Having been
brought up Catholic, I grew weary of hearing the phrase,
"you must have faith." Someone would always say that to me
after I had tried and tried to get something I wanted, but
knew eventually that it was going to be impossible. Having
faith became, to me, associated with failure.
"If at first
you don't succeed, try, try again." That's another one I
always hated to hear.
It always
seemed people would recommend faith to me after they already
knew I wasn't going to succeed. It was their way to make me
feel better, but in my mind it was recognition of my
incompetence.
Yet faith is a
concept that has been with mankind for millennia. In order
for something to survive that long in the consciousness of
the species, there must be some benefit or survival value to
it!
Let's look at
faith in relation to the Universal Operating System.
Faith could be
defined as holding to what is desired purely, with no
counter–thought or intention. Faith does not allow
observation of the current reality to vibrationally
influence intent. In that sense, it is completely a priori.
Faith gets a
bad name because it is theoretical, not based on experience
or experiment. Faith is sometimes pejoritavely associated
with fundamentalism or fanaticism, because those who
practice it refuse to acknowledge reality, but hold to their
intent nonetheless.
But faith can
also be meliorative (to make better). No matter what your
intent, the Law of Attraction goes to bat for you.
You might say,
“having faith is easy to say but impossible to do. I can’t
even meditate for 5 minutes without my mind wandering.”
Well, yeah, but what’s the alternative? If you want to
improve, you can’t operate on the same frequencies or
nothing will change. So you have to get some new thoughts,
and an understanding of faith can help you to do that.
An
understanding of universal principles makes having faith
much easier. Even if your dream is completely divorced from
your current reality, you can get started with confidence,
knowing that the Law of Vibration and the Law of Attraction
will back you up.
Faith isn’t
delusional. Delusion is looking at black and calling it
white. Faith is simply holding to your dream despite all
reasons not to. It can be the engine of your personal
creative process, for the subtle energy phenomenon of
vibrational matching will bring to you, sometimes in ways
that would never occur to you, opportunities,
synchronicities, 'luck', people and resources to assist you.
You just have to begin to apply this idea and watch what
happens. Once you begin to see your life change, you will
never doubt it, and having faith will become easier and
easier. Having faith should be a fun process, because your
thoughts are all geared toward those things that bring you
joy.
Here’s an
example: last winter I was writing full time and not working
at all. Although my books were selling at this point, it
wasn’t enough to pay the bills each month. So I dreamed up a
job that would pay well and last a minimum of 6 months,
enough time to finish my book. For the next couple of days I
continued to create this idea and then let it go. I even had
a dream about it, so it was pretty well established in my
consciousness. Two weeks later I received a phone call from
a contractor who wanted me to work with him on an exciting
project which would pay well and last between 6 months and
two years! This co-incidence was remarkable because I
performed no action cycles whatsoever. I made no phone
calls, did no promotion; nothing except send out a
vibrational signal to the universe and maintain it. It was
effortless!
This is the
opposite of what I learned in religion classes. I learned
that faith is very difficult, achieved only through great
diligence. And it IS difficult, if what you are attempting
to achieve doesn’t line up with what YOU want. If you’re
trying to achieve the goals others have set for you, instead
of the one’s you’ve set for yourself, faith can indeed be
arduous!
For instance, I
was taught in religion class that my elders were always
wiser and smarter than I, and that it was the duty of a
child to always obey parents, teachers, and authority
figures. I was taught that helping others is saintly, and
doings things for oneself is selfish. So I lived my life
like a good little citizen, molding my thoughts and beliefs
to others and living in fear of making a misstep. I was
compliant, helped others, ignored my own needs, and was
miserable! But it was OK, I reasoned, because my soul was
being purified and a great reward lie waiting for me at the
end of my life, if I would only believe.
I know, most
people are smarter than that, but it took me a long time to
understand the proper role of faith in my life.
I finally
learned that it is much better to have faith in yourself
than to have faith in another, for you are divine, a little
piece of God walking around on earth. So when you have faith
in yourself, you have faith in God as well.
There are two
flavors of faith, one associated with religion, and the
other associated with the creative process. My mistake was
confusing the former with the latter.
Faith is a
powerful concept in any creative endeavor, for it keeps you
aligned to the goal. In other words, “having faith” means
holding your vibration in the place you want it. In order to
make faith work however, you have to do a little sales job
on yourself at the beginning, and get yourself in the right
frame of mind to start the ball rolling. In other words, if
you’ve been creating negatively in an area for years, you
first have to overcome vibrational inertia. But this inertia
is within the scope of your control, for your vibrational
signal is generated within yourself. The universe’s
responses are entirely dependent upon your vibrational
orientation. No one can control your vibrational signal
except you! You are the initiator of everything you
experience.
