Right Livelihood

When we find ourselves at odds with our own heart, or feel like aliens in our world, we need to look more deeply into our own work, our own direction and our part in the matrix of humanity. How many of us live lives of joy and communion with others, making their world better through every interaction and transaction? How many of us are rewarded with feelings of validity of our own views and integration in a vibrant community? I would presume, not nearly enough. It seems that the 99% are uniting around issues of class, privilege and unequal distribution of wealth, but the greatest dagger we could put in the side of the ultra wealthy would be to graciously bow out of their system.

I have friends who live in a neighborhood of working class people, mostly dope smokers who earn an honest living, people like this pay the bulk of the taxes that support ne'r do wells and slackers. My friends, however work. They have established a lending library of tools and skills that has sided, roofed and painted virtually every home in their neighborhood. The one family who has branded their neighbors as hillbillies has seen their house go from the best kept place on the block to one of the worst-kept. By banding together and creating a barter network, everyone has done well. The transactions that they make are usually accompanied by a six-pack or a bottle of cheer, just to let one another know that they are appreciated. In speaking with them the other day, I was reminded that the benefits of working in ways that line up with our hearts accrue in ways that working for cash cannot.

knowing that your neighbors are better off, or at least enjoying their lives more because of our actions feeds our souls rather than our pocketbooks. There have been stories circulating about the government trying to tax barter networks for years, but the government has no business infringing on religious organizations. My God, if you want to call "it" something, demands and commands me to make other people's lives better. Governments that desire to serve us need to take heed of the fact that person to person assistance need never be taxed, because there is no need for "help" from any agency or commission. Love flows like water when we participate in community. Taking from one to give to another establishes a completely antithetical relationship to how people normally interact. Like the folk tale about stone soup, we all bring something to the culture that we share, but only chasing the dollars that keep us warm and fed will never lead us to a just or integrated society.

I recently spoke with a young adult who had never heard of the Stone Soup story. Please skip ahead if you already know it, but from time to time I like to tell a story of old that has relevance to the moment.
A bedraggled traveler made his way into t he town square one day and began to ask the local residents if they could spare a bit of food, for he was hungry and in great need. After being turned away by the local residents, he devised a plan. He told the people that he was in possession of a magical stone. It had the power to create a rich and savory soup. Stone soup. The townspeople told one another and like wildfire the story spread and they all turned out to see the miracle. Gathered in the square, they listened intently, but in disbelief to the story about this special stone. "First I will need the biggest cauldron in the village, and a spoon to stir the soup" said the traveler.

At once, the shopkeeper went to his store and got the biggest pot he had in stock, so big in fact, that even the poor townspeople could not afford to buy it. An old woman left briefly and returned bearing a large spoon. They filled the cauldron half way with water from the village well. The mystic traveler stirred the water and gently prodded the crowd. What makes this soup most wonderful is if you add a few potatoes. One young fellow ran off and returned with a dozen of the biggest potatoes any of them had ever seen.  After they were cubed and added to the pot, the wise traveler stirred it with great care and checked the consistency of the water by lifting the large spoon just above the water line, (which was a bit higher because of the potatoes.) The weaving of the story continued, after telling of the mystic qualities of the stone once again, the man added that the soup always turned out better when a few carrots were added, or an onion. Pretty soon, as he wove the story into a vibrant tapestry, the ingredients began to flow and followed the trajectory of most movements. from the first few ingredients to salt, spice and even fresh meat. "Just a sliver of ham really adds a lot to this soup." said the man. The butcher, caught up in the excitement, just happened to be willing to part with a chunk of his cured meat.

As you can imagine, the rich and sustaining stew that developed, when each and every towns person added a tiny bit, fed not only the weary traveler, but the entire town.So too, if we all give a bit, what we get back is multiplied many times over. Who wouldn't trade the use of their expensive tools for a great feast, or a few potatoes from their larder for a wonderful stew? The fact that there are those who have not yet heard the wisdom that lives between the words of this story makes me just a bit sad. As we all travel along our paths, it is well to know that there are always folks who detest the idea of giving anything away, but who are willing to part with some of what they have in excess for the opportunity to be part of a miraculous endeavor. What we need at this moment in time is nothing short of a miracle.

The Helping Stone Folklore For Today

In days of yore, the story of The Helping Stone was well established. Stone Soup gets it's earliest beginnings in the blend of trickster and the give away. Stone, and stones have always been alive to native peoples wherever they were on the planet. I have lived in Helfenstein, so I know. In many areas, great boulders that could not be moved by humans nearly made a "bridge" across many rivers and streams. When humans would add smaller, but still great boulders into the stream to complete the crossing, these were called helping stones. Is not each of our lives mirrored in this genetic epic unfolding story that is humankind's existence. Where it is difficult to cross, we provide one another touchstones to make the passage a bit easier. My understanding is that we are all Helfenstein to one another. That is why, nearly twenty years ago, I helped to found the Helfenstein Soup Council. The thesis of our group then and continuing mission today is to help one another through our own growing abundance and practice in the art of the give away. When we each give to our own measure, toward the goodness and riches of the whole, all of our relationships change. The stone, which is in our minds inert and unchanging ,is as alive as the soils we grow our food in. In the folk tale of Stone Soup, the beggar is turned away in each and every home in the hamlet. Then, one by one, they are drawn into providing ingredients for a hearty stew because of the magic stone placed in the pot for "flavor". they all had something to give toward the magic stew.
We are both sustained by the stone and given to the stone as tools for the betterment of the planet we co-inhabit. The neighbor girl was over the other day and out of the blue, she said, "It's cool how you are always doping something for the Earth."
I could only think to tell her that if you included all the microorganisms in a handful of healthy soil, they could easily outnumber all the people in the whole Fox River Valley, all the people upstream of us. She thought about it a good long time and said, "Wow." The only guarantee we have in life is that by teasing out any one thing to study, amazement lurks at the answer to every inquiry. life is by nature miraculous, and by looking at the discreet elements, any enlightenment will be eclipsed by what you are missing about the whole. The rock solid truths about life that come from the helping stone theme, as well as the stone soup story belie a holistic view on  abundance, sharing, giving in whatever ways we can for the sake of all.
This is a cry for the Helping Stone to reassert itself in our collective mythos. By the dynamic action of making each and every river ford a bit less treacherous for your fellow inhabitants of the planet. Your life may ultimately depend on those critters in the handful of soil that results from the erosion of that same stone. Stranger things have happened. The fact that the HSC continues to forge ahead long after I have retired from the group, is a testament to their continued community building, creative energy and sustained effort. Many thousands have been helped through their programs for further information about how to give away to this important group find them on facebook. Helfenstein Soup Council