Friday, December 3, 2010

Wealth & Poverty

(c)2010 Joan M. Newcomb

A while ago I read a travel blogpost responding to a comment criticizing the blogger.  The comment said you can do all this traveling because you're a rich American.  Think about the people in the countries where you're staying, that redcap at the airport, the busboy at that restaurant, that desk clerk at the hotel, aren't able to travel.

The blogger responded saying, to the effect, that he'd rather hold a vision where everyone is able to travel.  (And I've also read that this guy only makes $40,000 a year, which is pretty modest by US standards).

Someone posted on FB an article to "Make Affluence History", that the only way to end poverty is to end affluence.  It then listed a bunch of suggestions on how you could do that, including telling your boss to cap your salary, skimp on consumption, and make a low-tech bracelet from an old bicycle tire.

The problem is, the people who would follow those suggestions aren't affluent to begin with.  They've actually poverty conscious ideas.  You don't raise vibration by bringing another vibration down.

And, with the current economy, it's bizarre that an article like this would come out, when so many in the US are experiencing poverty (or maybe not bizarre, just reflecting the mass poverty consciousness that's being projected right now).

The energy of poverty is contraction.  It's held in tight, a constricted feeling.  Everything is seen through the lens of limitation.  When you're poor, it feels like being hunched down, in a squatting position, for a very long time.

Getting out of poverty can be painful.  Standing up after squatting for a while, hurts.

The energy of wealth is expansion.  It feels like freedom, like release.  Everything is seen through the eyes of possibility.  When you're truly wealthy (more on that in a moment), you feel generous and giving.  You feel like anything is possible.

Now, there's an aspect of being wealthy that's the opposite of the description above.  There's a level of being wealthy where you are disconnected from your feelings; you have all the 'right' material things and social status, so you must be happy.  There's distorted wealth, where you can't empathize or feel compassionate towards others.  The reason that person is homeless is because they're not working hard enough, or that person doesn't have health insurance because they're too lazy to get it.  Distorted wealth is unconscious.

Distorted poverty is, as well.  Distorted poverty wants everyone to be down at their level.  They judge and feel resentful of 'rich people'.  If someone they know gets a raise, or starts to do better, they assume that person is going to become a snob. 

Underearning is an aspect of distorted poverty.  Tolerating a low hourly wage or accepting a less-than-market level fee for one's services 'because of the economy', 'because people can't afford it', 'because I'm spiritual', is distorted thinking.

Being poor isn't noble. 

Now there are people without much money who are happy.  There are villages in India and Africa with few material resources, who, if measured by their openheartedness, their connection to family, their awareness of Spirit, are wealthy.

There are people with vast amounts of money who are miserable.  They're concerned with having enough in their account for the entire year, and more focused on their portfolio than the actual quality of their lives.

Not all rich people are unconscious.  Bill Gates is putting his Microsoft billions into smart ways of helping elimate diseases and improve infant mortality overseas.  Warren Buffett is encouraging other billionaires, by example, to give most of their fortune away.  Richard Branson is an example of endless fun and enthusiasm and continuous creativity.

Now, from the perspective of Source, there is no good or bad to being rich or poor.  It's all an example of our Spiritual creativity.  As Spirit, we created this planet of dichotomies to experience the opposite of who We are.  From Spirit's viewpoint, it's fun to roll about in effort, we get excited by the challenges of limitation.  Because our Essence knows it's all a game.  The more challenges you creates in your life, the more spiritually creative you are!  Essence doesn't take any of this very seriously because, hey, in the blink of an eye this storyline will end and poof! We'll create a whole new lifetime to act out in.

If you go back to the essential qualities of wealth and poverty, they are simply energy patterns.  Wealth is expansion and freedom, poverty is contraction and limitation.

How do you break out of a limiting pattern, so you can experience more expansion?  It starts by seeing a bigger picture of your life.  It takes stepping out of your comfort zone, because what is familiar isn't always functional.

The energy of abundance is appreciation.  Whenever you pay for something, you're expressing appreciation for it.  Whenever you receive payment for something, you're receiving appreciation for it.  Think about this the next time you pay your bills.  Don't you really appreciate the things you purchased with that credit card?  Isn't it great having a place to live, and electricity and water?  Wasn't that a really delicious meal at the restaurant?

Rising out of poverty patterns takes appreciation, too.  Wow, I am so capable that I created this really complex storyline so I can't afford Christmas presents this year.  It is going to sound *great* when I write my memoirs!  Wow, not having a job is *really* uncomfortable.  I get to let go of the illusion of being (such-and-such career person).  How fun to step out of the limitations of 8-5, 50 weeks a year, into a realm of new possibilities.

Appreciation is one step towards increase your own experience of wealth.  I enjoy a feeling visualization as well.  Abraham-Hicks says that prosperity is all around us, like Niagara Falls, but most of us are standing around with teaspoons.  Think of the powerful flow of Niagara Falls, and the ionized air around it.  Imagine that energy flowing into the top of your head and throughout your aura.  Imagine your space filled with this energy.  Let it's high vibration disintergrate any limitations.

What this is doing is raising your vibration so you can receive more in your life.

In order to have more money (or anything) you have to expand your ability to Have it.

Sometimes a technique for increasing money is to start spending it.  There's a misunderstanding to that idea.  On one level, expressing appreciation with money is telling the Universe that you trust more is flowing in, but some people compulsively spend everything they have and nothing comes in, because acting compulsively comes from poverty consciousness.  They're spending from fear, not generosity.  Tithing is more in alignment, because giving a small portion of what's coming in towards things that support you spiritually and emotionally is expressing appreciation towards Source (it's like leaving the Universe a tip for services rendered)!

Now, what happens for some people is they increase their monetary flow, and immediately their expenses increase.  Because, what flows in, must flow out, right? 

Instead of seeing Niagara Falls flowing in and then rushing right out again, imagine it flowing into a pool.  That way your money flow can 'pool' and you can siphon out whatever you need.

You can do this visualization remotely as well.  If there are relatives or communities you're concerned about, imagine Niagara Falls for them as well.

Play with these ideas this week.  Notice when you're feeling contracted or limited.  Allow yourself to breath in and expand.  Use the Niagara Falls (and pooling) visualization, whenever you feel like it.  Gift others with the visualization as well.

Try this for a week and see what happens!

No comments: