Being a social scientist, I have been trained to find comfort in numbers, although I am equally dependent upon faith. In research, if we set a certain standard and can measure whether an idea or a result exists, then we have a construct for at least a theory. In fact, we just might have the basis for a belief.

Just last week, I gained further insight on this concept, when I took both my sons out to dinner at our favorite local sushi restaurant. At thirteen and eleven years of age, I was amazed at their worldview, probably as a result of some coursework they’ve been exposed to on the subject of world religions. Jason, a critical thinker at thirteen, told me that society feels the need to construct belief systems – and there is not necessarily any proof behind such beliefs. He argued that humans have a natural need to do this in order to explain what cannot be explained. Without proof, he said, why should he subscribe to anything he can’t see, especially God? I was further alarmed when Vaughn chimed in, putting in his two cents about why he’s just not sure there is a God, Goddess, or a higher power for that matter. I have never forced them to believe anything because beliefs are something we construct as a result of our own life experiences. Their life experience will be totally different than mine. Although I can offer a foundation and continually teach them how spirit infiltrates our every move, I can’t fill in the blanks for them. That they must do on their own.

Not to be rattled off my wise, mother-track, I realized the boys are just beginning to question the world at large. They also have a limited view because they have experienced minimal adversity, failure, loss and grief in life – some, but not enough to know how important it is to believe there is a reason for it. By the time we are 40, our adversity resumé is quite long – we’ve got a vast inventory under our belts in multiple categories. We need to believe and depend upon reasons we can’t fully explain – life seems to lead us that way in order to cope.

Seeing is not necessarily believing

As we continued to have a spontaneous discussion about belief systems, I realized that, at their tender ages, they have already been indoctrinated into the comfort level a Cartesian viewpoint provides – if we don’t see it, it doesn’t exist. How did this happen, I wondered? Do our children have so much difficulty in believing and having faith because somehow physical evidence must confirm the constructs of parental belief systems? Or do they simply feel unblemished by life’s circumstances and secure enough not to feel the need to rely on faith?

I spent the rest of my wakame salad and miso soup time explaining that just because we don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. We know love exists, even though we cannot see it. What would the world be like without love? Well then, they replied, then let’s conduct some focus groups and find out what percentage of people believe in love and see if it’s statistically significant. Finding love, or proving the existence of love, by taking a poll first? We’ve done a very good job, I silently thought, of indoctrinating our kids into a world replete with an over-estimated value of proof.

A Good Mantra: Less Science, More Faith

Overall, I think we need a little less science and a lot more faith, especially when it comes to the subject of life’s adversity. Granted, faith sometimes does not give us the level of certainty we want to accept bad circumstances. It’d be awfully nice if we’d get a progress report at the day’s end that explained just what the heck was going on. Some days we get an unusually large dose of the nasties. But the last I checked, nobody was getting any statistical feedback in terms our soul journey g.p.a. Our scores, in terms of our progress, are greatly determined by our own self-evaluations. The ‘knowing why’ of life’s circumstances can’t necessarily be part of the formula because if we knew everything, the reason for everything, there would be no point in the dance. We all agree - there doesn’t seem to be any consolation in not knowing. And as a researcher, it does go against my nature to come up empty handed in the knowing category - not knowing, after a really good analysis, just doesn’t seem acceptable. Seems like we missed something along the way or left our part of the equation. Is it a lack of insight?

Perhaps we don’t always cast our net wide enough about our spiritual development. I think we evolve into faith because we can’t make meaning without it after enough living has gone by. Proof soothes mainly because most of us are limited to our five senses – which serve as our conceptual parameters. Although some are gifted to extend past those limitations in distant realms, or have had extraordinary psychic experiences that defy current logic, the rest of us need pure faith to keep us on track. Never diminish the value of faith. You’ll find less energy spent on asking ‘why’ and surrender to the ‘not knowing’ more readily.

Keep The Faith

Until we are ready to accept that many conditions are brought upon by our own doing, and know the quality of our lives depends upon our mental equivalent, we cannot begin to put faith to work to produce a more balanced life. Accepting the truth about ourselves, in that we are One Mind, and all one universal Spirit, is the first step to knowing how and why certain limitations exist in our lives. Instead of spending energy on proving the existence of God, why not focus on accepting that which you are – which is an individualized spark of Divine Power? With this assumption, you can skip past agonizing about “why?” and begin the process of projecting more of what you want into your daily experience something better than yesterday.

