Faith or Will

[anagogy]

Most excellent... thought, Anagogy. Perhaps this is a way of considering Ra's statement regarding the mind containing all things.

Good point.

So we can see, from these examples, more clearly what thought really is. What we call "thought" is simply a gathering of attention on whatever is the object of that attention. It is, in other-words, simply a focus of attention.

Love this definition!

I would add that it is thought, or the faculty of the mind itself, which is creating the object. Without something which "thinks" it can stand apart from unity --- and divide unity into endless categories and sub-categories, and reflect/compare/contrast the resulting objects, and find identity in relationship to the objects ---- there are no objects. At least not an "object" that is independent of and separate from the All.

I would also agree with this assessment. And I appreciate your clear articulation of this very important and illuminating point.

When you think a thought, you see things in a certain way -- the way you have painted things in your mind through the direction of your focus. So a thought is kind of like an affirmation of how things are -- a statement about reality in other-words. Or, at least if you are thinking about "what is", in any-case. As Ra says, if you think about something in a general contemplative sense, it manifests else where, having no particular attachment to the energy field of the creator of said thought-form (16.14 if anyone is curious).

So we can further see what thought really is. Isn't it essentially just a statement about reality? Even when it is a "what if" thought, it is still a statement about a reality. You say, "What if (X) occurred? What would that reality look like?"

Now, what is a belief? Isn't it just a more consistent statement about reality? Could it be just a deeper and more habitual thought you keep thinking? And, what is will, if not just a more *conscious* statement/intention about reality?

When you "will" something, do you not intend that it be so? So will is more like making a conscious and deep statement about reality.

I essentially agree with everything you've written thus far and appreciate the light that you've shed for me, personally, on this matter. I love how you've woven attention, focus, thought, and will into a continuum of experience, differing only in degree.

A belief IS a "statement about reality".

I would be very interested to see how you incorporate 54.28
where Ra describes will as a desire which is "emanating from the awareness of inner light".

In the picture that you've painted, what is "awareness of inner light" and how does it fit into this pattern?

It's interesting how different words used in different contexts imply different things. In the aforementioned Ra quote, I would certainly not disagree with the description of will as a kind of desire. A desire is a motivating force, much in the same way that will is a motivating force, and the relationship seems quite apparent in this context.

I hope I haven't given the false impression that faith is totally and completely synonymous and congruent with will and that this is the end of the story. I fear that I have, and I must apologize for my lack of clear articulation on this point. Unfortunately, the plight of language is such that many words/definitions have overlapping characteristics with other words/definitions and also, these same words have yet still other characteristics that reach into places beyond the confines of those limited contextual boundaries.

This is such a circumstance.

From my point of view, I see the "inner-light" as our true self as pure infinite intelligence, or consciousness. To the degree that we balance the distortions within us that create the illusory appearance of a separate mind/body/spirit complex, the inner light that constitutes our true beingness can express more and more of itself/ourself until we have expanded to the broadest and most encompassing conscious perspective once again (that is to say, intelligent infinity).

This "inner light" is also will, from my perspective -- a creative principle. The more balanced, in tune, and clear we become with respect to the free flow of intelligent infinity, the more of this "will" can manifest as a motivating principle towards an even more rapid evolution.

You could describe this inner light in many different ways, depending on the context. You might call it "will", you might call it "faith", you might even call it "spiritual gravity" -- these all have various overlapping characteristics which relate to this ultimately indescribable inward coalescing and upward spiraling towards a more comprehensive expression of beingness with respect to infinite intelligence. We are basically channeling intelligent energy, and energy centers are simply the illusory manifestation of the narrowness or broadness of this channel through which this intelligence flows (or does not flow in some cases ).

The mind/body/spirit complex is a filter. Illusions cannot be without such a filter.

I cheered at everything till the connection to faith was made in this post. It feels like there is something lacking in this description, something needed to more adequately elucidate faith and its relationship and congruency with will.

You are absolutely right. I was less than clear on this point.

