Faith for the Faithless

“The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.”
― J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird

“A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

Faith and the lack thereof is something I feel very passionately about - how to find some faith when you're tapped.

For me, faith has always been fairly easy to come by. It's an interesting juxtaposition because I've had a messy life. When I made my own messes and f*cked everything up, there was always a perfect book

(like this: http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=267)


or a great podcast (like this: http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=7772) or a conference to attend (like this: http://www.hayhouse.com/event_details.php?event_id=1916).

And I got results. I cleaned up my thoughts. I believed in higher powers. I believed in the beauty of my own dreams. And every single time I followed what the spiritual literature recommended, things in my life improved.

These are very important first steps on the path. And for some people, they may be the only steps necessary to get the life you've always dreamed of.

For the rest of us (hands up), life does not always work out. Sometimes, as clean as our thoughts are, as many books as we read, Life will still disappoint us. Bad things will happen to good people. Life will have lessons in store for us that will make absolutely no sense.

This happened to me quite recently. Something that I wanted very badly and believed in to the point where I literally didn't consider any alternative was taken away from me. It had already been integrated into my existence and having it yanked out from under me literally threw me into a full-on crisis of faith. It was easier to have faith when I was screwing up. To have faith when I'd done nothing "wrong" was another beast entirely.

Here's how I'm clawing my way back from faithlessness:

- find something, anything to have faith in. Perhaps your faith in God is shattered and you'd like to spit in Buddha's chubby, happy face. But there is always something you can put faith in. I had faith in the good in my friends and family even when my faith in the goodness of the Universe was tested to max capacity. Perhaps it's a pet or a yoga teacher or a stranger (warning: don't stalk. it exacerbates the problem). Whatever it is, cling to it until you can believe in Life again. Connection is key here, especially if you want to isolate.

It's easy to have faith in this chick

-get outside. This is crucial for me. When I'm feeling cooped up in my life, it usually means I've been cooping myself up indoors. I know it gets more difficult to force ourselves outside for those of us who live in parts of the world where it's getting to be not-so-nice weather-wise. Do it anyway. Get your feet wet and dirty (barefoot if at all possible without risking losing digits to frostbite). Nature is healing. It's been scientifically proven many times over. Moreover, I've proven it to myself. Even if the best you can do is sit outside and cry. Do it anyway.

-don't read the comforting stuff if it pisses you off. Instead, read some stuff about some people who've had a hard time and somehow managed to make it back
(I recommend this book http://serabeak.com/red-hot-and-holy/ for its irreverence and get-down-to-itness)

-find something purposeful to throw yourself into. It really does help to help other people. If you can't go that far, find a project that you're excited by (even if it's just a little one). Get crafty, get creative, sing in the shower.

-I found it immensely comforting to realize that sometimes, life's just not all that fair. But it's still good. Remember what you have. In fact...

-Make a list. Go ahead. Right now. List the few, tiny things that you're able to be grateful for.

Here's mine:
*good coffee
*friends that make me laugh
*Community (if you haven't already, do it. It's on Netflix)
*my garden (I'm going to count it until the bitter end)

-sometimes, the only thing to do is to have a cry. Sometimes, it needs to be days and days worth of tears. I highly suggest you find someone to hang onto while you cry. Even if it's your cat.

One day, in spite of our intentions to remain hopeless forever, the light trickles its way back in. Be patient with yourself while you're in the process and please, please, know that you're not alone.

"Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in". - Leonard Cohen

I promise it will get better. I really do. I've been there.

Love to hear your coping strategies,

Er

***PS Our new home is coming along beautifully. Fingies crossed we'll be go for launch by next week***