can be achieved only by using the
Ém
ile C
oué —
Wik
ipedia
AHEAD OF HIS TIME: ÉMILE COUÉ DE LA CHÂTAIGNERAIE
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 28
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
...Coué, cont. from p. 26
imagination…. [He] developed a method which relied on the principle that any idea exclusively occupying the mind turns into reality, although only to the extent that the idea is within the realm of possibility…. Coué realised that it is bet-ter to focus on and imagine the desired positive results (i.e., "I feel healthy and energetic" and "I can remember clearly")…. He observed that his patients could cure themselves more efficiently by replacing … [the illness-thought with a cure-thought]. —Wikipedia
THINK POSITIVELY
a mong all the accomplishments of the late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
— longtime minister, preacher, author, publisher, and founder of the Guide-posts family of books and periodicals, Dr. Peale‘s The Power of Positive Think-ing might well be the most beloved.
When I was in my late teens, my mother (who was alarmed about my own grim self-negation) gave me a copy of this wise and comforting book, written so as to be easily read and understood. How clearly I remember the sense of liberation I experienced upon reading that God loves us and wants us to be happy.. That salient bit of gospel — ―good news‖ — never made it into my Sunday school curriculum.
Shown on the next page are quotations by Dr.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 29
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
Peale and other positive-thinking authors. These apho-risms, while memorable and encouraging, are not affir-mations, as described on page 6, Affirma-tions are written almost as if meant to be worn rather than merely read and nod-ded over…. Enjoy these, in any case….
OUR JOB IS TO BE-COME ACQUAINTED WITH OUR OWN SELVES, LET-TING OUR PERSONALITIES LOOSE UPON THE WORLD FOR THE SHEER ADVENTURE OF THEIR FULL DEVELOP-MENT AND IN THE POSITIVE
bran
do
nh
ayes.com
The world in which you live is not primarily determined by outward
t he t ho ug ht s t ha t h abituall y oc-c up y y ou r m ind.”
conditions and circusmtances
BUT
by
HOPE THAT THEY MAY IN THEIR OWN WAY LIFT THE LEVEL OF HUMANITY.
I PLACE THIS DAY, MY LIFE, MY LOVED ONES, MY WORK IN THE LORD'S HANDS. THERE IS NO HARM IN THE LORD'S HANDS, ONLY GOOD. WHATEVER HAP-PENS, WHATEVER RESULTS, IF I AM IN THE LORD'S HANDS IT IS THE LORD'S WILL AND IT IS GOOD
NORMAL VINCENT PEALE.”
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 30
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
WHEN YOU MEDITATE...
y ou become aware of thoughts
and ideas that slipped into your
consciousness when you weren‘t
paying attention — for example,
unnoticed or unexamined self-
reproach… the stuff we say
[Correction: USED TO say] when
we are [Correction: when we
WERE] reflexively beating our-
selves up: Mary, you‘re such an
idiot. What a stupid thing to do.
You‘re such a ditz. I don‘t
know why the universe puts up
with you!
USE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS…
to break this sort of bad habit.
I love myself completely and unconditionally.
I treat myself with great kindness, wis-
dom, and courtesy. [NOT I am never rude to
myself. You want to point toward the desired
new behavior, not toward the habitual behavior
you‘re avoiding.]
I always practice extreme self-care (OR)
Every day I am kinder to myself; I treat
myself better every day….
Yay, Me!
I am PDDA (Pretty Double-Darned Adorable)
There are no strangers. All people on earth are my family.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 31
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
level 1 self-talk
Why did they invite me to go skiing? I could never ski in a million years. I can‘t tolerate the cold. Snow triggers my asthma. Plus I‘m acrophobic. I‘m a complete wimp. It‘s just how I am. They‘ll have a better time without me anyway, I‘m such a party-pooper....
level 2 self-talk
I really need to lose some weight. Look how chubby I am! I should start exercising, for sure. And I ought to pay more attention to what I eat. If I were smart, I‘d plan ahead for meals and make sure my diet included dark green leafy vegetables and, ick, beets....
level 3 self-talk
[While chowing down on a triple-frosted bear claw] I‘ve given up all food that con-tains added sugar. I‘ve excluded dairy prod-ucts from my diet, too. [Popping the top off a diet soda sweetened with aspartame—her seventh of the day, and it‘s not even noon yet!] I‘m cutting way back on sodas, and the only sweeteners I‘m ingesting these days are stevia and sorbitol....
level 4 self-talk
I can ski with the best. I‘m so fit and hardy, I breathe easy on the steepest slopes. I am a first-rate cook and an expert on healthful eating. I‘m full of energy and enthusiasm. I know how I want to live , and I‘m soaring toward my goals. I‘m having a wonderful time getting others on board....
level 5 self-talk
―I am one with the universe and it is one with me. I am of it... within it... and I exist as a shining spark in a firmament of di-vine goodness.‖* In partnership with the Divine, I am co-creating my reality, with infinite time and resources and the wisdom of a thousand angels at my disposal....
―What to Say When You Talk to Your Self
SELF-TALK FOR WINNERS
p ositive affirmations repre-sent the type of ―powerful‖ self-talk that helps us get ―the best out of life,‖ writes
Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D., in his sensible, still-relevant 1982 guide, What to Say When You Talk to Your Self.
At worst, self-talk is an unintention-al and unflattering stream of thought we use to scold, berate, and belittle ourselves. By contrast, purposeful self-talk supports confi-dence and joy, and the creation of ―a new i n t e r n a l picture of ourselves as we would most like to be.‖
yes, I can!
h elmstetter describes five levels of self-talk:
LEVEL 1, NEGATIVE AC-
CEPTANCE (―I CAN‘T...‖). In a word, you fret. You nag at, criticize, berate, and frighten yourself, and you accept this abuse without protest. Much of the time you‘re not even aware of this internal drama, nor do you realize that you
empowernetwork.com
continued on page 32....
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 32
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
could be setting the stage for years of mis-ery. But why would you? A lot of Level
1 self-talk is deceptively mild— Today‘s just not my day.
I just can‘t seem to lose weight.
These examples may seem harmless, but they actually
―turn self-assurance into self-doubt and chaos,‖ Helmstetter warns.
LEVEL 2, RECOGNITION AND NEED TO CHANGE (‗I NEED TO...,‘ ‗I SHOULD...‘). Again, statements that look innocuous are actually stumbling blocks we place in our own path. Consider these examples: —
I really should try to get to work on time.
I‘ve just GOT to lose some weight!
I have to cut down on my smoking!
—and note that something is left unsaid, though the meaning is
clear. The ―missing‖ words are phrases like these:
―...but I can‘t!‖ ―...but I don‘t!‖ ―...but I‘m not!‖
Our subconscious minds ―hear,‖ understand, and cooperate with the entire message:
themastershift.com
LEVEL 3, DECISION TO CHANGE (‗I NEVER...,‘ ‗I NO LONGER..‘). Here ―you recognize the need to change,‖ Helmstetter writes, ―but also you make the decision to do something about it — and you state the deci-sion in the present tense... as though the change had already taken place.‖ (continued on next page)
SELF-TALK (CONT.)
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 33
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
SELF-TALK (CONTINUED)
LOVE IS THE SUBSTANCE OF WHO I AM
D eep, deep inside me, love lives.... [In
that] wonderful love vibration... I
have access to broader spaces than
anything fear can show me.... I make a con-
scious choice for the path of love.... God is
love.... Because God is within me and God is
around me, love is available anywhere I
stand.... Thank you, Great Spirit....
—Alan Cohen, on Hay House Radio,
hayhouseradio.com
Notice how the center girl (illustration, page 31) is trumpeting her new dietary rules even as she disregards them, soaking up sodas and stuffing herself with the extra-lard-style bear claws she‘s ―given up.‖ But the subconscious mind gets the message, and eventually it will need to settle the conflict between WORDS (―I‘ve given up all food that contains added sugar‖) and DEEDS (chowing down on fat– and sugar-based pastries). That‘s when self-talk gets credit for supporting positive, health-boosting change.
