Run Aground

Beached whales - photo by Anthony Phelps

          Cetacean stranding, commonly known as 'beaching,' is a phenomenon when aquatic mammals strand themselves on land. Up to 2000 of these animals beach themselves each year; most usually die due to dehydration or drown when high tide covers the blowhole. The species most frequently in this predicament are toothed whales (Odontoceti). Strong social cohesion is a key factor. A distress call from one beached whale may prompt the pod to follow, stranding multiple others. Strandings can be attributed to natural factors such as rough weather or weakness due to illness, but another source is manmade. Research has shown a link between cetacean beaching and the use of active sonar by the military.

          

Faith is what happens when our beliefs run aground. Real faith is not a statement of beliefs, but a state of being. ~ Rea Nolan Martin

          Beliefs insist that one's preconceived ideas should define the truth. They reflect a desire for certainty and security. But life doesn't stand still; it constantly changes. During such fluctuation, beliefs may keep us from an accurate perception of reality; they can act as a locked door that impedes clarity and forward movement. When our beliefs 'run aground' in a crisis, we may add more ideas in an attempt to make sense of things, like adding a layer of clay around a broken jug. But perhaps a better way might be to release the tight grip on our beliefs and expose our heart. We could then stop pushing away what we don't like and rest with life as it is. Instead of judgment, we might open to whatever comes. The egoic mind attempts to bypass challenging experiences, but the faith of 'being' grants us the wisdom to live without clinging or resisting.

For more information on faith, see this post.

Principles: Faith

The following cards (#13-30) are additional spiritual principles and practices that can be essential in recovery.

Otter floating on its back

          Faith for the nonreligious might seem like an unneeded principle to add to the spiritual toolbox. This viewpoint is usually held because faith gets confused with belief. Belief is a product of the mind, while faith is a product of personal experience. Beliefs are not based on facts but on preconceived ideas and opinions about truth.  They are founded on what is desired and hoped for rather than evidence. Alternatively, faith unfolds as we pay attention with curiosity rather than rigid judgment. We decide to keep an open mind and see what happens. As Alan Watts explained, we don’t grab hold of anything; we just “relax and float.” Faith enables us to try once more and trust again. Though we may learn from the past, we don’t use it to over-generalize in the present. Beginning faith may start from the confidence we see in others, but it is our own investigation that will ground it. We put ideas into practice, staying open to our experience without reservation and to whatever the truth might turn out to be. Faith then becomes an open-hearted orientation to life rather than a never-changing position. 

When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness’ — then you should enter and remain in them.

~ Siddhārtha Gautama

For more information on faith, see this post.