The Flow of the Universe: Move From Scarcity to Abundance
Our goal of living an abundant and happy life with all our creative and financial needs met is why we work so hard every day. When working harder and longer hours isn’t being reflected back to us in our bank balance, we need to look at our mindset about money.
Abundance, or lack thereof, is connected to feelings inside of us. These feelings come from our past experiences and our societal cues. According to Eckhart Tolle, “a person’s thinking and beliefs are conditioned by their past: their upbringing and culture they live in.”
Negative experiences as a child can create a scarcity mindset. If we overheard our parents fighting over money, we may relate acquiring affluence with instability and fear. A chaotic family life where there was never enough money but plenty of drama around the subject can create deep patterns of resistance such as: blaming others for lack, overspending to fill a void, or hanging on too tight for fear of running out of it.
We live in a world where the messages of scarcity are all around us.
We must buy everything on sale, not overspend and think there is never enough. We are victims of a scarcity consciousness that effect our actions and perceptions.
There are many who are unable to free themselves from the burden of guilt they feel from ignoring the class structure that confined their parents. Making over a certain amount can actually cause shame and feelings of unworthiness, so success is often sabotaged without being conscious of what is really happening at a deeper level. These mindsets can hold our earning potential hostage. If we have a failure mindset, we are fighting the natural flow of the universe, always swimming upstream and wondering why we don’t seem to be getting anywhere. We need a whole new perspective on wealth.
Unlock this full-length episode of The Abundance Code
Mind Shift: Focus on Abundance
There are four holistic approaches to shifting our money mindset from lack to one of plenty:
Visualize
Visualizing a happier, positive image of an abundant life that meets our needs, as well as the needs of others, is a great way to start. We can write our own script and act out our life the way we want it. Dr. Wayne Dyer wrote in his book ‘Real Magic’ that we need to “Try to imagine a state of unlimited possibilities as being possible for you.” Visualization while in a meditative, relaxed state will cement our new attitude into our consciousness and send out positive energies that will match up with corresponding results, clearing the path to a new reality.
At any time, we can choose what future we want and begin making changes for our highest good. Think about it. Our present predicament is a result of every decision and thought we had in the past. A life of abundance can be as simple as imagining a better future now.
Be Positive
Changing our self-talk is another method to unsnarl our past programming. Affirmations will end the self-defeating negative way we perceive the world. If we have convinced ourselves we aren’t good enough, perfect enough, old enough, smart enough, fast enough, rich enough, or lucky enough, then we need to wise up to those lies. They only produce frustration in our lives.
We need to start speaking the truth about ourselves. The truth is that we have unlimited potential and power within us. We can get back into harmony by changing our thought patterns and start believing in something more honest and empowering.
Write Your Affirmations
Write down a few sentences such as “I am smart enough to succeed;” “I am releasing the past and letting it go;” “I am truly lucky and blessed;” “The universe is abundant and there are plenty of great jobs for me to enjoy;” “I choose to see myself as successful and happy;” to name a few. We can read this starting in the morning and as much as we can until right before sleep. Reading an affirmation as the last thing we do before sleep will carry it into our subconscious where the past programming has been stored.
Meditate
Meditation is a way to clear these blockages once and for all. Going within to the unlimited field of possibilities will free you of labels, resistance, judgment, and fear. It will break through the hypnosis of social conditioning surrounding money.
The brain is like a computer and the negative attitudes we have accumulated over time are the programs we feed into the computer. Meditation reboots the brain by deleting negativity and blockages that limit our ideas about prosperity. Inputting positive programs while in a state of meditation will lead to success in the outer world.
Meditate and visualize for 15 minutes first thing in the morning to set us up for an awesome day. We will carry that peace with us and attract amazing people and experiences into our lives. Meditate again at the end of the day to let go of any accumulated stress physically and mentally. This is another excellent time to reset our brain for better health, happiness, and abundance.
When we close our eyes and go within, we dissolve our egos and outside distractions. We relax physically, calm our emotions and thoughts are still. That is when we come into contact with inner peace and love. Like an unused rusty tap, it may only drip at first, but the more we practice silent time with our true selves, the easier and more effective it becomes. Before you know it, the faucet is flowing with miracles and more.
