Money on the Spiritual Battlefield

What is your spiritual relationship with money? There’s a good chance it has a somewhat sordid tinge to it. Most of us are a bit ashamed to talk about how we really feel about it. We’d rather talk about details of our sexual intimacies, than our real relationship with money. Our deep, intimate relationship with money is really just like any other relationship. And, it is Spiritual.

Like everything in life, money is a form of energy. It is used as a form of exchange. What we attach to money is what gets us in trouble. If we come from the premise that everything is energy, or Spirit, delving into that pure energy, or metaphysical realm, we realize that money and abundance can come in an instant, defying “logic” and a linear approach to money. It can also be choked off when face to face with moving out of our comfort zones and into our Divinity, and we need to question what money means to us.

When we do not share our gifts with the world by not gracefully allowing an energetic reciprocal exchange of money, we are saying no to Spirit, as well as the people whose problems we could solve if we were out there doing our divine work - whether it’s selling products that have real value or a service that fills a need. (Obviously, not everything comes with a price tag. I am talking about the work we do in our daily lives for which many of us, especially women, feel unworthy to receive adequate payment for.)

Maria Nemeth points out that it is when transitioning from the metaphysical realm to the physical realm that we are hit with the discomfort of actually implementing our ideas and creating the Abundance most of us desire. It is at that point, we can either go numb, ignore it or “white knuckle” it by working really hard doing, instead of allowing. (I fall victim to this, myself). Implementing requires facing down our fears, doing the boring work and not shooting ourselves in the foot! Getting your head wrapped around your financial responsibilities is part of pushing past the discomfort. It also means being in alignment with your values. While abundance comes from Spirit, you do have to do the work to achieve your desires.

Additionally, how we deal with money on a day to day basis can wreak havoc with the money energetic cycle. If we are not living in integrity with money, money will not flow toward us. For example, are you the kind of person who, if given too much change at a store, rationalizes why you shouldn’t give it back? Or, do you under-tip your waiter, or pay staff “under the table?” If the way we handle money goes against our fundamental belief system, then there is a energetic discordance there, blocking the natural free-flow of money.

Just like any ideal relationship, our relationship with money should be one of mutual respect. However, when we push money away (whether consciously or subconsciously) it is like pushing away our partner. (It’s also pushing Spirit away.) When we think money holds all the answers to our insecurities, it’s as if we’ve lost our Self in a relationship. When money wields power over us, it is like being in an abusive relationship. We can’t avoid having a relationship with money, be it, good, bad or somewhat neutral, as it is something we use daily.

If you wanted money to come and have a relationship with you, what kind of reception would it get? Would it be warm and fuzzy and welcoming? or would it be a place of stress. Would you greet it with open arms, or strangle it to death for fear it would leave again? Do you invite money in and then shut the door when it arrives out of fear of truly living in your authentic and powerful self?

Think about the energetic draw you create with your attitudes, no matter how buried. Spirit has this huge open funnel for us all, and all of our money baggage creates a kink in the vessel of delivery - like a thinly walled garden hose we continually stand on. The water backs up until it creates an elephant sized balloon. We are stifling Spirit, blocking the energy, and we’re in a hostile relationship with money, even if we are doing it unintentionally. That is what holding onto the energy of money does to abundance. It chokes it and holds it back.

Are you choking the abundance? What kind of language do you use when referring to money? Do you talk about the lack of it without realizing it? As Don Miguel Ruiz says, “Be impeccable with your Word.” What we speak has power. We have an emotional reaction to a thought, which is even stronger when it is spoken, and then we behave accordingly. So, be wary of the next time you say things like, “I’m so broke” or “I’ll never get to travel to...X.” You are putting Spirit on notice that you are willing to stay that way.

Our relationship with money is an old one. We bring stuff from our childhood to our relationship with money, just like we may bring a parental divorce and fear of abandonment to our romantic relationships. Money may play out differently in different relationships, but this, too, presents an imbalance. Like the saying, “how you do anything is how you do everything,” think about how you treat your relationship with money, and you may find that treatment elsewhere in your life. This requires real honesty with your self.

If money is a problem in your life, consider whether it is that you feel you’re not good or worthy enough to have money, that money is not Spiritual, or you might have a poverty mentality. Just begin by considering the messages you were given about money, and how they resonate with who you truly are.

So, in summary:
* Look to fulfill your spiritual contracts with those who need and want your services.
* Pay attention to your relationship with money - both past messages about it, and how it plays out in your life
* How might you be choking off abundance?
* Look at money simply as energy
* Ask yourself: Where does my poverty mentality show up? How do I speak about money? Am I living with integrity in the ways I work with money

And when you can, tip the waitress a little extra. You’ll feel great.