Abundance

I am currently taking a teleclass on Abundance that runs for 40 consecutive days from 6-7am. I took this same class at this same time last year and it was beyond valuable – thus my willingness to repeat it. The committitment to awaken at 5:50am for 40 days – weekends included - is huge for me. I typically struggle to get up by 7am. Unlike my husband and daughter, I do not wake up perky and energized about getting on with my day. I can count on one hand how many times I have awoken with the feeling that I have had enough sleep, regardless of how many hours I actually get. I am a bit of a freak about getting at least seven hours for it is  truly my minimum where I can be fully functional and present.  To purposefully get up before the crack of dawn is a practice in and of itself. And the truth is, I love the world before the sun rises. There is something unspeakably still, like all the potential of the coming day is coiled up and waiting for the sun to set it in motion. The house is absolutely silent and I move within this silence easily, my mind not yet creating it’s endless To Do lists. And then I sit in the darkness to listen and learn as the stars recede and world is slowly revealed around me. Each day feels brand new, a solitary, unique gift when I move into it in this way. Last year, I promised myself that even when the class ended, I would continue to get up at 6am and I did for a bit, and then the nights got later and later and I slipped back into my old habit. This year I will make a smaller promise, to get up before dawn at least two mornings a week once the class is completed.

The class. Oh my goodness, the class is such goodness. Each morning I get to commune with a group of about 10 women as we delve deeply into the Spiritual Principle of Abundance. This everyday call makes me completely present to the noticing of Abundance in my daily life.  Last year, my experience with this principle changed absolutely everything about how I live within myself and how I participate in the wider world. Noticing Abundance in everyday moments led me to a deep understanding that everything, simply EVERY THING is always and in all ways wholly infused with the fullness of Divine Flow. There is no separation - it is simply always present. Now I move through life literally standing in the knowing that All Is Well - All is Unimaginably Well, regardless of my perception of how it looks or feels. The only thing that makes this knowing wax and wane in my experience is my level of participation with it - how much attention I am giving it, if I am noticing Abundance and in the noticing, amplifying it. This flow is like a river that runs through my house and sometimes I forget - so I find myself up in the attic dying of thirst.

In Jewish Folk Wisdom, there is a concept that if one enjoys the fruits of the world without appreciating them, it is the same as stealing. A kabbalistic prayerbook for Tu B'Sh'vat, which is a yearly celebration of the trees, says "A person who enjoys the pleasures of this world without blessing is called a thief because the blessing is what causes the continuation of the divine flow into the world." So Divine Flow is literally fueled by our noticing and appreciation of it. Attention and Gratitude is fuel, like giving water and sunshine to a plant. The Jewish people have prayers for everything, including for waking up in the morning and even going to the bathroom. In this way, they remember to remember, to be ever mindful of the Divine Presence and to be thankful for it. And so the sacred grows, literally and figuratively, in all aspects of life. I know but a few of these Hebrew prayers; however I pay hommage silently and otherwise to much of what occurs throughout my day. Where I am placing my attention is a powerful tool that is mine alone to wield as I please, despite outside illusions of 'Must' and 'Should'. It is how I fulfull my agreement with myself to be present. It  takes only a moment to acknowledge the color of the sky in the morning, or the twittering of awakening birds, or the blooming rosemary I pass on the way to the garage. Or the green of the orchard, or how good my body feels, after all I put it through - it's still in there plugging away, bringing me ever new experiences. When I acknowlege it and give thanks, my body actually feels better. The orchard looks even greener. My attention to it amplifies the sacredness of all things, all moments, all paths. And Divine Flow comes freely, with grace and ease, in Abundance. What a blessing.