As I mentioned earlier, definitions are oftentimes less than laser specific. There are various overlapping characteristics, and then other characteristics that do not overlap.

The aspects of "faith" which overlap with "will" are, in my opinion, its motivating characteristics. They are both the funneling of intelligent energy from my perspective. Will focuses faith, and faith empowers the will. They feed off one another, synergistically. They are like brother and sister. They share a lot of the same genes, so to speak.

One does not occur without the other, even though they are not precisely identical.

From my vantage point, will, by necessity, involves belief (to some degree) in the efficacy of such will (else there would be no will).

Faith could be described as consciously chosen belief, which cannot occur without the will.

So maybe from this disorganized jumble of thoughts here, you can see how they are related from my vantage point.

Among the many ways I view faith, I tend to see it as has been previously described over the years: a "willing suspension of disbelief".

Willingly suspending disbelief could itself be called a "belief", but to me a belief has shape and form, name and identity --- a belief is something within the realm of the manifest, pertaining to the illusion.

Whereas faith is open and formless, mysterious and sacred, and beyond the illusion, or rather, a dismantler of illusion. It is that which transforms beliefs, not necessarily into higher belief (though certainly that too), but more so as that agent which renders belief as a secondary, derivative means of knowing the Self which already is.

That is an interesting distinction you make between belief and faith.

I like it.

Belief is the creation of illusion, and faith results in the dissolution of illusion.

It's like the same essential energy applied in opposite directions. It's a good distinction. It fits.

Faith is the direct, immediate experience of Self which needs no belief, as I perceive these things. If you already are who you are, that being the one infinite Creator, whether in third density or seventh, no belief will create a true representation of who you are. Only through the release of belief does the self merge into the self in the infinite.

You touched upon something key here, which I find most interesting -- the true Self, which does not require belief. I agree whole-heartedly. We use different words to talk about it, but I can see the core is the same. Rather than use the word faith, as you do, which, for me connotes a kind of belief, I have often used the made up word "knowing-ness" to describe this "belief" (or raw intuition) that is beyond "belief", if that makes any sense.

Perhaps faith itself has a spectrum of experience, from simple, "I believe I can do this or I trust that this thing which has not been achieved/accomplished/seen is achievable/accomplishable/knowable", to, "I am all that there is, I am the Creator".

Yes, again, I agree with you here.

As Ra says:

42.11 Ra: I am Ra. There is but one technique for this growing or nurturing of will and faith, and that is the focusing of the attention. The attention span of those you call children is considered short. The spiritual attention span of most of your peoples is that of the child. Thus it is a matter of wishing to become able to collect one’s attention and hold it upon the desired programming.

This, when continued, strengthens the will. The entire activity can only occur when there exists faith that an outcome of this discipline is possible.

Do you see the relationship? They are all the focus of consciousness -- the focus of attention. Pure faith, or pure will, is simply the non-contradicted focus of consciousness. In the absence of contradiction, the statement about reality is NOT negated, and if the faith is pure the manifestation is also pure. The reason thoughts don't always manifest is particularly do to the fact that they are not as intense or defined as beliefs are. They aren't as "sure" of themselves, in a sense.

Well said!

And actually this ties into what I was writing above. I link the "suspension of disbelief" to your statement about the "non-contradicted focus of consciousness". Faith informs and enables the will by saying that this particular willed activity/desire IS possible. The purer the faith, as you say, the less negation, the less "no" function, the less belief in illusory limitations of the great Illusion, the more the will is empowered to do that which it sets out to do, results/outcomes notwithstanding.

Yes, when you become conscious to the fact that you are dreaming, your conscious and willful control of said dream gradually expands until you finally awaken altogether.

Lucid dreaming is fun!

Although, I must say that I've noticed (and if anybody else has noticed this as well, I'm curious to hear) that the more illusion I release, and the more conscious and powerful creator of my own catalyst I become, the less and less desire I have to exercise such power, because it seems you come into more and more of an awareness that there is nothing that you want to change, because it is perfect already.

