thursday, august 25, 2011

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 ‹› a question of abundance ‹›

two men were confronting each other across a fence:

"but you must be using some kind of magic!" shouted one man to the other; "why won't you tell me? this insufferable!" "but i tell you Clave, i am not a witch or wizard. i use no magic. why won't you believe me?" trembling with anger, Clave looked at the other man; "because your garden is so beautiful and abundant Ahsai, and mine is devastated... by the Goddess, i think you've put a curse on me or something!"

hearing her name so invoked, the spirit of the Goddess Abundantia appeared on the path in the guise of a wise old woman.... "gentlemen, gentlemen please" she said walking up to them, "there's no need to wreck this peaceful day with argument. perhaps i may help in some way?"

"well, perhaps" Clave said sarcastically, "you can convince him to tell me what he has done to my garden to make it die while his thrives!" "i have done nothing, dear Lady" spoke Ahsai with reverence, then continued; "i don't understand either. we have the same soil, we use the same seeds. but mine is much healthier than his."

"indeed" responded the woman thoughtfully as Clave seethed. "let us see what differences there are then. Clave, how do you plant your seeds?" "i turn the ground, which i hate having to do, then i throw the seeds in and cover them. how else?" "what do you think when you are doing this?" asked the woman. "well, i worry that they will grow as poorly as last year, and wish it would be different."

"ahh, if wishes were wells, we would have an abundance of wells, but no water" she said cryptically. "Ahsai, how do you plant?" "on the day of planting" began Ahsai, "i rise early and bless the day with my gratitude for the bounty i have enjoyed over the year, no matter meager or large. then, as i turn the earth, which i am happy doing, i ask it to receive the seeds with joy and to nurture them into glorious health. then i place the seeds carefully one by one and cover them gently, all the while telling them that i see them becoming bountiful plants giving an abundance of beauty and food to me and my family. i then water them well praising their desire to drink of life and grow strong. i figure the seeds and nature can take care from there, but as they grow, i appreciate them every day and help them along as i may."

"indeed, you do use magic" muttered Abundantia under her breath. "Clave, do you speak to your plants?" "i tell them they had better grow or i will have no food or even flowers to sell!" he replied tersely.

"so we see" she reported, "it is a matter of perspective. abundance is attracted to abundance. you, Clave, expect to get no better or even worse than last year, and so you do. Ahsai, on the other hand,  relishes that which he has received and expects more to come his way, and so it does. abundance also aligns with positive attitude, for it has an open invitation to join in. Ahsai performs all of his tasks toward abundance with positivity and open hearted joy. perhaps you can try this Clave. and also, every living thing, the earth, the seeds, the plants, respond much better to appreciation and loving care than they do to its antithesis. and abundance is, yes, one of those 'living' things. there is infinite abundance in the universe, but you must give it a reason to join you and great hospitality once it does. perhaps if you adopt this 'magic' that Ahsai employs, Clave, you will see your garden begin to transform into the beautiful full one that you truly desire...."

"perhaps" he said quietly. then as the wise old woman began to leave, she smiled bountifully as she heard Ahsai say, "if you wish Clave, i will help you plant your next garden. and until then, you can share my abundance."

blessings

saxz ∞