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Ramakrishna Ananda

Turn On the Power of Faith

Find out how to transform old habits

Faith is power. In observing the precaution of avoiding fantasies while striving to more fully apprehend reality, you will find faith becomes a very powerful means for fulfillment. When you live in faith you not only have greater momentum toward your goal, you not only streamline your life and are relieved of many inner conflicts, but some amazing transformations in your daily life or career often happen. This is why faith is so greatly encouraged, even in those who are by nature extremely skeptical.

Growing on the Path, Faith, Habits

When you have faith in higher consciousness you will be able to direct it to actively express in your life! Even if you do not know your higher consciousness, even if you have not had much or any experience of higher consciousness, in your faith you become an instrument: a directing point of higher consciousness. Through faith you can attune with whatever you need for your growth and constructive purposes. You can know what you need to know. You can break free of destructive situations and habits.

Of course, your faith can also touch the lives of others you are concerned about — individuals and humanity in general. Wherever they are, whatever they are doing, your faith can help them. Due to your faith, subtle energy and power will move wherever you lovingly ask! Inner power from your higher consciousness will dynamically move out into your life and world as a constructive force. New opportunities will come to you. Through faith you will become much more able to deal with negative conditions in a creative, transforming way. Often what you conceive in your mind can become a real experience for you in the outer world.

Dynamics of Faith

What are the dynamics of faith? Hopefully this often-told but wonderful analogy will help increase understanding and effective use of faith: faith is like electricity.

No one fully understands electricity but billions of people use it and enjoy the benefits of this remarkable energy. Indeed, most people have very little idea of what electricity is, yet they light their houses and run myriad machines with it. The tremendous power of electricity waits in attendance to do what people direct.

Now, consider this. When you enter your home in the evening and find the house dark, do you phone the power company and tell them your house is dark, requesting they do something about it? No, of course not. You simply go to a light switch, and whether you understand electricity or not, your room and the whole house can be filled with light. You can even ask your young child, who perhaps cannot even read, to fill the room with light simply by flipping a switch. The little one who has no knowledge of the power of electricity will nevertheless experience its benefit by flipping the switch.

When you want to watch the news of the world on a tube in a box, you don’t phone the staff of the electric company and ask for images to be sent to your house. Again, perhaps not knowing much at all about television or electricity, you can have the benefit of both of these wonders simply by turning the switch on.

Through electricity you can heat your house in wintertime, cool it down in summer. You can have light to read or work by whenever you want it and most everywhere you want it, provided there is some contact with that power. For the power of electricity to express, you simply flip a switch. When you turn it on, something you may not understand manifests its power and benefits your life.

Similarly with faith and higher consciousness. While you may not understand higher consciousness or how it works, you can experience its benefits any time you find and “flip the switch” of faith.

Operating the Faith Switch

When you need the help of higher consciousness, especially insight or your inner power to change circumstances, here’s a simple way to proceed:

  1. Find the “switch of faith” by focusing your thoughts and feelings on your conviction that higher consciousness exists.
  2. Feel deeply your conviction of the presence of higher awareness and its ability to benefit any and all problems, persons, and conditions. (Deep feeling is not necessary but it’s very helpful to have your emotions as allies.) Sometimes a very weak, tentative conviction has been known to work. (Some people have the misconception that the amount of emotion determines the degree of faith, rather than the level of attunement.)
  3. Flip the switch of faith by asking it to express. Confidently and humbly ask higher consciousness to move and act in whatever situation or person’s life you humbly choose. Certainly your good will and thoughtfulness are needed to determine when to flip the switch of faith. A good rule to consider in your activation of faith is: only be creative and constructive, as best you can; consider always the good of all; “do only unto others” — in your use of faith — “as you would have them do unto you.” It is especially helpful to conclude your request adding: “May the higher will be done,” or “May God’s will be done,” so that even if your faith request is unknowingly harmful, it will be amended and perfectly expressed nevertheless.
  4. Let faith work! Don’t try to interfere with the process or tell faith how to accomplish its end. Let it shine. Let it move. Once you have flipped the switch of faith, don’t turn it on and off; don’t inspect it to see if it’s working or not. In using faith, you deal with your doubts or subtle mental/emotional concerns before approaching or flipping the switch. When you flip it on, leave it on. Know, through your conviction, that higher consciousness and power is moving and working in the area you have requested.

Watch Faith Work

This factor of faith is most exciting. At first you may disbelieve and fiddle around with the “light switch,” often saying, “This can’t work. This can’t be.” Thus, you send contrary messages to the higher consciousness. The switch is not actually turned on. As you develop in faith, however, you truly observe the effects of faith. When the switch is really on, power moves and the higher consciousness expresses benefit and transformation in the lives or conditions in your focus. Always keep in mind, though, that faith is not a bully. Faith respects the free will of others and if they are unreceptive to its workings, faith will help as it can without violating the free will of anyone.

