Mantras

The other day, I had the song O-o-h Child by The Five Stairsteps stuck in my head. Now you may be thinking a few things like: "Wow! What a great song" or "Wow! Nick has such great taste" or "Wow! Who cares?" You may even be thinking all of these things. However, I will tell you why this particular occurrence is important; it inspired me to write this fantastic blog post about mantras.

Now, I thought I knew what a mantra was. But, when I did a little research I found out that I was not exactly on the right track. A basic definition of a mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation." I also came across this website that provides a much more thorough definition. Anyways, mantras originated in the Vedic tradition of India, eventually becoming a vital part of Hindu religion as well as other eastern religions including Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. They are often used to facilitate meditation and concentrate on spiritual advancement. The most well known mantra is the "Om" or "aum" mantra, also known as the "pranava mantra," the source of all mantras.

Today, I think its fair to say that most westerners understand a mantra to be something along the lines of a repeated personal statement that helps a person remember/focus on their goal, values, etc. I'm no psychologist, but I believe that in some cases mantras can be very powerful, even outside the realm of spirituality and religion. For instance, as the words "o-o-h child, things are gonna get easier" went through my head constantly throughout the school day, I found it became much easier to endure some of my brutally boring classes and my fitness day in gym.

The first "mantra" that I was exposed to appeared in the book The Little Engine That Could. The little engine repeated the phrase "I think I can, I think I can" over and over, and he eventually pulls the long train over the mountain. Yay! Anyways, if any of you have any knowledge/information on the psychology of mantras and how effective they are, feel free to comment below! I would be very interested to know more about them, considering the "I think I can" mantra was so integral to my childhood years. Thanks!

And now for a more recent and more humorous mantra: