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Horizons Magazine
JUNE 2001
Accepting change, tithing, over-tipping as a prosperity exercise, pre-paving
Hello and welcome to the June 2001 issue of Horizons Magazine. As spring ends
and summer begins, I notice the lush green of the landscape begin to get a little
tan and thirsty. The oaks and tallows in my yard are beginning to leaf out, creating
lots of high shade which is lovely to walk beneath. From my window here, I can see lots of deadfall debris in the woods from last month's flash storms. Even in Florida there's a definite change of seasons, although you may have to look closer for it than in, say, Massachusetts. The landscape is forever changing, as old replaces new in graceful fashion. Wouldn't it be nice if we could accept change so gracefully? If we could stand tall and secure in the midst of turmoil and upheaval? This is something we can all learn to do, all it takes is training your mind to be able to shift your focus at the proper time.
In this issue, Dr. Thomas says "All relationships change and you might as well be in charge of the direction of that change." Feeling in charge has to do with knowing ahead of time what your goal is, and taking steps on a regular basis to clarify and accomplish your goal. Dr. Humbert talks about being fuzzy or unfocused and recommends being precise, being clear and being specific. Since we're always attracting into our experience based upon what we're thinking about, getting clear on what you'd like to attract is a pretty good first goal.
Rev. Sannar finishes up his 12 Steps Of Spiritual Freedom with the lesson on tithing. I think many people miss the deep lesson - and great benefit - that the discipline of tithing gives us. I wish everyone could come to the understanding that by joyfully sharing their time, their treasure and their talent with their spiritual source, they are opening themselves up to receive all the riches and abundance they ever hoped for, and more. Perhaps I can appeal to your more mundane, temporal nature: when you joyfully give dollars out in appreciation to your source of inspiration, you will find dollars flowing into your life from all directions.
And this doesn't just mean writing a check to church once a month for 1/10 your gross income, although that too is an excellent practice. I can hear you now - I can't afford to do that! And my gross income? You have to be kidding! And you're right. If that is your attitude toward sharing dollars, it will take some doing to pre-pave a new belief about it, and until then you're likely to keep struggling to make a living.
I'd like to tell you some things I've learned to make a practice of. When I was in the 'experimental stage' of The Money Lesson, it was often pretty scary when I had almost no dollars, yet gave part of it away in faith that it was a good investment. A good investment in my future experience of lots of dollars being available. Since I eat out real often, the servers at my favorite restaurants become kind of like family and sometimes we share stories and ideas. These people are always overworked and generally under-appreciated by diners and management alike, yet they take the time to be sweet and pleasant and helpful to me. Even when it's rush hour and I'm hogging a booth. It's a real pleasure for me to over-tip them. And if I'm hogging a booth with my papers at mid-day, I recognize that the server could have made more in tips if 4 diners were sitting there, so I may tip for four. It's not that I'm a big spender, we're mostly talking about less than $5. If I can feel abundant enough to tip an extra $5, that goes a long way in pre-paving my future abundance.
Last night I sat at IHOP and did my final proof reading and had a chef's salad and italian wedding soup. A frazzled mom with two little ones sat to my right and I could tell she'd had a loooong day. Even so, she was patiently mindful of the kids and kept them quiet in a gentle way. The younger one was being very stubborn, but polite, bearing witness to social skills she'd been taught, even so young. I was very captivated by how competent this frail mother was with her children. I thought, This mother is raising her daughters to be powerful women. Good for her. Good for all of us.
When I got up to pay my bill, I paid hers also. As a tithe to the Universe for allowing frazzled moms to stay patient and gentle while raising active children. I took delight in the anonymous gift and imagined her smiling at the surprise of it. I was giggling by the time I drove away, it felt so mischeviously fun. It was the most fun I've had for $10 lately. Then in today's mail I get a refund of my mortgage escrow overage, $352 unexpected dollars - I'd say quite a return on my investment, wouldn't you?
