IV FAITH Amethyst

How do I use

my inner spiritual knowledge

of the Creative Forces

to manifest blessings

for myself and others?

When I told my husband

Steve Heath I was writing

about faith he laughed.

He remembered one time

when I asked someone

what Faith was and they

thought I was crazy

until he explained that

I don't 'get it' because

I simply live my faith

all of the time.

2 children's songs

come to mind when

I think about Faith.

(Can you tell I was

a kindergarten teacher

for umpteen years?)

Annie singing:

The sun'll come up tomorrow.

And It's A Small World After All

as heard on the boat ride

in Disney World.

If I had to choose a hymn

the first one that pops

into my mind

comes from a Methodist hymnal:

I come to the garden alone

while the dew is still on the roses

and the voice I hear

falling on my ear

the Son of God discloses

and he walks with me

and he talks with me

and he tells me

I am his own

and the joy we share

as we tarry there

none other has ever known.

Tuesday night I went to chanting

with Jeff who accompanies us

with his singing bowls

and somewhere between

childhood and now

I read Thich Nhat Hanh

and he taught me

about walking meditation.

I'm sure you've had your

own journey in and out of

spirit.

Stephen from The Farm in Tennessee

said the 11th commandmant is:

You do too know what I mean.

SUSAN: Your faith comes to you

in bits and pieces

and chunks the size of mountains

that take your breath away.

If you were lucky

you started picking it up

when you were a child and

your parents read

happy-forever-after nite-nite

stories to you.

If not you found

'all's right with the world'

stories

from your grandparents

uncles and aunts

teachers

preachers

strangers

good books

and friends.

Maybe you found it

when you read poetry

like Ella Wheeler Wilcox

saying:

Whatever is

- is best.

Your Faith may come

from building trust with people

who give you their word

and keep it.

It may begin with fairy tales

and words other people tell you

but it grows

inside your heart

and it becomes the words

you mutter to yourself

inside your head.

Cayce said thoughts

could become

crimes or miracles.

You could mutter a lot of

negative self talk

and say things like:

This whole world is going to hell

in a handbasket. I saw it on the news.

There isn't enough to go around.

> Why don't I ever get

my fair share?

or you could go outside

and look at a flower growing

and the stars in the sky

and say:

Hmm...

if the Powers That Be

made this tulip

or that daffodil

or this daisy

(remember Harold and Maude)

why then

'Ain't deez nice?'

I'm a part of all this.

And if I fall down

and get hurt

my bobo's will be tended to

(more or less)

until I can tend to them

for myself.

Once you understand

there is One Force Source

running through every living thing

and you're part of it

and it's part of you

then you can never settle

for the idea of separation.

I remember the first time the astronauts

took pictures of our earthball

and you could see the land

and the water

but there were no lines

separating Alabama from Georgia

or dividing countries from each other.

Truths will dawn on you

and your Faith will grow

bigger and bigger.

Hillary Clinton said:

It takes a village

to raise a child.

And we get to think about

people all over the world

raising their children

and how we're different

in oh so many ways

but in more and more ways

we are alike.

One time I got irked

at my baby sister

for saying something

I took as racist

(we were not raised thataway)

and I blurted out:

'You just wait til you get to heaven

and discover God is a black woman'

and she didn't miss a beat:

'You just wait til you get there, Susie

and find out God's a baptist!'

Hmm...

What if God

is the exact opposite

of who we long for

Him/Her to be?

What if God is a Buddhist

and a fundamentalist

and a heathen?

Or what if there's a divine spark

in each and every one of us?

See?

Your Faith is just gonna hafta

grow bigger.

In the Bible story

about the Tower of Babel

God made everyone speak a different language.

What if we woke up one morning

and we all spoke the same language

and we didn't need a computer

to translate for us?

What if we all decided to live

by the Golden Rule

and we didn't need laws or jails

or prisons of governments or religion

to make us do good?

What if we all simply lived

from the goodness in our own hearts

and we didn't let nobody

go to sleep hungry

or lonely?

What if we played music

and sang songs

and danced

around the fire

sharing good ju-ju stuff

all the time?

What if characters

didn't hafta have

tragic flaws

to make a good story?

What if we all played our part

and created Heaven on Earth?

That's what faith

is all about.

It's something inside of you

that sez:

'Atta Boy!

/You go Girl!

when you wanna take the next step

and do the next right thing.

One day

we will no longer hafta

feed the hungry

or heal the sick

because everyone

will be fed

and nurtured and nourished

into wellbeing.

All the energy we put into cold wars

and weapons of mass destruction

can be used for something else.

Fear will no longer have us

in its chokehold grip around our throat

and we can begin to speak

always only

in the language of love.

We'll splash bright happy colors

around us

and become as beautiful

as a flower is-

the way we were meant to be.

I'm not saying

there won't be

some hard nuts to crack

to get to this honey in the rock

but I am seeing

more and more people

wake up

and some of us

won't take no for an answer

and we'll just keep living

Yes! Yes! until

everything

really and truly

is

alright

with the world.

We'll live fearlessly

in a world of love.

We'll take the Native American's

advice

and think of how what we

say and do

will affect our children's children

down to at least 7 generations

from now.

We will be transformed

from who we are now

into new luminous beings

of wit and wisdom.

The computers

may crash, the banks may close

but the way I figure it

when we can no longer

text messages

across the world

if we've dug a groove

deep enough into our brains

we'll simply

start communicating

telepathically.

We'll build

community

and make the boat

big enough

for everybody to get in.

Cayce said it could all happen

in the twinkling of an eye.

And I have yet to meet anyone

who deep down underneath

didn't really and truly

wanna grow toward the light.

So let us begin building the faith

til it's a strong enough foundation

for this whole new world

to be on.

~~~

[inspired by Mark Thurston's

EXPERIMENTS]

4-1: What is one thing

I wish to experience

greater faith in?

Examples:

faith in God/Goddess/Great Spirit /the Powers That Be

faith in my own indwelling divine nature

faith in another specific person

Hmm... let me consider:

Where has my rational,

intellectual mind taken me

in this desire?

Perhaps I will find

that this part

of my mind

has led me to

a paradox/confusion,

perhaps I will find

that it has provided

all the right answers

and yet an inner experience of faith

is missing.

I write down whatever it is

my intellect tells me

about this concern

or I text someone

or I go out to lunch

and tell someone about it

or invite a bunch of people

over for potluck

and share it with them.

Now I allow myself

to move beyond just the intellect.

Each day for a week

I will be open for

an experience of faith

in this part of my life.

I pray that I will be given

whatever experience

is best for me at this time.

I listen to the promptings

of my intuitive mind

through my meditations

through my dreams

and by listening to

and feeling my intuitive self

in my daily activities.

I record any of my experiences

that give me a deeper sense

of what it means to live my faith

in this specific area of my life.

I keep it to myself

/share it with someone else

/a small group of cheerleaders

I can find to support me

and allow me opportunities

of grace for me to be cheerleader

for them as they play

their game called Life.

4-2: What steps can I take

to awaken the consciousness

that I am a timeless being

thus growing into

a deeper awareness of faith?

How can I prove that

all that I desire

in spiritual unfoldment

and fulfillment

will come

/is coming

to me?

If I have asked for somethin

with Divine intention*

and find myself doubting/impatient

I use this affirmation

(/another one I have created

in my own words)

to re-orient my mind to faith:

"As a spiritual being,

I am forever.

All I have asked

with Divine intent*

will be fulfilled."

(*Christians may want to substitute

'in Jesus' name' for 'with Divine intent'

Buddhists may substitute 'like Buddha did'

or you could say Kwan Yin/ Krishna

/all tomatoes that turn ripe

by next Monday.

It doesn't matter what you call

the Great Spirit/ Powers That Be

that flows through all of us.)

I journal the situations

in which I am able

to use my affirmation

in a helpful way.

4-3: How can I become aware

each day of instances

in which I feel

a sense

of confidence

(either in

some quality of my own

/in some condition

in the material world

/in some other person)

Can I accept

the good feelings that come

with my sense of confidence?

Can I build upon it

by affirming the source

of this

which is good in me

or my life.

I journal each day the situations

in which I am able

to make this recognition.

4-4: Who is one person with whom

I frequently feel frustrated

/irritated because I don't think

s/he behaves in a way

that would be best for her/his

own growth?

I write down that person's name

and each day for a week

I replace such thoughts & feelings

of frustration/irritation

with an affirmation

that divine forces are active

in that person's life.

God/Great Spirit

does care about that person

and She/He /Divine Power

/Powers That be

will guide her/him in the

experiences s/he needs.

I journal situations in which

I am able to experience

this kind of faith in another person.

4-5: What's a situation

in my life

do I feel needs

greater faith

for me to bridge

the gulf between

my conscious perspective

and a deeper,

more insightful awareness?

I pray at night before sleeping

that I will have dreams

(/dream experiences)

that will lead to

healing any difficulties.

I journal my dreams

I feel have come

in response to my call.

4-6: In what part of my life

do I find myself

desiring an increase?

Examples:

more free time

more friends

more appreciation from others

Hmm...

Let me ponder

the current conditions

and journal the ways

I am challenged to grow

by these conditions.

Example:

Desire: more appreciation from others

Challenges:

1- to know within myself

the things that I am doing

are worthwhile

2- to do things out of love

and not for praise from others.

Each day for the next week

I work with meeting the challenges

offered by my current conditions.

I journal experiences in which

I am able to accept and grow

with what I have right now.

