Abundance and Love - January 18, 2011

I bought the book "Abounding River" by Matthew and Terces Englelhart as a gift to myself for 2011. The cover promises "an unfamiliar view of being abundant." In the introduction, they tell me that this book "is a Spiritual perspective and practice and is designed for people who already have a spiritual connection in their lives, or for those who are willing to open up to one, particularly in the area of abundance! Which may only look like you are simple tired of living with LACK!"

The book includes a 42-day process which can transform the reader's (me...you)thinking from one of lack to abundance. For anyone interested, I bought the book online. The Englehart's own, among other things, a restaurant on Shattuck Street in Berkeley that I visited with friends called Cafe Gratitude. Their website is www.cafegratitude.com and you can purchase the book in the webstore. The website is interesting and if you take a look, I'd love to know what you think.

Twelve years ago, I read Sarah Ban Breathnac's book "Simple Abundance" which is a "Daybook of Comfort and Joy." In her introduction, she saids "Reading books changes lives." I agree with her completely and her book certainly changed my life and I am expecting no less from The Abounding River. Her book is about abundance of the SOUL and I suspect The Abounding River is going to be the next step for me. I'll keep you posted!

I hadn't planned to write about abundance this morning but I ask for guidance before I sit down to write that whatever comes through is for my higher and better good and the higher and better good of all and then it's my job to just let it flow. So what flowed this morning was abundance.

Affirm: I am abundant. My life is abundant. Abundance is my natural condition.

There is such a sense of LACK rampant in consciousness right now and it takes all my effort to block that negative flow of energy. It is people like Sarah Ban Breathnac and the Englehart's who are resonating with abundance and love and as a species, if we are to survive, we need to be focused on all that we do have and on helping each other and sharing. It all starts with one person and that one person is SELF. I want to help others and I want abundance to continue in my life and in the life of others. I want to be a better person. That doesn't mean I'm not a good person but part of the process of life, in my opinion, is to grow in spirit and in love. There is so much I DON'T UNDERSTAND so when I get overwhelmed I go within and find that place of peace and love so I CAN share. And as I write I hear "each person is on their own path and will come to the place they need to be in their own time." I am no hero. I am, daily, finding my own path, my own place, my own peace. It's a process. It's all a process.

Back to yesterday's blog and I was going to tell you about the second thing that happened. A friend I adore and respect said she thought I was "angry" and covering it up with "love and light." Since I do have a great respect for her, I thought about it for a while. Am I angry? Why I am angry, if I am angry? Do I cover up my anger? Is it all a facade? What does it mean? Why would she think that of me? She sent another e-mail with 45 things to know and one of those 45 things was that it is okay to agree to disagree. So there was my answer to her! I thanked her for opinion but said that we can agree to disagree on this point. She said I search and I search but don't find my answers. She was partly right because I do search and search and that's because I am a seeker. The part where she was wrong is that I do find answers.

I am a seeker. I seek truth, love, light, joy, peace, knowledge, understanding. That's my path. That's my journey. She has been a light along my way and I love and honor her for all that she has shown me. One answer leads to another question. I'm questing. This life is a quest and I seek the holy grail. Yet I have traveled far enough along this journey to know that when I find the holy grail, the journey is complete and that will hopefully, not be for quite a while as I still have a lot of road to put behind me. So am I angry? No, I'm not. Not that I'm covering it up with love and light. I AM love and light! God shines through me. He shines through each of us although perhaps differently and more brighter in some than others. So although I did not agree with what she said, I did not let it "hurt my feelings" and cause me to "shut down" as it may have in the past when I wasn't quite as far along in my journey. I was able to thank her for her opinion, disagree and let it go. That's how I know I am growing. It's a "self-measurement" and I am learning to be my own champion rather than being so self-critical. That's how I know I am growing. How about you? In what ways are you becoming more of who you are meant to be in this life?

On the cover of the Abounding River is a blue sky above the horizon of a desert landscape which looks to be Sedona, Arizona with Bell Rock front and center. There is a dried river bed with pebbles and river rocks and on the dried river bed sits a pair of mirrored sunglasses. In the mirror of the sunglasses is a frothing ocean with waves hitting the shore and splashing upon rocks which are at the edge of a line of trees that are in full bloom. In the waves you see a couple of leaves floating.

The cover art is by Frank Riccio and the powerful symbolism of that cover just stops me in my tracks and makes me want to see more of his work. I will put that on my list of things to research. Bravo, Frank! Bellissimo!

My blogging time is up and it is time to move in to what is going to be a very full day. Tonight my creative cluster meets for the first time and I am very, very excited to get that going and to be a part of a new group.

Remember...Today IS a great day to be alive and the best is yet to come! Wishing you abundance in your mind, for your body and most importantly may your soul be abundantly nourished this day! Namaste!