Radical trust is an inner knowing that at the deepest level, things are okay.
It is a profound, unconditional confidence in the unfolding of life itself.
As an embodied stance, rooted in courageous openness, it welcomes everything. No matter what comes. Not attached to specific outcome.
It’s a way of being that says, I may not know what’s ahead, but I trust the ground beneath me as I step forward.
Radical Trust is the foundation in this week, as well as in life.
Let it guide you though the day
Try to embody radical trust as your core state of being. Make it an active choice - even for just a moment.
Invoke a deep knowing that somehow everything is okay.
Let the lower torso, your root, be the epicenter. Sense your weight on the ground. Let gravity be a carrier to the embodiment of trust. Feel it in your bones and expand from there.
• Can you open yourself and be fully present with everything
• Say "I trust what is - right now"
• Say "I trust the next hour will unfold - just as it should"
Ritualize
Evoke - Embody - Evolve
Engage the ring
See the GUIDE to refresh them
Radical trust is a profound, unconditional confidence in the fundamental flow of life itself.
It is not a belief in any specific external outcome or authority, but an embodied state of openness and security in the face of uncertainty. This transcendent trust arises from beyond the rational mind – it includes reason yet ultimately lets go of the need for proof or control.
In radical trust, one’s very identity is rooted in trust; it is a way of being that embraces life wholeheartedly, even amid ambiguity and change.
Differences from Basic Trust, Faith, and Surrender
• Basic Trust: Basic trust is the baseline sense that the world is predictable and safe, typically formed in early childhood when caregivers are reliable . It depends on feeling secure in known conditions. Radical trust, by contrast, does not rely on conditions being predictable or familiar. It persists even when facing the unknown or when life isn’t “playing by the rules.” Radical trust means trusting life itself rather than just trusting that life will match our expectations.
• Faith (and Hope): Faith often implies belief in something unseen or hoped-for, sometimes without evidence. As one writer explains, “faith requires no evidence… On the other hand, trust is based largely on evidence” . Hope similarly is a wish for a positive outcome. Radical trust is fundamentally different because it is not about believing a particular promise or hoping for a specific result – it is an unconditional trust in the unfolding of life, a steady confidence that does not hinge on particular outcomes. Unlike ordinary hope, which can waver with disappointment, radical trust remains rooted and open-hearted no matter what comes.
• Surrender: Surrender means letting go of the need to control, often directing that release toward a higher power or fate. While similar, radical trust goes beyond a one-time act of surrender; it is an ongoing posture of letting go combined with active engagement in life. True surrender actually “requires a radical trust in the unknown, and a willingness to let go of control and certainty in service of something larger than oneself” . In radical trust, one releases the illusion of control not out of defeat, but out of a positive alignment with the deeper flow of life. It’s a surrender with eyes wide open – a courageous openness rather than a passive resignation.
Radical trust has a transcendent, embodied quality that sets it apart from ordinary trust. It is “trust as a state of being” rather than a single act or decision. In other words, it’s not about choosing to trust this or that; it’s a fundamental way of existing.
This kind of trust is often described as feeling rooted in one’s whole body and sense of self – a calm, lived knowing that at the deepest level things are okay. One writer calls it “a surrendering to the part of ourselves that is wiser than any book or mentor” , pointing to an inner wisdom beyond rational thought.
Importantly, radical trust is not tied to any institutional religion or belief system. It doesn’t require following a doctrine or envisioning a particular deity. In fact, it is frequently described as a post-rational or trans-rational stance toward life – meaning it includes reason and then goes beyond it.
This is not the same as being irrational or blind; rather, it’s what happens when you have exhausted analysis and still choose trust. Just as experiences like love or awe can defy full explanation yet feel utterly real, radical trust lives in a realm beyond complete intellectual understanding. It arises when one’s awareness moves through and past reasoning into a larger perspective that can hold mystery without fear.
In practice, cultivating radical trust means learning to embrace uncertainty and paradox instead of fighting them. It is living with an open heart even when outcomes are unclear. Someone in a state of radical trust can face adversity or the unknown and still feel a basic sense of “okayness” – a resilience grounded not in external assurances but in their own deepest self.
This capacity is transcendent (it rises above fear and doubt) and embodied (felt in the body as peace or steadiness). It is fundamentally different from ordinary trust or hope because it does not depend on things turning out a certain way; instead, it is a trust in life itself, a way of being “all in” with reality.
In summary, radical trust is a rare but reachable stance of profound trust in life that is identity-level rather than situational. It differs from basic trust (which depends on reliable conditions), from faith or hope (which depend on specific beliefs or outcomes), and from simple surrender (which can be momentary or passive).
Radical trust is alive, present, and unconditional – a holistic confidence in the very process of existence, cultivated beyond logic and fear, and available to anyone willing to open themselves fully to what is.