The “Economy” is an eco-system composed of mutual interdependencies. It features worlds within worlds and therefore resists singular statements. For example, you can declare that “the economy is bad,” but at the same time, there are always people who make money during recessions and even depressions. The “Economy” is not just something “out there,” or something directed by big corporations or federal regulators. It is also a most accurate reflection of who and where we are as a people, and it tells us much about our own inner workings.
As I described in April, I’m sharing some ideas and practices that can help to rebalance the terrain, that can allow us to sidestep the more destructive aspects of a toxic economy: wage slavery, seeing others as objects, dependence upon the whims of markets, and being constantly caught in hope and fear.
This round: Honoring “Great Fullness”
The cultivation of Gratefulness is one of clarity. It is not a cheery veneer to present to some world out there, but is a result of feeling good all over. When there is overflow, when there is a sense of “great fullness,” positivity abounds. And this is a primary responsibility: to feel good. No one else and nothing else can be responsible for your feeling good. It is a result of self-cultivation, and the things that make us really feel good: long walks, connecting with friends, the sunshine and the moonlight, these are all free. It is our inability to appreciate all that is what makes us seek more and more. Attitude, disposition, energy, these come first and they activate an economy that resonates with them.
Blaming others, the government, corporations, immigrants, and the like sets up the same vibrational frequency as feeling sorry for oneself. It loops the energy into victim mode, and once that groove is created it is not long before one is in a rut that is hard to get out of. While thoughts resonate with the vibrational field around you, words amplify their power manifold. Every word out of your mouth is creating new realities; every word is an offering to the kind of world you want to live in.
Avoid scams, “short cuts,” cheating, and “golden opportunities.” Manipulative selling is based on cultivating your desperation. Someone who says, “buy it now” or “call this number now” is severely disrespecting both your and their humanity. Schemes tend to blow up like smoke, since they are generally not in the dharma. By this I mean “dharma” in its etymological sense of “holding together.” Your dharma is not just your job or your own particular niche, but it is that activity that supports the world.