Meditation shifts our energy from wanting and struggling to positive, active energy of purpose, intention, and gratitude. According to Deepak Chopra, abundance and affluence are our natural state and all we have to do is “restore the memory of what we already know.”
Discover the Truth Within
We can stop living on automatic, unconsciously going through the motions as dictated by a fearful past by meditating daily to discover the truth within. It is time to stop blaming society and our past and time to shift our mindsets from lack to plenty. To quote Glinda the Good Witch, “You had the power all along, my dear.”
About the Author
Expand Your Creativity: 5 Spiritual Principles of Intuitive Painting
I feel blessed in the creativity department. I love to paint, dance, sculpt and chant. I know that many people don’t feel this way, though. When I invite them to a workshop in creativity (usually centered around painting), the response is one of embarrassment because of the potential “self-exposure” of the final painting. We think we are being judged, we don’t like the result, it didn’t turn out the way we thought it was going to turn out, what we produce looks child-like, etc.
Our insecurities as human beings can be triggered by something as small as attempting to play with paint. This feeling probably holds true for 90 percent of the population. Even if we really think the result is pleasing, we can be shy… It is creativity in action that shows a small piece of who we really are. The subconscious mind becomes more conscious, based on what comes out, and what is happening in our minds can also be revealed when painting with intention.
Like anything in life, we can simply “do” it, or we can take the principle of meditation and apply it to what we are doing. That is, set an intention to the action, or consecrate the action in the name of the divine, to make it more purposeful.
It is this methodology that has lead to Intuitive Painting. It has been the combination of meditation, development of my own intuition, and setting purposeful intention that has completely changed my style of painting, from one that was of tangible renditions to more colorful, lively and more aesthetically pleasing pieces.
What starts coming out when a person begins to train in both meditation and different painting techniques will often begin to be seen as child-like. They may be held by societal conditioning and the perceived notion that we are now adults, and should act “mature.” A messy painting done with our fingers simply cannot be seen as a representation of maturity.
It is this mess though, that is needed not only to de-condition us from how we think we should act (which generally leads to less fun in life), but is also required as a process in which to forget about what you think you are going to paint and how it is going to look.
Drawing something before you actually paint it, like a paint-by-number, is not the point of Intuitive Painting, or meditative and intuitive creative development. The point is the let go of the outcome and a focus on going deeper into process, looking internally upon the self to reveal what may be repressed. Inner reflection and freedom of expression happens through meditation.
Meditation and its continued practice can be the largest altering factor in people’s lives. It is meditation and learning how to combine it artistically in almost everything I do that assisted in having the confidence to be bolder in the energy of my painting, and also to truly live out my dreams.
If you are now wondering about the why’s and how’s of meditative painting, try not to “think” about it too much. One of the things that will happen with meditation in your life is that you will finally learn how to stop thinking, and move into the realm of experiencing – the rational to the unknown, in-the-moment experience.
Try to consistently bring yourself back to this concept when you are painting; be in the moment, not worrying about the outcome. Something magical will eventually happen, in your meditation, in your painting, in your life, if you follow these simple principles:
Totality
Be total in every action, especially when you’re painting.
Presence
Be in the moment. Don’t think about what you couldn’t paint before, or what it’s going to look like.
Observation
Observe what’s happening in the mind, and what’s happening in your painting. Take breaks to do this and meditate by starring at the middle of your painting, then close the eyes as if you were still starring at the painting. Try to remember what you were looking at with eyes open.
Non-Judgment
Make no judgment, for judgment limits everything, and perpetuates more judgment. Enjoy every moment of change while you continue to paint.
Intuition
Intuition-over-mind: make the attempt to reach a “no-mind” state while you are in the process of creating something. Take any preconceived ideas of what it might end up looking like and simply “go with the flow.”
A few more tips for Intuitive Painting: Only finish when you are happy. If you are not happy with how it looks, keep painting. Use acrylic paints; the paint covers what is underneath. If you are going to use black, which is a dark energy, wait to use it until the final touches, for emphasis rather than a full feel. We are doing this not only to develop creativity, but also to raise our energy through the process and heal what may be hidden in the body or the mind. Positivity generates more positivity, so see each painting session as a learning opportunity and a time for deep reflection and expression. High intentions will yield high results.