Ernest Holmes, in The Science of Mind says in order to have faith we must first have a conviction that all is well. In order to keep faith, we must allow nothing to enter our thought process which will weaken this conviction. Faith is built up from belief, acceptance, and trust. So, if we allow anything into our thought process which destroys these convictions, faith is weakened.

Many of us have found that our mind must be steady in its conviction that life is some part of God, and that Spirit is within us. It’s our gift – and if we desire to vitalize faith within our teenagers, families, communities, and world, we must focus on knowing, without a shred of doubt, that Spirit exists within us. It is our job to guide it, deploy it confidently without judgment, and simply know that our perfection is the foundation of all demonstration, conditions, and healings. And this knowing is our “proof” of God everywhere.

See The Divine in Everything

During the times you feel most challenged by everyday strife and unsavory circumstances, look around! Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When I wish to manifest a new condition in my own life, I simply stop to pay attention. I look for simple, daily miracles – everything from finding a parking space to the way spring sounds outside or the way the grass grows without asking. I pull it in me, around me and through me, inhaling my appreciation for what keeps the universe in constant rotation. Be in unity with life at every level – which includes feeling success, health, and joy each day and do so without doubt.

Having unshakable faith in the Divine is about knowing truth of who we are. It’s a participative partnership based upon trust. It’s always accessible. Faith in God (and in yourself) is consciously generated. Let it be your own definition. Remember, no matter the wisdom tradition, when we embrace God and accept Spirit on our own terms that’s when we begin to invite less pain, less unhappiness, less poverty, misery in our lives and embracing more good. Get God, goodness, and faith back into your day… and get started!

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. 2007. All Rights Reserved. See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!

Question: How does one get through divorce in a positive light?
S from Texas

Dear S from Texas,
Three things. Believe that:

• Through pain, we find triumph in our personal lives, and then experience peace if we allow it. Know that you are capable of healing.

• It is possible to forgive anyone, under any circumstances. Forgiveness is a true miracle we can experience at any time, free of charge.

• Your path has changed for the better. You are learning a lesson at the level of the soul that you have chosen in this lifetime. It’s difficult to go through, but remember – you are moving through it, not stuck there permanently. Personal growth sometimes hurts in the beginning – and then we emerge with greater trust and perspective after the lesson is over. (more…)

Question: I am a soon to be 53 year old who has come to her crossroads in life. I’ve been married 24 years and it has come to the point of wanting a divorce from my husband. I no longer am interested in being married and feel that it is holding me back from moving forward in my life.

What should I do? Sometimes my spirit is high and then it drops to a new low. Do other women experience these terrible mood swings? I know that my marriage is no longer healthy for me. Need some advice.
Y.

(more…)

Question: Please let me tell you about myself. I am having trouble with depression and anxiety. I had a panic attack almost in the supermarket today. I am seeing a psychiatrist and on medication but it helps only a little. My soul is empty I have been through a lot of pain. From being abused as a child, to growing up in one foster home after another, I never knew love as an adult. I was physically and mentally abused by boyfriends. I am a former alcoholic. I have almost been on the street homeless. I have lived in dumps where I thought I would take my life. I am now living in a small studio. I thank God for that, I really do, but I am on disability and I can barely buy myself anything. I am in such a rut. I do the same thing day after day month after month. I feel like I am wasting my only life away. I have a dream to be a writer and to help others and I don’t know how to start because all I think is negative. I think I am too dumb too even get started. It hurts to be my age and not feel proud of anything I did with my life. I am 49 year old bag. There has got to be hope for me.

P.

(more…)

Given the amount of complexity we’re juggling, these times demand a positive outlook. It sounds simple. We should begin each day based upon the present, enriching ourselves with whatever today brings. But do you find it difficult to generate a positive attitude given natural disasters, unemployment, or illness?

