My daughter wants a magic wand for her birthday this year. She’s turning 11, which all Muggles know is considered the “wizard birthday” in Harry Potter’s world.

A magic wand is unique to each individual wizard, providing protection against malevolent forces and lighting the way through darkness. When used correctly, a wand is a powerful ally. Muggles can use the power of affirmations in the same way wizards rely on wands.

Affirmations, like mantras or messages indicating what we would like to add into our lives, are carefully chosen words that, when repeated, act as magic wands of light and protection. Think of it as a wand word. Words, spoken or thought, produce an actual physical vibration. When we repeat words over and over, the words can have a direct impact on the situation produced.

Affirmations work via the law of attraction. What we think about, we bring about.

We have the power to repel or cultivate our dreams. Source Energy is always trying to nurture our success and affirmations connect us to this cosmic energetic flow.

Each year I choose a wand word. This year’s wand word is abundance.

How does it work? I repeat the affirmation each morning during my meditation practice using my mala to count out 108 repetitions. I’ll also say a few rounds throughout the day or before bed. I write my word on sticky notes that I place around my house, my car, or my workspace. I practice saying my word to myself in the mirror.

Just like a guitarist playing scales over and over or a basketball player practicing free throws for hours on end, the more we train our minds to think positively, the deeper we carve our neural pathways and the more we invite positive things into our lives. The repetition reinforces the power of the affirmation.

Amazing things happen when working with affirmations. Take, for instance, my choice of abundance. After only using my abundance wand word for a few weeks, opportunities poured into my life from unexpected places. I sold out a yoga retreat I was leading. My friends brought me unexpected surprises: a new sweatshirt, a wine glass, some homemade soup. I found a gift card for gas long-forgotten in my junk drawer. My stocks went up. I even had a horrible week that was one frustrating obstacle after another. Yet every life experience has much to teach us if we are open to the lesson. Through the chaos I tried to stay open to the lesson, knowing that you often have to have a breakdown before you have a breakthrough.

I choose to believe that all of this was evidence my affirmation was working.

Still not convinced? How about this? I was trying to manifest the opportunity to get acupuncture when I led my yoga retreat in Mexico. That very week I was thumbing through one of my travel journals looking for a packing list and found $81 in Mexican pesos. An acupuncture session costs $75. I’m not even kidding you. That is wand word magic, y’all.

It has also changed the color of my day. For as long as I can remember, I have started my day with a math equation. Upon waking, usually between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m., the first thing I do is look at the clock and figure out how many hours I slept. Then I either worry that I didn’t get enough sleep and I’ll be tired all day or I worry that I slept too long and there won’t be enough time to do everything I need to. Either way, I was starting my day focusing on scarcity (not enough sleep or not enough time). I had never even realized I did this until I started waving my magic wand of abundance about! After a few weeks of practicing this affirmation, I would look at the clock and just feel—enough. There was both enough sleep and enough time. It has shifted the entire tone of my days for the better.

An affirmation practice will shine a light on so many aspects of your life. The awareness then creates opportunities for positive, powerful change.

But it’s a practice! You gotta want it and you gotta work it. You can’t simply say the word. You have to feel the word all the way down into your body. If you’re thinking courage without trying to feel courageous, it’s not going to work.

Say it like you mean it, even striking a power pose or waving an imaginary wand if it helps. Say it as if you’re casting a spell (think about how you’d say abracadabra! and you’ve got the general picture).

Want your own wand word? Here are a few to consider. Circle any that resonate with you, and then listen closely to the universe over the next few weeks to see which ones keep popping back up in your life. That’s your word.

Acceptance

Awareness

Badassery

Balance

Challenge

Connection

Flow

Grace

Gratitude

Intuition

Love

Openness

Peace

Release

Source

Stillness

Trust

Wealth

Wholeness

Wonder

Nothing reinforces your belief in affirmation like verification it’s working. Throughout your affirmation practice, keep a list of all the ways, both big and small, the universe is supporting your affirmation. Remember that even mistakes or conflict can be profound lessons in the progress of personal evolution. Be open to the experience!

Relephant:

Affirmations that can Make a Difference Starting Now.

Author: Erin Smith

Apprentice Editor: Monica LaSarre / Editor: Travis May

Image: Flickr/Logan Smith