Written by Judith Joyce
The saying “Not for love nor money” is one I’ve heard all my life. That phrase is usually predicated by something like “I wouldn’t do that for love nor money” implying that love and money are two of the most important things in life and valued equally. While I hadn’t thought of it in those terms until recently, I have always shared those beliefs. And, since my spiritual awakening in early 1988, I have been looking at my belief structures around money and love and using numerous rituals, affirmations and techniques, not to mention reading many of the books written on each topic, to bring more of both into my life.
I’d like to share some of the newer perspectives I’ve discovered recently around prosperity. These have been most enlightening to me and hopefully will spark some new awareness for you.
Last fall, I attended a weekend program that dealt with, among many other things, giving new definitions to commonly known words, focusing on myself and saying no to everyone and everything that doesn’t nurture or support me. After the first day of this program, I wrote in my journal about how nurturing myself had always taken a back seat to everything and everyone else in my life. I acknowledged a need to shift that belief. I then quickly noted that my relationship to money also needed to shift. Soon I realized that my lack of money flow was probably mirroring my lack of energy flow around nurturing myself. Now this is not new “stuff” for me, I’ve been dancing around these ideas for many years and, as usual the new framework that was being presented in the workshop was shifting my perspectives.
When I’m journaling, I frequently as my guides/Angels to “talk” with me and give me guidance. When I asked for their insights on what I needed to do to change my relationship to money, this was their reply:
“You place way too much importance on money – you’ve connected it to your worth. You have it backwards. You are valuable, not money. As soon as you believe that, all will change. Money is a tool for you to use. Only you can make it valuable or important. It’s the way that energy flows on your planet. And, it’s been connected to value – a means of exchange. It’s only a means of exchange and it’s represented by squares of paper. You need to give you the importance, the value that you have been giving to money. Begin to value yourself, your time, your connection to Spirit, your passion, your heart and the money will follow. Money follows value – it only has the value you give it and what you’ve given it is way out of proportion and that’s being reflected in your bank accounts. Begin to fill the accounts in your Judith bank with food for your soul, and watch your bank accounts flourish. They will flourish when you do. There’s a direct correlation. That’s why writing, dancing, meditating with the labyrinth – doing whatever you love and what nurtures you is the key to opening new doors in your life. Your joy, your perspectives, your inspiration are needed in the world. Tell your story – the world needs to hear your story. Value your thoughts & ideas – act on them and see where they lead – there’s the adventure.”
As I was focused on new ways to see the meanings of words, I next realized the judgment I’ve had around scarcity, so I began to look for its gift. Without scarcity there can be no abundance – it’s the other side of the coin. It helps set a boundary on over spending or over acquiring. I realized a long time ago that I become my most creative when I’ve had the least money. So scarcity feeds my creativity when I’m not blocked by fear. Lack can also be seen as the void – the emptiness from which all possibilities come - when there’s no emotion attached to it. I’ve seen it as a black hole that I would disappear into – losing myself, and yet, it could be a place to lose my ego. Scarcity is very humbling and, as my humility increases, I am stripped of all pretenses. It clears the decks – makes room for peace, serenity, and simplicity. Lack can also mean lack of distraction and lack of outside influences so I can hear myself think, find my center – my heart, my purpose, my direction. Scarcity also helps me focus while making me more conscious of my choices and needs. When I have lots of money I go unconscious and my compulsion to accumulate things is triggered. It’s the emotional charge around it that’s given scarcity a bad rap. Our society has placed such a high value on the abundance of things to the detriment of the abundance of natural resources – what we have instead of who we are. What we value is all screwed up, hence my disjointed, misplaced, value of money vs. myself. Developing a list of what I value from an internal perspective gives a whole new look to this issue.
My values list includes:
- Passion
- Love
- Creativity
- Nurturing
- Rest
- Balance
- Peace
- Simplicity
- Rhythm
- Truth
- Possibility
- Curiosity
- Spirit
The more I have focused on bringing these values into my life, the more nurtured and valued I feel which has increased the flow of money and blessings. What might your list include?
