The Abundance Of Less

Join Reverend Rainbow Weldon in an exciting and illuminating excerpt from one of her presentations, exploring abundance in our lives. What do you value most? Does your time and energy match that? By focusing on what really matters, we eliminate distractions first in the mind and then in form. By becoming aware of insidious patterns of lack we can transform them in consciousness in order to experience true Abundance. Stop outsourcing your good and open to the flow of Source through living with intention.

Transcript

I could just hang out in that space all day.

But I also have some things to say.

All right,

So hello Woodstock.

So good to be back.

As was mentioned,

We've been on a fabulous adventure,

What we called our Mobile Ministry Tour.

And so I was here in October,

I believe.

It was like the end of October,

The last I was here.

And it was shortly after this whole idea had been revealed that something was calling within me to expand my leadership and to kind of shake things up in my life.

And so I am here today to say we did it.

We were brave,

Like the song said.

Stepped out on faith.

And you know,

The process,

So I'm gonna share a little bit about that with you today in the context of sharing on this topics of the abundance of less.

And it's really the idea of intentional living or some may call it living simply or you may have heard of this idea of minimalism.

So this is something that I really took on back in November when we knew that we were going to be leaving our apartment in Chicago,

Leaving my job at Bodhi Spiritual Center and setting out on this new adventure.

So we took the month of November to very intentionally go through our things and not just mindlessly pack all of our stuff for the next thing,

But to be intentional around what do we want to keep?

What really brings us joy?

And being willing to let go of things that no longer serve us.

So there's a very practical aspect of this which has to do with physical things.

And then there's the whole other journey as many of you know that anyone that's gotten rid of things,

How much energy and emotional baggage that is also attached to our things.

So I've always secretly been called to this kind of philosophy of minimalism.

So when we're packing,

I obsessively watch this Netflix documentary called The Minimalist.

I think it's still available now.

And so I watch it probably three or four times and I take five boxes of paper that have been just in the same closet,

In the same boxes from when we moved there years ago.

And I'm willing to go through these papers and say what do I really need to keep?

What can I shred,

What can I digitalize?

And technology really helps us these days to get rid of stuff.

So I'm doing this at the same time as watching this movie and really getting into this mindset around minimalism.

And it's funny to me that it took something like that to actually be willing to do this practice because for years I would say I was an aspiring minimalist.

But I made up this story because my wife Heather loves things and that gifts are her love language.

And she loves things around her.

You would ask her what brings you joy and she would say everything brings me joy.

So I made up the story that I couldn't be a minimalist because of Heather.

And then what I realized was that I was outsourcing my good.

That I was projecting onto her really as an excuse for me not living with the intention that I desire.

Sound familiar to anyone?

So I said okay Rainbow,

Why don't you just start with your own closet?

Instead of focusing on all the things that I see around me that I think Heather could get rid of,

Start right here.

So I do,

So I literally start in my closet and in the fall I do this capsule wardrobe 10 by 10 challenge.

So the idea is that you take 10 items of clothes and for 10 days that's what you wear.

And shoes were optional so I chose not to do shoes.

I think that's the advanced level.

But what I realized is that it's so much more than clothes.

I noticed that there was this app where you can put in your outfits and it will match things for you.

And I found myself wanting to prepare enough and then lay out my 10 days to make sure that I could do it.

And then I realized Rainbow,

Just trust,

That's kind of cheating.

If you have to control it so much.

So I just really was willing to dive into this challenge and I was like it's just clothes.

It's kind of a safe place to play.

So that's where I started.

And then we start to pack and again I'm listening to the podcasts and watching these things and I'm really inspired by these two questions.

What do I value most?

And does my time and energy match that?

And by asking myself that and staying curious around that,

That's when I really noticed that I was out of integrity with some things because as I shared before I left what kind of led me to make this decision is I was really just kind of caught up in that go,

Go,

Go mentality.

The drive for success and to do more and to work hard.

And it was coming at a sacrifice to one of my greatest values which is connection and especially with my family.

So I was gone all the time and working really hard but doing what I love and it didn't really seem like work because it was service.

Yet I wasn't in alignment with my own value of my own self care and practice and connection with my family.

