Faith
by Jef Bartow
In many parts of the country, this next 30 days leading up to the autumn equinox already brings the hint of fall. The full expression of summer already seems to be waning. How very appropriate that this time astrologically relates to the six House areas of life including our vocation, work activities, daily routine, service to others and making self adjustments to be useful. Unless we are willing to make major adjustments, our initiatory opportunity at the equinox will be missed. The SPIRIT characteristic of Faith intimately correlates with the Sun's transit through Virgo and the six House. Therefore, is it time for discrimination, modesty and analysis in order to help perfect our self through better techniques for spiritual growth (all Virgo characteristics). How might these characteristics of Virgo and six House areas the life relate to Faith, you ask? We will definitely need a new definition for Faith to make sense of this.
Webster’s definition of faith might not help much here. It is an "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence." Keywords regarding faith are: trust, confidence, reliance, security, certitude, assurance, conviction and fidelity. If I add that taking steps (actions) is an essential characteristic of Faith, then acting with Faith becomes taking steps with trust, reliance and security in the certainty that success is assured consistent with Spirit’s intent.
Theologically, Adolphe Tanquerey describes faith as a supernatural act bringing us into communion with the Divine. Biblically, "having lost their faith" means to have lost their communication and communion with Spirit. What jumps out at me from these definitions is the substantial or drastic adjustment that is required to live in Faith. So, to be useful to Spirit, we must make substantial self adjustments in how we live (daily routine, work activities, etc.). Our communication and communion with Spirit requires beyond human acts based on a trust, confidence, conviction and reliance in Spirit, rather than our normal material or comfortable orientation.
If you’re like most, a question might be: Why do this? Christ brings us the answer as he describes that we will be healed or "made whole by faith." Easily, we can admit we are not a whole Being, but a diversity of soul, ego, personality and conditioning from our environment and society. Faith becomes our healing characteristic of SPIRIT. Faith is the nurturing, supportive healing communion with Spirit. In it we are healed of all maladies inhibiting the success of Spirit's intent. By acting in Faith we truly experience Spirit's intent for our lives. If you’re like most, a question might be: Why do this? Christ brings us the answer as he describes that we will be healed or "made whole by faith." Easily, we can admit we are not a whole Being, but a diversity of soul, ego, personality and conditioning from our environment and society. Faith becomes our healing characteristic of SPIRIT. Faith is the nurturing, supportive healing communion with Spirit. In it we are healed of all maladies inhibiting the success of Spirit's intent. By acting in Faith we truly experience Spirit's intent for our lives.
Spiritualizing Exercises
Fulfillment on the Spiritual Path while on the physical Plane is living Spirit day-to-day and in all of our activities. Those souls who cannot, leave the physical Plane to continue their spiritual growth within the more conducive spiritual Planes or Realms. Expressing Spirit in our material universe requires consistent adjustments while making the dictates of Spirit our routine orientation for life activities. So how do we take steps in this direction?Obviously, Faith is a powerful tool in this regard. For the next 30 days, we have an opportunity (alignment of energies) in Faith, Virgo and our six House areas of life. Let's take advantage of it. First, examine how your work activities inhibit or restrict fulfilling your spiritual practices each day. Are you too tired when you get home in the evening to focus on a spiritual activity? Do you tend to stay connected to work issues outside of the workplace? How do you or do you not live your spiritual principles at work?Spiritual growth requires major adjustments regarding work responsibilities and orientation. Here is a good place to begin living the first of nine spiritualizing habits for life: Work Smarter, not Harder (see a short article on this in our archives). Incidentally, this spiritualizing habit is the subject of next month's Living Spirit™ article. An excellent way to deal with our self orientation is to focus on serving others. Take part of your daily meditation this month to review how and to what degree you serve others in your daily activities. Define how you can enhance this service through specific new activities and routines. What else can you do to ease the stress and anxiety in your partner's (or significant other’s) life? How can you further share responsibility in your family and home life duties? Finally, how can you help others within your work environment be more effective, or even just enjoy the day more?
And, if that's not enough to work on this month, then focus on how you can adjust your non-work activities to create more time for your spiritual practices. See how you can give up one-way you either waste time or "couch potato" during the week to add one more spiritual activity to your schedule. Oh, "couch potato" can be watching frivolous television or chatting on the phone or surfing the Internet or even listening to friends or family carping about their lives. Even though it may seem contradictory, serving others and making self adjustments always brings a healing to our psychic issues and complexes. Getting out of ourselves with trust and confidence in Spirit's intent for our lives heals the wounds and sense of isolation we have grown to accept while living in Matter. Our communication and communion with Spirit (faith) makes us whole within Spirit as a self-conscious Soul and Self. Characteristics of Spirit
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