What is abundance and scarcity?

In this blog, we have a look at abundance and scarcity.

(Spiritually, abundance is the enlightened mind, and scarcity the ego)

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Abundance is usually thought of as material abundance, and from the mindset of scarcity consciousness, abundance represents the ability to endlessly consume. Different forms of consumption include food, money, power, love, and the consumption is driven by an underlying sense of emptiness and deficiency.

Abundance, as we use it at www.connected2success.com represents a story that we tell ourselves. The story has some key principles

· There is enough for everyone and more can be created

· You exist to contribute to each other and to the planet

· Everyone has unique relevance so there is no need to fight and compete.

· You are connected to Spirit and to a context much greater than yourself

· Spirit is infinite and is your true source

· Life is intelligent, there are no accidents and everything is fortuitous

The advantage of being in abundance consciousness is a fearlessness, because Spirit, your true identity, is eternal and indestructible. This allows you to face scarcity, see it, and transform it through staying present to it. Abundance doesn’t mean always feeling good; it means being willing to face whatever arises, and if you keep doing that, you eventually start to feel really good. Because abundance feels connected to Spirit, in its mature form it is full and overflowing, giving and loving.

Scarcity is driven by survival needs. It’s felt as an emptiness, and someone in scarcity consciousness never feels they have enough. Scarcity always wants more, for example money, more achievement, more love and more food. Scarcity feels disconnected from Spirit, and so tries to attain fullness through consuming and controlling the world. As scarcity places its wellbeing in the material world, it is prone to being a victim when conditions change outside its control.

Scarcity is accidental and arose as a survival mechanism in a world of physical threat, where it was necessary to fight of predators, other tribes, and hunt for food. In a world of few humans, abundant rescources and limited technology, scarcity was an excellent survival mechanism, and didn’t threaten the environment.

As technology has improved, and the number of humans has increased and demands on natural resources rocketed, humans can no longer fight, compete, and accumulate and expect to survive. What is needed is a new way of being, one of contribution, connection to Spirit, care and relationship. Abundance is the spiritual solution to the limitations of scarcity.

The implication of moving into abundance consciousness is a life of creativity, wellbeing, spontaneity, and most likely increasing financial and material abundance. Abundance relationships are open, supportive of growth, trusting and accepting of difference.

The implication of staying in scarcity, is one of increasing struggle, limitation, desperation, and eventual annihilation. Scarcity relationships are manipulative, controlling, cold, and resistant to change. In a world of change, inability to change becomes a threat to survival.

What can you do to begin to move into abundance? Learning to be present to challenging emotions, and not identifying with their story, is the golden key.

Spiritual Discipline

Understanding that discipline is a pathway to freedom is a central understanding of abundance consciousness.

Many people think that abundance means you are liberated and free to do what you want. In its healthy form, yes, abundance consciousness is open, creative, confident, spontaneous, unrestrained and in relational exchange with the environment. These qualities arise from an unshakeable confidence and connection in Spirit, and Spirit, being infinite, indestructible and loving, empowers you to live a life of fullness and freedom.

Scarcity consciousness lives off the assumption that its wellbeing and survival is dependent on the world and worldly conditions. When those conditions change in an unfavorable way, scarcity resists and contracts, and experiences fear, doubt and worry. If you lose your job, how do you feel? True abundance will see the perfection of life, an opportunity for growth, and a sense of inner peace that everything is ok. Scarcity will get lost in panic and fear.

The movement from scarcity to abundance means giving up the hold the world of conditions has on your sense of wellbeing. It means giving up the belief that money or relationships, or even health, is responsible for your existence. It means accepting and then embodying the principle that Spirit is your source, your center and the beginning of all that you desire.

This movement from scarcity into abundance is where discipline becomes essential. Gradually you will need to stand firm against the slavery of addictions, compulsions, and selfish drives. You will need to stand firm against the power plays of others.

This is not easy. It can be gut wrenching and soul wrenching work when your deepest beliefs about survival and wellbeing are being bought into awareness and your dependency on the world of conditions is frustrated. This is where you have to stand firm and stay present to the inner tension.

Voluntarily practicing discipline, such as fasting, or endurance training, is an excellent way to build of the muscle required when you will need to stay present to your scarcity consciousness tensions and break there hold on you. Abundance ultimately wants ultimate liberation from the compulsions of the body, because from that place of freedom, the maximum contribution to the world can be expressed, and the maximum embodiment of love, confidence and success can be attained.

“It is for freedom that we were set free. Stand firm, then, and don’t let yourself be burdened again by the yoke of slavery” Galatians 5:1

The key to abundance

The golden key to abundance is contribution. The world is shifting away from a scarcity based mindset where abundance is consumption and accumulation for self enrichment. The spiritual model is contribution. When you live your life, expressing your developed gifts in such as way as they intersect a need of humanity, you will be financially, emotionally and spiritually abundance in ways you cannot even dream of.