Summer of Abundance

In the past few years, and especially during the months of the pandemic, I have come to a new understanding of the meaning of abundance. I always knew the law of prosperity had nothing to do with accumulating money and things. The experience of abundance of love was really the most important aspect of life for me. However, I seemed to find myself following a pattern of lack and frustration in bringing more love into the world. The necessity of survival; making money to pay the rent, putting food on the table, gas in the car and paying for all the other activities of just being here on the planet consumed my time and my energy. There never seemed to be time left over for my spiritual work. Even though I knew my purpose was to bring more love and light into the world, I felt stifled by the continued struggle to “make money” and/or “be successful” in the world. I had somehow separated my inner purpose from my outer expression. In other words, I was consumed with the idea of getting instead of giving.

My outer expression became one of fulfilling worldly needs and desires. Of course, fulfilling those needs and desires is the definition of success as the world defines it. Accumulation of money, or numbers in a bank account, (not any real substance) has become the standard for measuring abundance and prosperity in this world. Deep in my heart I knew this had nothing to do with real prosperity. Divine substance was made of love, not of numbers in a bank account. I also knew that money represents energy, it represents where my attention goes, because there my energy flows. Consequently, I knew that I could only increase the flow of divine love and healing energy in my life if I put my money where my heart was.

In order to illustrate my point accurately, I have to go back to my first summer of really feeling abundant. It was about six or seven years ago, when my wife and I first came to live on Cape Cod. We had very little money, but an abundance of love between us. We had no employment. We moved in with my 84-year-old mother and began to look for work and an apartment. With a broken-down van, a knee brace, back brace and a bottle of Advil in my toolbox, I went back to what I had always known, carpentry and painting houses. My wife went to interviews for jobs she knew she didn’t want. We spent our spare time developing workshops in the basement of my mom’s house; but rarely had time to offer them. When we would go to the beach or visit some amazing place, I remembered from growing up on the Cape, I couldn’t feel or see the beauty anymore. “What has happened to me?” I thought to myself. I couldn’t even experience the beauty and abundance of nature, which was free and all around me, a gift from God. “Why couldn’t I feel it anymore?” I suddenly was gripped by fear, which was even more concerning than the numb condition of my soul. I was afraid it would never come back, and I wouldn’t be able to experience the wonder of life again as I had as a child. What could I do? How could I regain my awareness of magic of life again?

It was no accident that the answer to both my problems; the one of my inner awareness and the one my outer expression were to be solved by the same spiritual law, the law of abundance! Change the way I looked at work and money and the inner block to experiencing my connection to life would be gone… But where do I start? It might seem crazy, but it started with quitting my job and giving away my money. It started with practicing the spiritual law of abundance; giving, getting clear about what I wanted, forgiveness and getting on with my spiritual purpose in life. All other things had to be removed from my mind. It was an absolute necessity at that point. If I wanted to feel joy in my life again, I had to discover how to practice this all-important spiritual law.

The first step I took was to begin tithing, yes, 10% of everything that came in I tithed to the source of my spiritual food. If I received ten dollars that week, one dollar went toward my tithe. This opened the door to receiving more and more, and I happy to report, just six years later I went from tithing that one dollar to tithing (as a Family) almost eleven thousand dollars in 2020. For the full details of that story, you will have to attend one of our prosperity classes.

The second thing I did was to engage in work that filled my soul and nothing else. I would no longer be working for money, but to serve others. I offered classes and workshops with my wife, I spoke at various Unity churches and centers, I would teach A Course in Miracles, offer coaching, counseling or healing sessions; but I would not be doing anything that was not aligned with my soul’s purpose. I knew I wanted to be a Unity minister. It was a dream of mine since I was sixteen years old; but the process seemed to be too long, involved and expensive. I was already ordained twice in other organizations. I thought there must be an express method for me. Spirit had other ideas. It soon became clear I had to go through the entire program with Unity Worldwide Ministries. There would be no shortcuts for me in this process, and I am so happy there were none. Each moment in a Unity class, workshop, intensive or interview was a huge blessing and another example of the abundance principle at work.

What I have come to realize over the past few years is to fully experience each moment as it comes, to receive completely each and every day as the most important day of my life, to see each and ever person as a messenger from God and to reap the abundant blessings of divine love available in this very moment. The abundance of love I feel is overflowing, and as it does so is the availability of substance needed to share that love.

When love is the goal, the means are always provided, and in abundant measure. When sharing is the purpose, the substance flows to where it needs to go without struggle or strain. When gratitude is the response to all the gifts this day brings, the heart is happy, and the body is well. When the goal is to give, there is no limit on what you will receive.

This summer, we are coming out of a time of reflection. For many of us, we cannot go back to the world we left behind before the lessons learned from the pandemic. For life is too precious to trade it for things, people are too precious to trade them for the gifts of the ego. There is too much to be grateful for in this now moment, to go back to a past that was only blocking the sight of our abundance. I am well aware now of everything this moment holds out to me, as a gift from the universe. I am so filled with the experience once again of the magic of life, I do not have time to consider myself lacking for anything. Indeed, my mind has changed, not just about what abundance means; but also, about who and what I am, what my true purpose is here on this earth, and how I can help you discover the same thing for yourself.

Here’s to your summer of abundance!

Always yours in Christ Consciousness

Rev. Tony