Words of Wisdom
To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.
Alan Watts
A Philosophy of Faith
Hello everyone. I wanted to start with an exercise here. Where does the water begin and the sky end? Or we could ask where the sky starts and the water ends. Can you see that point on the zenith? You know, faith works with us in much the same way!
Your eyes may move toward the horizon. If so, that is good. We must keep our eyes on the life-giving force that sustains us all. See the sun’s reflection as it rises from the water’s depths, or even lack thereof?
Or is the sun setting on a day’s hard work as your eyes become drawn to the boat in the forefront? Yes, it is there, in plain sight, dominant yet empty, a vessel with its own story to tell. Did it complete its day’s work, to be left alone and ponder the coming hours? Make sure not to ignore the shadow, the picture’s more dominant feature, where reality somehow gets distorted even by the most subtle movements of the water it rests.
Oh, what stories those shadows spin as they strive to find the light of day. Are they honest, or just reflections, yearning for their master to brave the depths within to find their way out and ascend again towards the light of another day? We cannot grasp the depth of a moment when the weight of waiting invites us to sink and reflect upon the quandaries of the vessel we keep.
It is in that vessel, Psyche, that beautiful stories are present. Shadow material also lies present. What is right? What is light? Or is the shadow just an invitation to discern those areas that may need a little reflective light as we float upon a sea of unbelief? Spirit is that source that moves us, maybe even into the depths of the soul. But with presence, we may find an inkling of hope, gratitude, belief, and faith. Can you grasp that? I do not know. But maybe, as Alan Watts reminds us, relax into it, and float upon its essence, to realize the journey that unfolds.
With gratitude, my friends. May blessings find you on your journey to discover those beliefs that call upon you to advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.