Money is . . . .

When students arrive for the first class in the Healing Money workshop, they find the words “Money is. . .” written on the board and are invited to write the first word or two that comes to mind. I ask them not to edit - to write the very first internal response even if they don’t like it or don’t understand it.

Occasionally the responses will be words like “leisure” or “freedom.” More often “Money is. . .” evokes answers like “scary,” “hard,” “painful,” or “a necessary evil.” Seeing these responses over the years has prompted me to ask what I think is an important question - what if everything we believe about money is wrong?

We know that there are many people, some of them considered wealthy, who have ease with money. They transact with it effectively, paying their bills on time, saving regularly, investing wisely, donating generously, and using it to live comfortable lives. So while some may experience money as hard, painful or scary, it certainly isn’t inherently so.

We also know people who use money in ways that grant them freedom or leisure. It is the choice of how to use money that allows the freedom and leisure, not the money itself.

Whatever experience we have with money is based on our understanding of it, and the thoughts we think about it. If we believe that money is a necessary evil or that it is incomprehensible, we will likely avoid dealing with it at all, or as little as possible. This can show up as late payments, overdrawn accounts, no savings or investments, unconscious spending, or under earning.

If we believe that money is an important resource whose handling can be learned and mastered, we will have an easier relationship with it and put it to better use in our lives.

The Healing Money workshop teaches that there is a far more powerful way of understanding money, one that allows us to use it as a transformative force. Money is a spiritual resource, a form of Divine Substance readily available to be used for healing. The workshop title, Healing Money, refers to healing our individual relationship with money, and also to money as a healing force in our lives and the world.

When we come to understand money in a spiritual context, we can learn to use it to bring our High Holy Dreams into being, and effect remarkable changes in our world. Instead of avoiding or resisting interacting with money, we embrace its amazing energy. We create a powerful partnership with this misunderstood resource and learn how to use it for healing and empowering ourselves as we help to heal and empower others.

What answers might appear in response to the words “Money is . . .” if we understood it this way? Money is amazing, wondrous, blessed, delightful, a prayer, a mitzvah, a renewal? Money is a rebuilt village, a hospital in Honduras, a soccer field in Bosnia, a library in a small town in Alabama? Money is a sense of competence, a connection with others in the world, an expression of our natural generosity? Healing Money grads have shared these answers.

They've also told me that money is a month in an ancient stone mill house in France, an education in nonprofit management, a small farm where herbal arts are taught, an independent film, a creative family board game, a gallery show of photographic art. They say money is a horse dancer, learning Spanish, wedding cake artistry, a screen writing award, many travels all over the world, lots of career changes, businesses sold or closed, others bought or started, yoga teacher certification, healing centers, educations completed. They've experienced money as a Sting concert, many first homes, connection to community, an adopted child, tango lessons, and so many more possibilities that became available when we asked the question, What if everything we believe about money is wrong?