You also have
to overcome the fatalistic tendency to regard the solid
stuff around you as immovable and unchanging. The
unfulfilling relationship, job, or lifestyle seems stuck in
place, but it is there only as a consequence of your
unchanging vibrational signal to the universe. Change that,
and your life will change as well.
Having faith
means allowing the law of ‘like attracts like’ to work in
your favor. In order to see the law of ‘like attracts like’
at work in your life, begin with something trivial, like
finding a model of car you like. I chose Audi's because they
are not so common. Soon I was noticing Audi's everywhere! I
had no idea there were so many guys with Audi's around. You
could say “the Audi's were there all the time, you just
didn't notice them before.” Well, it’s a little deeper than
that. The Audi’s might have been there, but you didn’t see
them. If you aren’t aware of something, you can’t access or
use it. Therefore, it is invisible and does not exist for
you. That is how the process of conscious creation works.
When you deliberately create your vibrational signal, you
become aware of the universe’s responses and can take
advantage. Otherwise, you are ‘blind’ to something that may
already be right in front of your nose. Swami Muktananda
expressed this idea when he said (paraphrasing) ‘In order to
know God, you must keep God in the forefront of your
consciousness.’
It does turn
out that the more attention you pay to something, the more
of it actually arrives in your experience. You have to find
this out for yourself however, by experimentation in the
laboratory of life.
Remember also
that an unchanging vibration will always generate similar
actions. In these essays, we don’t advise quitting your job
and trying to think your way to success. It’s certainly
possible, but unless you are a true master of thought,
you’re not going to make any Great Leaps Forward. When
you truly change your vibe, you’ll feel excited, and you’ll
want to get into action. You may be working very
hard indeed, but it won’t seem like work at all, it’ll be
fun! Let’s face it: if you’re incarnated here, you came for
the action and adventure. You could have stayed in the
non–physical realm, but you decided to come to earth and mix
it up! A human being is a spirit intimately associated with
a physical body. The Law of Attraction is a powerful weapon,
but it should be used synergistically within the
spirit–mind–body framework.
Faith vs Hope
Many people
associate faith with hope. Hope is an entirely different
thing from faith. If you have gotten to the stage where you
are hoping, you have almost lost the game!
Hope could be
defined as trying to get what you want from a place where
you are pretty sure you aren’t going to get it.
Hope usually
comes after you’re already discouraged: "Oh, I so much want
to buy a house, but the mortgage is too expensive. I hope
that one day I can." When you are hoping, you are hanging
on to just a thread of desire. This vibration is more about
lack of a house than having a house! If you think over
times in your life when you were hoping for something, you
will find that almost always you weren’t very confident of a
positive outcome.
However, I'm
not trying to bad-mouth hope! Hope is a lot better than
being completely discouraged. When you are hoping, there is
still some focus upon what is wanted. It is a good place to
start the creative process.
But faith is a
much stronger feeling. Faith will never fail to get you
where you want to go, because having faith creates a
vibration unsullied and unhindered by contradictory thoughts
and feelings. Faith is purely holding your vision so that
you may come together in time and space with the people and
resources you need in your creative process. That is what
"synchronicity," or coincidence, is all about. What passes
for coincidence is simply the lining up of vibration. You
didn't just get that new job offer by chance! You create
every one of your opportunities.
Holding the
Vision
The most
crucial aspect of "having faith" is continuing to hold the
vision through every stage of the creative process, even
though the goal has not yet been attained. When you want
something because you think that you can’t be happy without
it, however, faith becomes a burden. This is exactly
backwards and will always result in failure, because it
places material objects as source-point and you at
effect-point. This is using the creative process
wrong-end-forwards, for the creative energy of the universe
is the animating principle itself. You, as consciousness,
are always at source-point!
Worry results
from the idea that you might not get the thing you’re
wanting and causes a disconnect from life force energy,
which makes you feels worse, which makes you worry some
more…this is what happens when you identify your happiness
with something outside yourself. When you worry, you focus
on something unwanted, and place that vibrational along your
future path, thereby becoming an attractor for it.
Why do we worry
even though we know that it’s irrational, and that it
doesn’t help? Because we don’t understand that a human being
is primarily consciousness associated with a physical body,
and that consciousness interfaces with other consciousness
and the universe’s operating system. We don’t even
acknowledge the importance of the animating principle, even
though it is us, and has designed and created the universe!
We look for “proof” to matter and energy, and fail to
consult the powerful, positive energy of our own life force.
