It is the heart, which makes you rich. You are rich according to what you are,
not according to what you have. (Adapted from Henry Ward Beecher)
Acres of Diamonds , written by Russell Conwell, is considered by many to be one of the finest speeches and books ever written. The story offers a multitude of lessons about the rewards of work, education and finding the riches of life in one's own back yard. It is the account of a man, Ali Hafed, who sold a large and productive farm to travel in search of wealth. He looked for diamonds worldwide and finally ended his own life when he became a homeless pauper. The man who bought Hafed's farm was contented and worked hard. He loved his land. One day, he made an incredible discovery. In the backyard of the land that Hafed had sold him was a diamond mine-literally, an acre of diamonds. The new and happy owner was suddenly rich beyond his wildest dreams. What glorious gems and heart's desires are waiting to be discovered, uncovered, mined and polished in your life this year?
Stressed is DESSERTS spelled backward
From the book, Magnetizing Your Heart's Desire
Some years ago I had a dream of a childhood friend whose made maiden name was Cole and her married name then changed to Born. I haven't seen her since high school. As I processed this dream, I knew that "Cole" was the keyword or an intended pun for "coal."
What immediately came to mind was a Sufi story where God asked a piece of coal why it was black. The coal replied, "Because I have absorbed all the darkness of the world." God then asked, "What will you become?" The coal replied, "Under ever greater pressure, I will become a diamond!" The metaphor for that parable is that a chunk of coal is a diamond that made good under pressure to become more of
what it is.
At that time in my life, I was experiencing a serious challenge and I could see how the symbol for "coal" (Cole) interfaced with being "born" at new levels. Diamonds are the most transparent form of carbon. Out of the many millions of dream images our psyches can pick, I am always in awe of the process of how our unconscious serves up such perfect symbols from our inner being to our outer self. In this dream, a person from many years ago was uniquely presented as a breakthrough metaphor I needed at that time. A diamond is sparkling bright light and it shines with purity and clarity. No jewel is stronger nor older. It is symbolically a commitment to never-ending love. Often we need to polish up the brightest facets of our heart's desires with exhilaration, appreciation and celebration so they glow and dazzle and are ablaze as a beacon of light and illumination.
I realized how this dream fit my life circumstances as a mirror to inner transformation for outer circumstances. How sweet it is when we realize our "opportunity" in crisis or stress is to discover and trust that new potentials are being "born."If you were born as an acorn, you would be snug and protected in your shell. It feels comfortable. Then one day, your shell develops a hair-line crack and you get drenched with rain. You could exclaim, "Oh no! My world is wet and falling apart! Why me?! Why are such bad things happening to me?!" In complaining and being on the pity pot, you would fail to notice that transformation was happening. You are germinating, ripening and beginning to grow.
In your anguish, you may wonder what you ever did to deserve this, rather than celebrating that your shell has cracked open and you are exposed to a new world of light. You have just graduated to a new level of beingness. You have the choice to forge ahead and continue to grow and flourish and may notice that the pressure is diminishing. Instead of being fixated on, "It's hell to break out of this shell," or a litany of woe about your stressful circumstances, you can focus on flowing energy for what you do want. Our inner being never addresses lack of any kind.
An acorn essence inherently knows, on some level, that it is going to become and grow into a beautiful, majestic and strong leafy oak tree, which will be admired in all its magnificence. How liberating to see that "contrast" and stress serves our greater growth when we are open to turning manure into fertilizer knowing that caterpillars turn into butterflies and acorns grow into oak trees. I have often shared in classes that there are two ways to get to the top of an oak tree. You can sit on an acorn and wait for it to grow or you can climb an oak tree to see new vistas and horizons. And, the bottom line is sometimes we sit on our acorns by blaming and projecting how uncomfortable our shells have become rather than realizing we can be strengthened through life circumstances and blossom more fully into who
we really are.
"There is no greater joy than that of feeling oneself a creator.
The triumph of life is expressed by creation."
Henri Bergson
Because change is one universal constant that is always with us, hopefully we are learning and growing through our challenges. Ideally our lives are getting richer, better and truer to our selves. We leave old, outworn shells (jobs, relationships, patterns that don't serve us) when we evolve and graduate to new awareness through the diversity and options of the challenges life presents.
When we remember to use our imagination and focus on our heart's desires, we can then create new visions and fresh decisions to spiral up in our commitment to become more of what we are. The happiest people I know are those who are joyfully invested in personal growth and willing to do the inner work as Deliberate Creators to magnetize their highest outcomes fulfilled through conscious choices. Remember, when you plant your dream seeds, miracles and magic will grow!
Sharon A. Warren M.A.
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