Money and Spirituality

For a long  time money and spirituality have been at the opposite ends of a spectrum for me. The idea that the material world and its needs are separate and at odds to the higher calling of the spirit. The distinction between these concepts of reality are in fact, artificial. Everything is one. There is only unity. Internally however, we can become fractured in our views of reality and not see the underlying unity of life. One of the primary goals of the spiritual path is integration and alignment of our being with that of the whole. Sometimes that means temporarily avoiding whatever is considered normal in our culture in order to find what we believe.

After gaining perspective, part of integration is learning to flow with society. There is the obviously artificial world that most people I know call the "real world". Hard work, suffering in a job they hate, earning money (just enough that they can barely make ends meet), and doing what they are told. I do not advocate joining up with that team. I suggest finding a way to make what one of my friends calls "silly money".

Imagine having an amount of money so absurd that you literally have no idea of what to do with it (or maybe you do.) Let say you wanted to buy an island for someone's birthday. You can. Buy 16 fighter jets, so you and you closest friends can drag race trough the sky. You can. Have lunch flown in from Italy for you and 100 other people. You can. That kind of money.

Now let's say your a bit like me and have been conditioned to believe that those uses of money should be considered "frivolous" or a "waste". Fine. I have some other uses of "silly money". Feed and clothe all the homeless of your city for the rest of their lives. Done. Build a business that provides jobs for your whole community. Done. End world hunger. Done. That kind of money.

Perhaps that's still a bit too materialistic for you. No worries, I got some more. Build and fund a spiritual center of your choosing, that people would want to visit from all over the world because all of the enlightened beings that you are supporting there. It is so. Create an education system for children that help them become more spiritual and actually teach them useful life skills. It is so. Pay for every person on the planet to take spiritual retreats every year. It is so. That kind of money.

It's not the money, it's how you use it. It is a tool that can be used to help make the world a better place. Ask yourself how you can better use money to do that. Also, by the way, it is perfectly fine to do all of the above. :)
Money is energy, and can be used to change the world, no more, no less. Don't be afraid to have money. Think of it as a physical way to empower you, your beliefs and the people, places things you care about!