Ah, but you say, buying a stranger dinner had nothing to do with getting a check in the mail? You can believe what you want to believe and I can believe what I want to believe. All I know is when I began letting dollars flow freely from me, for almost any good reason, they almost immediately began to flow more freely to me. Let me give you some more examples of what I consider tithes to the Universe as an investment in my financial future:
Parking meters. I always put more time on my meter than I need, because that creates free time for the next one in my parking place. It always makes me smile to find a meter with time on it, and I always feel particularly lucky afterward, so that's what I'd like someone else to feel too. So I give them a smile and what did it cost me? Three dimes? A small price to pay to feel abundant enough to share with others.
Toll booths. I love to pay the toll for the car behind me, then speed away so he can't catch up with me to see who I am *hehe* I know that some day he'll do the same for someone else and feel just as happy for it. I know these are goofy examples, but it gets you in the habit of being joyous in the sharing of dollars. It's a small step toward creating a new belief about money; a belief that says, I can afford to share abundantly.
IRS. I'm honored to pay taxes in a country that allows me so much freedom to pursue my dreams and earn a good living at it. What they reap from me is only a minute portion of what I am possible of sowing. I've got the best of both worlds: I am able to be a successful legitimate business entrepreneur during the course of pursuing my personal spiritual path. I'm proud to be licensed and insured and paying taxes on income.
Abundant consciousness confirmation: This is also validation that if I live in integrity, I am able to live an unorthodox lifestyle, have an alternative profession, and still be sanctioned by mainstream legal guidelines. Translation: recognize that working under the table and avoiding income tax is a function of poverty consciousness.
Musicians, hair stylists, nail stylists, bodyworkers, service providers - over tip everybody. It gives them hope that there are good people in the world and they might be one of them. It reminds them that money can come to them in surprising and unexpected ways.
Church, meditation groups, yoga teachers, discussion groups, spiritual counselors. Give as freely as you can to all sources of spiritual inspiration. Go in your church bookstore and buy some books and pamphlets. Buy some tapes of weekly services as gifts for friends. Sign up for the workshops that interest you, or just donate a few dollars toward a class you'd love to attend but can't. Even if your schedule doesn't allow you to attend planned events, donate toward it anyway. Consider it an investment in your financial future.
Remember that is the purpose of all these examples and exercises, to change your belief to a realization that you are an abundant being. If you give sparsely, you receive sparsely. If it pains you to part with a dollar, then you have the belief that there are not enough dollars to go around. You believe that if you give a dollar away, you may never have another to replace it. As you believe, so shall you receive.
Now this doesn't mean spend money foolishly and expect it to replenish out of nowhere, although this may happen. I'm talking about taking responsibility and making a conscious effort to change your beliefs about money, step by step.
Paying bills. When you're paying your bills, consider your payment as a tithe to the Universe. With every check you write, imagine how you'd feel if you received in the mail a check for ten times that amount back in return. Wow! Nice feeling, huh? I draw giant hearts in neon pink highlighter on my checks and write "thanks" across each one. Thanks for the electricity, without which I couldn't do my job. Thanks for the phone service, without which I couldn't talk with friends. Thanks for the van loan, which keeps me mobile. Thanks for the home loan which gave me lodging. Thanks to Office Depot for keeping my office supplied. Thanks for the salt delivery guy who keeps my water soft and drinkable. Thanks for my pal Neesey who keeps my home and office organized. Thanks for waste management who help me process the "stuff" in my life.
When I look at my bills, I'm filled with pride for how far I've come and everything I've achieved and acquired. I'm thankful for the credit everyone extended to me. I'm thankful for their patience during months I wasn't able to pay on time. I turn my bill paying experience into a workshop of gratitude and appreciation.
By the time I actually begin to write the check, I find myself gladly paying more than the minimum balances, with an entirely new sense of financial well-being. A feeling of knowing that no matter what, it will be all right. A good feeling of paying down any debt and saving a little for the future, however little that may be.
And the most important thing to remember when planning for the future is to pre-pave, by daily creative visualization, what you'd like to experience. Throw a little thought energy in a hopeful and uplifted way toward something you'd like to experience a year from now. What would that be for you? Financial freedom? Better health? A new job? A suitable companion? A new house? A new car? Better grade point average? It's up to you. It is, literally, up to you. And remember, anything is possible and anyone can do it. Enjoy our offering this month. Hari Om.