LEVEL 4, THE BETTER YOU (―I AM...‖). This is the most satisfying and productive self-talk level, Helmstetter says. By now, you have learned to silence negative, involuntary self-talk and to practice the deliberate use of positive affirmations.
Just as Louise Hay advises flipping your ―negative traits‖ into positive affirmations (page 9) —
for a pathologically shy person: ―My true identity is fearless, powerful, and loving. Others lean on my strength‖
—Helmstetter writes, ―The past problem is turned around to begin creating ongoing daily success.
―For every word of negative self-talk... ever uttered,‖ he adds, ―there is the right kind of self-talk to coun-ter it, reprogram, fix the problem, and make it right.‖
This is the self-talk we use in well-constructed positive affirmations.
LEVEL 5, UNIVERSAL AFFIRMATION (―IT IS...‖)... the self-talk of oneness with God (discussed elsewhere in this
series).
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 34
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
W
ISH
ES F
ULF
ILLE
D
WHAT DO YOU
WANT?
List (a) what you want |(b) the
underlying feeling. Could the
feeling be satisfied another way?
(a) A baby (b) Love. Belonging.
To matter. A purpose.
(a) A promotion to VP-marketing
(b) Wealth—for security, safety,
prestige, confidence, belonging
BE BOLD! Have you always wanted to be a singer in a
rock-and-roll band? An affirmation could be the first step
toward realizing the dreams you never dared to dream!
My healthy body is getting ready to conceive a strong,
healthy baby this summer… or better outcome, according
to the highest good of all concerned. Can you improve this?
I deserve and am expecting a promotion to VP-marketing
with substantial raise, continued flexible schedule & bene-
fits… or better, according to the highest good of all….
REPEAT YOUR AFFIRMATIONS
with focus and energy
while visualizing them
while feeling ―wishes fulfilled‖
WR
IT
E Y
OU
R O
WN
A
FF
IR
MA
TIO
NS
SAY KEY AFFIRMATIONS…
several times a day
out loud
looking in mirror
with deep breathing
record them on a CD
print them and post where
you‘ll see them often
AFFIRMATIONS FOR GETTING
WHAT YOU WANT
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 35
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
1. I am a powerful healer. All healing is basically self-healing.
2. Because I love myself, I don’t demand love from others. I am free to love without assurance that I am loved back.
3. Everything that presents itself is a lesson. I am continually learning and growing.
4. God created me whole, talented, and full of love… every cell saturated with love!
5. God lives in me as my best and highest self, which is pure love — innocent, wise, and immortal.
6. God, angels, and my spirit guides always come to my aid when I ask for help.
7. Gratitude is the shortest road to happiness — and there is ALWAYS much to be grateful for.
8. HAPPINESS IS MY MOST IMPORTANT RE-SPONSIBILITY.
9. Having set my intentions, I am free to relax and surrender them, acting as guided by my energy and enthusiasm.
10. I accept myself deeply and completely.
My heart keeps
on creating
sweet, new
stanzas for the
song of my life
Now is the
time for
boundless joy
75 AFFIRMATIONS
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 36
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
11. I accept people as they are, recognizing that all of us do the best we can according to our understanding and ability at the moment.
12. I always reach for the better-feeling thought.
13. I am a good person who deserves to be happy.
14. I am a valuable resource in the community and in projects I choose to work on.
15. I AM ACHIEVING MY HIGHEST DREAMS. WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES THAT ONCE SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE ARE NOW WITHIN MY REACH.
16. I am beloved by my family; they rejoice in my presence in their lives.
17. I am brimming with health and well-being. Every day I wake up stronger, hardier, and more energetic. I am grateful for my health and vitality.
18. I am continually making good friends whom I can trust and who trust me.
19. I am full of gratitude all my waking hours.
20. I am gentle with myself and others when we make mistakes; these are life’s lessons.
21. I am grateful for the past, and the lessons and memories it holds. I look forward to the future; it too holds lessons and adventures. But the present – the ―now mo-ment‖—is where I live and where my power lies.
22. I am guided by this certainty: Every problem has an ideal solution, requiring no sac-rifice, blessing everyone.
i am worthy
of joy and
abundance.
