the role of 'faith'

[Unbound]

Faith, to me, is something which has always been incredibly innate to me and only recently have I really considered this fact. I have always known, always had faith towards the awareness of my eternal being. It is like I started with one concept at birth and my life has been its unfolding, like a seed to a tree.

I don't actually, personally, take will to be very different from faith, but I think there is a subtle distinction between the words as descriptions.

Perhaps the most important and significant function that occurred due to the veiling of the mind from itself is not in itself a function of mind but rather is a product of the potential created by this veiling. This is the faculty of will or pure desire.

I believe Ra gives a good example here, as Plenum excerpted:

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.

So, I see it that will is the reaching and faith is the grasping in a fully conscious entity. In third density terms, the grasping nor the reaching comes necessarily easily but becomes easier as we make our will or pure desire come in to alignment with our faith.

Notice that the focusing of the attention is the technique offered for both the will and the faith. I think it can be thought out fairly easily how this allows one to strengthen the will, but what of the faith? How does the focusing of the attention affect faith?

I believe it may be because when we focus the attention we are engaging in a creative act. When we use our bodies, our senses or our wills we are activating the system of thoughts that is our being and causing it to change by the sheer existence of the self as observer of the self. This change is continuous so long as the focus is held, for the moment evolves according to the focus. I believe this aids in strengthening the faith because it clears away or puts out of focus those things which inhibit faith in its full grip. I describe faith in such a way because I feel it is something which is closely tied to passion.

Faith is not the same as knowing or knowledge or the ability to discern based on estimable "facts" but I believe that there is a deep relationship between the two as knowing or knowledge is the thought structure of beliefs in the mind which actually govern or coordinate the faith. Thus why particular philosophical concepts and approaches have long been lauded as pathways to spiritual evolution because of the way they assist one to gain balanced knowledge. Balanced knowledge leads to perpetual energy within the self, thus powering the will and invigorating the faith.

To sum up my thoughts or tl; dr, faith and will disciplined is trust. Trust in the universe, trust in the self, trust in others, trust in the Creator or any other entity, trust in eternity and manifestation and one's friendship with the One and all its manifestation. When one completely trusts in the accomplishment or already existent nature of one's will or the creator's will, then a decision is made, a choice is made, and it is done. Trust can be challenging to build with infinity.

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I would mention that nearly everywhere in the Ra material that there is the word "Faith" it is coupled with "Will".