Views About Money: Part One
by Lou Conjar
Many spiritually-oriented people have a very difficult time resolving the conflict caused by some of the teachings they receive concerning money. Many religions and philosophical systems imply that money is evil or that it somehow magically transforms anyone who has it into an evil person.
Sayings such as "Money is the root of all evil" and "It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" are repeated frequently enough that they easily penetrate into the subconscious of devout followers who want to avoid evil, live in accordance with God's will and eventually get into heaven. It doesn't matter that the "eye of a needle" referred to doesn't mean what most people think it does or even that, as people mature, they consciously realize that money is not, in fact, evil. The subconscious patterns are in place and can continue to pose obstacles for those trying to gain financial freedom until they are released.
One of the reasons it is so difficult for people to let go of this subconscious programming is because it is placed there by people they admire and respect while they are innocent children and it is re-inforced so often in society. All of the saints and other spiritual models presented by organized religions, particularly different forms of Christianity, are depicted as poor throughout their lives or as having renounced "worldly goods". Many religious leaders take vows of "poverty", which implies that to find God, you must not be "burdened" with possessions.
Why then are so many churches and other holy structures such opulent palaces? In order to show the "Glory" of God? Do we believe that God has any need of such things? Do we believe that God would want his children to sacrifice and live in poverty in order to build a palatial structure in which to worship? Jesus preached against this kind of thing. He chastised the church hierarchy for their reckless spending on adornment and told the people that they could talk to God directly, from anywhere.
So let us agree that it's possible that God doesn't want us to be poor, that there is nothing holy about poverty. Let us take a new view of money. The fact is that money is nothing more than a form of energy. Scientists have proven that what we see as the material world is actually not material at all. The tables and automobiles and dollar bills we think we see, touch, etc. are really not solid objects at all. They are really energy and space ... a lot of space. So money is a form of energy - neither good, nor bad in and of itself.
Let's take a look at some of the issues surrounding money with our view changed to incorporate this new information, i.e., money is nothing more than a form of energy, which can be used in positive or negative ways, just as any other form of energy can be used. Here are a few scenarios to consider:
1) A friend of yours is in financial trouble and in danger of losing their house because they have lost their job through cutbacks within their old company and are having trouble finding a new job.
QUESTION: How can you better help them? By offering them words of "comfort", telling them that somehow things will turn out fine? Or, by offering words of comfort and offering to give or loan them the money they need until they get back on their feet financially?
2) Your sister, whom you love dearly and who is a wonderful, loving person, is caught up in a bad marriage where her very life, and those of her children, are endangered by her abusive husband who is out-of-control. She wants desperately to leave him but has no financial resources to do so. She feels trapped and there is no escape in sight.
QUESTION: How can you better help her? By offering her comfort and telling her everything will be ok and that she can come stay with you for a few days to give him time to cool-off ? Or, by giving her comfort, telling her she can come stay with you for a few days, and giving or loaning her the money she needs to get an apartment where she and her children can feel safe and begin the necessary healing process?
3) And finally, here's one that's not quite so dramatic. Your spouse/mate has a good job that pays fairly well, but he/she is miserable because they don't enjoy the work, gain no self-satisfaction from it, and see no way out in the future. He/She has a "dream" life they would like to pursue. It could be a business dream. It could be that they have some sort of artistic talent that they would like to develop and believe that they could be successful if only they could afford to quit work and devote their time to working toward realizing their dream.
QUESTION: Wouldn't you love to be in a financial position to encourage them to "go for" their dream?
Obviously, the point we're trying to drive home here is that, if you have financial abundance, you have many more options available when crisis strikes or when someone you care about is in need. Money gives you the freedom to act from the heart. We acknowledge the fact that much growth can come from struggle and suffering. However, it is also true that tremendous growth can occur through joy. This is something we are not often reminded of. Financial security can free you from having to spend great amounts of time and energy simply trying to obtain the basic necessities of life. It frees you to act from the heart, instead of the head and wallet.
Because we have seen and experienced the debilitating effects of poverty first hand, we will offer much more concerning this subject as time goes by. Many of the problems on this planet have to do with the poverty of the masses. It doesn't have to be that way. There is enough wealth on this planet for every man, woman and child to live like Royalty. You can make the world a better place by allowing yourself to accept the freedom that financial wealth can bring.
