Prosperity in Our Times
Navigating "The Law of Attraction" in Today's Economy
An Online Course by Rev. Lynn Woodland
About This Course
"The Law of Attraction" has become a mainstream topic of talk telling us that anything is possible if we just change our mind. Meanwhile the world is undergoing the worst economic crash in most of our memories. Never before have such widely divergent realities of hope and fear pulled at us. Those of us willing to entertain New Thought ideas of limitlessness may still find ourselves drawn into the collective experience of scarcity as the crashing economy and mass panic make "changing our mind" no easy feat. Practicing popular prosperity techniques without addressing the season of growth our world is in can backfire, like trying to plant a garden in the middle of a snow storm.
While Lynn Woodland has been teaching and living the spiritual principles of prosperity for decades, this online course is especially geared to navigating these very interesting times. There are ways to work with times of apparent scarcity that aren't rooted in fear and actually help build energy for a leap into new abundance and growth.
When we successfully rise above the collective wave of fear, not only do we create personal prosperity, but our increase is rooted in love. Then, instead of prospering on the backs of others, we create a healing ripple that raises others up with us. If you're concerned about your own prosperity or about the state of the world, be sure not to miss this timely course.
This five-session course is an in-depth tool for creating true prosperity. It's filled with information, exercises, recorded meditations and a message board for sharing comments with other students. It presents the quantum science, the spirituality and the practical applications of a New Thought approach to prosperity. The course is designed to take about five weeks but is adaptable to your pace and makes an excellent program for group study.
The material excerpted for this prosperity course includes the QSU course work for the month of July, which is why it includes some references to this time of year. QSU uses the seasons as a template for wholeness and the month of July, typically being a season of abundant growth in the Western hemisphere, lends itself particularly well to the study of personal abundance. Of course, prosperity is seasonless and we hope you'll enjoy these lessons any time of year to enhance your own personal prosperity.
Introduction
True prosperity has nothing to do with money and how much of it we have. Peace Pilgrim, the well-known woman who spent her middle to elder years walking the country, owning nothing, living nowhere and teaching principles of peace, lived a richly prosperous life filled with joy, purpose, good health and an abundance of all she needed and wanted materially. On the other hand, I've know many people who have good incomes, beautiful homes, cars and other possessions, yet live in a state of chronic financial struggle. Many others have all the money they want but lack the time, health or inner peace to enjoy their material abundance.
Prosperity is a state of mind and, when we have it, we automatically program our lives to work financially. Whether we have a lot or a little, we have our needs and wants fulfilled. We have the ability to attract more, without compromising our well-being in the process, and we also are able to create an abundant life without an abundance of money. If inwardly we feel lack, we'll never be satisfied with what we have. Consequently, no matter how much money we make, we'll create debt, struggle, and worry out of it.
I have a friend who's one of the most prosperous people I've ever known but not because of her high income. Years ago, when she was living on the tenuous income of a newly practicing massage therapist, she would tell stories of people she hardly knew showing up unexpectedly at her door with bags of groceries they had no idea how much she needed; or giving her amazingly large tips for her services. No matter how small her income, her life-style was comfortably gracious, complete with a beautifully furnished apartment, a car, lovely clothes, and always enough to give to others. At any gift-giving occasion, hers tended to be the nicest and most beautifully wrapped, and sometimes she was the only one who remembered to give a gift at all.
I've watched her prosperity steadily grow to include owning an extraordinarily beautiful home, marrying a loving partner, having a fulfilling career, a supportive community of family and friends who adore her, and an all-round bountiful life that hasn't been created with a huge income. Her financial wealth has grown, too, often through generous gifts from those who love her, because she gives loving attention as freely as material gifts. What has always struck me the most about this friend is her positive attitude and ability to remain upbeat even through some of the most challenging times. Clearly, the secret of her prosperity comes more from her open heart and open mind than her financial dealings.
There are countless books, seminars and techniques available these days about how to make more money, from financial strategies to metaphysical techniques. Before focusing on how to make more money, however, I believe it's first important to learn to be abundant with what we have now and, if we want more money, to understand why. Prosperity is available to us without limit. We can have all we need to fulfill our highest purpose and live our highest joy. For some this requires a lot of money and for others much less is needed. As we unhook the idea of Òprosperity" from the prerequisite of Òa lot of money," it suddenly becomes easier to attract money, easier to live with less money and easier to experience the abundant life God would have for us, with or without money.