You will find it fascinating to watch faith grow. It’s even more fascinating to watch faith at work. Perhaps you, a conscious human being, are a key person endowed, through your faith, to help further Creation’s purposes! You are furthering life-enriching values and opportunities for others in some sort of partnership with higher consciousness as it emanates outward toward all people. Faith alone is a fascinating study. A lifetime can be well spent in striving to become a person of true faith.

Ineffective Faith

However, sad to say, your beginner’s faith usually degenerates. Flashes of success and wondrous manifestations of higher power or intelligence may dwindle in number and frequency. As your faith dwindles, you may begin to doubt everything. You may, as many do, doubt the existence of higher consciousness and consider yourself a fool for your enthusiastic conduct on the path. Your path itself may begin to blur and diffuse before your frustrated gaze into nothing. You may even deny its existence. Who knows where you will run or what you will do when your faith dissolves?

In reality, when your faith seems to become ineffective, you are likely making some big mistakes in attitude and understanding. You have probably forgotten vital points in this important area. The chief error is moving too soon from a humble switch flipper into a “cosmic shooter.” As a “beginning beginner” you do not presume to tell higher consciousness how it should work. You acknowledge your ignorance but have a conviction that higher consciousness is real, present, and will express positively and wisely in the areas you request. You lovingly and thoughtfully flip the switch of your faith and leave it on.

But, as you begin to succeed, you may forget the essentials! With each apparently perfect application of your faith, you may begin to get the crazy idea that you are the cause of tremendous results, that you are the power! You may, as many do, begin to get the unsound idea that whenever a problem comes up or a person is sick, you can transform or heal with your “cosmic gun.” You feel yourself to be a potentially great devotee who has become a worthy “gun man” selected to shoot evil down wherever it lurks. No longer humbly asking that a greater power, by its will, judgment, and goodness, please move into a problem or suffering person, you have become arrogant. You no longer ask that the higher will be done but that higher consciousness should serve your will and perhaps ill-conceived purpose — like it’s a hireling or slave.

The higher consciousness is very indulgent of beginners. It will continually encourage your growth in faith, even if you don’t do everything correctly. As long as you’re sincere, eager, and humble, higher consciousness will be accessible to you and help you grow.

However, if you become self-preoccupied, or try to dominate other people, you will suddenly find (but slowly realize) that your power has been turned off. Your higher consciousness will not aid in your arrogant projects or self-destruction. Your very loving higher consciousness will wait until you mature and again attune with it, in humility and appreciation.

Remember To Flip the Faith Switch

In essence, consider what faith can do in your quest of higher consciousness.

You can turn on the switch of faith and everything you now need, or will ever need, to further your growth in higher consciousness will be made available to you. Everything. When you need an insight, through faith you will have it. When you need to know what to do next, through faith you will know it. When you need funds to further your purposes, flip the switch and you will have the funds. When you yearn to be of help to someone, flip the switch and you will be able to help. When you’re tired and becoming less steady or persistent, flip the switch of your faith. A higher power will refresh you and make you strong. Higher consciousness — with its love, security, insight, peace, and power — will be with you always.
The main problem, it seems, is that people forget to flip the switch; they forget to allow light and power to express in their lives.

Remember, your expectations may not seem to be granted every time you “unleash” your faith. Your higher consciousness, which is more loving and wise than your normal awareness, chooses at times to manifest in different ways than your limited mind conceives. Nevertheless, higher consciousness expresses in the best possible way for you. Higher consciousness is one hundred percent for you in your growth. It is present. Have faith and turn it on.

And Leave It On

Faith cannot further your self-destructive fantasies or desires for exaltation. Higher consciousness will not dominate others nor will faith enable you to use this great wisdom and power to dominate them. Your higher consciousness is concerned about the welfare of all people and will never be a tool for hurting others. When you flip the switch of faith, goodness — at a level which you can only glimpse — manifests each and every time. When you turn on the switch, leave it on until the difficulty or trouble in that particular area is transformed and gone. Don’t turn it off with the thought, “Well, I guess it didn’t work this time.” If you, in faith, have turned on the switch, your higher consciousness will continually move in every area you designate.

We human beings have scarcely begun to develop in our understanding and use of faith. At present it seems there is no limit to what faith can do. May your faith be great!

Reflection

Act on what you believe.
Why base your life on fear?
Say yes to life, and
Affirm the miracle.

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#2 THE MYSTIC GAZE
A Classic Technique

This classic technique is one of the mystic’s greatest treasures.

It is designed to stimulate your mystical faculties and begin the process of spiritual awakening.

