1. God is all there is. It is the infinite creative energy of love.

2. Human beings are inherently divine.

3. Thoughts and beliefs create the events and experiences of our lives.

4. Affirmative prayer and meditation are practical tools we teach, and we can use these tools to design these events and experiences.

5. It is a choice to live from and activate this spiritual teaching beyond an intellectual understanding.

We encourage you to explore and apply Unity teachings based on your own spiritual understanding. We believe this spiritual understanding is enhanced through reflective prayer and meditation.

Activating Faith

What is faith? It is a knowing so inwardly embodied that it becomes immutable truth for the one in whom the idea is embodied. Unity teaches that faith can be developed in the consciousness of those who are willing. While we do not wish to be rooted in dogma, the fundamental premise upon which Unity principles are based is this idea of faith: nothing exists outside of God. This means we are all God, and when we begin to identify ourselves as such we begin to make better choices in support of our inherent magnificence.

Tools for developing faith are education, prayer, and action.

Education

The first step to developing faith is to have a willingness to broaden your education. This can begin by stepping into a Sunday celebration where there is always an inspirational and educational message offered by the minister. It may be followed up by participating in classes or small groups that expand the potential of the individual through discussion and book study. The intellectual pursuit is not enough. Once known, the ideas then must become embodied at a heart level.

Prayer

The practice of prayer in Unity and the New Thought philosophy is rooted in this concept: we are not asking for anything, we are affirmatively stating our good and live in the expectation that good is our reality. We teach a method of affirmative prayer that shifts the focus away from relative circumstances and toward the underlying spiritual truth or nature. The Unity form of affirmative prayer is a five-step process:

1. Relaxation - Breathe and turn the attention toward the inner life.

2. Concentration - From the relaxed space, let the thoughts focus on the infinite truth of being: God is the only thing that exists, it is the power of love, light, life, wisdom, and ever-present good.

3. Meditation - Reflect on the truth that God is our identity, the power and Divine potential that exists in the Infinite is the same power and potential that exists as you.

4. Realization - Actively affirm the qualities of the experience you would like to have. Let the understanding be rooted in the feeling you would like to have and experience as a product of the prayer. The infinite power to do, to have, and to be, is the same power that animates and activates you.

5. Appreciation - In accepting the gift of the prayer answered we are empowered in spiritual awareness and welcome the fulfillment of the desire.

To learn how to pray effectively is a game changer in the experience of life.

Action

Guided by the embodiment of the principles taught, and the movement of prayer through us, the action becomes our nature. An effective prayer will impel action in life, so this development step in faith really takes care of itself in many ways. All action must be taken with the notion that it is rooted in the knowledge of the good being the inevitable outcome of a faithful mind and heart.