So all of this kind of informs this decision and informs what stuff I choose to keep and how I can let go of what no longer serves me to create more space in my mind and my heart for what I really desire.

So in December we set out on our road trip.

We traveled over 8,

000 miles all around the country and visited 12 different spiritual centers.

We just got back this past Tuesday.

And the reflection,

The learning I would say is I experienced such peace.

It seems like a paradox to think if you want to experience abundance,

Quit your job and get rid of half your things.

But that's exactly what we did and what I experienced is there's so much that the universe has to offer that is so fulfilling through the experience of connection.

And again,

That's the value that I felt out of alignment with so I really set connection as that top priority.

And as we traveled,

Being able to connect with my wife,

My three-year-old daughter,

We spent all the time together,

All the time and we got along better than when we would see each other just in passing.

It's like,

Because it was an intentional,

It was an intentional time together.

It was an opportunity to connect with the generosity of people,

To really trust the universe of showing up through the people in front of me as we went into different towns and people would host us in their homes or provide us meals,

To lean into that generosity and to know that the universe has my back,

That I am fully sourced and supported and to let go of the burdensome worries that I had around the finances and the maintaining the home and all the things.

I let all of that go and I leaned into the generosity of people.

And I had intimate connections with my family,

With strangers,

As well as the opportunity to have such rich experiences in nature.

We got to go to many of the national parks,

The Grand Canyon,

Sedona,

Arches National Park in Utah,

One of my favorites,

This little secret in New Mexico called White Sands National Monument.

Look it up if you haven't,

I highly recommend it.

It's this gypsum sandstone that used to be at the bottom of a lake has now created these huge white sand dunes that are just vast and go on and on,

It looks like you're on another planet.

And what's unique about it is that you can go sledding on it because the sand is thicker and harder and it's cold,

It doesn't get too hot.

So it's like sunny New Mexico and we're sledding down what looks like snowy hills,

But it's sand.

It just blows your mind around what you believe and what you see and what you're experiencing.

So,

So many opportunities to shake up those beliefs and to really lean into the trust and faith that I preach and to actually live it,

Yes?

So I just want to first clarify a little bit about what I mean by minimalism,

Because I know based on my experience with my wife,

When I would mention the word minimalism,

She would tense up and freeze because she would think it means getting rid of all your things.

So here is the definition according to the minimalist,

Which you can find out more in their documentary.

Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life's excess in favor of focusing on what's important.

So you can find happiness,

Fulfillment and freedom.

So it's not just about getting rid of your things,

But it's also just noticing where you're spending your time,

Your money,

Your energy,

Your thoughts.

It's being intentional about every aspect of your life so that you can clear away the things that clutter in your mind that is distracting you from what you really desire.

And what we know about spiritual principle is what you focus on expands.

So as you really focus on what you desire and put your full energy and attention there,

You start to experience a greater experience of what you truly desire.

I love that Eric Butterworth was mentioned,

It sounds like you're doing a book or a class right now on that,

And I have a quote here from him that says,

The goal should not be to make money or acquire things,

But to achieve the consciousness through which the substance will flow forth when and as you need it.

It's all about consciousness.

So the goal,

And it's not that money and things are bad,

I don't want to,

You know,

We could kind of have this either or thinking and think,

Okay,

Well then that's bad,

I'm just gonna get rid of all my stuff and live like a monk on a mountain and be spiritual.

That again is rooted in the belief of lack and limitation,

Because it's rooted in the idea of either or separation thinking.

So he says the goal where we put our energy and attention shouldn't be on those physical things,

But instead on achieving the consciousness through which substance will flow forth when and as you need it.

So as we begin to work in our own mind and to explore this idea of consciousness,

We can just walk in the world as that vibration and trusting and knowing everything we need and desire will show up as we need and desire it.

And by clearing out the clutter of all these other things,

We can remain focused on those qualities,

Just like that meditation,

Allowing those qualities that are seeking to be expressed more fully through your life to be the focal point.

And that's how you expand your consciousness.

You know,

God is always seeking to express more fully through you,

But it's up to you to be that open vessel.

Because it's like we have a filtration system that is our belief system or our consciousness.

So I like to imagine this concept of abundance as the ever givingness of spirit unto itself,

Like visualizing a waterfall.

