Recently, a friend asked if I have money wisdom to share. I contemplated what the symbol called money really stands for, and how it serves us in honoring our giving and receiving energies. My consequent reply may be of value not only to her, but also to you!
• Here are five truths that can serve to ease money angst:
1. "If you get nervous, focus on service." -- Doreen Virtue
Years ago, my teacher, Doreen Virtue, shared this principle with us. I recall sitting in her seminar, and scribbling it in my journal. I often repeat this adage: "If you get nervous, focus on service." Rather than thinking, "Why don't I have enough money?" it is useful to shift perspective. It is useful to shift from, "WHY DON'T I...?" to "LET'S SERVE." That is, let's ask, "How can I be of service?" or "What can I do to make my corner of the universe brighter?" When we shift gears from "me" to "we," miracles manifest in money-oriented matters. Truthfully, when we excessively focus on "me and mine," we grow our egos. Conversely, when we obsessively focus on giving and sharing, we develop our spirits. Of course, it is best to give and share in balanced ways. Yet anyone serious about walking a spiritual talk must align with giving and sharing, as a way to demonstrate caring. As we offer that which we have that is of value, and value ourselves in the process of doing so, money naturally flows to us.
2. Most of what upsets us about money isn't actually about money itself.
The upset is usually related to self-esteem and self-worth; these issues can be worked out via tending to the second and third chakras. As a chakra enthusiast (someone who helps people to heal their chakras), I support people in gently opening their subtle energy centers. These energy centers have to do with: sexuality, confidence, creativity, and financial flow... among other topics! I love engaging in this work, because adjusting our personal energy changes our external reality. Simply put, external happenings are informed by internal energy.
3. Often what terrifies us about money is what terrifies us about living, in a super honest way.
We aren't scared about having 100 dollars left in our bank accounts. We are actually scared about not trusting ourselves, and others enough to admit that things are headed in this direction. We aren't scared about filing for bankruptcy. We are actually scared that the people whom we thought loved us won't be there, after we share that we're filing. We aren't afraid that we will become financially successful. We are actually afraid that suddenly family members who weren't interested in us will become interested. We aren't afraid of overspending online. We are actually afraid that our shopping habits reveal a lack of fulfillment that becomes evident via our behavior. Once we see our fears for what they are, we can ease up on this money thing. I wonder if most "money worries" are best solved with a financial advisor. Or are they perhaps best solved with a psychologist? By identifying the fears-behind-the-fear, life feels more like Christmas and less like Halloween.
4. When we release judgments around people who have moola, we let it in.
I used to think: People who have money are selfish. Now I don't mean a self-preserving kind of selfish. I mean a withholding kind of selfish. I didn't openly share this belief; it quietly lived in my subconscious mind. I developed this belief, because as a child, I experienced several adults (who seemed to always have money), as emotionally distant, thus selfish. Since then, life has shown me that reality is more complex than what I once experienced. As I realized that one can be emotionally generous while being financially affluent, a lot shifted.
I also realized that once someone has enough money to free up financial anxiety, then she can place attention elsewhere, like on causes she cares about. Having money, and choosing not to circulate it in the world can be greedy. And greed is fear-based, so we don't want to go there. On the other hand, the flip side (consistently not having enough money) can also be greedy. Not having enough can be greedy, because it makes someone reserve nearly all of one's personal energies... these energies could be better utilized to care for people around us. Having enough (and even more-than-enough), money to support one's self, and those one wishes to support, is just right. When we feel secure about our own worth, we neither need to clench our money too tight, nor let go of it too quickly. We also allow for a moderate circulation of abundance in our lives. We allow for this circulation, knowing that we'll always have plenty with which to play and pay.
5. God wants us to be okay.
As a theist, I've had my share of struggles when it comes to beliefs related to spirituality and money. Ultimately, it helps to remember that God wants the best for us. God, by nearly any definition, wants us to be okay. I'm not convinced that God deeply cares as to whether we're rich or poor, or something in between. God's love for all of us surpasses preoccupation with wealth, class, and status. Yet I am convinced that God does care, like any good parent, as to whether we experience a decent, daily life, enjoy a healthy lifestyle, and consistently eat. In the context of our world civilization, money supports us in meeting our material needs; money even supports us in exceeding them. Of course, money isn't everything; yet, if God is a loving God, and my hypothesis that God wants us to be okay is correct, then it's also okay with God if we have money. So... let's manifest some money!