Creating a positive attitude means viewing every day as a new choice, no matter how we slice it. We get to start over the minute we get out of bed. The sun comes up in spite of our mistakes or despair we must face. I believe we are meant to continually move forward - and focus on life as an incredible universe of opportunity.

Use Affirmations to Stay on a Positive Course

An affirmation is a positive, present day statement that declares your current state of mind and expectation as valid. It acknowledges to the mind and body that what you hold in your mind is real. Affirmations are a spiritual idea, and non-quantitative. They are based on the universal truth, “As within, so without.” (more…)

Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality by repeatedly making positive mental statements. A person practices positive thinking when they derive a positive sense of well being, optimism, belonging, meaning and/or purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves. Positive thinking is a process of choosing positive emotions from stimuli in the environment and applying them to perceptions and beliefs. The objective is to create an outlook that translates into a new or better chosen reality.

Positive Mental Attitudes

A positive mental attitude is the belief that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. A positive attitude comes from observational learning in the environment and is partially achieved when a vision of good natured change in the mind is applied toward people, circumstances, events, or behaviors (Wikipedia). Since it is difficult to quantify (measure) the effects of a positive mental attitude, it can be considered a philosophy and a way to approach life.

The Secret to Positive Thinking

Creating reality by how one chooses to think about life, health, relationships, and finances was the subject of the hit movie “The Secret.” Current self-help gurus discussed the Law of Attraction and other principles congruent with positive thinking. Building a positive mindset that attracted better circumstances in one’s life involved: (1) alignment to a clear vision of what is desired, (2) an attitude of thankfulness, (3) having positive emotions associated with the desire, and (4) releasing that desire to a greater power. (more…)

Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality by repeatedly making positive mental statements. A person practices positive thinking when they derive a positive sense of well being, optimism, belonging, meaning and/or purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves. Positive thinking is a process of choosing positive emotions from stimuli in the environment and applying them to perceptions and beliefs. The objective is to create an outlook that translates into a new or better chosen reality.

A Positive Mental Attitude Can Be Learned

A positive mental attitude is the belief that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. A positive attitude comes from observational learning in the environment and is partially achieved when a vision of good natured change in the mind is applied toward people, circumstances, events, or behaviors (Wikipedia). Since it is difficult to quantify (measure) the effects of a positive mental attitude, it can be considered a philosophy and a way to approach life.

Ernest Holmes and the Power of the Mind

Ernest Holmes, the founder of the Religious Science movement, also known as Science of Mind, was a New Thought teacher. Religious Science, like many New Thought faiths, presented positive thinking as a way to create a foundation to understand the Universal Mind. Righteous thought included what a person thinks, believes, feels, visualizes, imagines, reads, and talks about which flows into the subconscious mind. It is an individual’s path to putting the Universal Mind to work.

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Girlphyte Magazine recently interviewed Charlene on the principles women can help women build the best life possible. Read on for female insight on confidence and empowerment!

Q: Confidence and self-worth are elusive goals for so many women. You’ve achieved so much. Where did you find your courage?

A: When we choose to act with courage we open the floodgates to our authenticity. Megan Raphael and Jennifer Byron said this when they wrote the book “The Courage Code” – a collection of stories on women who have rediscovered their self-worth and confidence. We build upon these ideas as a result of our soul journey and life experience – they are not necessarily skills we are born with. When we stop choosing our course of action out of a sense of obligation or desire to keep everyone else in balance, we no longer need to compromise ourselves by diminishing our own value. Out this simple act of self-love, we are healed and empowered. Embracing our own authenticity is about self-celebration, whether in the form of choosing a new career, writing poetry, or learning to dance when we are in our 60’s. Authenticity builds upon the awareness of our own unique gifts. One of my own life lessons was to learn to love myself, develop my voice, and teach others to do the same, so I gave up my left-brain corporate and research world in favor of teaching women to rediscover who they are at a fundamental level. So, my own brand of courage comes from demonstrating that which I need to claim and solidify.

Q: How does the Goddess principle inform a woman’s work ethic?

A: The Goddess is a powerful metaphor of a woman’s self-image. Sometimes identifying with female deity makes women radiate with awareness that they are part of a huge, cosmic equation, but mostly, it’s about opening our hearts as fully as possible. (more…)