Richard Rohr articulates an opportunity for each of us to rediscover a “soulful” relationship with money.
I’m convinced that money and soul are united on a deep level. This truth is reappearing from the deep stream of wisdom traditions after centuries of almost total splitting and separation at the conscious level. There is un río mas profundo, a river beneath the river. The upper stream has always been money in all its forms, beginning with trading and bartering. The deeper stream is the spiritual meaning such exchanges must have for our lives. Money and soul have never been separate in our unconscious because they are both about human exchanges, and therefore, divine exchange, too.
From my perspective, when money and soul are separated, religion is the major loser. Without a vision of wholeness that puts money in its soulful place, religion “sells out.” Religion has allowed itself to lose the only ground on which awe and transcendence stand—the foundation of totally gratuitous and “amazing grace.” [1]
Lynne Twist, founder of the Soul of Money Institute, understands the impact that our culture’s disintegrated view of money has made:
For most of us, this relationship with money is a deeply conflicted one, and our behavior with and around money is often at odds with our most deeply held values, commitments, and ideals—what I call our soul…. I believe that under it all, when you get right down to it and uncover all the things we’re told to believe in, … what deeply matters to human beings, our most universal soulful commitments and core values, is the well-being of the people we love, ourselves, and the world in which we live.
We really do want a world that works for everyone. We don’t want children to go hungry. We don’t want violence and war to plague the planet…. We don’t want torture and revenge and retribution to be instruments of government and leadership. Everyone wants a safe, secure, loving, nourishing life for themselves and the ones they love and really for everyone….
Each of us experiences a lifelong tug-of-war between our money interests and the calling of our soul. When we’re in the domain of soul, we act with integrity. We are thoughtful and generous, allowing, courageous, and committed. We recognize the value of love and friendship….
In the grip of money, those wonderful qualities of soul seem to be less available. We become smaller…. We often grow selfish, greedy, petty, fearful, or controlling…. We see ourselves as winners or losers, powerful or helpless, and we let those labels deeply define us in ways that are inaccurate….
In a world that seems to revolve around money, it is vital that we deepen our relationship with our soul and bring it to bear on our relationship with money…. We can have our money culture both balanced and nourished by soul. [2]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, What Do We Do with Money?, unpublished notes, 2020.
[2] Lynne Twist with Teresa Barker, The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources (W. W. Norton, 2017), 11–12, 17–18, 19–20.
Image credit and inspiration: Aarón Blanco Tejedor, untitled (detail), 2017, photo, Finland, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. An open hand offering apples becomes a quiet critique of greed, embodying the wisdom and spirituality of enoughness where abundance is shared, not hoarded.
Story from Our Community:
On a recent visit to spend time with my family I found myself wrestling with feelings of judgement, frustration, anger, and disappointment. It’s not what I wanted or hoped for during this time. And then I read the meditation about “Welcoming but Not Clinging” to our emotions, learning the lessons, then detaching. It made all the difference. Rather feeling wrong, I let myself feel and process those emotions. It allowed me to be with my family members with whatever came up, and in the end, we all enjoyed and appreciated the gift of time we had together.
—Christine A.
