Roadmap to Prosperity- part 1

If I were living in the time of the Babylonians I might use cuneiform wedges to communicate meaning. If I were an ancient polynesian and had no written language I might scrape my communication as a petroglyph in the rocks left after Pele revealed herself in volcanic eruption. But I am neither of those so I continue the human tradition of communicating with graphics by using powerpoint.

Life is a series of activities linked together with meaning; successive present moments tied together with intention, activity and result. While teaching Spiritual Economics (SOM 205), I understand the process better now. We start with now (today) and learn to engage the world with a different point of view. Where we are today is based on our history and what we learned and believed up to this point. Where we go is based on our choices in thoughts and the resulting activities going forward. This class is an 8 week Roadmap to Prosperity as mapped in the diagram below.

This evolution of this process proceeds from left to right. Source, G-d, Spirit provides unlimited supply and our work is to allow that understanding to propagate throughout our thinking and our lives. When we align our thinking to see the abundance and release old ideas of lack, don't have, I-can't and limitation.
You can begin today with a T diagram and do a + / - analysis of where you see fullness and abundance in your thinking and (that's the plus) and identify the times where you see the limitation. As an example, I see the abundance when I walk in nature. It is a reminder of the many forms of expression possible and is visible in the different types of trees, roving animals, shapes of leaves and clouds...just to name a few An example of minus would be this statement, "I have two good friends. Whenever I try to have four or five friends my life fills with drama and I come back to two good friends" or "I make $ x. I can't imagine making two times that much money."
From the T diagram, the work begins in releasing the minus. Affirmations and affirmative prayer are good ways to plant the seeds for a new idea. Understanding your thoughts on faith is critical as well. In the Roadmap (at the top by the word Faith) the Universe and the individual are in the same circle. The dashed line signifies the openness and infiniteness of the Universe. Faith is the knowing that as an individual you are unfolding to recognize yourself as part of that infinite possibility. In faith you release ideas of lack and limitation and see your revealing of alignment to source.
We use imagination techniques to create a mental picture of the life of abundance and prosperity we desire. With visualization you can mentally picture the different elements of your expanded abundant life. What are you doing? Where do you live?  What are you doing for work and enjoyment? Who are you doing it with? By paying attention to what you desire and remembering the feelings of that experience you are painting a picture of what your new experience will be. The other imagination method for is to do a meditation on the question, 'What is my life of prosperity?' After that process make notes on the Vision and the Visualization and let them grow in your mind. Affirm them both for the seeds of prosperity continue to be planted.
In part 2 I will highlight the rest of the picture. It is a Roadmap to Prosperity and your New Spiritual Economy.

Hugh Prather III

In the later 80's I was in a search for meaning and found "Notes to Myself' on a bookstore shelf. Hugh Prather's writing provided insight and peace. He wrote about his thoughts, family and motivation in life, work and relationships. This was years before I had my own understanding so I was grateful for his writing. His book "How to Live in the World and Still be Happy" helped me realize that I am always in choice in what I think. In the early 90's I sent him a letter through his publisher. Three of four months later he called and wanted to know how he could help. We spoke about my topic and he provided suggestions. Today I still have ten of his books on my shelf; each one with pages dog earred as they were my most early resource and connection to the Universe as love, poetry, peace and meditation.
Hugh Prather made his transition on November 15 at age 72 while in his Hot Tub. Obituary and photo

The Only way to Salvation

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life promotes discussion on topics where religion and public affairs intersect.  It is a nonpartisan group and does not take any position on policy debates.  With that introduction the US Religious Landscape Survey was created from interviews with over 35,000 adults in the US.  I was impressed with the  summary which led me to read the rest of the report. The idea of Faith in the unseen is broad and the human constructs we create can be limiting.  When I was a youth I found the absolutism of salvation and damnation constraining. So I think it is interesting that adults today are willing to see a bigger picture of the Divine. Which view is 'correct'?  In survey and interview work there is no right answer.  It is only a statement of what is.

Summary:
"A major survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A strong majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, including majorities of nearly every religious tradition, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion. This openness to a range of religious viewpoints is in line with the great diversity of religious affiliation, belief and practice that exists in the United States, as documented in a survey of more than 35,000 Americans that comprehensively examines the country’s religious landscape."

Double Use

This poem, inspired at Ramapo Reservation, is on One Forest Many Trees - a blog about nature. It describes a lesson in beauty and faith. I am posting it here for double use-- Grass with Dew

Bud and Feynman on doubt, uncertainty and religion

Yesterday I spent a few hours and dinner with my 90 year old uncle (my dad's brother) Bud. We share family heritage, interest and careers in technology and we also discuss views on life, death and philosophy. Yesterday we were into, 'How do people come to an absolute belief in their religious view?' He says it comes down to 5 letters, F-A-I-T-H. There is no fact, there is no research or technique to prove a religious belief. It's faith. A consummate story teller, Bud's question is his hook when engaging visiting ministers at the assisted living community.

As a physics student I studied Richard Feynman through 'The Feynman Lectures on Physics'. In my youth, I was taught religion and participated in a great church community. I related to spiritual concepts which provided a good foundation but the absolute nature of my Christian upbringing did not fit well. It left no room for doubt and uncertainty. I enjoyed this Feynman interview and am today grateful for a sense of the bigness of the Universe and the mystery.