Manifesting and Divine Order

Sensing and aligning oneself to Divine Order was central to many ancient alchemical traditions. It may seem extraordinarily antiquated and irrelevent to our modern sense of abundance now. But it's worth considering that the ancients might have noticed something we've generally forgotten.

What would it mean to form an intention aligned to Divine Order? The question might bring to mind the way trees in a forest are linked together through mycelial threads - so that each thriving tree naturally contributes to the health of its neighbours. Buddhist tradition leads it's practioners toward this mindset: first by leading them through rituals in which intention and prayer is dedicated to others - for the benefit of others - "for all sentient beings" in all realms of existence. By cosmic boomerang, the blessings invoked for others return to flood the practitioner. But anything received is secondary to the fulfillment felt through embodying the orientation of generosity and altruism. In our culture, where we've been spellbound by a culture of consumerism since childhood, finding fulfilment by manifesting for others may seem counter to common sense. There stands the possibility though that it is simply counter to a extreme misunderstanding about what makes a life worth living.

At an even deeper level, Buddhist and other non-dual traditions ask us to unclench on the idea of "getting" altogether. Imagine inheriting a piece of property that was littered with random objects - old rusted trucks, moldy furniture, stacks of vhs tapes and broken records. And then imagine clearing that junk out and growing in its place a flower garden dedicated to offering nectar to bees and hummingbirds. No one gets the bees or birds. And the things that were owned - the old inherited junk - is surrendered and lost. Yet somehow, watching hummingbirds gathered to drink from the garden, the overall situation doesn't feel like a loss. 

Not, at least, if a person loves bees and birds!

 
There's some analogy here to what we can do with our inner world. When we see some part of reality that we truly admire and love, it's as if we can dedicate the space within us - the space between our atoms - to embodying and expressing this admired quality into the world. We see this in the example of the Bodhisattvas - who make vows through which they put a particular quality like compassion or wisdom at the center of their lives and being. Such beings don't manifest something <em>for</em> themselves. They themselves become manifestations <em>of</em> something larger. The primary relationship here is with reality itself: an allegiance through which you gladly makes room in yourself for some part of the world - some aspect of the Divine - to embody and express itself through you into the world of form. The sense of getting for "me" or even giving to someone else is sidelined. Yet through this style of manifestation, Divine Abundance flows through us in a way that fountains blessings in all directions.