Dear friends,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American man of Letters, opens his essay on the Over Soul with this: “our faith comes in moments, our vice is habitual.” What does he mean? Perhaps it is a reference to our two minds, or two functions of mind. There is the local one that entices us moment by moment to believe more in what we see than in its cause. There is the non-local mind that roams the universe in the field of imagination. That mind is aware of its origins, feels the Presence of a hidden power, knows that the Power is forever becoming what it is allowed to do. That aspect of consciousness is grounded in Faith.
When I was new to the New Thought teaching, I had some stunning, almost instantaneous manifestations. I remember saying aloud, “I will never doubt this again!” That was my faith in the moment. Of course I did forget and habituated doubt returned through human worry, financial struggle and broken relationships. Always, however, when I turned inward and made a heart-felt declaration, my faith was restored. I began to notice I preferred that place. There is peace in knowing that the Power is right where we are, saying yes to what we believe and by some magical means, bringing it out into our local awareness. I cannot think of a better way to restore faith than to experience this first-hand.
How to keep faith alive? It is important to educate ourselves, largely by observation, in the ways of manifestation. There is an obvious link between belief and actuality. Pay attention to what you are thinking all day and you will see a correlation with your experience. Learn to sit in silence and allow the well-being of your quiet mind to float up. Try daily affirmations that challenge you to think above the fray. Be in charge of your mind. One function is not better than the other. Local and non-local awareness in partnership is the dance of Life as each one of us. Let’s not doubt the power of either one.
Affirm: “ I go within and come back with renewed faith in the power that makes all things new.”
Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com
