on surviving & thriving … (03/05/08)
Here is some of the “survival” advice I recently gave to a Friend walking as a mendicant from Tennessee to New York:
1) Sustenance: Avoid worrying about this one … Even in the most arid of climates, where there are people, there is food — and that food is abundant. In addition, I have found that the more faithfully and humbly and sincerely you intend to be Kind to others and relieve their burdens, the more you are freely given along your Way. Some days it will seem difficult, and yet that is exactly what makes this Lifestyle so powerful — and, food always shows up. People are innately Kind and, in our severely fear-plagued culture, they are also “starved” for easy opportunities to do good deeds. You will provide them with that very opportunity, and many of them will literally jump at the chance to shower you with blessings …
An “advanced tip”: going along and purposefully not asking for sustenance inevitably allows even more to come to you than you could ever have imagined — as long as you are humbly silent for the benefit of others, not to receive more in return! Just do your good deeds for others (not for food or money) and wait for them to offer you your fare, all the while being fully prepared to receive nothing. Choose to remember the Truth that it is the selfless Giver who gains the most in any exchange. Choose to remember that it is an honor to give to others — especially when nothing comes in return. it is this frequency that cares for the other without caring at all for reciprocation, that allows the floodgates of Universal Abundance to rain upon you in surprising ways.
2) Shelter: Avoid worrying about this one either … You will become astounded not only at how comfortably you learn to sleep outdoors, but how often you will be invited to rest at another’s place in a spare bed or on their porch or on a sofa. As far as rain is concerned, simply find shelter (a thick-leaved tree works remarkably well). And if no shelter is to be had, revel in the rain!
An “advanced tip”: if you walk “with the seasons” (north in the summer and south in the winter), there should never really be a problem with the truly uncomfortable scenario of “cold and wet”. And if you do find yourself in an extremely uncomfortable situation, choose to remember the Truth that it is in precisely such times that are acts of service for others are most potent.
3) “Danger“: Especially avoid worrying about this one, as what you fear will inevitably come to you … As long as you keep focusing on the innate Wonders and Beauties that allWays surround you (including and especially the Beauty of every human Soul you encounter), “evil” will literally fear your loving frequency and look elsewhere for its desired victim. It really is that simple. And if you happen to be in an impure state of mind and do attract one of those confused Souls, remember that deep within every such person is literally a “Golden Core” of Goodness. It is in those moments that you will be blessed with the opportunity of reminding those folks of that very Goodness by looking at their aggressiveness with compassion as opposed to fear. After all, they are simply suffering from an intense psycho-spiritual illness, and worthy of just as much compassion and love as any cancer patient. Remember as well that you are surrounded by Good Souls like yourself; people who would like nothing better than to come to your aid in time of need — remember this, and much more often than not it will be so.
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