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July Salon

August 1, 2002

ON THE NATURE OF FAITH

The other day I was discussing with a friend a serious challenge she is going through in her marriage. We talked about the pros and cons of counseling, separation, divorce, and anything else that seemed like a viable option. At the end of the conversation, she leaned back in her chair and said, “Oh, well, I guess I just have to have faith that it will all work out.” I agreed with her.

Then I thought about how often “I guess I just have to have faith” was the closing remark in conversations I have had and continue to have. The realization that brought me to a pause was that I have never really taken the time to think about the nature of faith: What exactly is faith? How do we know if we have faith? And how is the power of faith manifested?

THE ESSENCE OF FAITH

Faith is power. It is the power to stand up to the madness and chaos of the physical world while holding the position that nothing external has any authority over what heaven has in mind for you. That kind of power is perhaps the most enviable internal strength that any human being can attain. Like any good Catholic schooled in the lives of the saints and mystics, I know an endless string of stories that show why their faith was the proof of their sainthood. Against all odds, these individuals were able to resist the forces of the outside world that others would cave under and hold steady on their course. That course could consist of believing in the process of inner revelation that was taking place within their spirits, or of trusting that their needs would be met regardless of the odds.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE FAITH, AND HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH TO GENERATE A MIRACLE?

I can’t recall the number of times I have wondered about how much faith is enough to get what I want, or to make what I want happen. All religions have their rituals and prayer tools; Catholics, for instance, have the rosary and novenas. The power ritual involved with a novena is that you pray the rosary nine days in a row and – voila! You get what you want. At least that’s what I believed as a child. Wish that it were that easy. I used to do rosary calculations: If I wanted something REAL big, that might take two novenas, which, by the way, required a good deal of effort. I would have to pray the rosary for eighteen days straight, without a break in the action. If you broke the nine day commitment, you had to start over again. Believe me when I tell you that I am not the first to do rosary calculus. It goes along with how many candles you need to light to show that you have faith in this or that.

FINDING FAITH, NURTURING FAITH

The number of times I have looked into the eyes of people who have just been diagnosed with something labeled “incurable” is in the hundreds. And then there are the many times I have had conversations with people whose lives have completely bottomed out. When asked by such individuals to explain why God did this or that to them, I used to come to a complete standstill, unable to utter a word of convincing explanation, much less attempt to contrive just the right advice to help them get the outcome they wanted. Lacking anything specific to tell them, I always relied on the old, “You’ve got to have faith that. . . .” Then I would walk away feeling frustrated, because at times those words rolled out of my mouth without any trace of personal energy attached to them. I used to be absolutely drained by people who wanted to speak with me because they were at their breaking points of fear, desperation, sorrow, confusion, or any of the overwhelming challenges of life. I blamed my feeling of depletion after being with them on the depressed quality of their energy. Sometimes this sensation of being energetically consumed by people became so intense that I would experience rapid and negative mood swings along with an implosion of anxiety. I would reach an irritation level that was so uncontrollable that I had to cut people off in mid-sentence and immediately flee – and I really do mean flee – the room. As soon as I got to some place away from people, my energy field would calm down and I would regain my balance.

SO HOW DOES ONE DEVELOP SUCH FAITH?

Okay – here’s the challenge. Maybe there is nothing in your life that you feel is out of order and perhaps you have come to terms with all of your fears and insecurities. But let’s say you are one of the billions and billions of the rest of us who still experience nighttime tremors about something or someone in your life. Here’s the practice:

1. Observe how you pray. Everyone without exception is an agenda-prayer person until he or she consciously recognizes the pattern and takes conscious steps to shift gears. When people tell me that they are agenda-free in their meditation practice, I observe how agendas dominate their “ordinary” life and I know instantly that they are no more agenda-free than the average politician. Humbug. Observe your agendas. What do you pray for and how do you pray? How many times do you have a wish list, special request, or personal agenda? Mind you, there is absolutely nothing, nothing, nothing wrong with having such intentions in mind. The hurdle you have to get over is your need to have your prayers answered exactly the way you want them answered. Agendas are not harmful in your prayers; but the agendas you have for the answers you want reflect your lack of faith.

