The spiritual principle of Abundance is grounded in the concept that the Universe itself is an ever-expanding energy field of unlimited potentiality. Just a glance at our solar system alone reveals the existence of thousands if not millions of stars, yet astronomers agree that what our most powerful telescopes can see represents just a tiny portion of the Universe as a whole. Both astronomers and quantum physicists alike also concur that the Universe as we know it is likewise involved in a constant process of expansion.
Just as abundance is the natural state of the entire Universe, so it is for our beloved planet Earth as well. If you merely take a moment to expand your awareness, and truly take notice of the incredible abundance that characterizes both the Earth and all the heavens that surround it, you literally cannot help being awed by it all. In that regard, consider this passage from Stuart Wilde’s book “The Little Money Bible”:
“Make a point of noticing the plum tree full of fruit, gaze at fields of wheat, meditate on the endless rows of vegetables at the supermarket, and accept the warmth of the sun as it rises each morning. Also, engage your childlike self, with awe, in the abundance of stars in the night sky. Each of these are signposts of the Universe-at-Large reminding you that you have the gift of life—that your journey takes place on a planet that is blessed and chock full of everything that you’re ever going to need.”
This, of course, runs contrary to the conventional thinking about the Earth’s alleged ‘limited’ resources, but this age-old view misses one very key point – that with the God-Force, there cannot possibly be any limitations. According to Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla in “The Quest”:
“The old belief was that there is not enough abundance to go around, and so we thought if you get yours, I lose mine. If I get some abundance, I have to deprive you of yours, I lose mine. We have believed that people are constantly waiting out there to take our good from us. We thought that there is only so much substance in this world, and therefore it can be used up. The human race has had it all wrong. We have to re-educate ourselves so that we firmly realize that God’s source of good is unlimited. God, by nature, is a creative process, always capable of, (and desirous of) bringing new and more into our lives.”
So there is indeed always enough for each of us, and there will invariably be ample resources on this planet too, simply because with God all things are possible. For example, while it is undeniable that only so much oil can be extracted from the Earth, it is also true that as extensions of the mind of God, human beings have the unlimited potential to uncover alternative energy sources, as well as to devise new, more efficient ways of using the oil and other fuels that are still available. The same goes for any other of the Earth’s so-called ‘scarce’ resources.
Most people find it challenging to accept this principle, because based on all of the poverty and alleged shortages that exist in the world; it truly ‘appears’ that scarcity is our natural state. As everyone knows however, appearances can be very deceiving, for what lies behind all of the supposed insufficiency in the world is actually a scarcity consciousness that is both shared and promoted by a preponderance of people in the world.
If you doubt this, reflect for a moment on your own thoughts regarding abundance; money in particular. Provided you are like most people, regardless of how much money you may have, you still have concerns about your financial future, and these concerns are primarily based upon your conditioning not necessarily on your own personal experience. By conditioning, I mean the beliefs that were handed down to you by your parents or other relatives, along with the programming that you were exposed to by the culture at large.Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common beliefs that many of us received from both our well-meaning relatives and our society/culture:
“You better get yours before someone gets theirs, because there is only so much to go around.”
“Money is the root of all evil.”
“You must struggle to make a living in our competitive world.”
“Rich people will find it very difficult to enter the gates of heaven.”
The above list could obviously be expanded, but my intent here is merely to provide some fitting examples of the negative ideas regarding abundance (and money), to which people are commonly exposed. When you pause to consider just how widespread these ideas and beliefs actually are, it really is not surprising that a consciousness of lack becomes prevalent for the vast majority of the population.
You may doubt this to be true, but the fact is whatever we focus on (or believe with feeling) expands in our individual consciousness, and if millions of people think and feel that scarcity is the natural state of the Universe, then that becomes, in effect, their reality, regardless of evidence to the contrary. What is really unfortunate, as this next quote from Wayne Dyer’s book “You’ll See It When You Believe It” illustrates, is that people are simply unaware that at some level that they themselves are responsible for whatever lack they are experiencing in their lives:
“If we dwell on scarcity, we are putting energy into what we do not have, and this continues to be our experience of life. The theme of so many people’s life story is “I simply do not have enough,” or “How can I believe in abundance when my children don’t have all the clothes that they need?” or “I would be a lot happier if I had ______.” People believe they live a life of lack because they are unlucky, instead of recognizing that their belief system is rooted in scarcity thinking.”
It really is a very basic principle – as an extension of the mind of God you have enormous creative power, and as such you need to be very careful about what it is you choose to believe. So, if you are not experiencing all of the abundance you desire in your life, recognize this moment that somewhere along the line you adopted beliefs that have caused you to literally push it away from yourself. Once you come to acknowledge this fact, you can then move forward to carefully examine exactly what you have accepted as your truth about abundance. From there you can proceed to systematically refute, and then eventually drop any beliefs that are rooted in scarcity.
(The preceding article is an adapted excerpt from Spirituality Simplified, Copyright 2002 & 2014, by Jeff Maziarek.)
About the Author
Jeff Maziarek is an inspirational speaker and author. His first book, Spirituality Simplified is an easy-to-understand and entertaining work that provides an ideal starting point for anyone with a sincere desire to pursue a path of personal and/or spiritual growth. His second book, Codi’s Journey, is a memoir about his beloved Border Collie who passed away in 2005.
Spirituality Simplified is available on Amazon.com in both print and eBook formats. Codi’s Journey also can be purchased on Amazon.com in both print and eBook formats and on BarnesandNoble.com in eBook format . To subscribe to Jeff’s free daily inspirational emails called “PONDER on THIS,” please visit his Pondercentral website.