Now, to transition from my musings to a small book I recently discovered called “Money is Love” Reconnecting to the Sacred Origins of Money by Barbara Wilder. This little gem gives a whole new perspective on love and money. While doing research for a Celtic novel she was writing, Barbara discovered the Celts related gold to sun worship and also saw it as “the link between life on Earth and life after death”. In fact, their gold route was lined by temples where gold was used for spiritual practice, not as a path of commerce as we would expect.
As she further contemplated the Money is Love concept, Barbara realized quantum physics tells us that by focusing human attention on particles of energy we can influence and change the nature of that energy. Since everything is energy, then money is energy and can be consciously directed by our thoughts. Today, money’s energy is polluted by fear, anger, greed, and a feeling that it’s dirty – a far cry from the pre-historic concept of a form of exchange that was filled with “the sacred energy of a divine creator”. Our challenge is to transmute the negative energy of money to the clean, positive power of “love, joy, abundance and goodwill”. Then money will affect how we “feel, think and behave”.
“When we change the energy around money from fear to love, we bridge the gap between the material and the spiritual world and make it possible for the unlimited abundance of the Divine to flow freely into our own lives and throughout the world.” Wilder makes the point that as we enter this new century, we are called to find new perspectives, mind-sets and new views on ancient traditions. Changing money into love is a powerful new tool for accomplishing this transformation.
Throughout the book, she covers a brief history of money to provide a framework for the roots and evolution of money through the ages; explores the concept of money as energy; looks at the deeply seated belief systems that support our current behavior around money, while providing tools and techniques to uncover those that affect your behavior.
She then moves from individuals to a world-view of healing our planet with these concepts making the point that “money is the blood of the planet” – if “we heal the money, we heal the planet”.
Another new perspective on prosperity is presented by Molly Ann Keeler, in her book “Designing Your Own Indoor Water Fountain… a catalyst for personal prosperity”, which explores the connection between water and prosperity. By looking at the properties of water, its correlation with the moon, its definition with the feminine term “yin” in the polarity model, its having to do with receptivity and its connection to the Second Chakra which houses the bladder, lower colon and reproductive organs, Keeler begins to create her perspective on prosperity. Defining prosperity as “ the ability to create our lives so that we are able to enjoy all that life has to offer”, she offers the idea that procreative, which has as its root, create, is another word for reproductive, hence the connection with prosperity.
Through our “Prosperity Pipeline”, which Keeler calls “the direct line to the Source of All That Is” that we all have, she illustrates “some healing perspectives on how people have felt disconnected from their creative power and their ability to easily manifest all that their hearts desire”. What slows or stops our ability to manifest is the “stuff” that is in the Pipeline. This stuff causes us to “get stuck” thus keeping us from moving forward in our lives. She explores the many ways we can attract “stuff” into our pipelines through our thoughts or beliefs, which drive the words we use and the actions we take.
The rest of this book focuses on designing indoor water fountains and how they can be catalysts for personal prosperity while connecting you with your creative power.
Hopefully these thoughts and books serve to support your journey towards increased creativity, love and prosperity. Full information on how to get the books mentioned is given below.
“ Money is Love Reconnecting to the Sacred Origins of Money” by Barbara Wilder. Published by Baksun Books in collaboration with Dristil Press, Boulder CO. Barbara can be reached at 303-444-5963 or by email: bwildone@earthlink.net
“ Designing Your Own Indoor Water Fountain…a catalyst for personal prosperity” by Molly Ann Keeler, Neptune in Aquarius, P.O. Box 2486, Peter Stuyvesant Station, New York, NY 10009; 1-800-804-7240.
Spirit Matters
Judith Joyce
4507 Main Street
Waitsfield, VT 05673
802-496-9237; FAX: 802-496-9238
E-mail: jmjoyce@spirit-matters.com
Website: http://www.spirit-matters.com