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..:: Abundance ::..
By
Alan Schneider
As this is being written,
America, and the world, is passing through a period of economic
realignment, a difficult process that is a source of constriction and
curtailment for many of us. Such periods naturally tend to focus our
attention on the themes of prosperity and abundance. This essay will examine the levels of meaning of abundance –
material, mental, and spiritual – and will suggest some of the
conclusions that may be drawn about this often elusive condition.
Many of us primarily identify abundance in terms of its
material manifestation – having significantly more than the median
compliment of financial resources, property, insurances, income, and
possessions. To this is frequently added optimal physical health and
relational satisfaction – we are satisfied with our physical aspect and
our interactions with the others in our social sphere. As this matter
passes into the relational realm, it becomes more interpretive – for
example, we may have less clearly defined standards for what we deem
acceptable in relationships than what we deem acceptable for personal
physical health. Our standards may be severe or relaxed in a variety of
specific situations and cases, as determined by our beliefs and
expectations about what is appropriate in knowing and interacting with
others.
In point of fact, as we pass into the area of relational
interaction, we have begun to enter the mental sphere of
influence – the mental understanding of abundance. Here, the
evidence of this condition is less obvious, and does not depend so much
upon what, for example, we drive, as about how we feel about what
we drive, or where we live, or how much we are compensated (or not) for
our labor on the job, or in our relationships. This is a very important
consideration – one person can feel blessed with what another calls a
curse! Indeed, our attitudes have a marked effect on the
perception of abundance in all three of the aforementioned areas –
material, mental, and spiritual. One of the thrusts of this essay
will be to suggest the adoption of a more balanced understanding
of what abundance implies when viewed from the most universal
perspective – one that takes all three “worlds” of the abundance process
into consideration to produce a genuinely holistic consensus about
integrated well being.
And attitudes also impact out perception of the relative
importance of one kind of abundance compared to another among the three,
and even of the importance of any abundance at all. There are wise ones
and pundits around the world who have forsaken material
prosperity for lives of harsh austerity and renunciation in the belief
that such lives and lifestyles produce great spiritual abundance and
delight, and, indeed, there does seem to be a diametrically opposed
consideration at work here – that which produces enhanced material
manifestation frequently does so at the expense of spiritual growth and
development. At the admitted extreme of consciousness, the absolute
Buddhist renunciant embraces the total condition of non-existence as the
only valid one, labeling all others as illusory, and seeking to
make personal existence a testimony to not-being-in-being.
Ultimately, one only has limited time to spend on attainment of any kind
in this life, and we must prioritize what we feel to be important
regarding this complex issue that strikes to the heart of the question
of what is the good life, the life that is worth living,
worth the price of the suffering so often experienced in our physical
existences. Again, for the Buddhist, all life is suffering – a
condition that is best modified through the abnegation of desire and
desire-action in favor of meditation and inner peace. Although this may
be the final destination of consciousness after all others are
exhausted, for most of us, involved as we frequently are with life’s
“illusions”, some interim formula must be employed to manage the
equation of time and abundance!
And, since our estimates of what is valuable and worthwhile
vary so much from person to person, place to place, and across the
spectrum of age and mental sophistication, the task of formularizing
abundance is by no means a small matter. I am going to suggest a
relatively simple and direct method of estimating our goals and
expectations for the attainment of prosperity here, in the full
knowledge of the turbulence and fluidity that mark, and frequently
obscure, all attainment and all perception on the Physical Plane.
Let us proceed.
My method is best suited to application in the here and
now – the powerful moment of experience that is all that is
absolutely real and manifest at any given point in the continuum of
time, and involves the use of both meditation and introspection to
determine what the order of personal priorities for abundance are now,
today. Obviously, the better in touch with one’s emotional and
spiritual existence one is, the better off they will be in employing
this technique, but one of the benefits of its use in even a limited
context is that it will help to clarify and expand self-knowledge and
self-experience from whatever point serves as the initial
attempt.
