For the last several years, I have made a concerted effort to work with the laws of the universe as advised in the Edgar Cayce readings. More recently, I've also tried to change my consciousness from one of lack to one of prosperity-realizing that there is enough prosperity in the world for everyone; in fact, more than enough! And if I can apply a positive attitude toward prosperity, perhaps I can attract more of it into my life. Not for selfish reasons, but just acknowledging that there's nothing wrong or negative about money—it's really all about how we use it. And I can state that it is working.

I know from the Edgar Cayce readings that mind is the builder ("thoughts are things") and that our attitudes and emotions can affect more than just our happiness. In fact, what the Cayce readings stated about the effects of attitudes and emotions on our health has been confirmed by modern science as well.

As I learn from the readings and from other kindred materials, the energy you put forth is returned back to you--much like cause and effect. Cayce put it this way:

"For, to have friends, show thyself friendly; to have love, give love to others; to have patience, manifest same in thine own relationships; like begets like." (2905-3)

Just last week, I was listening to National Public Radio (NPR) on my ride in to work, when I heard a story about a homeless man that reminded me of the universal laws and how they apply to prosperity. (Shapiro, Joseph, May 5, 2016, Colorado Springs Will Stop Jailing People Too Poor To Pay Court Fines, NPR.org)

The story discussed a change in the practice of the Colorado Springs, Colo., court system, which had been imprisoning people who couldn't pay their court fines. That action, which was judged unconstitutional and likened to the debtors' prisons that were done away with in the 1800s, resulted in the city itself being fined and asked to make payments to the people it had wrongly jailed. The ACLU of Colorado discovered nearly 800 cases where people had gone to jail in Colorado Springs when they couldn't pay their tickets for minor violations, and one of those people was Shawn Hardman, aka, Q-Tip.

Q-Tip, a homeless man who claims he is not a panhandler but a "flyer" (a term used for someone who stands and holds a sign—an action covered within the laws of "free speech"), was nevertheless jailed for panhandling and then being unable to pay his fines for what ended up being a total of 90 days within just one year. But instead of feeling anger over his arrests, Q-Tip's response was gratitude—after all, being in jail was better than being on the street during a Colorado winter, and it came with other perks too, in the form of three square meals a day.

Besides Q-Tip's positive attitude, I was also struck by the content of the signs he held. This is how he described them:

"My sign always said, 'Have a beautiful day. God Bless You…' "And I always put my famous logo: 'TLA. Q-Tip.' It stands for 'True Love Always.'"

When the Edgar Cayce readings speak of universal laws, they often mention how our own thoughts and actions bring similar energy into our lives, such as with this quote

"For, there are universal and spiritual laws that are a part of the self as well as of the universal consciousness. or, like begets like in every phase of material, mental and spiritual experience." (2560-1)

When another reading recipient asked about reaching his full potential, he received this advice from the sleeping Cayce, stating that one must first know their ideal and that harmony and peace and prosperity "are one" if bound by love:

"First, know what is thy ideal—spiritually, mentally, materially. Know they must be dependent one upon the other… just as the adherence to those principles interpreted in the material relationships brings harmony and peace and prosperity. For, these are one-if they are bound together in brotherly love." (2809-1)

When I hear Q-Tip's messages of love, I have a pretty good idea of what his ideal may be. And when Q-Tip meets adversity with gratitude, I believe the energy he is sending out exudes positivity. If one believes in the law of attraction, the energy of love and gratitude sent by Q-Tip and his flying signs were creating and attracting that same energy right back to him.

If we examine this story further, we can also see how the negative actions of Colorado Springs resulted in a loss of "prosperity" to that city. But perhaps their restitutions—payments to those who were wronged—will bring more prosperity for the city in the future. As for Q-Tip, he will receive about $11,000 from the settlement ($125 for each day he was wrongly held in jail). He says he's going to use it for a place to live and to advocate for homeless people. I'm not a bit surprised.