With the Mystic Gaze enjoy the developing sense of clarity, coordination and attunement with life in all you do.

  1. Sit calmly and relax your eyes
  2. Gaze slightly upwards 20-30 degrees
  3. Look into space 20 feet or more
  4. Gaze, don’t stare or strain your eyes
  5. Simply observe and appreciate your awareness of space
  6. Enjoy the dawning wholeness for several minutes
  7. Gear down and go about your day

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#7 EXPANSION THROUGH ATTITUDE AND GOOD WILL
Change Your Heart

Your practice of good will cultivates the heart’s truest, deepest feeling:  love.

These good will practices are a boon to mystical study.

The goal of good will practice is the change of the heart.

When your heart naturally and spontaneously radiates forth a palpable good will, then you are a changed person.

  1. Consciously direct your thoughts and feelings toward an attitude of good will
  2. Bring a person to mind
  3. Or place your awareness on a person closest to you
  4. Direct good will toward this person
  5. Feel free to add specific well-wishes like health, love, courage, etc.
  6. Allow your heart to expand, to change

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#6 EXPANSION LEVEL ONE
Quality of Life

Mystics break out of body bondage through numerous expansions of the heart — of the sense of self.

Your feeling of self-awareness imprisons or frees you.

Happily, you can do something powerfully liberating about the state of your heart and the quality of your life.

  1. Sit comfortably for 15 minutes
  2. Choose a person you know
  3. Imagine you’re walking in his/her shoes
  4. Feel you’re inside this person
  5. Say “If I were (name), I’d feel and think…”
  6. Have fun with it and let your heart expand

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#5 THE HEART AND ITS LIBERATION
Your Sense of Self

Mystics break out of mind and body bondage through expansions, expansions of consciousness.

Your “Heart” is your sense of self, your feeling about who you are.

Who are you as a distinct person from everyone else? This is your core individuality, your mystical heart.

  1. Focus on your mystic heart
  2. It is located in the right-central chest or inside the spine behind the heart
  3. Practice The Radiance or The Mist:
  4. Feel that your mystic heart…
  5. Radiates love, light and energy, or
  6. Generates a white mist flowing outward

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#4 THE MYSTIC BREATH
Your Window

Your breath is the key to the mystery of your life. The Mystic Breath is conscious use of this key.

Our individual natures will require different windows — different energy centers — from which to view the life force.

Allow the mystic breath to reveal your personal window.

  1. Stretch and then sit comfortably
  2. Take 5 to 7 deep breaths
  3. Focus on the center of your upper lip
  4. Witness the breath come and go
  5. Let your mind move to a natural center
  6. Watch your breath and the life force from this “window”

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#3 THE ASCENT
The Essence of Your Life

We begin meditation on the Infinite by focusing our awareness on Spirit, the life essence within us.

How can we do something so seemingly abstract? It’s easy. Spirit empowers your breath night and day.

Let the life force reveal itself to you. Sense the higher power which flows through you.

You’ll feel more alive.

  1. Stretch and relax your body
  2. Sit comfortably
  3. Take 5 to 7 deep breaths
  4. Focus on your nostril rims
  5. Witness the breath come and go
  6. Enjoy for 10 to 12 minutes
  7. Inhale deeply and stretch

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#0 THE MYSTIC SELF
Our True Nature

In the view of mystics, the major problem in life for most of us is ignorance of our true natures.

The Mysteries reveal many ways that you can actually contact your mystic self — and the Infinite Consciousness.

Do you, can you, contact your Mystic Self? Yes, indeed!

  1. Practice this anytime you like
  2. Probably your mind wanders quite often
  3. At times during the day, look at your mind and notice when it’s wandering
  4. Then, turn your attention to that part of your consciousness which observes that your mind is wandering
  5. That special overseeing awareness is part of your marvelous mystic self

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#1 MYSTIC AWAKENING
Benefits

Stimulate your mystical awakening.

When you wake up from a dream you realize you were only dreaming.

Consider too that this normal state of awareness in which you live may be a kind of sleep also.

As you do this technique you’ll find the world becomes more beautiful and enjoyable.

  1. Try this many times a day
  2. Whisper to yourself, “Wake up!”
  3. Mentally say, “Wake up!”
  4. Increase your attention, appreciation and feeling of love
  5. Just cheerfully exhort yourself
  6. Wake up!

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How to Succeed

As you may know, we do not charge for our courses. All Yoga World content is free and available to you with our blessings. However, we do have a simple, but important request that’s key to the transformations necessary to succeed on the path.

We ask you to commit two hours a week to selfless service. This service can be anything you choose ranging from helping a family member or neighbor to volunteering at a nonprofit organization.

I Commit to Serve

This commitment is solely between you and your inner self.

Why the Commitment?

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