I AM
BRIM-
MING
with heal th and
wel l -being.
CHANGE IS A
BLESSING,
opening the
way to growth
and greater
happiness .
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 37
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
23. I am happy for others’ good fortune and achievements.
24. I AM HAPPY JUST BEING ME.
25. I am happy with the balance and variety of my life: work, play, study, friends, and family, and plentiful time for solitude and relaxation.
26. I am learning to see people as they truly are: God’s perfect ideas, pure, whole, healthy, loving and beloved, eternally new and innocent creations of the Divine.
27. I am lovable and I am worthy of being loved.
28. I am mindful in the present moment, giving lively, curious attention to people, situations, cir-cumstances, events, and surroundings.
29. I am one with love.
30. I am organized and efficient. I get things done promptly and skillfully in a way that’s gracious and fun.
31. I AM OVERFLOWING WITH AND SUR-ROUNDED BY JOY AND LOVE.
32. I am the co-creator of my reality.
33. I am totally comfortable being myself.
34. I am worth loving.
35. I am worthy of the Good Life: good friends, good times, good works, good health, and abun-dance. I am grateful for these blessings, which are ever-increasing.
IMPECCABILITY
I‘m impeccable—honest and trans-
parent. People intuitively trust me.
There are no strangers. All people
on earth are my family.
IF I START FEELING DOWN,
I don‘t argue with the feel-
ing. I compassionately
acknowledge the thought
that brought on the feeling;
honor it; and release it into
the spontaneous stream of
thought, which flows on in
rich and infinite variety.
I am
astonished!
SURPRISE!
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 38
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
AFFIRMING ABUNDANCE ...WITH THE TURN OF A PHRASE
Can‘t afford X Could readily gather the funds for X Self-indulgent Self-caring It‘s selfish to have more than you need We live in an abundant universe Rich people are insecure Rich people live fully and abundantly Rich people are greedy and selfish Rich people love to share their resources and their experiences I don‘t deserve abundance The universe has infinite abundance I deserve prosperity I‘m terrible with money I‘m clever with money Irresponsible with money I am sensible with money I am undisciplined I am reliable I constantly let people down I enjoy being conscientious Careless about money Dependable Don‘t have enough to share, donate I have plenty with which to be generous I have to pinch pennies and live meagerly I love treating myself to things & experiences I enjoy
I love sharing things and experiences I deserve the best available
Most people are poor Most people find abundance when they feel they deserve it. I don‘t have the ability to earn well. I create valuable products and services that people are grateful for and eager to buy I‘ll never travel to the places I want to see Soon I‘ll enjoy extended road trips in the U.S. and adventures on other continents
I love to travel and can afford to do so My life is restricted by money My life has infinite potential
My life is full and abundant I have little to offer my friends and family I am a treasured gift to my friends and family
I am fascinating. I am full of love and goodwill I am delighted with my own company
I am lazy Life‘s grand adventure motivates and energizes me Poor health and low stamina keep me poor I drench myself in healthful thoughts and activities
I am strong, sturdy, and energetic
I am excited about the rich experiences awaiting me I am confident. I am ready to prosper Deprived Special and treasured Self-denying Confident and glowing Ignored Beloved, fun, delightful and delighted A taker, not a giver; a parasite Generous and open-hearted Pitied Admired and respected Miserly Celebratory Depressed Thoughtful, balanced, happy, joyful, whimsical Melancholy Cheerful, friendly Fragile Robust and lively
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 39
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
AUTHOR OR SOURCE BORROWED AFFIRMATIONS Sandra Anne Taylor Some Core Beliefs
I am valuable. I am capable of creating great miracles. I am powerful. I am resourceful. I am eternal. I have profound inner strength and resilience. I am loved. I have a strong intuitive voice and inner wisdom.
Cheryl Richardson Affirmations for Mirror Work
Your smile lights up the world. REMEMBER YOUR MAGNIFICENCE. Every time I look at you, I smile from ear to ear. I can‘t think of anyone I‘d rather be with than you.
