Money is such a controversial and emotive topic. Writing about it can be triggering for those who struggle financially and I do not want to demean the real dynamics of poverty. However, whatever our situation, we always have some choice about how we experience it, the perspectives we choose to bring, the lens through which we view our issues. I speak to that.
My inspiration for this newsletter came when I was reflecting on my own lifetime relationship to money and pondering the apparent juxtaposition between my sense of financial security and my underlying happiness.
Those who have read my book will know that I spent the formative years of my adulthood in financial services – ironically a great springboard for my spiritual growth because I lived within a system that pushed me to find more meaning to life, a different path.
Ever since then I have seen the financial security I once lauded decrease in proportion to my growing happiness and fulfilment. When I gave up my safe job to become a self employed therapist my income and security dropped hugely but I had never been happier. Strange, but maybe this all reflects a deeper truth.
Perhaps having money does come at an unavoidable cost. I used to think that money only had the energy we give it, but now I believe that if you have it, you can’t avoid the energy that comes with it. In the West, we seek wealth because our social norms reward it, perhaps we have lost touch with the basic tenets of a balanced way of life.
We only have to look at nature to see that she travels light, dancing through the seasons with access only to what is available in that moment. All forms of life depend upon continual nourishment. It is a fragile existence based upon trust and surrender. Can we humans exist like this, living in the sweet spot of each moment?
Culturally there is a lot of resistance to this idea because our core structures have been built around the absolute necessity of a financial system and the need to thrive within it – ideally with high earnings, savings and a good pension.
And yet, the idea of retiring, of wanting to stop work, says a lot on its own. Work is often something we do for the money and want to stop as soon as we can afford to do so.
In a balanced society, we should be living in a range of fulfilling activities that could barely be described as ‘work’ and if we love our lives and where we put our time, why would we want to stop?
The secret of the long lived is that they keep physically active and stay involved in their local community in some path of service that they enjoy.
Here are my top list of ideas to help stay in balance around money:
1. Going to zero – I have several times been in a place of maximum mortgage, bank loans and credit card. They all marked moments of death and rebirth where I was embarking on a deep spiritual transformation. I am not entirely sure why, but this process required me to have no savings. Money energetically felt like baggage which had to be released.
2. Give to good causes – if you have money, give away as much as you can. The energy of abundance you show will come back to you from a different source.
3. Forget retirement planning! If you can, find work you love, preferably under your control, and stay in it as long as you are physically able.
4. Ignore home equity. If you are lucky enough to own some of your home, I suggest you ignore the equity you hold within it. It is not true wealth and is very hard to access. A home is a right not an investment.
5. Follow nature. Surrender to divine support, synchronicity and the rhythms of life to allow you to live happily without a safety net.
6. Embrace true luxury. Understand that true luxury is a feeling, a perspective, not a fast car or an expensive holiday. We can luxuriate in the sensuality of our favourite food, music, entertainment or intimacy. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
7. Live with moderation. Avoiding desire for more takes us out of neediness, greed, aspiration and the inevitable sense of lack that follows. If you are happy with just enough then I suggest this is a powerful place of spiritual balance. You are not looking for money to make you feel safe or luxury goods to make you feel happy.
8. Live with gratitude – be grateful for all the abundance around you, whether the beauty of nature, the support of a close fried or the love of your partner. Feel how blessed you are.
What is your relationship to money? Can you imagine having the minimum necessary to get by today and trusting that tomorrow will be the same?
With love
Andrew