Both meditation and introspection are best practiced under
conditions of relative calm and quiet. Thus, one must set aside a
portion of calm, quiet time for use to these ends, and I recommend doing
so daily. It is not necessary to use the same period of time (e.g.
morning, noon, or evening) every day, nor the same length of time on
every occasion, but daily is the rule. This has the important affect of
fixing the practice period in the routine of living as an important
priority unto itself, beyond the specific subjects of the practice.
Begin by quieting the mind, allowing the superficial concerns of life in
the moment to subside from consciousness. After a variable period of
time, depending on one’s stress level, distractions present in the
physical, mental, or spiritual environments, and random events, the
consciousness will settle out on some theme or series of themes of
greater personal significance, ones that frequently pertain to the
general issue of abundance. At this point, we must focus on which of the
three areas of human involvement are uppermost in consideration. Are we
more interested in material enhancement? Mental well-being or prowess?
Spiritual attainment and inner knowledge?
Perhaps a combination of the three in some proportion? If so, what
proportion? If such is the case, be prepared for the proportion to
change from day to day as priorities shift on the sea of existence. And
be equally prepared for the proportion to remain consistent for
extended periods of time as one area or another is focused on by the
total Psyche. Frequently, it is the ego that is most concerned
with material abundance, but this ego is only a small part of the
extended Psyche, which includes the unconscious regions of awareness,
both positive and negative, and the formative and preformative creative
regions as well. Change is the only constant in life, and in this
clarification process.
If material abundance seems to be the focus in a given
session, there are two additional processes that I am confident in
recommending – active conceptualization, and focusing on
positive manifestation. In active conceptualization, one focuses
with great determination on the attainment of a specific material goal,
not just as an ideal form, but as a literal one that is simply
pre-manifest, or only partially manifest, now, but is potentially
fully manifest in the near term. One needs to conceive of oneself as
already experiencing the desired manifestation, no matter how
preposterous this may seem to be. Imagination is the parent to creation,
and God-parent to manifestation – so give yourself permission to
actively imagine the manifest condition sought for as clearly and
completely as possible. Do not be discouraged or disappointed if the
result is not immediately forthcoming in a day, a week, or a month –
just keep up the process on the Mental Plane. Thoughts are themselves
vibrational forces that eventually condition events on the Physical
Plane. Therefore, be patient and persistent!
The companion process to active conceptualization is is
positive manifestation. If I am continually preoccupied with
negative expectations, I will predispose the Mental and Physical Planes
to produce negative outcomes. Therefore, one must shift all thinking
away from any negativity, and toward positivity as the conceptual
priority. If one has had a negative upbringing, this can be a truly
monumental feat, but it must be undertaken if one has the goal of
material abundance sincerely in focus. Any time we find ourselves
expressing negative consciousness on any level, we must reframe the
event or attitude in question in positive terms. For the positivist, the
glass is always half full, and on its way to being completely full! With
sufficient practice, the habit of positivity will supplant the
habit of negativity at all levels of consciousness. This creates an
aura of positivity around the individual that encourages positive
manifestation to occur. This is the background of Light that supports
all enlightenment, whether material, mental, or spiritual. Practice
positive thinking and doing at all times. For the positivist, every
curse is a blessing in disguise, and evident blessings are even more
potentially manifest as greater blessings on greater levels. Positive
manifestation can and should be practiced as often as one can, not
simply during the conceptual quiet time of meditation and introspection.
Through practicing active conceptualization and positive manifestation,
the groundwork of material abundance is firmly established. The rest is
a matter of time and dedication to the work undertaken.
Much like material abundance, mental abundance is
linked to the concept of attitude, and specifically what we
believe is possible and attainable. If we believe that the world is
a fundamentally benevolent place, then we will act in accordance with
that belief, and behave with benevolence toward our selves and each
other. If we believe that a given feat of mental prowess is attainable,
whether educational, conceptual, or even literal, then we will act in
accordance with that belief as well, becoming transformed into powerful
communicators and motivators. The attitude that nothing is impossible,
simply currently unmanifest, will predispose mental events, and
physical events thereby, to become attainable through creative leaps of
faith. Nothing is as powerful in life as an open mind – open minds open
doors through granting the universe permission to manifest creatively.
