We live in a world where we are always encouraged to be busy. No more so than in the world of work where the more hours we spend in the office, at the work bench, or doing whatever it is that ostensibly pays us the money we need for survival, the better it is and the more virtuous we may feel.
Many of us sacrifice ourselves on the altar of a hard work ethic, needing more and more and more money, more clothes and so on and so on.
The more we get, the more we need; on and on it goes. People exhaust themselves chasing wealth and financial security but rarely attaining that state of equilibrium where they perform their purposeful working activity but also have the time and the opportunity for growth and development in all areas of their lives. More recently these leisure pursuits and frustrated ambitions were to be kept for retirement, when those fortunate enough to have a decent pension would have a golden vision of years of painting, writing, gardening, maybe learning the piano. But even that is now deserting us as longer life-spans and economic austerity dictate that we must work longer and harder than before.
I am not against a bit of hard work. I still work a full programme of activity when many of my contemporaries have ceased employment and are living on their pensions. And good luck to them if they are happy.
My sadness is that we overlook a key truth; what we believe and act out in our outer material life is, ultimately what we get. Our dear friend the subconscious is watching and listening and then supporting the programme we are pursuing; the programme that says unless I work in this treadmill fashion I will never have enough, and even then I possibly won’t.
I have never been a wealthy man in terms of bulging bank accounts and a fat pension, although I know many who are extremely so and I can’t say that joy and fulfilment are particularly obvious components of their lives. But one thing I have learned over the years has been immensely valuable to me and, in a sense, I am still learning it to this day. It is about trust, conscious trust which forms a contract of a kind with life. This contract says “I will pursue my work and tasks as best I can, knowing that my needs will always be met abundantly, perfectly through whichever channels may be best.”
Many many years ago when I ceased employment and threw myself into my current work (I prefer vocation but maybe that is splitting hairs!) I had no idea how I would survive. With three young children and a mortgage to support, many viewed my steps as unwise, if not reckless. And indeed in the early years things were hard and difficult, dreading bills and delaying essential repairs as long as possible; I acquired a dubious reputation for botched DIY, largely with the aid and support of rolls of various types of sticky tape and tubes of glue. I now realise that this was a period of overcoming fear, the fear that I could not trust the deeper processes of life to support me so long as I did what I had to do here. Meditation (now called mindfulness by many) helped and still is a great blessing in enabling me to remain at least open to the higher, intuitive promptings of my spirit and the potential magic of the universe. But I had to watch and observe life, give it a chance to work and convince my subconscious that I wanted a different way and would really trust that, as indicated in the Sermon on the Mount, prosperity and the flow of money and material needs into my life was a state of mind or consciousness. If I could have a new relationship with myself and the universe through my spirit, expand my consciousness, and trust, things would happen and “miracles” would occur which, eventually and gradually, they did.
One early sign was a first marker on my pathway to trust that I am still walking along to this day. I was doing all the work I reasonably could but becoming a little tired of bill juggling and the growing deficit that in my finances. There had been the occasional surprise little bits of cash appearing from often unexpected sources but I was about to get my first real sign. Times were difficult, and I was busy but my work still did not seem to produce what I needed to survive. I can remember clearly one day reflecting on the fact that if I had to I could ultimately sell my little house and rent somewhere using the capital from the sale for survival. I realised that what was important was fulfilling my purpose here and having a smile on my face about being alive and surrounded by life.“I trust life” I remember thinking “and I know this is the right path for me.” A warm, calm feeling washed through me and I knew that whatever happened I need not dwell in fear anymore. I could trust the process of life to work with me if I allowed it to.
A day later, a message came to me that an acquaintance had called for me to go over to see her and her husband for a cup of tea on the Saturday morning. They were a lovely couple, quite prosperous and very interested in my work. They had no intimate knowledge of my precarious financial position and my thoughts as to the solution at that time. I was greeted cordially by them as I drove up to their house and we went to their garden where the tea and biscuits were waiting. I was a little puzzled why they wanted to see me there and then but I thought maybe it was about healing or some other problem they wished to discuss. After some pleasant light conversation, the lady disappeared inside her house and returned a few moments later clutching an envelope.
“We want you to have this. Woody’s aunt died and we had insured her but the money isn’t needed as she was very well off so we have decided to give it to you. I had a dream which advised me this was right.”
Inside the envelope my shaking hand found a cheque for several thousands of pounds. I can still remember the incredible surprise and relief I felt. A new programme was being wired in by my subconscious and my new relationship with the universe and with myself had begun. I began to understand that as I long as I did what I could reasonably do to serve life, fulfil my real purpose and also keep my life in balance that whatever I needed would come. I had to trust. It was the first of many miracles.
“See the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.”