Digging the Hole

If you are reading this now, chances are that you have already dug yourself a nice hole. I know I sure did. Guess what? I am going to ask you to dig a little deeper and begin tithing.

Tithing is the ancient practice of giving 10% of your gross (yes, gross) income to your spiritual source. Yes this can be scary, but try it anyway. Start small if you need to. Try 5%, or even 1%. Many people assume that I am talking about a church when I say, Spiritual Source. Not necessarily so! I have tithed to people, given to websites, strangers and friends—anywhere I find inspiration, I try to give back. If I can’t give back directly, then I give somewhere else. If you feel you can’t give money, give away all the stuff you no longer need in your life. Make room for the abundance.

What we are enacting here is the sixth prosperity principle of Circulation. This is nothing new to most people, as the law of circulation governs things outside of money, such as “what goes around, comes around.” Karma.

The Truth about the law of circulation is that nature abhors a vacuum. If we create a vacuum something will move in to fill the empty space. There can be no void of energy. Energy is everywhere present, as God is everywhere present. Creating a vacuum is not only about giving away a portion of our income, but also releasing what we no longer need or want in our life.

I read a true story about a poor farmer who gave that illustrates the idea very nicely.

“His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse home. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”

“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door.

“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill. 

Jesus said, “Give and it shall come back to you….”

What you give returns to you multiplied. If you give kindness and love, kindness and love returns multiplied (i.e.,the Golden Rule). Equally, if you give money, money returns to you multiplied.

There is a rhythm present in the Universe, a moving, pulsating presence of power, manifested in everything. It is a predictable, measurable motion, to and fro, forward and backward, in and out, the rise and fall. The sun, the moon, the tide, and the seasons all reflect this natural rhythm . . . and are equally governed by the law of circulation.

This natural rhythm is present in all things, seen and not seen. If I were to hold my breath, I could block the incoming air (and energy) from entering my body. The breath of life would be stopped, and if I hold my breath long enough, I will pass out. There is a back-up system that takes over when I try to stop my good…hence my life…from flowing in.

The whole of life is always for expansion and fuller expression. The force of life is always for good, for growth. Every tiny seed is compelled to grow. The power of life is persistent. It takes no amount of energy to will life, but great force and energy to block it. We block our own potential.

We hold on too tightly to what we have. Close your fist. Now run your hand under the faucet. What happens to the water? It runs over our hands and down the drain. Now cup your hand…cup both of your hands. You can have as much as you want…as much as you are willing to receive. 

Excerpt from the book by Shauna Marshall, PLANTING THE MONEYTREE: A BOTTOMLINE GUIDE TO CULTIVATING WEALTH, COPYRIGHT 1993-2013, Shauna Marshall Design. VISIT US online @ http://www.prosperityprinciples.com for a free copy of THE HARVEST MEDITATION.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Reflection of Prosperity

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

The fifth Prosperity Principle of Reflection states that your life is a reflection of your subconscious mind. “I am not in the world, the world is witihin me.” The holographic model of the universe demonstrates that each of us is a microcosm of the macrocosm. There is no better demonstration of this principle than in the human body. Every strand of your DNA contains the blueprint for life. The body itself is a microcosm for the human race. Tribes of cells forming into organs, all speaking a different language, harmoniously cooperating to make up the whole.

In The Dark Side of the Light Chaser’s, Debbie Ford writes that each person possesses “thousands of qualities and traits that make up every human being and that beneath the surface of every person is the blueprint of all mankind.” Ordinary people contain the knowledge of the entire universe because we are a microcosm of the macrocosm. She explains it with a hologram. If you were to cut up a hologram on a credit card, you would still see the entire picture in one of the tiny pieces. So, if you examine one person, you will find a hologram of the universe.

The Mirror then is a useful tool for reprogramming your subconscious mind. All that I see is me! If you accept that God is all there is, and I am one with God, then you embrace the totality of existence. But what about those aspects of yourself and others you can’t embrace? What about murderers, and rapists, and _______ fill in the blank with your own private horror. Surely, that is not me…and yet, it is all that I see. All around me it seems. Everywhere I look.

Guess what? If there are unacceptable things in the world, then they are also a part of you. Have you ever had the same experience over and over? Do you meet the same person, end up in the same situation? Ever thought to yourself, “Same shit, different day?”

How about, “It takes one to know one?” Albert Einstein was quoted as saying, “Humans tend not to attribute cleverness to others, unless they are our enemy.”

This doesn’t mean that you are a rapist or a murderer; it only means that within yourself you possess the same possibility to err as they do. If you were tortured as a child, degraded, humiliated, violated, don’t you think, if you did not receive proper treatment, that you might grow up twisted? It is important to always remember, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

Ford also writes, “What you don’t own, owns you.”

If like attracts like, then you are attracting the very thing in you that that you find unacceptable…the thing you hide from yourself. The next time someone annoys you or hurts you, receive this information like the gift that it is. Thank God for sending this person to you to reflect what you can no longer see because you buried it deep down inside yourself a long time ago. Darkness is always healed by light.

Excerpt from the book by Shauna Marshall, PLANTING THE MONEYTREE: A BOTTOMLINE GUIDE TO CULTIVATING WEALTH, COPYRIGHT 1993-2013, Shauna Marshall Design. VISIT US online @ http://www.prosperityprinciples.com for a free copy of THE HARVEST MEDITATION.

The Power of Persistence

“True vision is the ability to see what is possible
simply by looking at what is already there.”

If there is one tool in life that gives you the power to be successful in anything and everything you do it would have to be persistence. Most people never reach their goals because they get discouraged and stop just inches away from that goal’s completion.

