Do Affirmations Actually Work?
or are they just a placebo?
Where have I been? I have obviously fallen off the creation wagon. I am not sure what has been going on the last few weeks… almost a month. It was like my partner’s sister came into town, and my entire ability and motivation to create in any form just disappeared. So I have been here and there sporadically, wishing I could remember the excitement I get from creating, not just content, but anything.
The only thing that has kept my head in the game recently is my goddess work, especially with Persephone. I am running Persephone’s Descent over on IG and Discord (for the paid tier), and it is reminding me that creation is possible even during moments of disconnect.
I noticed a major shift in my energy this Monday after being sick as a dog all weekend. I cleaned the heck out of the house (again), and I even rearranged the bedroom to make it feel just… BETTER. I finished a cross stitching project that I am so excited about, and now today, Tuesday, as I write this, I have knocked out every computer task on my list, with the exception of the really boring things like applying for OHP (please, let me perish before having to go through that process… AGAIN).
What has caused this astounding shift from struggling to be in my body and functional and grasping at the tiniest shreds of creativity I had left?
Rest
I truly rested. I felt guilty about it, but we all know creativity isn’t something that can be forced. Instead of doing reels and carousels and keeping detailed logs of my tarot readings, I turned to baking. Baking is 110% creative. I am not denying that at all. I, however, am not a natural baker, and it is not a source of “creativity” for me as I have to follow the recipe to a T. This was restful. This was heart filling. This was zero risk experimentation.
I have also been leaning to cross stitching. I have completed a holiday gift for one person and because I have allowed myself to sit with this joy, my inspiration and creativity around cross stitch has been blooming.
I rested. I allowed for the dopamine to lead me, and I followed. I didn’t try to force myself into what isn’t resonating. I am letting those things rest and breathe. It is ok to give our bread and butter a break.
Affirmations
One thing that I have been trying to get on routine is acting on my messages from the new moon. I use the Work Your Light Oracle for messages from Persephone. This is the second month that a I got the Birthing A New Age card. Last cycle, I kept forgetting to read the affirmation. This lunar cycle, thanks for Persephone’s Descent, I have remembered to say it a lot more often.
‘I am open to surrendering to the creations that are wanting to be birthed through me. May I be of service in a way that delights my mind, body, and soul. Please use me, please lead me, please show me the way.’
Am I saying that this is the reason I have been able to pull myself out of my rut? Not by itself no, but I have noticed that what I have been working on is delighting my mind, body, and soul. It is new. It is different, but I am so excited about it, and it feels more aligned than collage and tarot do right now. This feels like a natural transition and one that is guided by my spiritual practice.
‘I release all old soul stories, vows, contracts, and patterns that are no longer aligned with who I came here to be in the present time. I carry the lessons, growth, and gifts, but I no longer choose to live the same story. May I be unbound, unbound, forever unbound.’
This is another affirmation I have been trying to say more frequently over the last couple of months. It is another message from Persephone. And it’s true. I do want to release the patterns from childhood and teen/early adulthood that kept me safe but are no longer needed.
Affirmations are something that I have been working with for quite a few years now, like 7ish. I have always noticed a shift in my energy, in what flows towards me, what is repelled, and how my life takes shape when I keep up with affirmations that are relevant. Affirmations require consistency and dedication.
Ancestral & Goddess Work
Even as I have leaned into more domestic activities and away from the internet and content creation, I have been forcing myself to stay active with my ancestral and goddess work. The call for ancestral work has been here for many years, but I am only just now getting to it because it is now resonating. I need to get back to Honoring Your Ancestors because that book has been an anchor.
I have some embroidery that my nana did, and I always saw her cross stitch, sewing, and other needlework projects on those handful of occasions I was at her house. Fiber arts has always been women’s (AFAB’s) domain, and as I work, I show my ancestral altar my progress. The Morrigan led me to this work, and that is one way I have been leaning into goddess work.
Another way is, of course, daily work with Persephone. But also working with the cards given to me by Artemis. For Artemis, I use the Earthcraft Oracle Deck. Transform with raven is one card I pulled, and I have been trying to be more intentional about doing the quick visualization and meditation at least once a week with a quartz crystal. “Clarity finds me. I see with with a bird’s eye view” are the affirmations I repeat when I do this. And since doing it daily, I have felt a major lift in stagnant energy.
Yoga and I don’t get along (I’m too bendy), but I have been trying to do the deep squats per the Warrior card. That one has also led to some shifting energy, though I always feel super sick afterwards. Yoga always makes me feel really ill.
Hekate gives me crystals, and I have been reconnecting with crystals and that has also been igniting passion, inspiration, and creativity.
I know I get wordy in these posts, and I appreciate you all for being here. I am someone who needs all of the information in order to learn and retain, so as a guide, I try to be as thorough as possible. I also need a lot of concrete examples as theory is too ethereal for me.
Thank you for reading with me. How do you get out of creative ruts? Dopamine crashes? Burnout? I would love to hear below!
Wishing you well this week! May your life offer what you need in this moment.
With love,
Aventurine ✨
Rest is so important! I've had lots of ebbs and flows in my creativity this year, I am learning to be okay with how my creative energy moves. I do like affirmations and I think they are powerful tool, thank you for sharing about your practices!
Rest and affirmations. A recipe for success!