Rick Jarow: The Alchemy of Abundance

What Is Abundance?

Before we begin to discuss abundance, let us be clear about what it is not. Abundance is not the result of a Faustian pact to achieve personal greatness. Such quests are, in fact, often motivated by feelings of inadequacy. Abundance is also not about running around and trying to score as many points as possible before the game ends. It is not a race to see how much you can get done in a week, or in an ambitious five-year plan. Abundance is not about the accumulation of goods; nor is it the unrealistic renunciation of material comforts. Neither is abundance about finding a way to remain merely comfortable—a safe way to stay lukewarm.

In essence, true abundance is freedom. It is fundamental well-being, a fulfillment that is not dependent on exterior conditions. Abundance is learning to trust life. It is reality lived fully—being conscious, present, and whole. Therefore, the quality of your attention is the genuine measure of abundance, and it is your greatest capital asset in any situation.

What we come to understand and affirm is that even through the most difficult circumstances of life, abundant beauty and richness may be found. It is our faith in the goodness and wisdom of things that allows us to work our way through life’s darkest moments. In this way, abundance is also faith in the basic goodness of life. It is saying “yes” to all that we can know of life—including the suffering that surrounds us. It is also saying “yes” to that which we do not know, to open and accept the unknown with grace. A sense of abundance gives us the freedom to participate fully in our lives by doing what we can to assist others. If we do not ourselves feel rich, how can we give to others what has been given to us? In this way, abundance becomes the rainbow shining through the storm, the promise of our divine destiny.

The practices included in The Alchemy of Abundance will help you through challenging times by giving you concrete tools to deepen your faith, your patience, your generosity, and your power to realize that what you desire in your life is the abundance of beauty and blessedness that always abounds in the present moment.