Going Deep with Affirmation Cards

The late Louise Hay was the first to introduce me to the concept that our thoughts have power. It was a pretty radical concept to me back in the 90’s. Since then, I’ve enjoyed many of her books, meditations, and card decks. If you don’t know her story, she had a really rough start in life, was diagnosed with cancer as an adult, and healed herself without chemical intervention.

Loving ourselves, she repeated over and over, is the most important thing we can do to create health and happiness. I’m comfortable paraphrasing her because this is the foundation of everything I’ve ever heard her say.

I’ve come to realize that there’s more to changing our thoughts than simply repeating affirmations, but it was a great entry point for me. I’m 100% onboard to say that our thoughts do affect our bodies and our lives; I just don’t think thoughts are the ONLY thing to do so. They are, however, well within our sphere of influence, so working with belief systems and thought patterns can be very effective for creating shifts.

Fast forward nearly 40 years and I’ve found myself with another of her oracle decks in my hands. Today I’d like to talk about an alternate approach of how to use such decks. They can be a steppingstone to go deeper into the psyche and cultivate internal energetic resonance.

Here’s the practice I invented. (In case you didn’t know, about 97% of my practices are invented as a sort of amalgam of the vast array of input I ingest. Think of me as a mash-upper.)

 I sat quietly, focusing on my breath and quieting my mind. I shuffled the deck while asking Life (that’s my current word for the force you might call God and Louise would call the Universe), “What do you want me to know?” I pulled a “random” card. (Of course, nothing is ever truly random, and I wholeheartedly believe I was led to the exact card for me in that moment.)

I am lovable.

Gulp. Let’s just dive into the deep end, eh?!

Then, with eyes open, I looked through the cards and chose one that appealed to me. While the first selection invited guidance, the second was meant as an intentional direction. An anchor for the desire I feel in my heart.

I nurture my inner child.

I’m not exactly sure why I picked this out of the remaining 51 cards, but when I saw it, something settled inside of me. It just felt right. And it is an important step in embodying the belief that I am lovable.

Conventionally, an affirmation practice consists of repeating the phrases, perhaps writing them out over and over again, and posting the cards where you will often see them as a reminder.

I’m doing something different.

I sat with my cards, still in my quiet, reflective state, pondering their messages.

And then I got out my trusty journal and wrote like crazy, without editing or censoring myself. I penned all the thoughts that popped into my head, including rejection of the messages, lists of why and why not I’m lovable, how I do and do not nurture my inner child, and why. I delved into how they work together as a mash up.

I just let the words spill onto the page.

Then I asked myself: do I truly want to align myself with these messages? Do I want to do the work to get synched up with these cards?

Yes. I really do. So, I got busy.

I went back with a highlighter and noted phrases that were repeated or especially meaningful. I copied the list of why nots and do nots and spent some time genuinely inquiring (ala Byron Katie’s The Work) if these thoughts were true. I went deeper into what was beneath the thoughts, what blocked my progress, what I needed to move forward, and how I might do so mindfully.

Because I’m a Reiki devotee, I let this healing energy flow the entire time to support my discovery process. This is not at all necessary but does add a bit of oomph to practices like this.

Essentially, I used the cards as a way to spotlight all the thoughts within me that were inconsistent or incohesive. This is where I diverge from basic New Age teachings. I think it is crucial to ferret out all these limiting beliefs and energy patterns in order to transform them. To ignore them and instead chant the preferred phrase is the same (IMO) as brushing toxic waste under a “Good Vibes Only” rug and pretending it’s all good.

Somewhere in between ignoring the mess and wallowing in it, is a middle path where we can recognize the reality of the situation, ideally without judgment or blame, and formulate a plan to alchemize it.

So far, in my 53 years of life experience, never once has a problem gone away because I refused to look at it. I have made problems worse by ignoring or identifying with them, by feeling victimized by them, by feeding them all my energy. Yet, the antidote, as far as I can tell, is working through them with dignity and responsibility.

Yes, our thoughts are very powerful. But not more powerful than our bodies, feelings, unconscious and subconscious beliefs, and soul path.

The road to Empowerment and Authenticity is a unique journey that involves being present with compassion, courage, curiosity, and a willingness to break the mold and make choices that the masses won’t. The party bus won’t take you there.

Mechanically reciting a sentence you hope to be true won’t magically cure your life unless you have the capacity to align your energy with it. In my life, I’ve met only one person who can do this! The rest of us need to go spelunking in the deep, dark caverns of our inner landscapes to slay the demons and take out the trash.  

Get out your galoshes, grab a shovel, and power up your lantern. All the good stuff is on the other side of some really uncomfortable, messy work of meeting your abandoned emotions, hidden desires, and unprocessed wounds.