“For mind is the builder and that which we think upon may become crimes or miracles. For thoughts are things.” – Edgar Cayce

Thoughts are energy. They create and we can create consciously using them. The Upanishads say, “Let one therefore keep the mind pure, for what a man thinks, that he becomes.” The Bible also agrees. “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts,” says the book of Proverbs.

The Hidden Message in Water, a book by  Masaru Emoto shows the effect of words and thoughts on water. Positive thoughts and words like “peace” create perfect, beautifully formed crystals. Negative thoughts and words like “hate” produce a deformed, disharmonious crystal. Our thoughts react upon us. The body is made up mostly of water. Imagine the effect of negative thoughts on a body that is more than 75% water.

Mind-body clinics from Harvard to Duke University realize the connection and encourage meditation and other mind-training exercises. Watching thoughts is a practice of conscious presence. By observing the mental chatter it’s possible to expand the space between the words. It’s also possible to change the mental chatter from negative and self-defeating to uplifting and empowering.

Pay attention to the inner monologue today and note what’s going on inside. Are there words and thoughts you’d like to change. What kind of life are you building with your thoughts? When the negative seems very strong, a simple mantra like, “I am Love,” can replace and transform it all. It will raise the vibrations and energize.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life. A visionary and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind/body/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http://www.awakeintheworld.com.