Cultivating Faith

Without faith, without that deeply rooted intuition of the Divine, without that inner stirring of attraction to the sacred, the spiritual path would hold no interest for us. We would not move toward what matters most. Conversely, the stronger our faith, the more frequently and deeply we act on our possibilities for inner work. So we need to cultivate faith in ourselves. Of course our spiritual work and our faith form a positive feedback look, reinforcing each other. But we can look toward actions that specifically deepen our faith.

What those actions may be depends on our own individuality, our unique heredity and experience, our propensities and talents. As always, our inner work, to be most effective, must be tailored to who we are in this moment.

Reading sacred and inspirational works can help open the depths of faith. Prayers of various kinds nurture faith. The occasional fast can temporarily break us out of our normal mode of living and remind us of the sacred. By keeping in contact with our own heart, we can allow it to open when it is touched; too often we squash our feelings for the sacred. Music that awakens our need for the Divine can move our faith. Spiritual friends and a worship community are time-honored supports for individual faith.

But most of all, in seeking that direct relationship with the Divine, without intermediary, without past or future, without time or place or thought, we exercise our faith, that perception of and drive toward the sacred.

About Inner Frontier                                    Send us email 

Copyright © 2001-2008 Joseph Naft. All rights reserved.