Because money is such an important collective symbol of power, to struggle with the lack of it is consuming. The more our energy is tied up in financial survival, the more we're limited in our ability to thrive and to serve the collective good. Financial struggles inhibit our happiness, our greatness and our ability to make a difference in the world.
The spiritual principles of prosperity are, for the most part, diametrically opposed to the mundane rules of finance. Much of the way money circulates in the world today is based in fear. Greed, materialism, miserliness and selfishness are all manifestations of fear. When we fear there's not enough to go around and not enough for us, we're likely to overemphasize acquiring and holding on rather than flowing. Alternately, we may eschew acquiring altogether, fearing it to be synonymous with exploitive greed, and not consistent with a spiritual life. When we believe there's not enough to go around, it's easy to feel guilty if we have more than others.
Imagine what would happen if we went about the process of breathing this way: sucking in breath and holding it as long as possible even after it's stopped sustaining us for fear there won't be enough air; or going to the other extreme and exhaling but not drinking in again for fear of taking more than our share; or trying to store up a life-time's supply, or taking only little, shallow breaths; or worrying about each breath... the analogy could go on and on. Anyone who's flown in a plane knows that in times of emergency, you put on your own face mask before helping another! We can learn a lot about prosperity by using breath as a model. Money is energy and needs to follow the same easy, continuous flow as breath if it is to nourish and support us.
Cost and Registration:
To make this material widely available, we offer it for a self-determined sliding scale fee, from $50-150. You decide.
Use the on-line registration form and then click on the pay-pal button of your choice
A Word from Rev. Lynn on Living the Principles of Prosperity
Rev. Lynn Woodland has been teaching and practicing the metaphysical principles of prosperity for more than 25 years and offers the majority of her work on a free-will donation basis. The following is excerpted from the QSU student introduction, recounting her own story and explaining this faith-based approach to doing business. While a bit of it is written specifically for QSU students, it offers some tangible demonstrations of prosperity principles in action, and may help you determine your appropriate payment for this course.
I have, for many years, operated my business in a way that many people find surprising, inspiring or foolish, depending upon their point of view. I lead groups and workshops on spiritual empowerment for a living and set no prescribed fee for these services, instead asking people to give whatever amount feels right. This has resulted in offerings ranging from zero to thousands of dollars. I didn't come to this way of doing business because I believe that Òspiritual" work shouldn't be paid for, or because I think it's wrong to make too much money, or even because I don't want to have to deal too directly with money. Rather, this approach to money enforces a heightened consciousness around both the giving and receiving of money that makes it part of the spiritual work instead of something separate from it. It forces me to continually trust in the abundant nature of God, healing my own attitudes around money and helping me to extend that same healing to the people I serve.
I first began exploring alternative ways of doing business in the early 80's, when I was Director of the nonprofit Baltimore Center for Attitudinal Healing. The Center reached a financial crisis point where our funds weren't stretching to meet our needs. As Director, I was the head fund-raiser and agonized over the burden of this responsibility: I worked harder and harder to make ends meet; I whined to God about the unfairness of there being insufficient funds for the work that felt like my highest calling; and, since my salary wasn't getting paid, I panicked and frequently lost sleep worrying.
In my clearer moments, I meditated on why this was happening. What was the lesson in it? My reflections led me face to face with an enormous, and previously overlooked, double standard I held about money. I thought I believed in the principles of attitudinal healingÑthat everything is love and that giving and receiving are the sameÑbut I lived as though these spiritual principles didn't apply to the "real" world of finances. In my meditations, I kept getting the message that if I wanted to create more of something, I needed to give it away unconditionally.The specific suggestions that came from my inner guidance were to eliminate all fees for the Center's workshops, which provided the organization's only revenue and, instead, ask people to give whatever amount felt right, as a voluntary offering rather than a mandatory fee. My guidance told me this would result in the givers prospering as well as the Center. I was also directed to tithe 10% of my personal income to whatever I felt to be my source of highest inspiration and to tithe 10% of the Center's income, as well.
At the time, this guidance was startling and frightening. It brought up a host of "rational" reasons why it wouldn't work. Yet, there was something about it that just felt right. When I presented my ideas to the Center's board of directors, I was met with even more "real world" resistance. Somehow, though, in spite of virtually zero enthusiasm for my plan, they allowed me to implement it.
