“The Most Important Thing I Can Tell You…”
Nan Sea Love's most important lesson, the one she feels she must share with the world, came through a vision and its subsequent painting "Angel of Prosperity" click to see.“For many years I was a committed atheist, dedicated to rational thinking. Then I had some amazing experiences, not just once but repeatedly. Frankly I would call these experiences signs from God or miracles. I now believe God sends signs for us all to see just like in Biblical days. God having a Divine sense of humor sometimes uses billboards, street signs or advertising jingles do Divine work, we just need to be open to inspiration anywhere it happens to be. Has a big red STOP sign ever just hit you and seemed to speak of your life at that moment not just your car? Well I had to have a lot of very clear signs because I'm stubborn, believing in God and all this miracle stuff was hard for me, it still is.
“Here are the events that led me, very resistantly, to change. I still greatly value my rational, independent mind. What I am sharing still sounds like superstition to me. But I know because I have been shown over and over again that a benevolent, loving Higher Power exists. And that Power will, if allowed, guide you toward greater love and happiness. The following will make a lot more sense if you see the painting I will be referring to. I had a vision of "Angel of Prosperity" click which I painted. It has helped me and others to understand and remember some very important lessons. These lessons can be found in many philosophies and traditions including a little booklet called "Money is God in Action" by Raymond Charles Barker (ISBN:0-87516-502-9), This book and other reading helped me to realize that money is virtually valueless, just paper or metal, not much good in a desert. It's true value comes from an agreement people make for an exchange of energy, for example I give you a dollar, you give me an apple, I give the apple to my teacher, my teacher gives me a lesson, and on and on and on. There is abundant energy and limitless love in the universe, just look to the Source of the Universe, that creative power of all, whatever you choose to call it.
“Trust and let love flow through you by giving from the heart and it creates a flow and transformation of energy— from the Divine, to money, to love flowering around you in abundance. Much of the world's suffering comes from the belief there is not enough. This faith in lack results in clinging to what we have. When the energy flow is stopped, fighting to get what “little” there is begins. Greed, hunger and wars can result.
“As we open our hearts and hands and trust, the Wealth of the Universe will flow through. It's no accident that “In God We Trust” is on all money, I have experienced it over and over again, “share from your heart, love will take root and blossom around you.” I have practiced this creed since 1985 when I first painted “Angel of Prosperity”, gratefully sharing ten percent of all I receive to where my heart calls; almost always animal's rights and environmental organizations. To find out about some of the wonderful organizations I tithe to click Animal Links.
I have many true stories about how I came to believe so deeply in this, going from a good-hearted person too poor to give even a nickel to gratefully giving away thousands of dollars. Click here to read to read other's true stories of how the image and concept of prosperity helped them.”
To read some interesting non-theistic theories and explanations of how prosperity works click here. Check out Deepak Chopra's similar, interesting theories click here.
Rags to Relative Riches, the Story Behind “The Angel of Prosperity”
“I was very, very cold back in the late fall of 1980 and very, very poor by California standards. As winter approached I had no money for shoes or socks and my sandals where wearing thin. My friends helped a lot, they even fed me. After completing seven years of college I'd recently moved as from civilization as I could get. And the best job in this remote area was as a waitress in a low-tip cafe. When the tourists season ended soon the low-paying jobs did too. I was desperate and started looking for deeper answers to this whole problem of poverty I had experienced all through college. Unity church spoke of tithing, giving ten percent of all you receive, a scary concept for a poor and hungry person. I read a wonderful little booklet called "Money is God in Action" by Raymond Charles Barker (ISBN:0-87516-502-9), I liked the ideas but I was far too poor to play with ideas like giving money away! Besides I was an atheist and dedicated rational thinker and this was superstition, but then the miracles started to happen.
“Shortly after starting my first graphics job the company went broke. We all tried to save the company by working for free for its last three weeks. One day I was car-pooling to work when I told the driver that I wasn't going to give him the only two dollars I had for gas money. He said he understood. A little while later though he told me he was having trouble feeding the kids in his household. I didn't know he had kids to feed and could not keep that two dollars. So, from my heart, I gave it to him.
“Later that day a brand new client approached me, she wanted me to do a drawing for her business card. She wanted a picture of Adam raising his hand to God from the Sistine Chapel. She handed me twenty dollars, exactly ten times the amount I had given from my heart that morning. I knew that in the Bible it talks about being rewarded tenfold: Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full ten percent into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way," says the Lord of Hosts. "See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.” What was even more amazing for me was that the business card only had my drawing of Adam's hands reaching for God's and the words, “I want to reach out and help you”. Those words seemed to reach out to me like a sign from the God I did not believe in (inside the card was all the other information about her business). I kept that card in my wallet for years as a reminder that maybe I was no all alone in this scary universe.
