19 Feb

Musings on Abundance…

I’m a firm believer in the philosophy of the Universe providing what I need. As long as I am patient, the right thing will come at the right time. It’s a system I’ve been exploring for some time now, and will probably spend the rest of my life working on. It’s of course easier to keep in mind when life is going smoothly, but when, for example, rent is due and there is no money, it becomes rather difficult to remain so patient.

Thus, I have chosen abundance as one of my themes for this year. If the Universe provides what I need, when I need it, then there must be an abundance of everything. It’s how I think and go about getting it. 

Concentrating on abundance opens our eyes to what’s around us. And this can direct our attention to things we didn’t notice before. It makes me, for example, become more creative and thrifty in how I find my materials and run my business in these very beginning stages. 

But it’s important to remember that everything has an opposite. And a couple weeks ago, I found myself focussing on the antonym of abundance: scarcity. 

I was running low on leather, and other materials, and feeling rather sorry for my situation, when I put a call out on freecycle for leather coats. It was one of the many times I put my need out into the universal realm, and about a week later it was answered by an elderly Scottish lady. Multiple unworn leather coats in perfect condition were now at my disposal. Brilliant. First lack, then abundance. 

Scarcity, the cunning trickster, pops up all the time in the form of a lack or limitation; lack of money, tools, materials, focus, recognition, whatever.  He feeds on self-doubt, and ties a noose around our neck, and tickles our feet.  If we’re wise, we realize that the rope is made of elastic, and that we can thwack the little rascal upside the head, and let ourselves down.  

We are taught in the U.S. to view scarcity as negative. For instance, a lack of money is a generally considered a bad thing. And granted, for the most part in my experience, not having money is more stressful than having it. But, looking back on all my experiences when I lacked money, I gained something else. Mostly depth and perspective.  

It’s not that scarcity is strictly negative and abundance positive. They are both inherently both, since they sit on the same pole, just opposite one another. It again depends on how you view it. But, I have found that focussing on the qualities of abundance is tantamount to recognizing and understanding scarcity. Which all in all deepens our understanding of both.

On that note… Anybody got any leather coats?!