Hello,
And welcome to Divine Etymologies.
My name is Amy,
And I've created this guided meditation for us to explore together the ways in which we access the Divine in our everyday lives,
Specifically through the contemplation of language,
Words,
And etymology,
Or the history of words.
Understanding the energy that words carry can enhance our meditative practice.
First we'll examine the etymology of today's chosen word,
And then a related meditation will follow.
Let's begin.
Today's word is affirmation.
If you've been meditating for a while,
You may have heard of affirmations.
They are the optimistic,
Encouraging phrases you say to yourself to affirm or strengthen a positive way of thinking and being.
Now if you're like a lot of people,
As much as you might enjoy affirmations and use them regularly,
Sometimes,
Depending on how you're feeling,
They might not sit right.
For example,
If you're feeling unwell and your mind and heart are burdened,
You might turn to your familiar affirmations to make you feel better,
But when you're in that state,
You might find that they don't resonate as well as at other times.
It's hard to believe them sometimes when they tell you that everything's okay,
But it feels like nothing's okay.
Is it possible to still get something positive out of them?
Yes,
Absolutely.
In meditation,
We typically use affirmations to describe things as they are in the present.
We say things like,
I am safe,
I am loved,
I have everything I need.
Using affirmations in the present tense like this is important,
Because thinking them and feeling them aligns your energy with them,
Therefore helping to create them.
But having a deeper understanding of the fullness of the word affirmation can expand its resonance for you,
So that even on days when you don't feel it in the present,
You can still receive its benefit.
The word affirmation comes to us from previous versions of the word in Latin and Old French,
And throughout its many hundreds of years of history,
It's consistently meant to assert or confirm that something is true.
Many words with Latin roots that start with an A and then have a double consonant came originally from AD,
But were spelled or pronounced differently over time.
The prefix AD indicates a direction.
It means moving toward something.
Firm,
Too,
Comes from Latin,
By the way of Old French,
And has consistently meant strong and steady,
Enduring.
So thinking that the word may have begun with an AD in its original form,
The meaning would have been to move toward being strong and steady,
To move toward endurance.
This slight shift can make all the difference.
Moving toward means we're always a work in progress.
We might not always be perfect,
But we keep trying,
Learning,
And growing.
And now,
Let's meditate.
Divine Spirit,
Yours is everything perfect and beautiful.
I am perfect and beautiful because I am yours.
I am of you.
You are in me.
Always.
But sometimes I forget.
Sometimes I feel far away from you and your divine power and light.
Far away from my own divine power and light.
I feel too human,
Separate,
Small.
And my thoughts keep me there,
Focusing on limitations instead of being limitless.
In these times,
Help me to move again toward you,
To reroute my thoughts,
To bring me closer.
I affirm my connection to your divine self.
I am a spiritual being having a human experience.
I have infinite creative power over my life.
I am moving toward you once again.
I have divine energy flowing through me.
Divine energy flows through all creation.
I remember this no matter what tries to dim my light.
I am moving toward you once again.
I am grateful for everything in my life.
I am grateful for everything that brings me joy and comfort.
I am grateful for everything uncomfortable because it provides the chance to learn.
I am abundant.
The natural state of all creation is abundance.
I remember this no matter what society tells me I lack.
I am moving toward you once again.
I have a purpose.
My presence is a necessary part of all creation.
I remember this even if I sometimes doubt it.
Change is the one constant in this world of space and time.
In the cells in the body and in the stars in the heavens and everything in between,
There is perpetual movement,
Shifting,
Evolution.
Something is born and something dies and it goes on and on and on.
And it's okay.
I am moving toward you once again.
And so it is.
Thank you for listening and until next time,
Words carry energy so use them wisely.