This is why pure faith moves mountains. It is a pure focusing of intelligent energy.

Anagogy, this verse came to mind when reading your post. I'd be most interested in your take on this quote:

52.11 "Questioner: Is there then, from the point of view of an individual who wishes to follow the service-to-others path, anything of importance other than disciplines of personality, knowledge of self, and strengthening of will?

Ra: I am Ra. This is technique. This is not the heart. Let us examine the heart of evolution.

Let us remember that we are all one. This is the great learning/teaching. In this unity lies love. This is a great learn/teaching. In this unity lies light. This is the fundamental teaching of all planes of existence in materialization. Unity, love, light, and joy; this is the heart of evolution of the spirit.

The second-ranking lessons are learn/taught in meditation and in service. At some point the mind/body/spirit complex is so smoothly activated and balanced by these central thoughts or distortions that the techniques you have mentioned become quite significant. However, the universe, its mystery unbroken, is one. Always begin and end in the Creator, not in technique."

Specifically, what do you think Ra means by saying that the entity is so "smoothly activated and balanced by these central thoughts or distortions".

I think what Ra is articulating here is that the process of balancing, or releasing distortion necessarily results in the dissolution of illusions. The biggest, and most persistent, illusion of all is that separation is A) possible and B) has occurred. The experience of separation is directly proportional to the degree of belief invested in it. This belief is not a binary situation where you either believe it or you don't. It's a continuum. Moving from the belief, or thought, of separation to the thought, or focus, of oneness is the base or foundation by which all the rest of the distortions are predicated upon. However, the thought of oneness is not quite there, either, as it is essentially just a mental object, but it serves as a framework for the true work, which is the *unfocusing* from all thoughts -- which results in actual awareness of unity or infinity.

The disciplines of the personality are the icing on the cake, as it were -- the refinement of the faith in unity which becomes infinitely honed over the course of the densities, purifying and consecrating the creative will in the process. This is the work of polarization, or the increase in ability to enjoy a higher intensity of the inner light.

Do you see this as fitting into what you've written in this post? That being that an entity thinks about unity, love, light, and joy so frequently, thoroughly, and with such intensity that an, as you said, affirmation regarding the nature of reality is made, an affirmation which happens to, in the purer entity, correspond with reality?

Yes, I do see this as fitting into what I posted. With every release of distortion/illusion/resistance which is simply the turning away from the focus upon same, the consciousness naturally becomes more and more aware of those harmonious principles you've mentioned which extend from the reality of infinite unity.

As Ra states so eloquently:

4.20 One of the primal distortions of the Law of One is that of healing. Healing occurs when a mind/body/spirit complex realizes, deep within itself, the Law of One; that is, that there is no disharmony, no imperfection; that all is complete and whole and perfect. Thus, the intelligent infinity within this mind/body/spirit complex re-forms the illusion of body, mind, or spirit to a form congruent with the Law of One. The healer acts as energizer or catalyst for this completely individual process.

This ties into Ra's four exercises. There it seems they say that to direct the mind to think about, or see, or contemplate, or meditate upon what is already there – i.e., love – is to make love manifest in the awareness and the experience.

In both cases (of being “smoothy activated’ and “seeing love in awareness and understanding”), will is enabled by faith to maintain a certain focus. That focus - sustained and negated less and less - creates that which it seeks. Or rather, uncreates the illusions which obscure that which is already there, allowing the entity to see/know/experience love, light, unity, and joy.

Yes, that is essentially how I see it as well.

I’m not sure if I’m getting anywhere, my thoughts aren’t terribly organized. Your post made the hamster wheel turn.

I appreciate your thoughts, and questions, greatly as they help me to refine and articulate my own even more clearly.

There is nothing quite so satisfying as when you feel a little bit more illusion dissolve as you make a break through in clarity and awareness!

Thank you, Anagogy.

You are always welcome, and thank you as well!