Higher Selves Quote
For too long, it has been accepted in general metaphysical and religious circles that the concept of spirituality and the movement along the evolutionary path are done at the expense of the material world in which the individual lives. Yet you are spiritually out of touch when you are materially out of touch, and you are materially out of touch when you are spiritually out of touch.
One of the most intense issues for so many people involves their finances or lack thereof. It's probable that each and every person who reads this chapter has strong ideas, beliefs, fears, and/or misunderstandings about the material world. Every human soul on this planet is here to work out this balance. Every human chose to be on Earth for the opportunity to break through our false beliefs, misconceptions, fears, limiting truths, and/or self-doubts in order to find expanded understanding and a path toward manifesting equilibrium in our material world.
Why here? The Planet Earth carries a specific energy-that of the Balanced Manifestation of Material Good. All humans who chose to incarnate on Earth are here to unravel the mysteries of the material in their lives, to break through the mental and emotional barriers that keep them from this material balance. Although this book is not meant to impart the details on how the Universe is set up to help souls evolve, the Higher Selves have given us a huge body of information related to just this topic. Despite the chaos and incredible difficulties so many of us have here, there is actually great order in the Universe, even if we cannot see it. In fact, there is tremendous help provided for all souls throughout the Human Kingdom. The example provided here (which is only a small part of the help we receive) relates to planets.
In the Universe, there are an infinite number of solar systems comparable to our solar system. The planets in all solar systems inhabited by evolving life forms carry specific energies that are utilized by the souls on those planets. (The role of the planet is fully explained in my next book on the Universe.) Our planet carries the energy of Proper Material Balance. Just being on this planet means that at the soul level we are committed to learning, understanding, manifesting, and using material good in the Highest Ideal.
That may sound like something out of science fiction, but doesn't it make sense? Material and financial issues abound throughout the human population, no matter what country or area of the world. These issues are the cause of so much of the planet's struggle, from wars to business and from health to relationships. Clearly, most of us have a long way to go to reach successful self-understanding and balance in this area.
Common Viewpoints/Misconceptions
Although I am generalizing, many of us would view being materialistic as a negative thing. We almost automatically put the rich into the category of being greedy, snobbish, or out-of-our-league. When we actually meet someone who is rich and a wonderful person, don't we say something like, "He's rich, but not like what you would think he'd be. He is nice and so down-to-earth." We have to show that this person is, in some way, an exception to the rule. Don't we also assume that everyone rich is happy, and that if only we could be rich, we'd be happy too?
On the other side of the coin, we unconsciously put someone who has devoted their lives to the spiritual realm, such as a Tibetan monk or Mother Teresa, onto the highest pedestal. We may feel that we are too selfish and would never measure up to their high standard of spirituality. If we still have extra money in the bank or a little extra time on the weekends, but are not serving at a soup kitchen or donating every extra dime, we assume we're falling short in comparison.
These beliefs and judgments are holding us prisoner. In fact, a material focus is not synonymous with greed, and a spiritual focus is not synonymous with self-sacrifice. The judgment that materialism is a negative thing (because we connect it to greed and callousness) can hold us back from finding our true material good. If we somehow get a chance to fly first class, eat at an expensive restaurant or buy a Gucci handbag, we may apologize and assure people we haven't been sucked into thinking we're privileged. And we portray it as just a one-time thing because somehow it makes us feel less guilty about having some luxury in our lives? Or maybe we feel superior because we have a luxury our friends don't. Either way, there are distortions and limitations around the balance of the material and the spiritual.
Many people are struggling to earn a living and are also trying to do at least some small things to benefit others, though we most likely don't feel successful in either area.
Materialism
So what does it mean to be materialistic? Does it mean that we are greedy and focused on hoarding and accumulating money? Does it mean we have to step on others to be successful? Those are a couple of the connotations and judgments we project on to the word materialism. Yet we have another way to look at this. The highest level of the meaning of materialism is simply to take something from the abstract and to make it concrete-to materialize something into our physical reality. Finding the significance and balance of material good, learning how to materialize properly in life, is what all of us are here on the planet to learn.
Materializing into the concrete is not only about money; it is also about the manifestation of anything into a material form. The material balance also includes the development and understanding of how to properly use whatever we have materialized. We all have materialized a physical body. Do we have a healthy body? How are we treating ourselves? We all have gifts and talents. How are we doing on manifesting and using them? Money is only one part of our material good; yet for most of us, it is the area that feels most important relative to everything else. So this is the area I am addressing in this chapter. I bring these other elements to you so you can think about them and be aware of them. The energy on planet Earth helps all areas of balanced materializing and proper use of the physical form.
