Faith is a word many associate with religion. Still, the word’s definition means confidence in something or a belief not based on proof.  This sense of faith is what I want us to explore—the inner knowing of our soulful being. What some call intuition is your soulful self connecting with the Universe to guide us.  

• It’s trusting in how the Universe weaves your life with others for your growth.
• It’s the awareness that life isn’t random. 
• It’s accepting what is and believing it’s purposeful for you. 

It takes courage to have faith in your intuitive self, especially when the exterior view in front of you doesn’t support your intuition. This guidance from within is what I call spirituality.  For me, this differs from institutionalized religion, which points outside of you for wisdom and guidance.

I’m not saying anything negative about religion as I believe they all point to a Universal truth that we are all connected. Therefore, we are to love and help each other as best we can as acts of faith. And since we are all teachers and students to one another, being compassionate to each other is how we grow and expand our souls. 

Faith is knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof. ~ Khalil Gibran

Questioning Our Beliefs

You need to examine why you believe in the things that you do. For example, does your faith come from an inner knowing?  Or are you going through the motions because that’s what your family has always done? In addition, examining generational behaviors to see if they are valid for you needs to be evaluated. 

My mother’s Native American beliefs were ripped away from her when she was adopted by Luthern missionaries when she was sixteen years old.  But because of wanting to be accepted, she baptized me Lutheran when I was a baby.  But my father was raised Roman Catholic. So, keeping his parents happy, he baptized my sister into that creed.  Yet neither of them followed their religious upbringing, nor did they try to teach us anything specific about religion.    

So, with this background, I searched for myself.  I started with Catholicism because I was close to my grandparents.  But my grandmother was the daughter of a Methodist minister, so when I asked for a Bible, she gave me a King James version which differs from the Catholic edition.  So, what is true?  What should I believe if it conflicted my parents and grandparents? 

In faith, there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t. ~ Blaise Pascal

Tradition, Dogma, or Faith

In a Pew survey, more Americans are identifying as spiritual but not religious. Thus, this study might indicate the struggle many people find concerning what faith means to them. For example, are you following a tradition within your family which you find true for you?  If so, fantastic.   Or are you struggling with a dogma that you feel isn’t beneficial for your soul? Or have you embraced a mixture of traditions that ground you and give you peace and purpose? 

It may be time to examine where you have placed your faith.  What is your personal experience with your inner knowing?  Are you asking yourself questions about your beliefs and where they came from? But, of course, the most crucial question is, does this serve me.  

I did much exploration to determine what was right for me.  This searching is a personal experience back to your authentic self.  No one can tell you what to believe, or if a specific truth is correct for you, it’s a journey back to Spirit you must take alone.  To transcend the egoic mind, one must get quiet to hear the whispers of your soul.    

Faith is unseen but felt.  Faith is strength when we feel we have none. Faith is hope when all seems lost. ~ Catherine Pulsifer

Individuation vs. Individualism

Individuation is a process you go through as you grow up to separate from others and become individuals.  But this can get perverted by peer pressure and the need for the egoic mind to feel accepted by others. So instead, it becomes independence and self-importance.  

In America, individualism is the epitome of society.  It’s that idea the egoic mind attaches to and why its selfishness seems to align with the culture.  But it’s a lie of the ego. You’re not separate, and there is enough for everyone.

What’s supposed to happen is that you mature into your authentic self.  While developing your consciousness, you see how you’re connected and deepen your relationships with others. Then, when you get quiet and listen to the whispers of your soul, you know this connectedness is the truth.   

Faith is birthed from this truth of connection with all that is.  It’s this joining that gives you your gut instinct and your intuitiveness. When you have faith in this link, life easily transpires because you accept what is and align with Universal flow.  There is a connection beyond the egoic mind where there is meaning and value in whatever the present moment holds. The ability to follow one’s heart, the inner knowing, the soulful whispers, is the ability to act from faith.    

The more in harmony with yourself you are, the more joyful you are, and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality–it connects you to reality. ~ Paulo Coelho

Faith is Universal

You have faith in something, whether it’s science, religion, humanity, or ourselves.  But belief in your intuitiveness lives in your hearts and transcends proof.  Faith allows you to live with the uncertainty of life and still be at peace.  Why?  Because you intuitively sense an inherent truth in how life moves from moment to moment. There is a deeper meaning to life’s circumstances beyond what you can see or understand.     