The Win/Win Results of Unconditional Giving
What happened was truly miraculous. Not only did people who attended the Center's programs give generously even when they didn't have to, the amount of people coming for courses doubled. While some people didn't give as much as the full fee we used to charge, some people gave more, so the average per-person collection remained about the same. As I gave away my own money in the form of tithes, for the first time in my life I began to receive large and unexpected gifts of money from other people. They often shared with me later that they had received inner guidance to give me the money. The gifts I gave frequently opened doors to new opportunities and linked me with people who helped me in many ways. As the Center began to give tithing gifts it, too, began to receive large donations of money.
The people who had stepped beyond their scarcity fears in the process of giving to the Center started having equally miraculous experiences. Many shared feeling an initial discomfort with having to determine their own fee and fear when their inner guidance directed them to give a larger amount than they believed they should. Invariably, though, their doubts quickly transformed into blessings. One man almost didn't attend a workshop because he had no job and felt bad about having nothing to give. At the end, his inner guidance directed him to give an amount much larger than he could immediately pay as an unemployed person so he promised to pay it in small incremental payments over time. Two days later, he found a job at a much higher salary than he had expected and was able to pay his promised gift very quickly.
Then there was a married couple who attended a workshop together. Neither of them had very much money, but at the end of the workshop when they consulted their inner guidance about what to give, each felt directed to give the same very large amount, which was about double the average contribution for this workshop. Neither knew what the other had come up with and when they conferred immediately after, they were horrified by the amount they had been guided to give as a couple. They debated for a few moments about what to do and finally decided to trust their initial instincts. As soon as they inwardly committed to giving, a friend of theirs who was also in the workshop came over to them and, knowing nothing of their private debate or the amounts they'd pledged, said his inner guidance had directed him to pay for both of them. Not only was their workshop paid for, but prosperity seemed to follow them home. Shortly thereafter, the man was given many thousands of dollars worth of equipment and grants for a community service project he had been wanting to start. The woman found ways to quit her job and pursue her creative interests full-time and found that money was no longer an obstacle to her doing what she wanted.
I also remember a woman whose guidance directed her to give less than she had planned. With some ambivalence, she honored her inner voice and, as a result, was able to offer financial aid to a friend in crisis who called her several days later. One might think her giving less was at my expense, but that particular workshop grossed far more than usual. Do you think I was unhappy to hear her story of helping a friend in need? Hardly. Inner guidance always leads to win/win outcomes.
Discerning Inner Guidance
When people truly listen for the highest voice, their giving isn't rooted in fear (as in, ÒI'm afraid to give more than. . . ") or obligation (as in, ÒI'll feel guilty if I don't give at least. . . "). Inner guidance comes when we're quiet and still. It often seems to pop into mind from out of nowhere rather than as the end result of a rational train of thought. A funny, yet typical, story was told by a woman who sheepishly admitted to falling asleep during the offering meditation I led at the end of a five-day workshop. She said the amount her inner guidance told her to give was so big it woke her up! She also shared that shortly thereafter she unexpectedly happened upon a hand modeling job that paid her that very same amount per hour for a number of hours work.
To find the right amount to give, I suggest to my students that they take a moment to quiet their minds and turn within. Then, when in a meditative state, let an amount come to mind that gives value to, not just the spiritual material they've received, but to the results they want the material to produce. Money is strongly linked at a subconscious level with worth, so what we voluntarily give money to we believe, at a very fundamental level, to be valuableÑas valuable as the money we've given. Once we've given money, our subconscious creative mind sets about getting our money's worth by producing valuable results.
QSU's Financial Goals
In our first two years of operation, as we prepared the QSU for a larger influx of students, our fee for the year-long program was $1750, or $150 per month. Our goal is to maintain this amount as a per-student average in a way that allows some to pay less and others to pay more. We have no sliding scale fee or suggested donation amount and will never apply pressure on students to give more. We fully trust in the spiritual laws of unconditional giving and offer QSU in this spirit.
Please Only Affirm Your Prosperity
Many years ago I had a student who attended one of my workshops and didn't follow through with the financial commitment he promised. I lived in the same small country community as this fellow and when we sometimes encountered each other in town, rather than offering a friendly greeting, he'd immediately launch into an apology and tell me all the reasons he hadn't paid me yet. I found these encounters vaguely draining and soon was ducking the other way if ever I saw him at the grocery store. Then one day, he showed up at my house unexpectedly, solely for the purpose of telling me more about the sad state of his finances and why he couldn't pay me. At this point, I realized I was beyond drained, I was thoroughly annoyed! Not only was he not contributing to my prosperity, he also seemed to be on a campaign to bombard me with misery and lack!