The wisdom of living in the present moment is without a doubt the most comforting companion to surrender and faith that heaven has provided for us. Keep your attention in the present moment and when you find yourself wandering down a dead-end street, freeze that perspective and breathe it away. And then remind yourself of one of the greatest truths of all time: All things can change in an instant, no matter what the challenge.

And on a more personal note, I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer. Regardless of the fact that I have been free of the school calendar for years, I still think of summer as playtime. I hope pleasure is filling up most of the days of these glorious months.

As for the topic of the August Salon, that is still under construction. You’ll just have to wait and see.

With love,
Caroline

THE GREECE EXPERIENCE Power Place Tours

Come October, I am hosting a workshop in Crete. In response to many inquiries as to what I am going to be teaching on this trip, let me share an overview of my workshop focus. Leading a workshop in a "power place" such as Crete, an island with a history of myth - including the birthplace of Hercules - I draw on the sacred teachings of the location and combine that with my professional script. The fact that is next workshop is in Crete provides me with the setting in which to host a workshop on, "Life as a Mystery School". In this workshop, the template of the ancient Mystery Schools and their progressive stages of following the path of initiation will be explored within the context of contemporary life, that is to say, your life. You cannot pursue a deep and rich spiritual life and not engage the process of initiation in your own life. Your life takes on the rhythms, the elements, and the symbolism of the archetype of initiation. Learning to recognize that this process has penetrated into your life, and often takes the lead in how your life path begins to unfold, is like being given a light in the tunnel. How do you live within a Mystery School archetype and still live an ordinary life? I mean consider that from the moment you turn your attention inward, at the very least your intuitive abilities become increasingly animated and becoming highly intuitive within ordinary life situations can be a crisis. People need to learn to recognize that the shift in their internal life is not just the result of "life stress"; it is because they have been downloaded with a more intense calling. Understanding the nature of working with your inner mysteries is a challenge is going to be excavated in-depth during our time together in Greece. Completing the journey will be lectures on organizing your life at home with the conscious awareness that a thread of the Mystery School initiation in very much in motion in your world. I am not even going to bother mentioning how beautiful Crete is, and the Mediterranean Sea, and the ancient ruins, and the incredible cuisine and luscious music.....I'll leave that to your imagination.

I hope that seminar outline feels right to those of you already coming with me and perhaps it will inspire others to join in.

To register for Greece

THE CMED INSTITUTE

Since the publication of Sacred Contracts, I have received inquires from many readers asking for my personal guidance with the selection of their 12 archetypes. Many people have also asked for my help, or the help of someone intimately familiar with my work, in casting a Chart of Origin, interpreting the placement of their archetypes in the Chart, and using the Archetypal Wheel for additional readings regarding health, career, finances, counseling, or spiritual guidance. Still others wanted to know if I could teach them how to lead focus groups on the Sacred Contracts material. This would require studying with me on a more advanced level of archetype and chart interpretation, such as casting an Archetypal Chart to gain greater insight into the unfolding of global events.

To register for the CMED Institute

Omega Institute Workshop

Caroline brings with her to this special training, a team of carefully selected coteachers (including Peter Occhiogrosso, James Lawley, Penny Tompkins, and Lynn Bell), who add to her remarkable knowledge and teaching skills their own expertise in the work of personal archetypes, chakras, healing, and spiritual practice. During the week we:

Discover the relationship between the chakras and our spiritual path;
Understand the significance of archetypal imagery in our everyday life; and
Learn how to cast archetypal charts to help with issues ranging from work and relationships to health and spiritual direction.
Omega Institute Workshop
Rhinebeck, NY
Sept 9-13
800 944 1001
To register for Sacred Contracts