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Money & Spirituality: Back In Black
I’ve written on this topic before, but recent discussions on and off this site have given me a new perspective on the whole thing, that I’d like to share.
I don’t exactly know why I had it (presumably my upbringing), but most of my life I’ve been a fairly firm believer in the notion that money and spirituality simply don’t mix. That people who charge money for spiritual services were bad, and all the rest that goes along with that. Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of really great people to talk through this issue and hear about their individual experiences which are very different from mine.
And the thing I’ve realized is this: by refusing to allow financial or material success to enter into my spirituality, I was building a block against it being in my life at all. Since my life is very much about spiritual pursuits, that attitude over-rode any competing non-spiritual ideas about success being okay. And it’s funny that now that I see this, the blockage is rapidly vanishing simply by becoming aware and allowing my priorities and understandings about value in life to change.
Has anybody else had a similar experience to this?
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October 1st, 2005 at 6:28 am
I went through something fairly similar. Much like what you describe as well, once I really began examining my beliefs that wall fell apart almost instantly. I think part of it comes from not wanting to exploit people, or benefit from weakness in others. But, really, we’re talking about adults dealing with adults. If a person is incapable of properly examining a situation or deal before entering into it, I’m not overflowing with pity.
October 1st, 2005 at 11:38 am
actually, i think learning to play poker helped a lot. because i realized (1) nobody is forcing you to play the game and (2) the only way to win money is by taking it from somebody else at the table. it became suddenly so concrete!
October 1st, 2005 at 12:45 pm
it doesn`t matter whether you are selling weapon systems or votive candles or healing modalities, i you personally don`t believe in your abilities you will fail. there are plenty of people pushing crap that don`t miss a wink of sleep over it and conversely there are plenty of decent, capable people who who never get out of the blocks because of thier own beliefs. as george harrison said in the yellow submarine, “it`s all in the moind”. i think he meant mind. it would make sense that way.
but seriously. what you choose to believe becomes your reality. it`s the big cosmic aha!
i think the difference between poker and the market place is that in the marketplace there is an actual exchange of value, whereas the game of poker creates losers. i don`t mean to be critical of people who play poker on a casual basis, but the government of canada is promoting gambling as a sexy, viable lifestyle and are directing thier ads at the young. if ever something brings out the reptile(archon) in people it is gambling.
poker is a microcosm containing the pressures and dynamics of life condensed into a few hours of play at a table. it can teach many mechanisms useful in life. it`s unfortunate that there is a monitary aspect that can be highly destructive.
October 1st, 2005 at 12:55 pm
Yeah, that’s precisely what I meant. That’s a good point about the difference between it and the “real” marketplace being value. Which old school economist said that in an economic exchange, it’s important for both parties to think they’re getting the better deal?
October 1st, 2005 at 6:03 pm
the cynic may suggest that the value in poker for the loser is a mechanism for masochistic pleasure. the traditional “poor me” game. which old school economist? galbraith? smith? i`m guessing, but there is some cynical truth in that observation. it would certainly give some insight into why people risk losing in poker if there is the opportunity to get a substantially better deal. i have always thought that a co-operative element could be included into the game of poker. an auction for a card posssibly, who will bid on my ace of diamonds?
October 2nd, 2005 at 8:51 pm
I read recently that one reason that the US won the cold war is that we are a poker playing nation instead of a chess loving one like Russia. Poker utilizes many more real world aspects - bluffing, etc, and contains the curious possible outcome that the best hand need not win.
October 2nd, 2005 at 8:57 pm
Oh yeah, the original point of this blog entry– how does one ‘allow’ money into the spiritual realm? is it like praying for cash, or just realizing what symbolizes money in a spiritual system?
what are different symbols for money and how does it figure into myth and religious stories?
its so little discussed i have a hard time thinking of examples. (except of course jesus’s statement about rich people getting into heaven). if that was even jesus . any help out there?
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:21 pm
Hm. Good question. Let me think about this some and come back to it.
October 3rd, 2005 at 12:17 am
do we allow money into the spiritual realm? logically speaking money is a symbol. how many other symbols are there in the spiritual realm? why would some symbols be allowed into the spiritual realm and not others? wouldn`t this realm be more accurately described as a moral realm? we have to sort out our relationship to money first before deciding on it`s divinity. personally i think money is inert. what you do with it and your methods for accumilation are what we are evaluating.