Ultimately, I found a profound gift hidden in this experience. Through pushing me to my limit, it helped me clarify an important request that I now make of all students who receive my services for a self-determined donation. It's that you not share with me any explanation regarding why you didn't make your donation larger.There are a number of important reasons for this. One is that when you truly let your inner guidance direct your giving, it's unquestionably the perfect amount and no explanation is necessary. We at QSU trust you and gratefully receive your gift as perfect. (If you feel a need to explain, it may be that your giving was motivated by fear of not having enough or obligation to give more rather than inner guidance, in which case, you might want to meditate further.)
Another reason is that, as you'll learn from QSU's lessons, words are powerfully creative and as we declare ourselves to be unable to afford something, we will continue to be so. We urge our students to affirm prosperity through your words rather than poverty.Yet another reason is that, in offering classes and workshops on a donation basis for decades, I've found consistently that what people give financially has more to do with how much they've invested in and benefited from the work than the size of their income. People who truly want to give find ways of doing so that are creative, win/win and miracle-producing. Consequently, I no longer hold the statement, ÒI wanted to give more but couldn't," to be a true one. And, as I found with the aforementioned fellow, going through the motions in such situations of listening to explanations and apologies only serves to affirm scarcity for both of us.
Finding Ways to Give
If you sincerely want to give back to QSU, I urge you to find a way to do so. One thing that's always yours to give is your committed participation. Your whole-hearted participation will make a positive contribution to other students as well as yourself. The more fully you involve yourself in the lesson work, the more they will enrich you and the more you'll have to give. Another way to give back to QSU is by spreading the word among your friends and in your spiritual community. Helping us grow our student body is a much needed and appreciated gift. If you feel guided to give money, instead of focusing on what you can't give, ask yourself what you can give. There's probably a lot of possibility between what you think you can't give and nothing at all. Some students choose to give smaller amounts over a larger period of time.
How to Integrate Unconditional Giving into Your Own Work
I've seen a number of people become inspired to adapt a self-determined payment policy in their own business; some experiencing great success this way while others have been disappointed by bleak results. Those who are less successful with it usually have difficulty declaring clearly what they want and may be devaluing the worth of their service. Or they may battle feelings of guilt when offerings are particularly high and resentment when they're low.
I've found attitude to be as important as practice in making a self-determined offering succeed. In my groups, before closing, I announce the amount that I want to average in fees per person per session and my intention to do this in such a way as to allow each person to give exactly what is right for him or her. I direct my intention up to Spirit rather than horizontally toward individuals. Then I let go. For me, letting go means not keeping track of who gives how much (and making judgments accordingly). It also means trusting that I will be paid, and possibly in very unexpected ways. If I don't receive what I want from a particular transaction, I may find my income increasing in other seemingly unrelated ways. Or, I may receive very little in contributions for several months and then, suddenly, one participant is guided to give a very large financial gift. Anything, including miracles, can happen with a self-determined fee system.
Give Unconditionally whatever Feels Scarce
The original seed of insight that became the cornerstone of my businessÑthat whatever we want to magnify we need to be willing to give unconditionally from a place of loveÑis a principle that works on all levels. Whatever feels scarce is invariably what we most need to giveÑand give lovingly rather than grudginglyÑif we want to experience increase. The limited perspective of the material world suggests that to have something we must hold it and not let it go. It's so easy to debate with the inner voice of guidance that urges us to give. We try to bargain and promise to give more as soon as we have more: "I will start tithing just as soon as I get out of debt," "I'll give more as soon as I have more myself." It is, however, just at these times of greatest poverty that we need to let go, to open our hearts and trust; to give and thereby start abundance flowing again.
I once led a Sunday service at a Minneapolis Church in which I gave away $1000 of my own money to ten people who were willing to take $100, grow it bigger and use it as seed money to help others. I thought this would be an effective way to magnify the good $1000 could do. Many felt it was bold and courageous of me to give so much money away but I knew from past experience that it would quickly come back to me. And so it did. Over the next few weeks, the offerings in my weekly group were so much bigger than usual that I easily netted $1000 over what I had been averaging in just a month's time. What's more, over the next few months I attracted all kinds of unexpected money-making and other beneficial opportunities into my life. This is trusting in the abundant nature of God put into practice and it isn't just spiritual rhetoric. It's a powerful and effective way to both do business and live one's life.