We have no idea of the powerful nature of subtle energy
phenomena, because we are told that the basis of life is
biological, and that consciousness itself comes forth from
biology! We have no idea how powerful we are, for our
religions and our philosophies assert that man is an
irrelevant nothing, living on an isolated planet on the edge
of an insignificant galaxy in an infinite universe. Our
science tells us that life was a happy accident, a random
and accidental conglomeration of chemicals, and that the
universe will eventually either expand and cool and die, or
shrink in on itself, destroying all life within it. When you
look at life from the viewpoint of consciousness however,
you understand that you are eternally self aware and you
connect with your own life force, and when you do that you
are filled with a power and joy and you feel like a god!
Half the battle
of faith is having a proper comprehension of who you really
are. Of course, if you have never felt the power of your own
life force, you won’t have a bloody clue what I’m talking
about. But then you probably won’t be reading this essay
either, so it doesn’t matter.
When you are
absolutely clear about what you want, when you have a goal
and a vision AND you are filled with positive emotion, you
are unstoppable, and what you desire is as inevitable as
turning on a garden hose. Even if the hose is very long and
you have to wait a while, you KNOW the water will eventually
find it's way to your nozzle.
However, if you
are the type of person who just wants the stuff, faith won’t
work for you. You will never truly connect to the inner
feeling of your desire, for your attention is on the object
and not on the creative energy that fuels the creative
process. And so you will never, vibrationally, come off of
where you’re at. “Hey, I want a new car and a lot of money,
so if faith really works, I’ll just think about it for a
while and, by magic, I’ll have it.” Sorry, it doesn’t work
that way! With this attitude, you will always be at A,
looking towards B. You will never connect to that life
giving feeling of joy and well being that is always
associated with a desire that is in alignment with your true
Self. And all of your actions will reflect your position at
A, looking towards B, but never reaching the goal.
The magic isn’t
getting the car and the money, the magic is connecting to
the life force energy in your desire, and the fantastic
feeling that comes with it. Then, as you follow your
hunches, as you get inspired to take action, you will
inevitably be led down the path of least resistance. The
distance to any manifestation, as we’ve said before, is a
vibrational distance, not a distance in time and space that
can be overcome solely through action cycles. Without lining
yourself up vibrationally toward the goal, manifestation is
impossible. The magic of the creative process is the
priceless feeling of joy and excitement in the journey! And
at the end the satisfaction of a job well done, but traveled
along a path filled with enjoyment, excitement, and
learning.
The Two Pole
System
Lets say you
are working a boring 9 to 5 job, but you really want to
start your own business. You have an idea for a small
consulting company that helps people set up computer
networks in small businesses. You have plenty of experience
with computers, but you are not sure how you will get
clients if you set out on your own.
Focusing on a
goal sets up a 2-pole system of energy. There is the energy
pole of your present situation, the 9 to 5 job, and your
desire for a business of your own (pole A). There is the
other pole of your goal, a successful small business (pole
B). There are two ways to look at the gap between A and B:
as an obstacle, or an opportunity to exercise your creative
will. If you see the current reality as an impediment you
will be acutely conscious of the present situation, which
keeps you vibrating at the energy of pole A, so you can
never get to pole B. Worry and doubt keep you fixed firmly
at pole A. All of your actions never seem to connect you up
with the resources you need, leading to enormous
frustration.
However, as
Robert Fritz points out in his book, “The Path of Least
Resistance,” the gap between the goal and where you are now
sets up an energy potential that you can harness. Without
the gap between pole A and pole B, there can be no movement
forward. In Chapter 2 (see the book
“The Vibrational Universe”), we saw how Jill’s position
higher on the emotional scale allowed Kathy to move from
apathy through anger and into the realm of positive emotion
regarding her boyfriend Thorpe. A higher emotion has the
potential to entrain a lower emotion.
Once you
achieve the goal, there is no potential and no movement, for
the two poles now occupy the same space. That is why the
excitement of having something wears off after a while
because, as creative beings, we are always reaching to be
more, do more and have more. The creative impulses of
consciousness, the animating principle, are always expanding
the universe onward! So even though life seems to be all
about achieving the goal and getting things done and
accumulating stuff, it’s really never about the material
object, and always about how you feel. The goal only exists
to inspire and motivate you to another creative process.
Every
unfulfilled desire is a creative engine, generating
potential energy, and not something to be ashamed of. You
aren’t a failure if you haven’t achieved your goal yet!
Manifestation cannot occur unless there is first an
unfulfilled desire, which sets up an energy potential
driving you forward. When you get discouraged and give up,
you knock down both poles, collapsing the energy potential
and ensuring failure.
