I recently saw a picture of a fjord in Norway. I was spellbound at the beauty. And then, seemingly, everyone started talking about Norway. It came up several times over the course of a few weeks, that feeling that Norway was having a moment, that the Universe was sending me a personal message.
I was experiencing what science terms the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, that feeling of synchronicity where we apply meaning to a subject, and then start noticing it everywhere. Norway wasn’t more or less of a thing, it’s just that I was noticing it more. Our brains have to process massive amounts of information each day, so they are selective. By paying attention to that first photograph, I primed my brain to filter for more Norway nuggets in the background via my unconscious network. Then, when the topic arose, I congratulated myself on being “tuned in” to the cosmic flow.
What we think about we bring about. I prefer the term Law of Attraction to Baader-Meinhof, but the principle is the same. So how can we use this filtering mechanism to manifest a richer life? Through wand words. A wand word is a carefully chosen mantra we adopt, universal ideals we are hoping to attract in our lives to manifest our desires. When we repeat the word, It brings that idea to the forefront of our mind, telling our gray matter that this information is important. We consciously choose our mantra, then let Baader-Meinhof work in the neural background. The more we repeat an affirmation, the more our brains filter for that specific outcome.
Say your wand word is “abundance”. When you start thinking about abundance, you prime your brain to see prosperity everywhere and you “attract” more abundance. It was already there, but now you’re dialed in. If what we focus on grows, then we should consciously choose positive thoughts. I occasionally picture myself kayaking a glacial fjord at midnight and repeat, “See the awesomeness the world has to offer”. And I know it’ll happen. Do you use wand words, mantras, or affirmations? What and why?