The Great 'I am'

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I am who I am…  This is what you shall tell the Israelites:  I AM sent me to you.

THE VOICE OF GOD
Exodus 3:14 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

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The name of  God for the Israelites is the word Yahweh, which means, "He is." The Hebrew word from the Torah, ‘ehyeh, means “I Am.” 

When Moses asked who should he say who sent him when he encountered the burning bush, God's answer in the original ancient Hebrew was “’ehyeh ’asher ’ehyeh” or “I am who I am” or in other translations, "I am that I am."

Jesus of Nazareth later makes reference to this using the word "'ehyeh" when referencing himself when he is quoted as saying, “I solemnly declare it:  before Abraham came to be, I Am” (John 8:58).  According to the story, this prompted people in the crowd to pick up stones to throw at him at such blasphemy.  He escaped without incident.

The Sanskrit word Aham, also means "I am."  The ancient OM pronounced "AUM", familiar to many who practice meditation, is a derivative of Aham. OM is considered to be the original name of God by many Hindus and that by repeating the sound as a mantra during meditation, can help you deeply relax and achieve higher levels of consciousness and powers of manifestation. 

Hindus believe that in the creation of the universe, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration, manifesting as the powerful sound AUM. 

The sound of AUM resonates in many religious and spiritual traditions for the name of the Divine Creating Force or Ultimate Being:  Allah, Alpha and Omega, I Am, Buddha, God, Krishna, Ra, Tao, or Yahweh, for example.  The sound of “ah” is common in all of these names. 

Dr. Wayne Dyer says about this sound, “…you begin to manifest without the use of the mind.  It is done through the power of sound…  It is the first sound of creation.”

Saying positive “I am...” statements and using the AUM sound as a mantra can be a powerful experience, especially if done positively, routinely, and consistently.  It can help you enter a meditative state more quickly, relax more fully, and can help you achieve higher levels of consciousness or a higher state of being.  It calms the mind and brings about a peaceful state.  It is then that you are most creative, more focused, make better decisions, and are more effective.

Some believe that invoking the Great I Am invokes the power of creation and manifestation and so, to be very careful about what we follow with any "I am..." statement.  Our negative self-talk like, "I am stupid" or "I am a failure" or "I am poor" can, whether through human psychology or the power of unwittingly invoking God's name, be self-fulfilling prophecies or invoking a universal spiritual power. 

In The Purpose-Driven Leadership Program, I share a powerful, inspirational YouTube video that I sometimes use as a great way to start my day or give myself a pick-me-up whenever I feel like I need one.  What Successful People Do In the First 8 Minutes of Their Morning features several prominent speakers, including Joel Olsteen.  In the video he addresses the power of "I am..." statements.  Today I want to share it with you below.

One of my favorite ways to integrate the AUM sound comes from a powerful musical meditation that Wayne Dyer created to support his book, Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting.  He reports that in his research while writing his book, he came upon another book by James F. Twyman, The Moses Code, and found that tonal qualities could be created to match the Great I am.

I am so grateful that it is still available on YouTube and I use it often.  It's beautiful and peaceful tones and music while meditating or contemplating can be powerful.  It opens with some explanation by Dr. Dyer and the actual meditation starts at 07:20.  It's a long video.  So, I usually only listen to just a few minutes while I sit and do some block breathing and either contemplate some aspects of my Life Mission/Leadership Philosophy and Core Values statement or just meditate, quieting my mind and body.

Enjoy!

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Have an amazing journey today!

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Alan Mikolaj is a seasoned coach and leadership development consultant with nearly 20 years of experience.  He is passionate about helping leaders transform their leadership, their teams, and their organizations.  He has an impactful, professional approach driven by a passion for meaning and purpose, a growth mindset, and a commitment to excellence and service in order to drive change and results.

Alan holds his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and Associate Certified Coach credential with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and maintains their ethics and standards of behavior, including the standards regarding confidentiality.  You can learn more about them on the ICF website.

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