YouTube: Spiritual Affirmation
As we saw last week, spiritual denial is the deliberate act of pulling our attention and power out of negative reactions to life’s events. Spiritual affirmation is the assertion, through visualization, word, and feeling, of a greater good unfolding. Denial clears the way while affirmation sets in motion the creative energy that generates desirable ideas and favorable conditions. We can think of these two actions as the activity of love, which dissolves that which is not for our highest good (denial) and draws to us that which is (affirmation).
When Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:32), he was stating a vital principle. The truth we come to know is that the soul is already free. To know the truth is to know yourself at the deepest level. Denial is the process of letting go of that which is not true of the soul. Affirmation is stating and knowing that which is true. We experience greater freedom as the result of bringing the truth of our being to the forefront of our mind. This, in fact, is the essence of affirmative prayer.
Think of your day-to-day emotion and thinking mind as the surface of a lake. Sometimes it is calm and sometimes it is churning with waves. Think of your soul as the lake’s calm depths not subject to changes in weather. While the surface and the depths of the lake co-exist, each represents a very different experience. The soul, like the lake’s depths, is always free of turmoil. Denial is the deliberate act of taking our attention from the surface. Affirmation is our deliberate embrace of the peaceful depths of our soul.
Storms happen. Sometimes we see the clouds gather in the distance while other times they catch us off guard. We’ve all heard of the calm before the storm. Let us seek to know this same calm during the storm. Jesus spoke to the threatening wind and the waves, “Peace, be still,” and the storm ceased. He did not allow the inclement weather to rob him of his power. Instead, he spoke with absolute conviction from the depths of his soul.
Through the practice of spiritual denial and affirmation, we too can let the calm peace of our soul rise to the surface of our mind and our life.