Creative
visualization starts the ball rolling. Immersing yourself in
the energy of pole B simply for the fun of it, places your
vibration automatically at pole B, and it should result in a
feeling of excitement, or some other positive emotion. In
effect, you move pole A (your present vibration) closer and
closer to pole B, closing the gap in potential and bringing
yourself vibrationally in range of the goal. Like a fuzzy
camera lens that becomes clearer and clearer, you begin to
see solutions to problems and become aware of people and
resources in your environment.
In the
spirit-mind-body framework the spirit, or consciousness, of
a human being is primary. In our vibrational model of the
universe, we are more vibrational than physical beings.
Manifestation is just you and the thing you want existing at
the same place and time. And that cannot possibly happen
unless there is first a vibrational co-incidence. We’ve
talked about this before: you can walk into the automobile
dealership with $5 in your pocket and stand next to that
shiny new Porsche, but you can’t drive out with it, unless
there is vibrational attunement. Most people will say, “No,
it’s about the money, stupid.” No, it’s not about the money.
Money represents vibrational alignment. People who have
money are aligned to abundance and people who don’t, aren’t.
“No, people are abundant because they have money, you fool.”
No, that’s backwards as well. Money is a physical
representation of vibrational alignment with prosperity.
The meeting in
time and space in the physical universe of you and what you
want is, according to our model, a meeting and matching of
vibration, because the physical object itself has a
vibrational footprint. In other words, that Porsche in the
dealership started out as a bunch of mud. It was first
designed by human beings, and every one of its parts was
manufactured by human hands and carries the vibrational
imprint of those who have associated with it. Then the parts
were put together under the watchful eyes (hopefully!) of
other human beings, and finally it is sent to the dealership
to be sold by other human beings. At each step of the
assembly process, more and more thought energy is associated
with the vehicle. The shiny new Porsche sitting in the
dealership can validly be regarded as a complex set of
vibrational energy. In our model of the universe, everything
is alive!
This may seem
silly at first, because we don’t normally perceive material
things except as stupid lumps that just sit there until we
move them about. But once you begin to look at the world
from a vibrational point of view, even things like glasses,
computer monitors, desks, cars and houses seem to have
personalities. You begin to perceive these objects not just
on the surface, but “inside” them as well. Call me
delusional or over imaginative, but it’s kinda fun.
The creative
process ALWAYS begins with you at pole A and the goal at
pole B! Life itself is a continuous process of reaching for
something better. Therefore, life is a series of creative
processes.
Pole B is on a
different vibrational level than you are at present. That is
why it has not yet manifested into your experience in time
and space. In order to get a manifestation in the physical
universe, you have to be a match to that higher energy of
pole B. And the only way you can do that is by joyfully
imagining being there. You can't get there by using the
energy of pole A! Using the energy of pole A will just keep
you at pole A. So, you gotta have faith! Faith is fun. It's
just keeping your eyes on the prize.
The creative
process first begins with the establishment of a vision and
a feeling of what is wanted, hopefully as close to the
vibration of the desire as possible. The closer one can get
vibrationally to the goal, the closer one gets to it in time
and space. Action always follows thought. Physical
manifestation always follows (mirrors) the personal
vibration you have established. Consciousness is at cause,
matter and energy is effect. These are self-evident
statements when you approach life from the viewpoint of
non–physical consciousness.
One might say,
“All this is much easier said than done.” Well, it is if you
look at the creative process as arduous and difficult. But
creative–ness is not difficult! It’s fun! The degree of
progress toward your goal can be measured not only by the
manifestations (or lack of them) you get along the way, but
even more importantly, by how much enjoyment you’re feeling.
If you aren’t having fun, you aren’t getting anywhere.
Having faith is just a joyous process of constantly paying
attention to where you want to be!
Summary
You are not a
failure because your desires have not manifested. You are
simply involved in an ongoing creative process of lining
yourself up with what you want. If you don’t believe you can
be, do or have something, you can’t, because you never get
your vibrational stone in position to roll downhill.
Having
unfulfilled desires is what life is all about. There will
always be things that you want that you don't have yet.
Imagine, if you had everything you wanted, how boring would
that be? When I was a kid, I got bored with my toys real
fast, maybe you did too.
Once you have
painted that painting, written that program, composed or
played that music, created anything, do you just sit on your
laurels forever? You always feel you can do better, for
those creative juices are always flowing through you.
It's about the
journey, not the manifestation. As Esther Hicks says, you
can't ever get it all done. You don't ever want to get it
all done. If that ever happened, you would be dead, because
you wouldn't have any more desire.
So have fun.
Keep the faith. Which just means, never let go of your
desires, your dreams.
Faith is what keeps you on
the true path of joy and knowledge of self, and also to the
manifestation of your desires.
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