![]() 1/25/2018 The other day, the words on my Hay House calendar hit home. “I have a great relationship with money. It loves me and fills my pockets.” No. Not even close. I’ve been in a struggle with my money story all my life: from not having it and wanting it, to having it and letting it slip away, to having barely enough, to having not enough, to feeling shame and deficit because of it. You see, I’ve believed that money isn’t real for a very long time. That it’s a made-up thing. It started out as shells and cattle; stones and salt (yes, salt), not bills and coins; certainly not checks and credit cards. If you had something I wanted or needed, I could trade you some pretty shells for it. If I had something you needed or wanted, you’d offer me some unique and lovely shells, which, in turn, got you the thing you wanted. At some point, the business of ‘government’ chose to be the sole creators of money because, not unlike early religious organizations, “government was created to control a population larger than those who wished to control it.” If you control money, you control the people. There’s a true story about early money; shells and stones: “An example which takes this tendency to the extreme is the rai stone, used as currency on the Micronesian island Yap. Not only do these huge wheel-shaped carved stones not have a practical use, they are also far too large to be practically transported. Instead, the Yapese keep an oral history of each stone owner, and the value of the stone was determined partially by its historical heft. In one instance, a rai stone even sank to the sea floor, but remained in the economic system of the island. Islanders would simply agree to transfer ownership of the stone without ever having to see it for themselves.[1]” So, it surprised me the other day when I had a realization; not about my money story but about money’s story about itself. Systems thinking. “A system is an entity which maintains its existence through the mutual interaction of its parts.[2]” What this means is, if we’re talking about money, money should have a seat at the table as an entity unto itself. Otherwise, it’s just gossip, isn’t it? While there is so much more to say about systems and governments, for now, let this suffice. So, what does money think about how it’s used in today’s society? I asked it that very question and here’s what came back to me: · Money is in pain about how its story has changed; “WTF, Humans?” was the energy that came back to me after asking the question. · Money never wanted Humans to suffer because of it, or the lack of it or the surplus of it, either · Money sees the greed in the eyes of Humans who hoard it and use it to brag of their wealth; those who ask so much for their product, service or work that others have to gulp before they say yes or have to say no because the price is out of reach. · Money realizes that the story has gone too far in the hands of Humans for money to change the story, even as a system · Money wants to be used for good, to create more good · Money delights in service and stewardship; it has a “let it flow” attitude that always finds its way back to the giver So, with that, I’m learning to change my money story. I am its ally; not its enemy. It is my ally, not my enemy. I will never again see money as something made-up; I acknowledge its existence as a vital system within our systems. If I use it benevolently, as it would like to be used, it will come back to me as something unique and beautiful, not a trophy that separates me from the rest of Humanity; a connector to Humanity AND the planet AND all living beings. Ask me about my money story. Here’s what you’ll hear: “Money is a system; an entity unto itself that holds at its core an intention of generosity and abundance.” “I use money as a loving extension of myself; caring for my needs, yes, and caring for the needs of others and the planet.” “I have a great relationship with money. It loves me and fills my pockets.” Linda Lombardo, 1/25/18
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