Originally Posted by royster  How The Law Of Abundance Works For Me
r. andrew stokes
I don’t much subscribe to the idea of “manifesting” or manipulating karmic energies for my own benefit. Honesty demands that I confess I’ve certainly done my share of hoarding, lying for personal gain and pulling off some shifty deals…in a younger day. Those actions allow me something to compare real sharing and unselfishness with, so they are valuable experiences in the course of a life. Many feel they need to walk a fine line and adhere to Christian ideals they never internalize BECAUSE those ideals are never challenged or practiced from the heart, but rather, the intellectual mind and church peer pressure. The mind that thinks Heaven is only accessed by good behavior and control of human facilities is missing out on life’s experiences: the ‘sins’ are just as important as the repentance. And this process is much more meaningful than a life lived by the rules which…in the end…do NOT get one into a Heaven that doesn’t exist. That heaven was defined by an Entity who demanded you dare not question it, be it Jerry Falwell or Abubu Sokissit. The heaven depicted by “Family Circus” or Jehova’s Witness literature does not speak of the actual spiritual plane “heaven”, but many will argue with dogma that I’m wrong. If dogma gets you into a dogmatic place, then I’m cashing in my Bus Ticket and using the cash for chocolate donuts and coffee.
The Law Of Abundance I have been shown only revealed itself when I let go of the fear of lack. Fear is spiritually observed as the opposite of Love. Lack is the opposite of abundance.
The words of Jesus suggest to us that we need not go without: if we have TWO jackets, give one to the poor. It doesn’t demand we give the jacket off our back, but it strongly shepherds us to understand that when we have our Daily Bread, we need to share the surplus. “Pay It Forward” is a good example of the LOA, though it is deeper than a symbolic gesture: it is the intention with which giving is performed.
Scripture also assures us that our needs will be cared for. Very often, we receive plentiful gifts, and it is how we share…or hoard…those gifts that defines the path of abundance we were promised. And it is how our intentions are directed during the giving process that resonates with Universal Law or not.
American Indian tribes (and many other aboriginals) practice “gifting” in their community to share the wealth. One must consider that not even our bodies are a possession we own: they have been given to us by a process which is based in the Earth, Herself. Earth does not stop producing fruits and vegetables when the economy is bad. Chickens don’t stop laying eggs because the market tanked. And trees do not stop providing us with wood because Wall Street is sitting on a hemorrhoid. All these things take and give because they contribute to a longer-term sustainability they are part of, with a commitment to life itself. Following these simple illustrations Nature gives us gleans a clear pathway to the Law Of Abundance (LOA).
One morning, while working out of town, I went to the buffet for breakfast. I was down to my last $20 (until my next pay draw) and would have enough for lunch, too, but that was it. Out in front of the buffet was a homeless man who asked merely for change. The all-you-can-eat buffet was $6.99. I gave the man $10 and told him he should consider using the remainder of his change to leave a gratuity, and that this gift was not a requirement to sit with me (though he was welcomed to) or anything else.
I gave because I know what it’s like to be hungry. I also know what it’s like to be homeless. In the words of Patti Smith: “Those who have suffered, understand suffering.”
The man chose a window seat and I saw him enjoying his food with gratitude.
That night, I returned to the buffet for supper, having obtained a cash advance from my client. The cashier refused to take my money. When I asked her why, she smiled and said, “I just like you.” She had no idea about that morning’s events. This was simply the LOA in action…a chain reaction of balancing out the deficits, and an example of how God works through all of us, and all things. While indeed the money system itself is Man’s way of controlling life and resources, our cooperation with the Universe easily overrides those controls. When we give because we understand or empathize, the giving creates and conducts a stronger energy than all the wealth in a bank. As Jesus said, to give merely to appear good to the crowd is worse than not giving at all.
When you give with your heart, that unconditional spirit stays with you. As this becomes a way you live because you see its sanity and Grace, needs are effortlessly met, and giving of oneself becomes the only way to be.
Without going into unnecessary detail, I have been poor most of my life. I’ve worked hard with dedication to that which I believe in (and know). I found myself one day with more money than I’ll ever need. I continue to share where I can, and in places I know need the assistance. I do not give without discernment, nor do I give so that all may witness it: I try to be subtle, and often don’t get to see the faces light up from my sharing. But it comes back to me every day, and as it does, I continue to share it.
That includes my life experiences. |