The process of introspection, one of our two core practices, is
inherently supportive of the development of the open, flexible, adaptive
attitudes that constitute a mentally healthy Psyche, and should be
practiced as a regular component of quiet time. Introspection is the
process of actively questioning our beliefs, motives, and perceptions of
life as a part of the ongoing search for alternatives and improvements
in the art of living. Introspection is empowerment through detachment
from the limitation of material thought patterns.
This brings us to the third component of abundance, and
perhaps the most important one – spiritual attainment. Why is this so
important? Because everything in life that manifests on any plane
anywhere begins as a Divine Idea of Light in the Mind of the Logos. The
more spiritual abundance we acquire, the higher the level our
consciousness will vibrate on, and this brings us closer and closer to
the Ultimate Level of Love and Light that is the Logos. The focus
of spiritual abundance is the Soul, our personal expression of the
Divine Light. The Soul is nourished through the practices of humility,
compassion, and selfless service to others performed from the
perspective of selfless love. So it is that spiritual abundance
frequently conflicts with material abundance, since material abundance
as a dedicated goal is often motivated by quite unenlightened
self interest – in other words, avarice and greed. “What
profiteth one to win the whole world and lose one’s Soul
thereby?” is very effective spiritual advise to all those who would
utilize the material abundance manifestation techniques given here. Be
aware that true abundance represents a dynamic balance of the material,
mental, and spiritual realms, not just manifestation in any one realm
alone. Manifest carefully on the Material Plane, and do not be
seduced by greed and gluttony. The ego is an addictive structure in
human consciousness that is never satisfied for long – learn to control
your desires, else they will control you!
Spiritual abundance is unlimited abundance, not
constrained by any material, physical, or mental limitation – a
condition of complete freedom and empowerment paradoxically achieved by
turning away form the Physical Plane through meditation, the primary
tool of spiritual exploration. Meditation, the second of our two
quiet practices, is one of the most effective ways to release the Psyche
from the grip of the ego, thus empowering the spiritual archetypes and
imagination to express the creative impulse. In turn, this creative
empowerment can then cascade through the Higher Planes of Ideation down
onto the Physical Plane, manifesting new trends, thoughts, and even
products. Remember that all ideas begin as Divine Ideas, and ideas are
the seeds of manifestation. Meditation is the spiritual root of
abundance, just as introspection is the mental root. I have had
so much to say about this process in these essays that any more
commentary here would probably be hopelessly redundant! Suffice it to
say that one need only acquire any one of a great number of books on the
subject, written by a great number of qualified authors, to begin using
one or more of the many techniques available. One need only use the
quiet essence of the quiet time interval to pass from
introspection into defocused meditation trance by allowing the naturally
relaxed condition present to deepen to the fullest extent. From there
on, it is a matter of practice in letting go of the senses to experience
the Higher Planes of Light.
The combined practices of meditation and introspection will,
when utilized regularly, clarify the proportional balance and types of
abundance most appropriate for the individual at a given time, and in a
given set of circumstances. As we age, our perception of what is
desirable, and what constitutes abundance, tends to shift away from the
hypnotic material trance of youth, seduced as it so frequently is by
superficial beauty and affluence, toward more abstract spiritual goals.
But youth, and the priorities of youth, are inevitable constituents of
life’s rich pageant, and it is the task of seasoned age and wisdom to
guide the young in the way of caution noted in the preceding passages.
The lessons of age are frequently learned through harsh experience, and
who would wish such things upon the young any sooner than they must
occur? The wisdom of enlightened self interest councils temperance in
the face of self indulgence – the rest must be attained through the
passage of time and the experience of Karma on the Physical Plane. Apart
from, and beyond, all considerations of abundance of any other
kind, the spiritual abundance of the Soul takes final precedence,
and that condition is governed by Karma, released through Dharma, and
experienced in Ascension.
- With Love, Alan -
(CR2008, Alan Schneider)
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