The Seven Layers of Affirmation

By George A. Boyd © 2017

Affirmation plays a key role in belief change in New Thought, New Age, Judeo-Christian prosperity gospel, and I AM Movement groups. By countering the negative beliefs that resist change, deny possibility, and work against the realization of your dreams, affirmation tunnels through the layers of the mind to penetrate to the Soul’s power of manifestation.

Affirmation takes a variety of forms, depending on the level of the Great Continuum where it is used.

  1. Fiat – This form activates the “magical” octave of will in the Subtle Realm. Wiccans, magicians, and students of Occult Adepts utilize this. It is commonly done with the word of power, “And so mote it be.”
  2. Universal mind affirmation – This form targets the Laws of the Universal Mind Subplane of the Abstract Mind Plane, and the Law of Attraction on the first Subplane of the Psychic Realm.
  3. Prayer of faith – This form channels the manifesting power of the Holy Spirit. It is common among those who tap the Christ Child nucleus of identity in the First Exoteric and Mesoteric Planetary Initiations. It includes conviction that certain power phrases or “promises” in the scriptures will come true, because God spoke them, or the Holy Spirit inspired them. It uses this fiery power to dissolve negative beliefs and create desired outcomes. It uses the word of power, “Amen.”
  4. Decree – This form channels the Mighty I AM Presence, the nucleus of identity of the Second Initiation. It speaks the Word of the Mighty I AM Presence to directly manifest what is desired, and to melt away any negative beliefs or change negative conditions or influences.
  5. Word of Power – This declares that an affirmation that is anchored in the Superconscious mind through multiple repetitions shall be made manifest. In addition to the “And so mote it be” of the Subtle Realm and the “Amen” of the First Initiation, other forms include “and so be it,” “let it be,” and “so be it in the OM.” In other spiritual traditions, this appears as “Amin” or “Aum.” The individual who makes an affirmation can add this word of power to powerfully augment the activity of the creative force of the Superconscious mind.

The affirmation cycle must pass through seven layers.

  1. Reason – Reason notes, “This is what is now,” and concludes, “In my current situation, this is not possible.” It requires proof that what is claimed can be physically verified.
  2. Imagination – Imagination visualizes, “This is what could be,” and envisions, “If conditions in my life were changed [in some specific way], this could be possible.” It believes that change is possible, and invites that possibility.
  3. Goal – When your Self chooses to make a possibility real, it sets a goal. The Self declares, “This is what I choose to have, do, or be in my life” and commits itself to constructive, committed action until the goal is reached. It realizes, “If I marshal these skills, this knowledge, these resources, and this support, I can make this so.” Goal setting taps the faculty of volition, and visualizes the discrete steps leading to fulfillment of that goal, and concretizes it as a plan. It ultimately may visualize each of the facets of full personal actualization, and work on goals that bring that vision into fruition.
  4. Conflict – As your affirmation begins to move into the unconscious mind, it encounters resistant beliefs that hinder the actualization of the outcome that you wish to manifest. You realize, as you tap this layer, “These are the beliefs that make this seem impossible and that impede my forward movement in this area of my life.” You recognize, “If I overcome this conflict within me, I can function as a unified being and work together with my Self and Soul to achieve this goal.” This layer reveals what is beneath the surface, hidden in the unconscious, and that subtly works against fulfillment.
  5. Symbol – If you have ever had a psychic reading, you have tapped into the layer of symbol. It gives the big picture of what the issue comprises, both the conscious forces that embrace change, and the unconscious forces that fear and resist change. At this level, you get “This is the symbol or metaphor that represents my complete relationship with this issue, and these are the positive and negative aspects of it.” You understand your experience is mirrored in the world of archetypes, and you can access this world through readings such as tarot, astrology, numerology, and other systems of archetypal divination.
  6. Faith – Faith believes in miraculous manifestation, based on the perceived Omnipotence of God. When you embrace faith, you can affirm, “I believe God, the Universe, or other Infinitely Powerful and Positive Force supports me, loves me, and will help me manifest this.” You rationalize this at this level as, “If God supports me, what I desire will inevitably manifest in my life without fail, as He/She/It is the One Absolute Power.”
  7. Creation – Creation draws upon the ability of your three immortal principles—attentional principle, spirit, and Soul—to directly manifest what you desire, respectively, through the operation of intention, the spirit’s wish, or the Soul’s transpersonal will. In creation you become fully conscious that, “I create and manifest this, and I bring it into being, form, and full manifestation in my life and the world around me.” You know in the deepest essence of your being, “If I create this, it becomes real in my life because I command, decree, and make it so.” Creation activates the Law of Manifestation or Law of Attraction.

Common to all of these forms of affirmation is the idea that there is a core power that is capable of manifesting what you intend, wish, or command—and the process of repetition of your affirmation must continue until this core is reached and activated.

To win over the results-oriented, proof-demanding, and reality-reifying sentinel of reason, your affirmation must genuinely produce the desired goal and unmistakably bring it into manifestation in the world.

If your affirmation is for there to be a million dollars in your bank account, there genuinely needs to be that amount in there—and it can’t be produced by a computer glitch.

If your affirmation is that your Soul Mate, the love of your life, is in a fully committed relationship with you, a centerfold of a lovely or handsome model will not do. He or she needs to be in the bed next to you, live in the house with you—and for an extra measure of proof—your wedding ring is on his or her ring finger and you’ve got his or her name on a marriage license along with yours.

While you can imagine something is possible, set a goal and make plans to achieve it, many times you will find that a mysterious force seems to sabotage or interfere with your efforts. This is where you encounter the zone of conflict.

The zone of conflict is where affirmation can truly shine, as the thrust of your insistent, repetitive declaration acts to counter the fears, doubts, worries, unworthiness, and despair that stand in the way of your actually making your dream come true.

This struggle between the forces in your psyche—those that believe it can be and those that don’t believe it can be—are mirrored in the archetypal realm as symbols and metaphors. This underlying conflict is commonly represented in art, poetry, and other creative endeavors; it is mirrored in an intuitive reading.

Breaking through into faith and creation ultimately directly activates the forces of the Superconscious mind to augment and support the act of will—your decision to make your dream come true through constructive action.

You can access these seven levels of affirmation through these evocative questions:

  1. What is your current situation? What is real for you right now?
  2. Do you believe this is possible that if magically, all of the conditions were in place for you to have this? What would this look like if this was fully manifest in your life?
  3. What are the steps to achieve what you desire? What would need to be in place for you to do, be, or have what you desire?
  4. What parts of you resist or fear achieving this desire? What are they and what do they need from you? What might you tell them to assuage their concerns?
  5. What symbol or metaphor represents your current situation? What symbol or metaphor portrays completion, the attainment of what you desire? What symbols or metaphors signify the stairway or bridge to this completion?
  6. Does God, the Universe, or whatever you conceive to be the Supreme Power underlying everything, support your dream? Does He/She/It give you permission to do, be, or have what you desire? Does this Power favor your undertaking?
  7. What are you willing to create concerning your dream? Do you choose to create it? Will you create it now?

If you use affirmations appropriately and judiciously, they can create a powerful momentum that draws you irresistibly towards your goals. If they are used correctly, they can give you the Soul Force to never give up, but to persist until you reach your dream.