Humans develop creeds to help people understand that which is unknowable. So likewise, science explores the unknowable to comprehend the world.  But faith knows and trusts the intuitive connection. It believes in mystery and wonder without explanations. 

In The Course In Miracles, the lack of faith in this connection, this Universal love, is what causes you to live in fear.  The egoic mind projects your fear onto others.  It causes the darkness in your mind that doesn’t allow you to have a clear vision or hear the wisdom rising from within yourself, from that connection.   

But when you believe in Universal connectedness, you see the surrounding beauty, empathize with others, and see the joy in everyday experiences.  You transcend the ordinary and see the love all around you. 

Feed your faith, and your fears will starve to death. ~ Catherine Pulsifer

Knowing Oneness

Many religions state knowing God is the inner feeling of Oneness with what is.  Eckhart Tolle says that enlightenment is your natural state of Oneness with being.   Both statements align, and it’s why I believe all religions point to the same Universal truth about your connection.

You must put aside the egoic mind for you to connect.  To know the Oneness, you must get quiet.  Whether through prayer, meditation, yoga, or journaling, stillness is the way to experience the Universal connection. 

This connection is always present, and you can feel it anytime you want.  So, why do I say to get quiet?  Because many of you can’t hear the soulful whispers of your hearts over the noise of the egoic mind. 

Oneness is always present in your heart.  It’s a feeling of liberation and joy. You are experiencing your fullness of being each moment.  It requires no effort to feel it unless you’re drowning in the ego’s endless chatter. The egoic mind wants to stay attached to outdated beliefs as it doesn’t wish change to occur, even if it’s better for you. 

You must go within to experience the fullness of your authentic being.  Connecting to Oneness is natural, as you become more mindful of your thoughts.  As you spend time alone and get quiet, you get grounded in connectedness. 

Faith gives you inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life.  ~ Gregory Peck

Ways to Increase Your Faith

Ground yourself each morning as soon as you wake up.  Give yourself at least the first five minutes to be still and connect to the Universal Oneness.  This time reminds you of your connection with all things and helps give perspective to your experiences.  

Be of service to others.  Smile at a stranger, open the door for someone or say thank you for a kindness done for you.  When you serve others, you deepen your connection with humanity and see the love all around you. 

Be fully present in each moment.  Peace, joy, and love only happen in the present moment, so be here now.  Give your full attention to what is happening, who is speaking, or the thought you are thinking. 

Open yourself up to receive and learn.  Inner growth happens when you take action. So read to expand your awareness, seek your tribe of like-minded people to encourage your journey back to your authentic self. 

Check-in with yourself to see if your beliefs or thoughts need to change because they no longer serve you.  Or to verify that you didn’t take on something that isn’t true for you to be accepted or out of fear of being different. 

Keep in mind that the process is never-ending because your faith will grow and change as you do. 

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. ~ Voltaire

Moving Forward Faithfully

You’ve experienced Oneness, the feeling of belonging, acceptance, and love. You are born into a world of knowing this Universal connection.  It’s also why you seek it when you think it’s missing from your life.  But it’s an illusion of the ego because you’ve never lost your connection. You just allowed the noise of the world to overshadow it. 

The ego has allowed doubt to enter your mind, but faith is living with the uncertainty of life.  It’s bravely taking bold action because your gut instinct prodded you.  The internal knowing in the dark of the night that the sun will rise is an act of faith.  Recognizing the situation doesn’t determine happiness or peace because those qualities arise from your being.     

Your intuition speaks from the Universal wisdom, which always knows more than your egoic mind. So relax and go with the flow.  None of you know what the next moment holds, yet you move forward nonetheless.  That is faith in action. 

Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to. Breathe, and have faith that everything will work out for the best. Without faith, a man can do nothing; with it, all things are possible. ~ Sir William Osler

Do you need support to help you have faith?  Do you want a strategy to help you overcome the ego’s limiting beliefs and live a successful life? If so, please reach out to me at TerriKozlowski.com, and we can put together an action plan for you to create the life you desire.

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