The vow of poverty is the practice of inner emptiness that is established as a consequence of the silence of personal desires, emotions and imagination so that the soul may be capable of receiving the revelation of the Word, the life and the light from above. Poverty is the active perpetual vigil and waiting in the face of eternal sources of creativity; it is the soul ready for what is new and unexpected, it is the aptitude to learn always and everywhere, it is the condition sine qua non of all illumination, all revelation and all initiation.
Unknown Author, Meditations on the Tarot
"Truly, truly I say to you:
Unless a grain of wheat falls in the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit."
John 12:24
How might we remove the obstacles to this state of poverty? Perhaps the desire to be full is the greatest threat to this. Radical emptying involves a conscious decision but needs to work with the unconscious forces. Many of these will pull you back to the state of desiring fullness, the pride of self-reliance and the closed circle of comforting truths. These forces are powerful and will keep growing back. An element of the chaotic must be present for creativity. It is natural to want to consolidate but self-emptying is the path to God.
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