“Later when the business had finally failed someone abandoned a cat in my neighborhood. I called one of my former co-workers, as single mother who loved cats. As we spoke she shared that things where very, very bad for her and the baby. Yet she did come to get the cat. I don't know how I could have had ten dollars, an awful lot of money for me at that time, but I gave her that ten dollar bill and said,"this is for cat food." I knew she'd be using at least part of it for baby food. Later that day I went to the post office and my father, who I was not at all close to, and who had almost never given me anything had sent a one hundred dollar bill. Again, ten times the amount I had given from my heart!
“Shortly after I had had the vision of “The Angel of Prosperity” while meditating on my way to a “Prosperity and Abundance” workshop. I knew immediately what it meant. When we arrived at the workshop they said that what they had to teach was not from LifeSpring, a secular growth group putting on the workshop, but from Unity Church and the Bible. They commenced to teach us a lot of what I had already been learning and confirmed exactly the truth of my vision. But deeply immured in poverty consciousness all I did was to draw the drawing from the vision, and stay the same. I was still too afraid to give. I did sell the black and white drawing for twenty-five dollars and the rights to reproduce it to a small company.
“Still really poor, one day a woman suggested I try an experiment. She said I should just try giving from my heart with the expectation of good and see what happened. What did I have to lose, not much that's for sure. So I rode my bicycle (I could not afford a car) three mile to a worthy cause and gave away my last penny, literally, the last three dollars I had in the world was in small change. I knew by now I could sometimes get unexpected money. But I knew I wouldn't that day because I had already received the mail. When I got home a man with whom I used to share a post office box, Norman Miller, was waiting for me. He had just two pieces of mail for me. One was a small payment of five dollars from the woman who had bought the original Prosperity drawing. The other was from the company that had bought the rights to reproduce that Prosperity drawing, and it was probably the world's smallest royalty check—seventy-six cents! But for at least that day it made a believer out of me. I felt I had received a message from God. Soon I painted "Angel of Prosperity" click because I felt I had to share its message with the world. I have gratefully been tithing ever since, not pennies anymore but thousands. I am not wealthy but that poverty consciousness I was so immured in has greatly dissolved. It continues to diminish each time I tithe —the act affirming to myself and the universe that I know I live in an abundant universe and can afford to give as my heart desires. I almost never give to churches— that was not what my lessons taught me, I follow my heart and for me that is to help the wonderful organizations working to stop the suffering of animals and destruction of the Earth. Click Animal Links to see my favorite very deserving charities.
The Day I Didn't Have he Rent
“One day after I had painted “The Prosperity Angel” and sold it at its first showing for $2,000 a great sum of money for me. I was again in my poverty consciousness. I was afraid because the rent was due the next morning and I did not have it. It was unfortunately a familiar scenario in my life. I looked up at my poster of “The Prosperity Angel” and thought “Are you going to devote your life to sharing this wisdom and be caught in this poverty consciousness? I knew I had to let go of it. I don't know how but it just lifted, all the fear and anxiety was gone. I had thought in the few seconds before these thoughts of calling my friend and colleague, Judie, because she sometimes had commissions for me, I did not have to. Judie called in the next three seconds with a four hundred and fifty dollar commission for me.
“I have spoken about “signs” from God. I began to look at money more closely after one day when the world “liberty” and the eagle just jumped out at me during a particularly lucid moment. Subtle messages; the world “liberty”, the eagle with spread wings, seemed such symbols of freedom, the all-seeing Eye at the top of the pyramid seemed to me to be an excellent symbol for God together with the words “E PLURIBUS UNUM”, meaning “Out of Many, One”, the most prominent word on the most common unit of money, the dollar, is significant, it is “ONE” a common reference to God. In fact the U.S. State Department translation of “Annuit Cœptis” is: “He (God) has favored our undertakings.” To me it is as if hints are so abundant that even the money itself is subtly telling us that the answers are there for us to see.”
To read some interesting non-theistic theories and explanations of how prosperity works click here. Check out Deepak Chopra's similar, interesting theories click here.
Click Here to read other's story of how "The Prosperity Angel” helped dramatically change thier lives.
We would love to hear how the concept of Prosperity or especially the image "The Prosperity Angel” has helped you. Email Nan Sea Love or call 707-545-2322 with your story. With your permission the best stories will be reprinted here so that they can help others.
HOME Gallery1 Gallery 2 Gallery3 Contact Artist & Events Animal Links Animal Quotes Animal Bereavement Purchase
© Copyright Nan Sea Love 2003. All rights reserved. 10% of all profits gratefully given to animal and environmental organizations.