December’s Theme is Abundance

Our December theme is Abundance, chosen by our Santa Fe chapter and illustrated by Neebinnaukzhik Southall.

Abundance is a state of plenty. In an intensely competitive society, we often feel like we have the opposite. Capitalism breeds a mentality of scarcity — it’s hard to feel like we have enough when we’re constantly trying to accumulate more.

Gratitude magnifies our experience of abundance. When we marvel at the taste of ripe summer fruit, juice bursting from its skin. When we set a table, a seat for every person we cherish, and bathe in the radiance.

Generosity multiplies abundance. When we prioritize mutual flourishing over private stockpiling, plant ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer posits, “the practice for dealing with abundance is to give it away.” Once you stop hoarding what you fear to lose, you find that the more you share, the richer — in community, in wellbeing — you become.

What would it take for us to feel like we have enough? What does it take for us to unclench our fists and share our overflowing bounty?

We asked, what forms of abundance do you receive in your life? In what ways do you create abundance for others? Here’s what you shared:

🎑 A Bounty of Abundance

“Canopy” is a large-scale image featuring a highly stylized and patterned vision of the jungle canopy, with tropical plants, hibiscus flowers, and red macaws. With this piece my plan was to build a composite image using my own photographs that incorporates a very design-centric composition, almost as a living wallpaper. — Nick Pedersen, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

I chose the song “Manifesto” by Nahko and Medicine for the People.

“Don’t waste your hate; Rather gather and create. Be of service, Be a sensible person, Use your words and don’t be nervous. You can do this, you’ve got purpose; Find your medicine and use it.”

Because we can always use a reminder to create, be of service to others, and spread love. — Chapin Schnick, Indianapolis, Indiana

Photo credit: Roxanne Lacasse
This is a picture of a show I created in a park in Montreal about ecological grief. This moment captures for me a lot of abundance: community, nature and connections between artists and the public. This makes our work meaningful. — Clémence Roy-Darisse, Tio’tia:ke (Montréal), Canada

A poem on life as abundance — and abundance being enough. As someone who lived life for many years in a scarcity mindset, this shift towards abundance and towards life as enough has been everything for me. — Katie Rouse, Raleigh, NC, USA

Abundance to me is about spaciousness and having enough time. — Deepti Kannapan, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Creating something beautiful with the hands brings an abundance of inner joy and calm. I am spreading this joy by giving people 2 free courses that are compilations of short, fun ways to create something beautiful. – Monika Astara Murphy, Austin, Texas, U.S.

Money is finite, but creativity is infinite. This article talks about the power in investing in your art by letting the process take as long as it needs. — Chrissy Hennessey, Wilmington, NC

One of the most prevalent areas that I help my executive coaching clients with is dealing with the construct of depletion and time. I often ask: What do you know about time? What would you replace depletion with?

The answers: Time is fixed. And hands down depletion would be replaced by abundance.

To get to the root of what really matters, I love to do a “Magic Bowl” exercise. I ask my clients to do the following:

• What does abundance look like? Clip out words that represent all the things you want in your abundance cup.
• How can you fill your bowl? This is where prioritization comes in. All the words will not fit in the image of the magic bowl. What is the most important? What will sustain you?
• What words did you take from someone else’s bowl? If they aren’t yours, feel free to put them in a cup in the background. You don’t have to carry everyone’s bowl.
• What words spill out of your bowl to be shared with others (or what brings you joy)?

The exercise reminds yourself to keep your magic bowl small enough so that joyful moments can abound and you prioritize and allocate your time for the values and activities that manifest those moments. — Kelly Tweeddale, Greater Seattle area, Washington, U.S.

I titled this illustration Abundance of Love - whether it’s love for the world or self-care or something in between, I like the image of an overflowing bouquet of abundant love and kindness. — Jeni Paltiel, Northern California, U.S.