Mary Oliver INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING A LIFE Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
Cheryl Richardson, for her friend Robert Holden during his mother‘s illness and hospi-talization
Every hand that touches her is a healing hand. Her medical issues are solved quickly, easily, and painlessly. She is surrounded by people who care for her with deep compassion. You and your family feel connected, supported, and loved during this time. God‘s love surrounds you and protects you in all ways.
David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. DH: My recent Hay House Radio show (Monday 30th April 2012) was on ‗The Power of Affirmations‘, where I went into the sci-ence of how they work and their impact upon the brain and body. Near the end of the show, I read out my Top-Ten list of affir-mations, and several people have since got in touch to ask if I could put them down on paper. So here they are:
My TOP TEN AFFIRMATIONS 1. I am grateful for all that I am, for all that I have, and for all that I experience.
2. I live each day with happiness and joy, trusting that only good things come to me. 3. I love and accept myself just as I am. 4. I love to cultivate thoughts that enrich my life and my relationships. 5. I let go of blame and I speak my truth authentically – without judging myself or others. 6. I LOVE TO FOCUS ON THE GOOD IN MY LIFE AND ... THAT DOING THIS BRINGS ... MORE BLESSINGS.
7. I have the inner strength to handle any situation that I find myself in. 8. MY MIND & BODY ARE HEALTHY & STRONG — I NOURISH THEM WITH MY SPIRIT, WHICH IS INFINITE.
9. I am flexible. I welcome changes in my life and adapt with courage and ease. 10. I allow myself to feel happiness and joy for no reason at all. Simply because I deserve it.
Louise Hay Life loves me. All is well. Out of this situation only good will come.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 40
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
AUTHOR OR SOURCE
BORROWED AFFIRMATIONS (cont.)
Paula Spencer, Caring.com [As I get older, I] stave off the infirmary and cultivate an inner beauty that transcends the outer packaging. [I] get enough sleep, reform [my] diet, exercise, laugh, and stay engaged with the world.
Alan Cohen, HayHouse Radio.com
HEARD ON THE RADIO PROGRAM GET REAL: ―I‘m for the easy, joyful path.‖ (Unnamed guest)
―My soul mate will be open, willing, and available for a long-term, monogamous, committed relation-ship.‖ (Ariel Ford, on manifesting a life partner)
Athena Staik, Ph.D. HAPPINESS IS MY MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY.
I love and accept every aspect of myself, just as I am.
I consciously choose what enriches my mind, body, and spirit.
God has given me the power, wisdom, and strength to handle all situations.
I always focus on what is wonderful in my life now and in the time to come.
I rise above problems by recognizing them as solu-tions.
I am honest about the ways I need to grow. They represent joyful challenges and adventures.
I let go of blame, never judging myself or others.
My heart is open to give and receive love.
Change is a blessing, opening the way to growth and greater happiness.
I AM CONTINUALLY ASTONISHED! DOES THE UNIVERSE EXIST TO DELIGHT & SURPRISE ME? I THINK IT MUST!
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 41
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
36. I choose self-love.
37. I choose to forgive and let go of anger.
38. I dance blissfully through life.
39. I delight in making new friends and discovering all that’s fresh and original in longtime relation-ships.
40. I deserve, appreciate, and celebrate all the good that comes to me.
41. I FEEL SAFE AND AT EASE IN THE WORLD. I REST AND RELAX IN THE ENERGY OF THE UNI-VERSE. I AM ENFOLDED IN ETERNAL TRUTH AND COMFORT.
42. I focus on the bountiful present and am tied to neither the past nor the future.
43. I FOLLOW MY BLISS.
44. I HAVE A DEEP INNER KNOWING THAT LIFE’S MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPERI-ENCES ARE AVAILABLE TO ME.
