Wealth manifests in more ways than one, Dad told me, but I was unable to accept that. I had studied the law of attraction but my belief that wealth is the result either of longs hours of skilled work or of deceit was deeply engrained.
An experience I had at the weekend prompted me to reconsider. Dad encouraged me to share it here.
I was with two friends at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. It’s one of my favourite places to be. We had viewed David Lynch: Between Two Worlds, an exhibition of artworks by the filmmaker, and then I showed them some of my favourite works within the gallery’s collection (including one of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms which, Dad, I have shown you too). We wandered over to what appeared to be a book launch.
The book being launched was of the paintings of the late Indigenous artist Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori. Her paintings appear abstract and I have admired them since they were first collected by the gallery. I browsed the book then sat with my friend who was observing the crowd. She was eating a complementary scone and had put one aside for me. I told her all I knew of Mrs Gabori and I said that “if I were rich, I would buy that book”. It was a large, hardcover book with images of Mrs Gabori working in her studio as well as images of her paintings.
My friend got up from her seat and approached the book display. I finished my scone and I joined her. She had bought the book and was having it signed. It was a gift to me. She said she bought it because she knew it would bring me pleasure.
Two people signed it and we didn’t know who they were but they were warm to us. One of them – an Aboriginal man – wrote ‘I saw the sun, I saw my shadow, I saw my soul’. I’ve since learnt that his name is Djon Mundine and he is an artist, curator, activist and of the famous Mundine family – a family of politicians, activists and boxing legends.
I returned home with the book and I wrote in my journal that I felt beautiful. I felt that my life was abundant with wealth – material and spiritual. I felt wonder, too, because I had enjoyed material pleasures valued at $133.50 yet I had spent only $3.50. (As a volunteer at the gallery, entry to the exhibition was complementary and, otherwise, my friend had been generous.)
I began to accept that wealth does manifest in more ways than one. I cannot yet articulate how. A friend has since introduced to me the idea of money as energy (it is, after all, intangible) but I can’t quite get my head around that, either.
What do you believe? I’d be flattered if you shared your ideas in a comment or emailed them to Dad who’ll then pass them on to me.
“If you engage in some activity that you, first of all, truly enjoy and, secondly, if that activity that you engage in and enjoy doing makes some contribution – some positive contribution – to this world/ to this planet/ to other human beings/ adds something valuable to life/ increases consciousness on the planet then, if those two things come together, you may find that, as a byproduct of that activity, some material wealth also comes to you and there’s no reason why you cannot enjoy that,” – Eckhart Tolle.
Jess is the eldest of my children and one of my closest friends. We spend hours sharing resources and discussing the ideas on this blog (which she assists me in editing). She writes about her experiences in the arts and cultural sector at jessicawhiting.co.uk. — Peter Whiting
Thanks for sharing that, Jess. I just love the quote the man wrote in the book that was given to you as a gift;
‘I saw the sun, I saw my shadow, I saw my soul’.
It makes me wonder if enlightenment could be as simple as that? I suspect it could be if the real depth of these simple things are allowed in.