So this waterfall of good is always just rushing,

Pouring forth.

And if you were to stand under this waterfall,

Are you going to stand there with like a teacup?

Are you going to stand there with arms wide open in the biggest bucket that you can find?

How big is your container to receive?

This is the work we do in consciousness and being willing to allow spirit to flow through us in this way by knowing this is who we are and what we desire.

We can focus that energy and be open to receive.

My phone keeps locking on me.

I apologize.

So I have three primary objectives today.

The first point is lack is a human condition,

Not reality.

Lack is a human condition.

It's not reality in the true sense of the capital R,

Reality.

So yes,

We see we experience lack in the world of form by not having enough.

We can see we know.

We're not oblivious to the fact that people are hungry,

That people are without shelter in this world.

And the true reality is that that is manmade.

That in God,

There is infinite source of all we need and desire.

So it's up to us to take full responsibility for changing our mind and healing our own consciousness around lack.

So even the simplest things,

Such as cleaning out my closet,

Allowed me to transform my beliefs about lack and to open up to a greater experience of abundance,

Which then affects the collective.

Because we are one.

There is only one mind.

So where in your life are you willing to just look,

To look at what no longer serves you,

And to be the one that is that catalyst for changing this idea of lack that no longer serves humanity?

Lack is not real.

God is infinite.

So the more we focus on the infinite nature and transform our mind,

We will see that outpicture in our world.

What I know,

The second point here is that God is the ever-present source always giving of itself through us.

So as we begin to look at where these lack beliefs are showing up,

We then tune our attention to the ever-present source of God.

And then we begin,

The third point here to explore,

Is how to build our faith,

Knowing that God is the source,

And begin to take action through trust to transform those old ideas.

Eric Bredeworth says,

Yes,

God will supply every need if we open our minds in an enthusiastic desire to give.

Ideas,

Plans,

Forms will come easily and flow freely,

Putting words in our mouths,

Directing our hands,

And moving our feet in the way we should go.

All that is real is the truth.

In the way we should go,

All that is required is that we keep in the flow,

Keep an open mind and heart by positive thoughts and creative faith,

And that we keep moving in the direction of our dreams.

Keep moving in the direction of our dreams,

Trusting and knowing that spirit will provide.

So for me,

One of the limiting beliefs that came up to be transformed through this whole process is I noticed how I was stuck in this loop,

That either I was working so much that I then had the finances to be able to do what I desire,

Which is travel,

But I didn't have the time,

Or I had the time,

But then I didn't have the finances.

So see,

This is a loop.

It's a trap.

It's a false belief of either or.

And so I had to realize that this was the pattern that was running the show,

And I noticed this pattern throughout my life of either,

Like,

Great,

I'd have an abundance of finances,

But then I wouldn't have the time to travel,

Or then I'd have the time,

But then I wouldn't have the money.

And I was willing to just let that go.

And how it transformed was in something that I,

You know,

It's like I could have never imagined,

Because it took stepping out of the kind of status quo and challenging the way life should be,

Which is having a home and working this job and doing A,

B,

And C.

And I was willing to just clean the slate and wipe that all free to be intentional about what I really want and desire.

And we just put everything into a small little storage unit and hit the road.

So we got to travel.

And at the same time,

I was speaking and sharing,

Giving of my gifts and talents along the way.

But it took me first being willing to confront that belief and notice this no longer serves me.

This either or can never really get what I want,

Because I'm stuck in this trap.

And to just shake it all up,

To ask spirit for that divine guidance,

I need some water.

And then to be willing to listen and take action.

That's the key,

Yes,

Taking action.

How many of you do your spiritual practice and you hear that voice,

You get that intuition,

You hear it,

You see something,

You feel something,

Mm,

You know,

You start to backtrack when it actually comes time to make that call or press that button,

Whatever that action that's required of you.

So yes,

Spirit is always giving unto itself through you.

But you have to be the one to activate that energy by saying yes through action.

And this is where building our faith is so important through taking action,

Through the action of trusting in spirit.

There was a famous tightrope walker named Charles Blondin back in the late 1800s.

So this man was a true showman.

And the kind of pinnacle of his experience,

Life's work,

Was he's most well known for doing the tightrope across Niagara Falls.

