“Rich and famous”

It was my half-serious joke and secret ambition in the times when I was binding books by hand to become rich and famous.

As I was struggling with the seemingly contradictory elements of time and quality, I found out that beauty starts with inner alignment, and that needs introspection, which again, initially takes time.

The medias are suggesting images of fast rising stars and then everything will be fabulous.
The rising stars, I’m guessing, are beautiful packages, willingly harnassed in front of the money making machine of the ones pulling the strings.
How fulfilling is that, playing a role you’re ‘selected’, or pushed into? (disclaimer: of course there are the exceptions that prove the rule).

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True wealth is inner riches: knowing your Self, deepening the relationship by frequent contact or, even better, continuous contact with your Self, your inner being.
Becoming very intimate with and clear about your values, so that you can act with integrity.
And, paradoxically, being like an empty cup at the same time – ready to receive the lessons and gifts this Life has to offer.

True wealth is love and joy with your friends and family, in all their colourful quirkiness.
But you have to love yourself in all your colours and quirkiness first, and be ready to question the triggers being set off in yourself by others. When you can laugh at the petty things, you can feast at the meaningful moments.

True wealth is savouring the meals at your table with gratitude.
The purity of simple things, the luxury of complicated dishes, the love in meals made by family members and friends, the skills of a chef in the kitchen of the venue you eat at and the magic of creativity in the kitchen made by yourself.
It is an interesting practice to listen to your body and intuition and ask your Self ‘what shall we eat today?’.

True wealth is respect and gratitude to your living surroundings: your home, your neighborhood, the land.
Like our bodies are the temples we’re living in in this lifetime, so is our surroundings the temple grounds.
Being mindful of our inner order makes us more sensitive to the external order. The inner affects the outer, and vice versa.

True wealth is time. Taking the time for your priorities, again measured by your own values and not by the echoes of the world.
It has taken me half a lifetime to slow down. At a slow enough pace, I can see the richness within me, around me and awaiting in the spirit realm, ready to spring forward according to my thoughts, followed by emotions and actions.

True wealth is much richer than the picture being projected by the tricksters of this world.
Turn around, inside, and from the inside tune into the Source humming. In this conversation you’ll find all the needed questions, answers and advice.

Your Heart is the compass, it will tell you which direction is good, which is not, without error.
Follow your longings. Believe in your dreams. Be brave enough to follow through the advice your Soul/the Source is offering.
Wonder. Support. Be kind.
Love.

(image source: gevelstenenvanamsterdam.nl , gable stone ‘Batenburg’)