Happy Samhain! (pronounced saa-wn)
This Celtic ritual was (and for some, still is) the ultimate celebration of the abundant bounty of the harvest. As the final day of summer and the beginning of the Celtic new year, bonfires, feasting and costumes traditionally were all part of the revelry, including roaming from door-to-door asking for treats. It's easy to see the roots of Samhain in Halloween!
These merry-making emotions and activities play perfectly into the final piece of understanding Abundance, which also conveniently segues us right into November's theme: Gratitude!
If we follow the Halloween thread all the way back to its pagan origins, we find that generosity flowed out of gratitude for the abundant harvest, which filled the stocks in preparation for the long winter ahead. It was enjoyable then, and still is fun today to give to one another in the spirit of grateful plenty when Trick-or-Treaters come to call. This brings us to the circular crux of the matter: generosity stems from a thankful heart, and a thankful heart creates more abundance as it opens to the infinite nature of Source. All it takes is a shift in attitude to appreciate the many ways in which our lives are already bountiful. Once we do that, we feel our personal stocks are overflowing and then, magically, we have more to give. The good news is this can occur at any time, not just when our version of "harvest" happens, because we realize that the supply from Source is infinite and, therefore, easy to share abundantly. When we started exploring Abundance in October, I asked the following questions:
What does abundance mean to you?
Can you identify areas of your life which are more abundant than others?
What can you do to expand your awareness around what is abundant in your life?
What steps can you take to share your sense of abundance?
Maybe you gave these some thought over the course of the month. Then, I outlined the steps for manifesting more abundance, made especially powerful when there is alignment with one's highest path and purpose. Today, we learn that the final, essential piece is to say "Thank You" as you let your wishes fly with the boomerang, assured that your order will be filled- it's only a matter of time before it arrives at your doorstep. The really fun part is getting so passionately involved with your life that you almost forget about your request - then, when it drops in, it's a lovely surprise. You'll get that 'goosebumpy' feeling as your mind tries to make sense of the synchronicities that must have occurred for you to be gifted with what you wanted. Some call these moments a "God Wink." I have many, many profound personal stories about how this has worked in my life, but I'll just share one that's kind of fun... One of the bonding moments when my husband (Jim is from New Jersey) and I first met was that we both loved Bruce Springsteen and had each seen him in concert many times. We had always wanted to have that experience together, but given the expense and our family schedules, had never figured it out. At the time of this story, we were living on a tight budget in Connecticut with our two young children. One Friday afternoon in the summer, Jim called with a crazy idea: leave the kids with my mother for the night, drive to the Meadowlands Arena in NJ, and try to get scalper tickets to the sold-out Springsteen show. Insane! But, we decided to go for it anyway... As we sped along to arrive as early as possible, I had a big chat with Source about exactly what we needed: 2 tickets and all expenses for no more than the $200 cash I had in my wallet. That was asking a lot because no one in their right mind would sell a ticket, and even if they did, it would likely cost $200 each! Despite the odds against us, I sent out the boomerang with a huge "thank you!" Based on all the other times this had worked for me, I was feeling pretty confidant as we drew closer to the event. Upon arrival, the place was mobbed with people excitedly moving from the parking lot to the stadium. We positioned ourselves so that no one would miss us holding up our hands with 2 fingers while we yelled, "Looking for two!" over the crowd. Of course, we weren't the only ones asking for tickets - there were dozens of other people also hoping to get a dose of Bruce in his home state where he was a beloved hero. After over an hour of being jostled and ridiculed, and with no ticket sellers in sight as the concert was about to begin, I slumped down on a cement divider in the parking lot, feeling foolish and dejected. What had we been thinking? Clearly, my boomerang had finally stopped working. But then something made me turn around... to find a man staring directly at me as he stood in the midst of the last concert goers hurrying to get to their seats. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but then he smiled and held up a single ticket. Not exactly what we needed, but I quickly went over to him anyway. He then told me his brother was coming with another ticket! I asked how much, expecting the worst, but he said "face value", which in those days was $35. His brother arrived and we hastily made the transaction - I remember that my hands were shaking as I handed him the money. The tickets were on opposite sides of the stadium, but we didn't care - we were just stunned and overjoyed that the boomerang had delivered! My brain tried to wrap itself around this miraculous answer to our request... out of all the people around us asking for tickets, why had he chosen me? And the fact that he didn't charge us extra - how incredible! And yet, wasn't affordability what we had asked for? Even with the blessings in plain sight, it's sometimes hard for our human minds to believe. We had an unforgettable blast at the concert and even ended up being together for the second half. As we drove home, we marveled at the Universal forces that had conspired to fulfill our appeal to the tee: after tickets, parking, tolls and beverages, we had spent exactly $200. Tickets to a Bruce concert might not seem like a spiritually lofty way to test out the boomerang theory, but I can tell you that the lesson went straight to my core: to never forget that the supply is both infinite and specific if we can just trust with a thankful heart.
Have a beautiful week!
Infinite blessings,
Hope
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