A Matter Of Faith
by Christopher Brown
http://www.oldways.com

One of the biggest challenges for me as a witch is to live my life by
spiritual guidance rather than physical perception. It's a process
of trusting that the spiritual side of life is as real - or more
real - than the physical obstacles that appear in my path.

Back in my childhood, when I went to church with my parents, we were
admonished to follow the directive the Apostle Paul laid out in 2
Corinthians 5:7 ("We live by faith, not by sight.") It was a
challenge to
us as Christians to follow God's will and to believe that He had a
plan for us and our lives. The question I find myself asking is, as
pagans, should we live by the same principle?

It's an interesting question and one that challenges the very
theology we live by. Like most pagans, my beliefs and personal
pantheon are complex and not easy to define. I believe that all
things - animals, trees, the sky and earth - have a specific,
individual spirit. I believe that there is a higher power, that the
divine is complete enough to embrace both male and female qualities.
I believe that I have lived more than one lifetime and it is possible
that I may be reborn again. I even believe that each of us are
guided and aided by spiritual entities - I call them spirit guides -
that watch over us and help us on our path.

But do I believe that these guides and the spiritual world around me
is more real than the mundane challenges I face? Can I trust that,
should I follow the guidance of the spiritual world, that there will
be positive outcomes in my mundane life?

The first thing to consider is our current incarnation. If we
believe that we only live this one lifetime and there is nothing to
be found beyond the boundaries of death, then we should follow the
mundane. If this life is all we have, then the things we find here -
our challenges, our loved ones, our victories and defeats - should be
held in the highest regard. After all, if this is all we get, then
our life is defined by our accomplishments. Can we truly consider
our existence a success without the perfect spouse, the perfect
family, and the perfect career?

But if there is more to our existence than this single lifetime, we
find that we need to alter our perception. If there is something
beyond this incarnation, then this lifetime is but a single drop of
water in the sea of eternity. We can't carry our career, our car,
our house from one lifetime to the next. The only constant is our
spirit - or, for lack of a better term, our soul.

If our spirit is the constant denominator in all of our lifetimes, if
it is the only portion of us that exists beyond this lifetime, then
our focus should be not on the mundane, but on eternal spiritual
things.

This doesn't mean we should give up our families or our careers and
become hermits meditating in the wilderness. After all, the people
that fill our lives are also spiritual beings. By interacting with
them, we are given the opportunity to honor and respect the spirit
world as it manifests in their lives. This manifestation of spirit
includes the people that enter our lives, the natural world we live
in, and the spirit world that is ever present.

Early in my practice I used to pretend that I was being secretly
evaluated by a teacher from a mystery school, that should I pass the
tests they presented, I would be welcomed into a loving brotherhood
and shown the secrets of life. The tests were the encounters that I
had in daily life - the person who cut me off in traffic, the grouchy
sales person, the annoying co-worker - and my evaluation was based
solely on whether I was capable of loving them and treating them as
if they were spirits that I respected and honored. Instead of
yelling at the driver that cut me off, I would make room for a driver
that needed to get in my lane. Instead of scowling at the grouchy
salesperson, I'd smile and thank them for their help. I found this
approach to be an effective way to cultivate the proper perspective
and attitude in my own life.

But even with this tool there's still a missing component: How do we
honor the spirit world, our spirit guides, and our personal practices?

We listen.

When we are seeking direction in our lives, we typically have a
handful of choices in front of us. Regardless of how confused we may
be, in spite of our second-guessing, there is always an approach that
we know is the correct choice for us to make. We may simply feel
that it's right. It may be the only choice where we feel a small
sense of inner peace. We may find that it's the only approach that
doesn't elicit a nervous internal response.

That sign, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, is the
direction and guidance of the spiritual world. If our spirit is
truly eternal, if it's our soul that is the one part of us that
survives from lifetime to lifetime, then from a broader perspective
it's easy to conclude that the nurturing and education of our spirit
is where our focus should be. In the expanse of eternity, the effort
we expend in purchasing a dream car or a new trinket is lost and
forgotten in the sands of time. However, the energy we invest in
educating and nurturing our soul is carried with us from one life to
the next.

If it is understood that the education of our spirit is an eternal
process, and this world is fleeting, then on some level we must
instinctively understand that this life is essentially a training
ground. In this life, we face challenges. Our responses to those
challenges change who we are - in a sense, they alter our spirit. We
can take comfort in the knowledge that a student isn't given lessons
that they aren't prepared for - it's counter-productive. By the same
reasoning, we should see the challenges and struggles on our path as
opportunities for personal growth and betterment. These lessons are
specific for our lives, for the place we are on our path.

Which means, there must be a bigger plan.

Whether it's the aid of a spirit guide, an instinct that guides us, a
precognitive dream or vision, or feeling of peace about a difficult
decision, we're being given the direction to live our lives by
spiritual guidance rather than mundane perception. Seen through
mundane eye, our life is a chaotic wilderness of challenges and
obstacles, with no clear path to follow. By following the guidance
of spirit, we are shown a path, even if it is only the next step in
front of us.

So why do we struggle to follow the guidance of spirit if it's the
only clear path? Because the steps are challenging. To grow, we
must stretch beyond our comfort zones. If we were trying to develop
our physical bodies, we would continually increase the level of our
workout - our physical challenge - until we reached our goals. Each
workout would be harder than the one before. We'd lift more weight,
do more repetitions, add in exercises, run more distance, run faster,
and push our bodies until we're stiff and sore. Spiritual
development is much the same. Instead of sore muscles, we can find
ourselves with an aching heart. Instead of the challenge of leaving
a warm bed to go on our morning run, we struggle to move beyond our
comfort zone and the familiar limitations of our fears.

But much like physical exercise, spiritual development gets easier.
We find long stretches where everything is wonderful, much like a fit
athlete finds an element of fun in his or her physical endeavors.
Living life spiritually is a challenge, but its a challenge that each
and every one of us is capable of overcoming. All we need to do is
take the steps that spirit shows us.