Spiritual Truths about Money

Money only has the meaning that we give it.

According to A Course in Miracles, things only have the meaning that we give them. Therefore, money only has the meaning that we give it. Many people have seen money as a tool used for evil, corruption, disempowerment and ego-based self-aggrandizement. In addition, some spiritual people believe that money and spirituality are mutually exclusive (they cannot co-exist peacefully). As a result, some have judged money negatively.

On the other hand, most humans need money to survive on the earth plane, and many have a schizophrenic, love/hate relationship with it. Therefore, a more peaceful relationship with money can lead to a more peaceful experience on the earth plane without the pain, suffering and fear created by lack.

Money is an objective medium of exchange — what we do with money creates its meaning.

When you need a dozen eggs, you have many ways to get it. You can drive 40 miles to your nearest farm, bargain with the farmer and barter your specific skill (assuming the farmer needs a business plan completed in exchange for one dozen eggs). Or if you’re hungry that moment, you can simply go to your neighborhood store and buy them with money that you have earned by using your specific skill where it is most needed. Money is the lubricant that smoothes the process of ensuring that everyone gets what they need as efficiently as possible.

Although some have seen money as a destructive tool, there are abundant examples of how money is used for the immediate greater good. Examples, such as the charitable social work done by foundations or organizations such as the Takoma Park Chapel that help people live more meaningful and fulfilling spiritual lives, come to mind.

Make peace with money and your money will be at peace with you.

Ambiguous desires yield ambiguous results. When we have “conflicted feelings” about money, we create mixed results including lack, drama, conflict, fear, pain and suffering. This is because we create with ALL of our consciousness, not just the part of our consciousness that we are aware of. Our consciousness is like an iceberg. Twenty percent of an iceberg is above the surface of the water. Eighty percent of the iceberg is beneath the surface of the water. The part of the iceberg that sunk the Titanic was the part of the iceberg that was beneath the surface. The part of our consciousness that may sabotage our conscious desires is the subconscious mind. Therefore, we may think we have a pretty amicable relationship with money, but may carry subconscious messages about money (ex., money is the root of all evil or money is the enemy of spirituality) that create conflict in our lives.

We can make peace with money by going into meditation and examining our consciousness as it relates to money. We can also examine the feelings that come up as a result of this introspection, heal these feelings, and be more at peace with the truth that we are beings of love who deserve the comfort and peace that financial security creates as we see money more objectively.

Tithing: It’s not about money

Tithing is a long-held spiritual practice that encourages people to give ten percent of their resources back to the universe. The idea behind tithing is that you create a void by giving ten percent of your resources back to the universe. The universe then fills this void in an unlimited number of ways. You allow the infinite loving creativity to flow into this void. This flow creates an ongoing connection and flow between you and the universe that serves your overarching prosperity, which is larger than money and includes health, spiritual well-being, good relationships and professional fulfillment.

There are as many ways to tithe as there are to express the love that you feel when you open to the love of the universe that is always in infinite supply. Part of your conscious tithing may be helping an elderly person across the street, smiling at a stranger, or doing work on behalf of a charitable organization that you believe in. Catherine Ponder, author of a very successful series of prosperity books, states that you should give of yourself where you receive your spiritual support so that you can increase the support that you receive. This giving may take the form of volunteering in a way that feels right for you and may include your planned giving (tithing behavior). The key is to be conscious of what you give back to the universe and to be open to allowing the universe to support you in an unlimited number of ways, through an unlimited number of sources, because you are the beloved child of the universe, fully deserving of its support in every way — including money.