In his book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill shares a story about R.U. Darby’s uncle who was caught up in “gold rush fever” and went west to dig. After weeks of labor, he was rewarded with the discovery of shiny ore. He quietly covered his find, and left to raise funds from his business associates to purchase the machinery he needed to bring the ore to the surface. When he returned to the site, he discovered that the vein of gold ore had disappeared!

He drilled for weeks trying to pick up the vein, finally giving up, selling his machinery to a junk man. The junk man hired an engineer to study the mine, and together, they discovered that Darby had stopped just three feet short of one of the richest gold veins ever discovered in North America. Just like Darby, most people get discouraged and give up on their goals just before they would achieve incredible success!

Vic Johnson tells the story of the tribe in Africa that confounded all of the anthropologists. It seems that this tribe had for centuries enjoyed a 100% success rate with its rain dance. In comparing this tribe to other tribes who did rain dances but who didn’t always experience success, the experts couldn’t find anything that differentiated the one tribe. They performed the same rituals, praying the same incantations to the same gods, in the same costumes. Like all the tribes, they sometimes danced for days, even weeks on end. Finally an astute observer noticed something very telling. The successful tribe did one thing — and only one thing — different than the other tribes. It ALWAYS danced UNTIL it rained!

I read somewhere that Walt Disney went bankrupt seven times before he became successful. Talk about continuing to dance until it rains!

“You have to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,
know when to walk away, and know when to run.”

~~~~Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler”~~~~~~

Persistence sounds good on paper, but what about the real world? How do you know that “giving up” is not the right thing to do? The most successful people on the planet are also some of the most stubborn. They don’t take no for an answer. They aren’t easily swayed by failure. They make decisions quickly and intuitively, but change those decisions slowly if at all. If making decisions isn’t your strong suit, here are some tips for making choices that stick to you so you’ll stick to them.

1. “I know where I am going.” Success and progress towards achieving your goals in life begin with having a definite purpose. All decisions you make will be correct when you align with that purpose.

2. “I am successful.” Always see yourself as capable. Never doubt your ability to accomplish your objective.

3. “My word is my bond.” Always keep your word, thereby your integrity. Don’t say yes to something unless you are prepared to follow through.

4. “I am Master of my emotions.” Decisions based on emotional discomfort are not likely to stick. Emotions pass, but the impact of your decision may not. Emotional attachment to an idea may very well be an indication of the passion and commitment you will bring to it’s implementation, but make sure the rest of you is in alignment before you make the commitment.

5. “I am positive.” A positive mind always finds a way to get it done while a negative mind always looks for ways it can’t be done. Make sure you are utilizing a positive mental attitude which will attract opportunities to you.

6. “I am flexible” Opportunities for success don’t always walk right in the front door and introduce themselves. Opportunity often comes from the most unexpected places. Be flexible and willing to see them when they appear.

7. “I am always in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time.” Know that whatever situation comes your way, you will always do the right thing towards the right outcome.

8. “I am healthy and strong.” Treasure your health and take every step within your power to maintain your physical well-being. Do not allow illness to be an excuse for failure.

9. “I am enthusiastic.” Your enthusiasm fuels your idea forward when all other resources are expended. Your enthusiasm is contagious and attracts others to support your goals.

10. “I am self-disciplined.” Self-discipline is the controlling factor for every action you take. Without it you are like a ship adrift without a rudder, compass, or sail. You are completely at the mercy of the forces of nature that are free to toss you into whatever direction they may be going.

Read this list every day, and burn these affirmations into your subconscious mind. If you are having trouble reaching or sticking to a decision, read them over and over until you know what the right thing to do is.

Excerpt from the book by Shauna Marshall, PLANTING THE MONEYTREE: A BOTTOMLINE GUIDE TO CULTIVATING WEALTH, COPYRIGHT 1993-2013, Shauna Marshall Design. VISIT US online @ http://www.prosperityprinciples.com for a free copy of THE HARVEST MEDITATION.

Valentines Day Clearing Ritual – Making way for new flowers

An today an excerpt from my upcoming book, A Diva’s Guide to having it ALL

Sophie Tucker said it best…

Doorbell rang the other day, answered the door and there was a delivery boy there with two dozen roses. The card said, “Love, from your boyfriend Ernie.” I was having tea with my girlfriend. I said, “do you know what this means? For the next two weeks I’m gonna be flat on my back with my legs in the air.” So she says to me, “What’s the matter, Soph, ain’t you got a vase?”

We are constantly bringing wonderful new things into our lives, but with no proverbial vase we stick it where we can.

Today I did a Valentine’s day clearing ritual, which is really nothing more than “pruning with intent.” The intent in this case is to cut away the dead branches and vines, both the mental and physical, that literally can strangle our good fortune. While carefully wielding the scissors, I ran through all the dead wood in my life, and then gathered the dry cuttings into a bundle with a piece of Raffia. Later, when my workday is done and I can relax with my sweetie, I’ll set the pile a blaze…who knows, maybe we’ll even roast some marshmallows and toast to our good fortune!

Kaua`i Sucks

And by suck I mean pulls me back towards it with every lurch I take away. Day three and I am just getting around to taking a shower. I haven’t wanted to wash the beach off me…I haven’t wanted to unload my suitcases or stow my bags. It’s as if leaving them strewn about will magically initiate another departure. Yes Kaua’i sucks, and being home blows!

Do you the Prosperity Principles and How to Make Them Work for You?

Most people don’t! Most people think that riches come to those who are Lucky or even worse, Ruthless. It’s true that sucessful people have something different than the rest of us, but it isn’t luck or lack of honesty. If that were true, casino’s would make people rich, and prisons would be full of millionaires!

Can you Imagine yourself doing what you love and having more than enough money? If you answered yes, Congratulations! You are on your way to making your fortune.

Planting the Money Tree reveals the step-by-step process that uses the Prosperity Principles to grow your income, and enrich your life.