Vigorously and relentlessly making new possibilities
“Joy is the ultimate act of defiance.”—Bono
Three things have kept me going over the past three weeks. Losing the one person, the only person I couldn’t live without has shifted me into a whole new cosmos.
My books, my workshops, my whole mission has been to defy consensus reality. But to defy does not mean to deny or to resist what is. I am grieving. I consider it an honor to grieve someone I love so much, someone whose very presence brought me such indelible joy.
I’m grateful for these three buoys that have kept me afloat:
1. An outpouring of love. I have heard from so, so many people. My home looks like a florist shop. My freezer is filled with casseroles. People are sending reports of seeing 222 everywhere. A lovely artist from Europe is painting a flower for Taz for the next 52 weeks. Someone in India is writing a book about Taz. I’m so incredibly blessed to have this kind of support. Thank you one and all for all the comments, the letters, the love. I feel you. And it means so much.
2. A story Lorna Byrne tells. Irish mystic Lorna Byrne, for those who haven’t read my book, Thank & Grow Rich, sees angels, spirits and other beautiful things the rest of us miss. She was 15 before she discovered that her brother Christopher, who she played with daily, had departed the planet before she was even born, when he was 10 weeks old. Our strict adherence to conventional reality precludes us from seeing friends like Christopher, the angels and other things that, to Lorna, are an everyday occurrence.
3. The 222 Foundation. I have decided to start a 222 Foundation in honor of Tasman. As you may remember from E-Squared, Taz and I had a thing about 222. We often texted each other photos when we saw our special number. We frequently got room 222 at various hotels. It was a thing.
Because Tasman was infinitely creative and gave her all to changing the world, I plan to give a $10,000 grant (maybe more) every year on February 22. I will field proposals for any and all creative projects that make a difference on the planet. I’m still formulating the guidelines and working with my accountant/lawyer, but I do know these projects will promote the fierce love Taz always stood for.
Each yearly project will:
A. Disrupt the old model. The us against them model is kaput. Taz and I (and Sister Sledge) firmly believe that “We are FAM—O–LEE.” We are all interconnected and even tiny actions have great significance.
B. Support the idea of a generous and abundant universe. What goes for “good works” now sometimes promotes scarcity, lack and fighting for resources. The 222 Foundation believes in the fundament of miracles. We believe the invisible world is our greatest resource. We believe this is not an impersonal universe and that we are not separate individuals fighting for our survival. Force plays no part in our vision for the world. And there are no enemies. We stand for a beautiful sense of the possible.
C. Change consciousness. A change in perspective is our greatest need. We believe in a world that’s alive and sacred. We believe all people (no exceptions) long to be generous and that today’s hopelessness is based on false premises. We intend to rewrite the current narrow reality that blatantly defies the larger process that’s going on beyond our understanding.
I will make an official announcement about the 222 Foundation soon. While I’m sure the projects will be more creative than anything I can list today, I’ll throw out a couple ideas just for fodder. Maybe we’ll fund people who create free energy devices or build wells in Africa or give trees to every second grader so they can plant and tend a living piece of our blessed earth.
Mostly the 222 Foundation will be about creating new possibilities for love, for connection and for all of us living in peace and harmony.
Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, Art & Soul, Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.