Money & Abundance Part II

In my last post, I discussed coming to terms with our drive to want more and being grateful for what we have now while we want more. Today I’m going to talk about money itself–what it is and what it represents.

If your family was anything like my family, money was a sore subject. Although we were always taken care of, we didn’t have a lot of money and there was always fear that there just wouldn’t be enough. The subject of money was weighted with heavy emotional baggage that centered around fear for the most part. That fear was something I inherited and has shaped many parts of my life. As a result, it’s something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about so I could shift from feelings of fear and lack to feelings of abundance and joy.

What is a fear about money?
At it’s heart, a fear about money is a fear of living without comfort. No one really cares how many green pieces of paper they have, what we care about is what kind of life we’re leading. Do we have housing that meets our needs? Can we buy the food we like? Can we have the things that bring us joy?

Fear about money is a projection into the future that we will not be able to have the things we need to live a comfortable life. It is expressed doubt about the limitless abundance in the Universe. I’m saying that without judgment–I have certainly been in a place where I could not feel the limitless abundance in the Universe. I would say to myself, “That’s all well and good, but where is it?”

What is money?
When I was asking where the abundance is, what I meant was where was the money and the opportunities for making money. The trick is that abundance is a feeling not a thing. Abundance is a surety that everything we need and want are at our fingertips available whenever we need it. Abundance is gratitude magnified by a sense of well-being. Abundance is recognition of the comfort all around us.

So if abundance is a feeling, what is money? The most obvious manifestation of abundance is money and so it’s very easy to make the two interchangeable. I think this is where a lot of the confusion about abundance and prosperity lie. Money is a physical representation of energy (as are all things, when you think about it). When I perform a service I give of myself and my time and I am rewarded by a return of energy. Usually that energy is money, but if I’m volunteering that energy could be in the form of gratitude from those helped. We then pass that energy on when we spend money. When someone provides a service to us, we return the energy they put into what they did. When we buy a product, we are exchanging the energy that went into manufacturing that product.

A helpful way to visualize this is, as Joanne Hay suggests, by always thinking of money as gratitude:

“Essentially, a person is wealthy because she gives benefit for which others feel gratitude and so give money in return. A truly rich person is inspired to give benefit because their appreciation of existence leads them inevitably to assist in its unfolding in some useful or beautiful way. Their earnest offering is valued by others and much gratitude comes their way. By calling dollars gratefuls and money gratitude we see more clearly the essence of abundance. We feel more freedom to benefit others in a way that brings us joy. We are less likely to deny our abundance and feel more willing to give to others who have benefited us.”

How can we move from lack to abundance?
Just as making the decision to be happy in little ways every day takes effort, choosing to feel the abundance of the Universe and eliminating the emotional baggage of money takes effort. When you begin to worry about how you’re going to pay for the things you need, it’s important to immediately get in touch with gratitude. For example, if you’re worried about paying your rent or your mortgage, get in touch with how grateful you are to have a roof over your head. Think about how wonderful it is that the world shifted just for you so you could live there. Visualize how great it will feel to pass on your gratitude to others. Express thanks that you will always have what you need when you need it.

Do this every time you are feeling worried or edgy about money. When it’s time to pay your taxes, get in touch with your gratitude about the services your government provides you and the opportunities you have. When you fill up your car’s gas tank, feel grateful for your mobility and for the loving earth that is providing energy so you can get where you need to go.

This is not the time for negativity. You may be unhappy with your landlord or your government or the price of gasoline, but none of those details can discount or invalidate the abundance in your life unless you let them. When you get in touch with your gratitude and share it with others, you will increase awareness of abundance in the world and make it a better place for it.