By: Chirya Risely
Source: The Daily Guardian  https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/1624/the-daily-guardian/13
Dated: November 9, 2024

Our destiny is created by the power of our thoughts. This is the power of the mind, because it is the mind that creates the world we experience. Meditation teaches us to accept where we are at the moment, and to use the power of thought to create tomorrow. Create the thoughts needed for the reality that we want to experience.

When I create powerful thoughts and repeatedly think them each day, they become my reality in the same way that weak thoughts that I have consistently reiterated, year in and year out, have brought me to where I am, perhaps feeling stressed and anxious. We do not just have to accept the truth of this, we can experiment, try it out, and see what starts to change.

The thoughts we can create are:

• ï‘I am a powerful being. I consciously choose positive responses before speaking.’
• ï‘I am always calm and stable.’
• ï‘I am always happy’ (not ‘I want happiness’).
• ï‘I am fearless and confident.’

We can create positive affirmations about habits we would like to change. If I am always late for meetings and appointments, I can begin to change that mindset by telling the subconscious mind, ‘I am always on time’ – and make sure that until the mindset becomes firm, I am not influenced by others still saying, ‘You are always late’.

For good health, we can think: ‘My body is perfect and healthy, always’.

For acceptance: ‘I accept others’, ‘Others accept me’, ‘I am loved’, ‘My relationships are based on respect and trust’, ‘My family is united.’

For forgiveness: ‘I forgive’, ‘I let go.’

The two most powerful times to practise these positive affirmations are before going to sleep and upon waking. It is good to take great care of the thoughts we have before sleeping and upon waking. Technology, phones, computers are best used at other times of the day. It is best to set aside media for a time, before sleeping and on waking.

An attitude of gratitude is a very powerful thing. Listing the things we are grateful for is really beneficial. Having gratitude for all the skills and attributes we have, for all the friends and family, for nature that surrounds us, and our health and well-being. Before each meal, we can have a moment of real gratitude for how it was grown, all the work that went into the production, delivery, and preparation of the food. When I cook food, I can create powerful and nourishing thoughts and good wishes for those who will eat it. The same is true for the water we drink. These mindsets work to make our reality one we feel safe and comfortable in, and they work even if we do not believe in them. Practising these affirmations and mindsets daily begins a chain reaction that creates the reality we want to experience. The more we do this, the more firm and beautiful our reality becomes.

Chirya Risely is a Rajyoga meditation teacher 
based at the Brahma Kumaris 
Peace Village Retreat Center, USA.