Money

Money. What a word steeped in judgements, emotions, and labels! It is as if we throw all of our unwanted attributes onto it. And it is just a symbol, a means to trade goods and services.

I have spent over 30 years teaching others about money, how to plan for it, spend it, grow it, and invest it. But it really isn’t about money at all. It is really a path of self-discovery. So as I watch money vilified in the media and in society, it seems oddly amusing to me.

 

Spiritual principles outline how that which we resist and judge harshly is actually our own projections of our suppressed traits, the ones we don’t want to believe we have. We see those with power and money often as oppressors, evil-doers, or just plain selfish, which, in turn, puts us in the role of victim. It is a game. There isn’t validity in this victim role.  Their being rich does not reduce our possibilities.

In the broad spectrum of levels of human consciousness, the acquisition of money is spread across them all. (My Map of Money Consciousness™ illustrates a different consciousness, one associated with our relationship to money. More on that later.)

On a deep level, we know that rich people aren’t ‘bad’ just by being successful, and corporations aren’t ‘evil’, yet it has gained great popularity—again. I’ve seen this a few times in my career. When people are suffering they look outside of themselves to see who to blame. The ones in the spotlight are easy: the corporations who have executives making poor decisions for our culture and health, the arrogant elites who seem oblivious to the needs of employees and others.

Some people who climb to great success may begin their path with a high level of consciousness, but the rush of power causes them to fall back on their own inner awareness; the consciousness that opens compassion, empathy, and self-reflection. But it is a minority, albeit a noticeable, ‘in the news’ minority. Reality shows, 24 hour cable news, and titillating internet stories all combine to create a story about ‘rich’ people. Most are people just doing the best they can, like everyone else.

Money is inert. We apply our beliefs to it making it a force all in and of itself. We value stuff so much in our western society. We envy others who acquire lots of stuff. I’ve seen people who are addicted to attaining stuff. No matter how many houses, cars, or boats they buy, they continue to look for the next thing that will give them a charge, making them feel good about themselves. It isn’t about money at all.

The flip side of that are those who use their lack of money as an excuse to not try, to stay where they are, not wanting to move into that uncomfortable zone that would cause them to change, preferring to find others to blame.

YET~

It doesn’t matter how much money you have. What matters is, how much peace do you have? How much wellbeing are you experiencing? How are your relationships? Do you appreciate what is before you, right now? This is abundance.

No one is taking this away from you, unless you let them.

If you have issues with money you can begin with the Money Map Quiz, which will give you some place to start. If your quiz results are confusing to you, email me. I am here to help.