If you are really wealthy, don’t read this blog. :)
I was reading an article that James Hillman wrote called A Contribution to Soul and Money. In the article, he describes money as an Archetype which translates into psychic energy. This idea struck me as interesting. This psychic energy is limited, so it can only be used by the ego for either external (conscious) development, i.e. manifesting money or internal (unconscious) development of the soul. In our society, money is not the property of the spiritual man. If you have money, you will be spiritually lacking. If you are spiritual, you will lack money.
The conscious position
When our daughter was small, Stephen and I had a business that went bust. During one December, there was no food, only peanut butter sandwiches and no presents under the tree.
Luckily, we recovered and now we are doing ok :-).
Of course, I would love to have more! I would love the freedom of not having to budget for going to the dentist.
Sometimes I buy the Powerball lotto ticket and get carried away with dreams of what I could get with all that money. I would upgrade my house, upgrade my car, upgrade my wardrobe, etc. Basically, I would become a better version of myself.
So what is the problem? Why am I not in that situation of real wealth already?
Simply this, my projection onto wealth is not positive; it is negative.
The unconscious position
My conscious position may be very positive, but unconsciously lies the truth of what I suspect I will become. And for the purposes of this example, you have to imagine the largest amount of money you could have. Have you ever heard that expression “f#k you money”? That is when you have so much money that you own the bank manager and he will do ANYTHING to make you happy. And I mean anything. You have so much money that you can buy people’s loyalty, their trust, change the very nature of reality and believe your own bullshit.
Would you still be you?
Good question, I think not.
So who is the doppelganger waiting in the shadows, ready to take control and usurp me when I have that much money and power?
It took quite a bit of digging and honesty to uncover her. I could not come up with anything until I started thinking about images that made an impression on me during my life. I could not find any images of wealthy icons, so I widened my search and found two Images of power and success.
The Elfin queen Galadriel’s shadow, when she is tempted by the ring. I will never forget that scene where the ring’s power transforms her into an unstoppable powermad demon. All shall love me and despair!
The other image I have is of Madonna, in her early twenties, performing “Holiday” for American Bandstand in 1984. Afterwards, the host asked her what her dreams were, and she replied, “I want to rule the world”.
And after doing some more soul searching, I have realised two things about myself.
One, I am a complete powerjunkie! I want power, I want to wield it as a sword – Off with their heads! I am the mad queen who wants to be worshipped above all else. I want autocracy – total and complete. Yes, that is all in me.
And two, once I have all that stuff, what is my excuse going to be for not being exceptional? What obstacle can I blame then? And how am I going to become exceptional and make a mark in this world? I am quite talented, but not that talented.
So this is the rub. With lots of money comes a powerful unconscious complex that I will not be able to control. It will possess me and find expression. I can’t allow that. I don’t want to be that. I want to be good and nice and spiritual. I want to be a muse.
I also am not exceptional in any way. And with mediocrity comes a valid reason for being ordinary. No pressure.
Do you think I will ever be really wealthy?
If you can relate to the above, keep reading.
An alternative to wanting money?
You certainly don’t need to pursue money. It does not need to be about the money at all. It can be about passion, expression of yourself, meaning, etc. This way, you pursue happiness in a sense.
So your work/career becomes about doing what you love to do. Then, whether you make money or not is not an issue. And if your passion does make money, be sure that you don’t get distracted by the money, because if you change your focus, you may jeopardise your relationship with your passion. The focus must always be on the love of what you are doing.
I, for one, think this would be a very meaningful way to live your life. Not only will you contribute to society with your passion for what you do, but it will be untainted by ulterior motives and will be an inspiration for all who know you.
I also think that there is no greater gift you can give your children than this example of personal passion and fulfilment. For sure, anyone who follows this path will be sure to have a life of meaning.
And if you can’t live without it?
But what do you do if you really want money/power/success?
You will have to realise that you can’t be the person you are now and have money. You will have to change. Whatever you are projecting onto the money is what you will have to become. Are you willing to do that?
Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I am certainly not saying that wealthy, powerful people are not nice. I am saying that to me, they are not nice. So, for me to become wealthy and powerful, I will have to adopt a less-than-nice persona. But that is just me. There are a lot of wealthy people who are nice, and maybe I can work on this neurosis until I can be nice and super wealthy. And that is the third option. But for the moment, this is where I am at.
So there you have it, not simple but interesting. I think that finding out what you project onto money is a good start to some real internal work.
May your pockets be heavy and your heart light,
Anja