The basic idea is that a balanced material world is essential to your physical reality. By standing in the center between belief and disbelief of the biases we may have against materialism, we will better understand that materialism is an essential part of the human equation and is as important as the spiritual. No matter how spiritual you may be, with few exceptions you still have to pay the rent, put food in your mouth, and operate in the society at large. Clearly, it isn't feasible for the entire human population to move into ashrams, monasteries or communes in order to be spiritual. So that means we each need to find the balance within the lives we are living now.
The Unexpected Irony
This brings me to the very unexpected irony of life. The very thing that you would not expect to help you become more spiritual is the very thing that will help: being more material. This is ironic only because of our misunderstandings and negative biases toward abundance in the material world.
If your focus enables you to bring in material abundance, then you have space and resources to focus on an abundant spiritual life. To be healthy at the spiritual level is to be able to continue your focus of attention on your spiritual goals. To do so, you must have the material balance taken care of. If you are hungry, you cannot focus your attention on the spiritual. You must focus your attention on your growling belly. The balance, therefore, will be off-kilter. If there is lack in your life-any lack of manifestation in your life's circumstances that makes you unhappy-it causes you to focus on that lack, that discomfort or that dissatisfaction. And that is not spiritual. Therefore, focusing on the material balance in your life, bringing it into a state of abundance and harmony will allow you to more consistently and productively focus on the spiritual side of life.
Pitfalls
What stands in the way of our material good?
- Beliefs and Judgments: Because money, finances and materialism are such highly charged and misunderstood topics, it is important to look at our beliefs surrounding them. Many are likely to be deeply buried in our subconscious. This is why financial good can be an area we consistently work on but end up frustrated by, due to minimal results. When this happens it is a sure bet that we are still in possession of very real and potentially negative beliefs relating to money. In fact, you need to look no further than your own present life. On the surface, almost everyone wants to have financial security, but underneath, unconscious beliefs can sabotage our efforts. Have you ever apologized for riding in a limo or getting orchestra seats to an event? Is it out of a sense of guilt that we had a luxury someone else didn't have? Is it because we pride ourselves on being a "man of the people," and this ticket didn't fit our image of ourselves? Or is it that we believe we don't deserve any better in our lives?
Let me give you an example of one hidden (unconscious) belief. I have a friend, a parent with several children, who was living in debt years ago, wondering from where the next meal for her family would come. Then one summer, long ago, we were both doing the neutralizing and empowering work to improve our finances. After doing the exercises with her a few times, I realized that even though my friend said consciously and often that she wanted more money, and even though she worked hard to neutralize all her poverty thought forms, once in a while I would hear an aside from her, almost a throwaway line, that had an extremely negative bias toward the wealthy. It seemed completely out of place next to her great desire to bring in money, so at first we almost missed it. When we finally became aware of it, we did some digging.
It turned out that my friend hadn't been happy growing up in her wealthy family and from early childhood had equated her father's hard, unfeeling attitude with his obsession with money. This childhood misunderstanding had given birth to the belief (or at least reinforced what she had brought in from other lifetimes) that she would become like her father-narrow-minded and heartless-if she ever had money. She hadn't understood that her father most likely would have been heartless even if poor. Therefore, this powerful belief held her prisoner in a state of poverty and had to be addressed. Fortunately, once she did so, her life turned around, and she found a well-paying job that paid off her debt and gave her the financial security she was looking for and still does to this day.
All judgments, conscious or unconscious, are part of our Thought Form Body, working to weave situations that keep us poor, jobless and/or living paycheck to paycheck.
- Stealing: There is a second pitfall that may be less obvious, one that has to do with stealing. Of course we understand that stealing is a crime and is not an ethical thing to do. I'm sure almost everyone doesn't think this is something that applies to him or herself. And I certainly don't think of all of humanity as thieves-not at all; but let me assure you that this issue is important.
How many of us rationalize exaggerating on an insurance claim to get more money back? Maybe we have fudged on our taxes to get a larger refund? How about not mentioning to a cashier when he/she makes a mistake and forgets to charge us for one of our items? Perhaps, occasionally we have thought to ourselves, "I'll just take the towels/ashtrays from the hotel room. They won't be missed, but I could use them." I would guess that most of us have rationalized like this at least once in awhile. We might feel that it isn't really 'taking' because in our minds it's okay-these are large establishments that make lots of money, right?