45. I have limitless confidence in my abilities.
46. I have no regrets. At all times, everything is as it ought to be. All is well.
47. I look for opportunities to help others joyfully and for the highest good of all con-cerned.
48. I know it’s never too late to reach for my highest happiness.
49. I listen to others with my full attention.
50. I LOVE AND ACCEPT MYSELF UNCONDITIONALLY.
51. I love my daily rituals for health and well-being in prayer, meditation, exercise, nutri-tion, reading, and learning… and at least 8 hours of restful sleep.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 42
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
52. I love myself no matter what.
53. I readily express my needs, wants, and preferences. I express my feelings, then release them.
54. I release my fear and let go of depression.
55. I see perfection in everyone.
56. I SEND OUT PRAY-ER AND LOVE THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
57. I take pride in who I am.
58. I trust in my worth, wisdom, dig-nity, and ability to live in my truth and joy.
59. I’m learning to treat myself as I treat others: with gentleness, respect, love, and wis-dom.
60. In all circumstances, I remain whole and in a place of love. I am greater than my situ-ations and circumstances.
61. Love heals fear. I always choose love over fear.
62. My heart keeps on creating sweet, new stanzas for the song of my life.
63. My joy lifts and heals the planet.
64. My prayers are being answered. Angels and spirit guides are acting on my behalf, for the blessing and benefit of all.
cho
ose yo
ur tho
ughts w
isely
tho
ughts generate energy
Healin
gT
hePlanetFro
mW
ithin
.co
m
POSITIVE THINKING
HELPS HEAL THE PLANET
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 43
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
65. My true identity is fearless, powerful, and loving. Others lean on my strength.
66. My worth depends on who I am as God created me.
67. NOW IS THE TIME FOR BOUNDLESS JOY!
68. The affirmations I create or choose are always true of my Higher Self.
69. The more completely I love myself, the more freedom I have to love others.
70. The universe and all it holds are in God’s hands. All is well.
71. There is a place inside me where love lives, no matter what is going on outside me.
72. Thoughts drift in and out. None has a claim on me. I am the master of my energy.
73. When I am angry, sad, or afraid, I write my feelings in my journal. The feelings fade, I release them to the universe, and I forgive myself and others involved. Forgiveness is the light after the storm.
74. When I make mistakes, I love myself for accepting them with good grace.
75. ―Mistakes‖ are just lessons that need to be learned. I express anger if it’s there… the safest way is in my journal… but I always forgive myself and oth-ers.
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 44
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS FOR KIDS — Coming Summer 2013
It‘s never too early for children to learn...
that they live in a benevolent universe
that they can feel safe and at ease in the world
that mistakes are important lessons for growth and happiness
that they can love themselves no matter what
that gratitude is a short road to happiness
that they have a right — even a responsibility — to be happy
that their talents and joys are gifts to be treasured and explored
―Follow Your Bliss,‖ advises the new book Annagrammatica‘s Little Book of
Positive Affirmations for Kids, available Summer 2013
Watch our website for news about this beautiful must-have manual for kids and
instructions on redeeming this
HALF-PRICE-COUPON
ANNAGRAMMATICA.COM
520-405-9867
follow your bliss —JOSEPH CAMPBELL 45
NOTES
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
I am energetic,
effective, and efficient
My prayers are answered.
Angels and guides are
acting on my behalf
I love myself fully and
unconditionally, freeing me to
give such love to others
I deserve, appreciate,
and celebrate all the
good that comes to me
I am capable of
creating great
miracles
I am fearless, for God
lives in me
Life‘s most beautiful
enchantments are
available to me
I am delighted by others‘
good fortune, success, and
achievements
I feel safe and at ease
in the world
I love and accept people as
they are, understanding that all
do the best they know how
MY MIRROR AFFIRMATIONS
ANNAGRAMMATICA‘S
Little Book of PRAYER
ANNAGRAMMATICA‘S
Little Book of MEDITATION
#0474 Annagrammatica‘s Little Book of Positive Affirmations © 2013 Mary Campbell and Annagrammatica.com Tucson, Arizona USA 520-405-9867 Printed on recycled paper processed chlorine-free Price: $19.50 USD
COMING SOON: Watch for Annagrammatica‘s newest Little Books—#0893 Affirmations for Kids, AVAILABLE SUMMER 2013
#0735 Prayer, #0844 Meditation, AVAILABLE FALL 2013
ANNAGRAMMATICA‘S
Little Book of
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS...
FOR KIDS!
#0893AFFIRMATIONS FOR KIDS coming Summer 2013.
See inside for HALF-PRICE COUPON!