So he's there on this one inch thick little tightrope.

And the true showman that he is,

He goes out and he just does a tightrope one time.

Everyone cheers.

And then he adds to the spectacle a bit more.

He gets in like a potato sack bag,

And he goes across in a bag.

The crowd is continuing to build their faith and their confidence in this man's ability to cross the tightrope.

You can hear the roars of the crowd over Niagara Falls.

Then for his greatest feat,

He puts a little mini stove on his back,

Goes out to the middle of the tightrope,

Takes the stove off,

And cracks an egg and cooks an egg.

This is history.

Look it up,

Y'all.

As the story goes,

He's right in the middle of Niagara Falls in a boat,

St.

Mary or something.

It's going underneath because there's people not only watching from the side,

But they're watching from the river looking up at him.

So he flips this omelet and then flips it down to someone on the boat.

So the crowd is just going crazy.

So then he gets across there,

And he gets out a wheelbarrow,

And he fills it with bricks.

And again,

He's balancing this wheelbarrow,

And he goes across the tightrope.

And the crowd,

Again,

They're building their faith.

They trust.

They know that he can do this.

So he goes across with the bricks.

He gets to the end.

He empties the bricks,

And then he looks out to the crowd and says,

Who wants to get in?

Not a one taker.

Well,

He planned for that,

And he had his assistant actually be willing to volunteer.

And he did go across the tightrope with his assistant and with the wheelbarrow.

But this makes a point that there's a distinction between faith and trust.

This is where action comes to play.

So you can have faith in the world.

This is where action comes to play.

So you can have faith.

The people had faith that he could do this.

But when it took being willing to take an action and to trust him enough to get into the wheelbarrow with their own life,

That's where I was like,

Hey.

So where in your life?

How can you map this onto your life?

To not only have faith in God,

In spirit,

In life,

But in the action that you are being called to take,

To move forward.

You know,

Yours might not look like quitting your job,

Getting rid of half of your things,

And living out of your car for three months.

That was my choice.

And it was perfect for my soul's desire.

But what is yours?

What is calling for you to step into greater experience in your life,

To not only build your faith,

But to have action in that and to trust that God's got your back.

To ask yourself,

What do you value most?

And how can you get an integrity with how you spend your time,

Your energy,

What you're focusing on in order to be in alignment with what you value most?

And knowing that as those beliefs,

Those false beliefs come up,

That you can transform them and allow that lack to dissolve back to the nothingness from which it came,

And to stand fully in the presence that God is your source,

And to take that action,

To take that action,

To prove God in your life.

That's what it's about.

We're here not only to talk about spiritual principle,

But to live it in action.

And that's why spiritual community is so important.

You have each other to lean on,

To share,

To say,

This is what's occurring for me.

Can you know this?

Come to your prayer chaplains.

Have them hold and know the truth for you.

So I'm so grateful to be here today to say that we did not run out of gas.

Well,

One time we ran out of gas.

We safely made it home.

We did not get any speeding tickets.

And it was definitely worth the adventure.

I am experiencing much more freedom,

Peace,

And abundance in living a life of intention.

And that is what I know for you.

Thank you.

Amen.

Amen.

Reviews

Very good. Honest and inspiring.

So inspiring! Thank you 🙏🏼

That was awesome Rainbow!
I love to see how you are expanding your territory. You are a great example of what you speak. The bit about action reminded me of a Quaker saying; “First you pray then you move your feet”.

Amazing thanks, resonated with understanding self and following the call from heart to trust the journey it leads you on :)

So inspiring! ❤⭐

So encouraging, as I go through a life transition which asks me to find abundance in less💕👍 my thanks!

Awesome inspiration- thank you 🙏

FANTASTIC!! I am truly grateful you shared this talk. So inspiring and exactly what I needed to hear. I will definitely be bookmarking and sharing this. Do you have a website? I would love to hear more from you.

This is not a meditation, but it is worth listening to and meditating on. I got a lot out of it and will listen to more of Rev Rainbow's talks.

Lovely, thank you 🙏

WONDERFULLY Interesting, Entertaining Wisdom-filled and Inspirational❣️🙏🏻💕

Beautiful and inspiring!

Your message always seems to resonate what I need to hear on that day. 💐✨🙏