The five principles listed below provide the foundation not only for a good life but a thriving country. Parents are considered stewards of their family. Good governness and climate change remedies require stewardship of our planet, this article will review the principles of enlightened stewardship and how one develops it.

In the Middle Ages when kings and queens ruled, a valued servant prepared food and drink in the castle’s dinning halls with meticulous care. Attending to the needs of royalty with great skill was required. The word steward comes from combining two words: stig (house, hall) and weard (ward, guard, guardian, keeper). Stewardship responsibilities eventually included all the domestic, service and management needs of an entire household. Commercial stewardship expanded the concept to include representatives that served customers in trains, ships, airlines and restaurants. Over time, the term stewardship referred to responsible leadership that protected something valuable and worth caring . Serving one’s country or Mother Earth as a good steward is now included in its accepted definition.

The following five principles provide the foundation of healthy stewardship:

1. Love needs to live in every home. This is how children truly know they are worthy, lovable and deserving to have their needs meet. Once a sense of worthiness is established we start to believe dreams can come true. Manifesting any desire including healthy stewardship stems from this truth. Once we know in the deepest sense how lovable we are, then we can muster the courage to fight and fulfill our needs. This includes being a good steward to the surrounding environment and those around us.
2. A fierce desire to find and discover the truth of our unconscious motivations is necessary to become a good steward and the stuff of legends. Mythological tales that speak of slaying the dragons of the world are really speaking metaphorically of the courage to seek and slay the personality parts within that are not connected to our heart and soul. It really isn’t slaying in a real sense but it requires the willingness to confront our shadow and love ourself without conditions. If unchecked, our unconscious personality parts have private agendas programmed to protect us from our un-examined fears. If we fail to have the courage to confront our unconscious aspects of our personality, they can and will harm us and others. Everyone has needs based on unresolved issues that were birthed from terror and live in fear. Unfortunately our shadow aspects within our personality do not have access to our heart’s wisdom and soul’s guidance. Fear based actions unsupervised by our heart and soul frequently are out of balance with any form of healthy stewardship. All narcissism traits and exploitation of others stem from un-examined aspects of our psychological interior landscape, which self-protect and exploit, rather than serve others.
3. After focused self-examination the next step towards enlightened self-stewardship includes developing a personal loving heart connection and embodying the joy of our soul’s expression. When we live at this level, love and joy explodes from within, which the universe reflects back to us through the laws of karma and quantum physics. This additional energy mirrors more love and helps stewards give more to those they serve. This causes people to love stewards more because they now can experience a portion of their leader’s love and joy coming to them. Becoming a shinning example of someone living a loving, joyful life draws people like animals around a feeding trough. Stewards provide the food because they nurtured themselves first and then share their bounty with others. Since everyone wants more love and joy, people love stewards and eventually want to embody the stewardship principles they experienced. This is how the rich get richer and love multiplies. When we treat ourselves like royalty, we provide the food and drink that nurtures our heart and soul. Being a good servant or steward in this way will help us remember our roots, surrender to our absolute worthiness and align ourselves with the success built into our soul’s essence. When we can begin to live a soul infused life our heart will feel loved and sing with joy. When we meet our needs from this place, the universe will mirror more loving bounty and provide reflections our joy.
4. If we give while depleting ourselves, people will take what is offered but will not be inspired to copy us. Takers can fall into a pattern of seeking what they need for themselves from outside sources, which can perpetuate a long cycle of using others, quick fixes and addictions. When we use another’s love and energy, we ignore our own resources within our heart and soul. The soul will never let this happen for very long, then cycles of pain, struggle and strife will recycle until we learn another way to meet our needs. When learn to love our self and meet our needs joyfully, self-esteem will rise and healthy stewardship develops organically from within. Eventually we will become more generous and giving because it becomes our joy to pass the bounty on. Once we give at this level, everyone loves us more and the process accelerates from a positive perspective. Once we give from this place and everyone benefits, then others will want to be like us.
5. This last step is a reminder…listen to your soul and become a fierce lover. Address your needs and meet them regularly. Reminders of your absolute birthright of happiness, joy and fulfillment are necessary for sustained stewardship. By living with a loving heart and the joy within our soul you will never stray far from home. When the intellect disconnects from our heart and soul, self-love is required to feel and find the unconscious parts that need attention. If we fail to address our unresolved issues, pain, struggle and obstacles to our dreams will come to suggest examination. Suffering will stay around until we learn to live from our heart and soul. The universe will reflect back to us whatever truth is present through its eternal mirrors. During these troubling times of partisan politics and quid pro quo leadership, please remember these five principles of stewardship and the resulting truth, love and joy will set you free.