Increase and Decrease

     In life there is a natural ebb and flow,
increase and decrease, times of prosperity,
times of hardship and scarcity.  I think the
only solution to these changes, since things
are always changing, being the nature of life
and the world, is to retreat in the darker times
and make progress in the times of increase.
      Sometimes it seems hard to find the strength
and energy in times of decrease, but knowing that
your Higher Power can guide you through such 
times is a help.  I find this true for my own life.  Progress
can appear hopeless and one's sense of well being
can feel stagnant.  I suppose knowing that these 
times are temporary is helpful, and yet not looking
towards the future, staying present, in the here and
now.  So much has been written in current times
about being present, The Power of Now, by Eckhart
Tolle, Be Here Now by Ram Daas and many other
books, talks and articles including A Course in Miracles.  
     I think the simplest but best thing Meher Baba said
was "don't worry be happy.  I will help you."  There is 
actually more to it than that.  He said if you really pray
with all your heart He will help you.
     I suppose my own belief system is very eclectic, Christian, Baba, Jewish, ACIM, and the belief
in love in and of itself.
     When the dark clouds come to darken one's doorstep, it only means that rain will come down like
waterfalls washing away all that is no longer necessary
and all that is blocking the light.  Then the sun will come back out and shine down lightening the way once more.