Your greatest Wealth

This story deals with something that doesn’t cost any money, simply because it’s not for sale : your spiritual consciousness – becoming aware of the fact that you are a truly creative being. Of course you could spend money on books on spirituality , on workshops or on a pilgrim’s journey. But all of these are only pointers to the wealth inside you. And you will find this in silence, when you are not overwhelmed by the noise of the world or the needs of your ego to pursue something. And you don’t need to do away with money (or your job or other “things of the earth” ).  Old images of monks and nuns living in deep poverty, having renounced all worldly things, are deeply imprinted in the collective human psyche, a “programming” which leads many people to thinking that poverty and spirituality belong together. But spiritual development cannot be forced in this way either. What a relief…..  After all , money is only an instrument for exchange ,  used in the interaction between two or more people to reward a certain performance . Just an exchange of energy.
Working on your spiritual realization is ultimately done on your own. The journey inside does not depend on the cooperation of others. (If it does , give priority to setting yourself free from this)

But don’t let your money or your possessions block your spiritual development. Don’t  buy things to cover up unpleasant feelings.  And if you had a quarrel with someone, don’t smooth things over with  an expensive present. Instead have a profound discussion which gives you the opportunity to go deep inside yourself . Do not inflate your ego by booking impressive world trips. The biggest journey is to go inside – to the silence and depth of your inner temple.
This is the way to get in touch with your innate creativity.  Instead of wanting things from somebody else, you can feel the impulse to create yourself.  Because the essence of life is creative. The universal life energy , which is in everything and everybody, is always creating. New universes, milky ways, stars and planets, human beings, animals , plants and minerals emerge continuously. This life force is in every cell of your body.  So your creativity is your greatest and most essential capital.

By the way, this is also the place where you will find your sense of humour.  The wisdom that puts things in perspective,  the knowledge that everything in our earthly life , with all the ups and downs, is relative and impermanent, because here on this planet we live in duality:  giving and receiving, day and night, birth and death, gain and loss. Let go of your dependency of wanting something so intensely.  Your higher self knows exactly  the right time to let go of things and always creates precisely what you need. Although the ego might not agree !  The ego is always comparing itself with others and has therefore the inclination of wanting what others have. And preferably a bit more, better or larger.  The higher self , however, knows what serves the wholeness: yours and that of the universe. Because ultimately they are One. So , if you are connected to that wholeness, many things go by it-Self and in the present moment there is always enough.  This connection enables you to be nourished by an inexhaustible creative power that always provides you , here and now, with an adequate answer or solution.

Don’t worry about tomorrow. This does not mean that you shouldn’t take steps or make preparations. But you do this based on an inner feeling of what is right at this very moment instead of what might go wrong. Live in the world but be aware not to be lived by it.  Take your attention inside regularly to stay in touch with that source where your greatest capital is rooted. Don’t limit this practice to an hour in the weekend, your holidays or yearly retreat. Preferably, take an hour each day to really become still. See what works best for you.  You could also take a quarter of an hour in the morning, afternoon and evening. What counts is that you do it on such a regular base that it becomes part of your daily life. Cultivate this inner tranquillity , take every step with full attention. It is not about what you do, the most important is how you do it and that is : without loosing yourself.

Enjoy your nice car, your house or your prominent job. But don’t be attached to it. Make sure that you have inner freedom : when your higher self is about to rearrange things in your life,  this freedom allows you to easily and carefully let go of things that no longer belong to you. To create space for new things that want to manifest in your life. Without renewal , there is no life. Everything and everybody evolves continuously. If you suffer from a loss, this is not a ‘punishment’ (as some religions may have taught us).  Yet your first inclination might be to investigate what went ‘wrong’ .  Our biggest losses often appear to be ‘blessings in disguise’.
Things or people only leave you – or come on your path – because the higher self is creating this experience. Always out of the wholeness. You do not need to have experiences to become whole. You are already whole. Experiences are interesting for us as spiritual beings , they mirror one of the many facets of who we are. This is how the Self gets to know it-Self.  Every experience is a creation, and both by your successes and your set-backs and losses you learn to perceive facets of yourself , of which you were unaware. On a spiritual level these facets are always there. By giving them form here on earth , you can observe them , and learn to handle them consciously.

So, invest time regularly in the connection with your higher self in order to feel/hear/know what is the best path for you, which experiences serve you best in your eternal evolution.  Sometimes you are rich, sometimes poor, sometimes alone, sometimes surrounded by people , sometimes in a career, sometimes jobless.  In any case, take the “harvest” from the experience you are in, that is, get a deeper awareness of the diamond that you are in all of its facets. Your eventual security in the changing scene of earthly life, consists of the realization that you have the power to continuously create and renew from your inner source.  That is your greatest wealth.


Ans Carels , september 2005


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