Thinking this way doesn't mean we will be damned or that we are unforgivable. Instead, this type of rationalization has a powerful consequence, of which we may be unaware. I'm not mentioning this to be rigid, self-righteous or judgmental. My reason for bringing this up is because this misunderstood scenario is a significant way we keep ourselves from bringing in the material abundance we deserve, and because, for the most part, this concept is not well understood. When we take in this manner, without giving something in return (money, services, goods), we reinforce and grow within, the subtle but very real belief that we cannot afford it. This belief is a major factor in holding us in a state of lack, and we clearly don't want anything to hold us back from our material good.
How to Bring in the Balance?
The bottom line is that if our spiritual goals are set to such a degree that everything else falls by the wayside, it's just as detrimental to us as for people who only set up materialistic goals and ignore their spiritual side. Everyone has a right to a meaningful and balanced life. The lack of material abundance also means that there is a lack of spiritual abundance and vice versa. Just as the word material is not synonymous with greed, the word spiritual should not be synonymous with self-sacrifice. Equilibrium is the goal for all humanity and is especially the focus of attention for souls on this planet (and all planets within the Human Kingdom Universe that carry this same energy).
Think about what beliefs and judgements you may have lurking around in your thoughts by standing in the center of neutrality. Are you one who believes you cannot be spiritual if you have any material abundance? Are you one who believes self-sacrifice is the only way to find spiritual fulfillment? Do you immediately feel that great wealth is out of the realm of possibility for you? Or that if someone has great wealth there is no hope for great spirituality since money corrupts? Do you feel that money might make you a target in some way? Please ask yourself where your beliefs lie. They are only blinders that limit you, that keep the world of abundance from your doors and keep you in a state of 'the have not.' Thankfully, the Earth carries powerful energy that we can use to our great advantage once we understand how.
The Pure Soul Essence of Earth
The planetary energy that Earth carries is held within Earth's Pure Soul Essence. Yes, Earth is as much a part of the Originating Source as is Humanity or any other level of beingness. Perhaps, it is a bit bizarre to think in those terms and may upset some (who cannot fathom a rock as having a soul), though that is not my intention.
At one level, the planetary systems may be viewed as being at the opposite ends of the pole from Originating Source. Originating Source de-intensified its energy, resulting in the manifestation of itself as the solar systems, the densest materialization of Originating Source's physical form. As do all parts of Originating Source, these solar systems carry the perfection of their parent-the Pure Soul Essence. Though Originating Source runs at such a high rate of speed that it virtually seems to be standing still, the planetary systems (the Mineral Kingdoms) run at such a low rate of speed that they, also, seem to be virtually standing still. They are polar opposites but are truly the same, only in different form.
Therefore, the Pure Soul Essence of Earth carries the perfection and neutrality of the Originating Source, with Divine Material Balance being its specific empowered energy. Thus, we will greatly assist ourselves by bringing Divine Material Balance into our own lives by learning to utilize this powerful energy. Keeping in mind that we all are in a state of great material imbalance-the negative being so much more pervasive than the positive-the Divine Material Balance that the Earth provides will speed up the manifestation of the proper material good in our lives. Let's take a look at how we can use it.
Summary
To begin, I ask that each of you commit to your materialistic health and accept it. Money is only energy-a vital energy. Every individual is the rightful owner of as much materialistic good as he/she is willing to accept and commit to. Its proper use (the other essential element to Divine Material Balance) will enable us to be spiritual as well. A commonly held belief on this planet is that to be spiritual, one has to be unselfish to the point where giving involves a tremendous amount of self-sacrifice. However, if one is off balance after having offered others so much of his/her own material good, the proper use of Divine Material Balance is still misunderstood.
From an everyday perspective, some of us may feel guilty, afraid, undeserving or unable to accept comfort into our lives. Yet it is our right, our privilege and even our responsibility to enjoy material balance. It allows us to bring in spiritual balance.
There is no predetermined level of material wealth, since each person will find his/her own pathway. Some might be exponentially wealthy, with the ability to set up foundations and donate money and resources to good causes. Others might simply have enough to live a modest life but find smaller ways to give back, such as working as a Big Brother, helping with animal rescues, befriending a soldier overseas, or donating blood on a regular basis. There is also no one right way to be spiritual. Some people may feel moved to go to Calcutta (or elsewhere) to help serve the poor, while some will stay home to help in their own neighborhood. Some may be able to help the masses, and others will help one or a few. All ways are valid and all ways are significant. Each individual will manifest the balance differently. It is important not to compare yourself to anyone else. The balance is there for everyone to attain in his/her own unique way.