A Changed Economy

Imagine an economy that supports the greater growth of people, families, our communities and the natural environment. This PBS documentary features David Brancacchio traveling across the US and discussing what a local based economy looks like when it is based on people and communities in accountable relationship to each other. The evidence is that the large, multi-national and impersonal business structure and economy swings from boom to bust. In the 60 minute film David interviews people on alternatives. Watch at 45:30 minutes into the film for the 'hour exchange'. In Portland, ME the hour exchange is a banking system of exchanged services. All services are valued by time, not a dollar amount. By giving an hour of service in your specialty field you receive an hour of service in exchange for receiving an hour in return.

Watch the full episode. See more NOW on PBS.

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.

Synthetic & Creative Imagination

I'm taking a 14 week class based on the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. In the early 1900's Hill was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to investigate the characteristics of successful people.  The book is the result of his research. At the beginning each person creates their desire statement which is read twice a day during the 14 weeks. It goes as "I desire ____ dollars to be in my hands by the end of this class, April 6.  I am willing to (do or give up) _________ to receive this.  I intend to possess this money by _____ ". During the week we gather in groups to discuss and support other class members in achieving their desire.

The topic this week is imagination.  I have a rich imagination which shows up as ideas, images, words, phrases, dreams or all of the above.  In classes I teach both two areas of imagination- visualization and visioning. Visualization is the picturing or acting out in the mind an activity or upcoming event.  Visualizations can be guided by a leader or like a baseball player or golfer you can picture yourself  doing the activity as a way of preparing for the event.

In the other method, visioning, one person leads a process of meditation and asks a series of questions designed to reveal more information about the new idea.

With that background I thoroughly enjoyed and understood Napoleon Hill's definitions of imagination. He said, "Our only limitation, within reason, lies in our development and use of our imagination."..."The imaginative faculty functions in two forms. One is known as "synthetic imagination: and the other as 'creative imagination.'"
"Synthetic Imagination: Through this faculty, one may arrange old concepts, ideas, or plans into new combinations.This faculty creates nothing. It merely works with the material of experience, education, and observation with which it is fed."
"Creative Imagination: Through the faculty of creative imagination, the finite mind of man has direct communication with Infinite Intelligence; It is the faculty through which 'hunches' and 'inspirations' are received. It is by this faculty that all basic or new ideas are handed over to man."

So writings from two different eras, describing the same thing. Synthetic Imagination is equivalent to visualizing and reforming the current known order. while Creative Imagination is open at the top.  How do you use your imagination? Using these methods you can enhance and extend your use of imagination...and create new ideas.