Keeping the Faith

In my human experience, Grandmothers were women of faith.

They were devout and deep believers of some unseen power, tapped into this great mystery that I could barely comprehend in my youth and inexperience. Both walked a different path and worshipped in a contrasting way, alternate sides of a similar coin. These two possible versions of such a powerful belief made me aware of options and choices in faith at an early age.

I've always been fascinated by old churches, by rosaries and by hundred year old paintings on walls inside country churches like the one I was baptised in at the foothills of a mountain near where my mother was raised. My awe stemmed from the faith and belief poured into them, the pure knowing that was etched into their every crevice, the complete trust in this unseen power. I envied the believers. I could never imagine that much belief in anything.

As I aged, I developed a fascination for this soul deep belief they held, this unshakable knowing in something you can't see but believe without a doubt of its existence.

Faith without proof. Belief in the face of shakey reality. Unwavering hope. Knowing that there was something more in the unseen. How I wished I could have that level of conviction, not for religion necessarily as I held my own Earth based beliefs by this time, but for everything else that I faced; my work, my relationships, my future.

As humans, we put faith in things we can't control all the time.

We believe the Sun will rise tomorrow and when the day is over it will set, whether we can see it through the clouds or not. We know that gravity will do its job and keep us from floating off into the sky. We trust our bodies to wake up and start the day, though sometimes with an ache or pain. We believe the cold of Winter will end and Spring will once again warm the ground for planting. So why do we find it so hard to trust in our own unfolding lives?

Keep the faith, they say. Hope springs eternal. Things always have a way of working out. There's a reason for everything. What's meant to be will always find a way. I'm part Virgo Moon, part Aries Sun and a whole lot of fire and impatience in between. I want proof and I want action. I want to see the reality and gnaw on the bones of truth. Being in absolute trust is still something of a mystery to me and a lifelong challenge I strive to open fully to on my path towards greater self discovery and understanding.

What we believe in shapes our future. So how do we put faith in something we can't see?

I love Yoga, I do it daily in my little home studio.

Whenever I'm on the mat I listen to Esther Hicks, an amazing spiritual teacher (and very entertaining speaker) who I find very uplifting. She says that we shouldn't put so much focus on today as the reality that surrounds us was created by the thoughts and beliefs of the past so its relevance isn't as big as we make it out to be. In the same way, the future is made up of the thoughts and beliefs we bring forward today so what we give attention to and believe shapes what is to come.

What we think and believe will be, will be. We have the power to create the future based on our beliefs in the present. The tricky part is not being overwhelmed or trapped by the reality that we are surrounded by. Everything that we see is the manifestation of the past. What we create in the future we are in the process of bringing into being with every thought, story and belief we hold.

In the absence of proof, one must cultivate deep faith.

There are some things in this world we have very little control over such as when our bodies are finished with this chapter we call life and our essence goes back to spirit to get ready for the next round. But for everything else, we have to trust that our choices and decisions shape our future even if we can't see it forming in the unseen and that there is a purpose to it all.

So, know that the Sun will rise tomorrow and the birds will find a song to sing. Gravity will continue to hold you securely on terra firma. The warmth of Spring will melt away the cold grey of Winters last breath. Your future is not written in stone and we have the power to manifest great things even if we can't see them yet.

In the meanwhile, have faith. Things always have a way of working out in the end. Trust me.