~~~

[inspired by Judy Hall's books

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRYSTALS

and her CRYSTAL HEALING]

How could holding an Amethyst

help me deepen my faith?

Judy hall says: Amethyst promotes

love of the divine

and encourages selflessness

ans spiritual wisdom.

It is an excellent stone for meditation.

Sleeping with Amethyst facilitates

out-of-body experiences,

helps dream recall,

and assists visualization.

It guards against psychic attack

[/malelvolent thoughts/ feelings

toward another person,

whether consciously

/unconsciously directed,

that create disease & disruption

in that person's life]

and transmutes it into love.

A natural tranquilizer

Amethyst blocks geopathic stress

[/earth stress created by

energy disturbance from

underground water

power lines

and ley lines]

and negative environmental energies.

Harmonizing the physical

mental

and emotional bodies

and linking them to the spiritual

it purifies the aura.

Amethyst is helpful for people

about to make the transition

through death

and supports

coming to terms with loss.

This stone has a sobering effect

on overindulgence

and overcomes addictions.

Beneficial to the mind,

it calms or stimulates

as appropriate,

helping people to feel

more focused

assisting assimilation

of new ideas

and connecting cause and effect.

Amethyst enhances memory

and improves motivation.

This stone balances

highs and lows.

Amethyst is an extremely

spiritual and intuitive stone,

that encourages opening

of the brow (third eye)

and crown chakras.

Enhancing spiritual awareness

and connecting to divine love,

it promotes psychic vision

and entry into the higher realms.

It assists in understanding dreams

and facilitates visualization

so that the spirit can communicate

with the mind.

SUSAN: If energy runs inside

of people,

the way I see harmony

is body

mind

and spirit

living in connection

inside of me.

If I met someone

who was having trouble finding their way

on their path with heart

I wouldn't hesitate

to give them Amethyst,

something to hold on to,

while they figure out

who they are and

where they're going.

Old camp song:

"I know where I'm going

and I know who is going with me

I know why there's music

on a quiet summer's morning.

I've found a wealth of gold

and silver have I plenty

I've found a light to guide me

when the way gets dark and stormy"

That's why I am writing

this book

and giving the world

these cards.

There are so many now

in the world

who would create sign posts

and help guide you

along your path with heart.

These aren't happy-ever-after

nite-nite stories.

These are let's sing the world

awake stories.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

in her life transforming book:

WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES

wrote about the practice

of building little white crosses

along the roadside

to commemorate

things that have died

in our life.

Some things do die

but then some new things

are born, too.

I had a vision in meditation once

where I went about the world

building little portals

that looked like doorframes without doors

to show everywhere

around us

is a doorway

that can lead us

into sacred space

where we can live

and be

and do things

in a new

and different way.

Here's hoping

you find the courage

to open the door

of your heart

and live

with love,

light

and laughter.