Money and the Course, Part II
(For Part I, which discusses money and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, click here.)
What isn’t love is fear. Love asks the question, “What part of this is helpful in awakening the Part of God that dreams it is not-God?” It is grateful for what is helpful and it disregards what is not helpful. Fear, however, separates out by making judgments of good/bad, right/wrong, valuable/invaluable. Those who fear must see themselves as on the side of good/right/valuable and others as bad/wrong/invaluable to define their separate selves. Certainly the people who write to tell me I am wrong to make my living mentoring students of A Course in Miracles are coming from fear. Their fear is not about my teaching and guiding students who want to learn faster and easier. Their fear has to do with my asking for money. They have decided that money is bad and that it is therefore wrong to use the Course in any way to make money.
Money is not evil. It is nothing. But no one here can live with no illusions, for he must yet strive to have the last illusion be accepted by everyone everywhere. He has a mighty part in this one purpose, for which he came. He stays here but for this. And while he stays he will be given what he needs to stay. (P-3.III.1)
Like everything else in the world, money is neutral; it has no meaning of its own. All the meaning it has comes from the mind of the one thinking about it. Money is necessary in the world and how you view it will depend on your own goal for the world. If maintaining the world as your reality is your goal, then money will mean power to you because it is necessary in the world. You will want a lot of it to feel secure. When you feel you don’t have enough of it you will feel powerless and frightened and angry and you will rail against the fact that money is necessary. You will denigrate money to deny your feelings of powerlessness. You will resent those who have more than you because you are envious or you feel deprived. You will be greedy for money and/or you may be a miser hording your money in fear of lack. You will dream of a utopian world where everyone gives and gives without asking for anything in exchange so everyone can be on a level playing field.
If you want to maintain the world as your reality and you have a lot of money, you will feel guilty for depriving others of power. You may feel this guilt outright and give a lot of your money away to appease your guilt. Or you may hide your guilt behind defensive justifications or self-destruction.
But if you are using the world to remember your Self in God, then money has no value for you personally. You don’t have to think about money. You are only here so the Holy Spirit can work through you, so you are certain the Holy Spirit will provide what is needed until you are done in the world. You leave all decisions, including those about money, up to the Holy Spirit.
Any conflict you feel about turning money over to the Holy Spirit reflects your conflicting goals for the world. If you still have goals apart from being here so the Holy Spirit can work through you, you will fear sacrifice in turning financial decisions over to the Holy Spirit. You may do it on occasion, but never consistently. But when you are truly ready to turn your life in the world over to the Holy Spirit, you will recognize you have to turn your finances over, too, because there is no life in the world without money.
Since money has no power of its own it cannot harm. Only thoughts can seem to harm and they can only seem to harm the mind of the thinker. If you fear money, the fear is not in the money but in your own mind. The distorted perception of money as power is a choice and can be changed. Some choose to see money as love or gratitude and they exchange it gratefully with others.
At the heart of the discomfort that I make a living by providing a service to students of the Course is lack of faith. Lack of faith that there is a Holy Spirit to guide us and to work through us; lack of faith that the Holy Spirit will use what we have made to lead us back to God; lack of faith that the Holy Spirit knows what we need while we seem to be in the world; and ultimately, a lack of faith that God is inevitable and that the awakening of the Part of God that dreams it is not-God is unfolding perfectly.
Yet is the ending certain. For God's Will is done in earth and Heaven. (W-292.1)
>>>>
One-on-one study, support and guidance are available for students of A Course in Miracles who want inner peace, harmonious relationships and a deep sense of purpose faster and easier. Visit www.acimmentor.com. There you will also find an archive-by-topic for this blog and booklets to deepen your understanding of the Course.
What isn’t love is fear. Love asks the question, “What part of this is helpful in awakening the Part of God that dreams it is not-God?” It is grateful for what is helpful and it disregards what is not helpful. Fear, however, separates out by making judgments of good/bad, right/wrong, valuable/invaluable. Those who fear must see themselves as on the side of good/right/valuable and others as bad/wrong/invaluable to define their separate selves. Certainly the people who write to tell me I am wrong to make my living mentoring students of A Course in Miracles are coming from fear. Their fear is not about my teaching and guiding students who want to learn faster and easier. Their fear has to do with my asking for money. They have decided that money is bad and that it is therefore wrong to use the Course in any way to make money.
Money is not evil. It is nothing. But no one here can live with no illusions, for he must yet strive to have the last illusion be accepted by everyone everywhere. He has a mighty part in this one purpose, for which he came. He stays here but for this. And while he stays he will be given what he needs to stay. (P-3.III.1)
Like everything else in the world, money is neutral; it has no meaning of its own. All the meaning it has comes from the mind of the one thinking about it. Money is necessary in the world and how you view it will depend on your own goal for the world. If maintaining the world as your reality is your goal, then money will mean power to you because it is necessary in the world. You will want a lot of it to feel secure. When you feel you don’t have enough of it you will feel powerless and frightened and angry and you will rail against the fact that money is necessary. You will denigrate money to deny your feelings of powerlessness. You will resent those who have more than you because you are envious or you feel deprived. You will be greedy for money and/or you may be a miser hording your money in fear of lack. You will dream of a utopian world where everyone gives and gives without asking for anything in exchange so everyone can be on a level playing field.
If you want to maintain the world as your reality and you have a lot of money, you will feel guilty for depriving others of power. You may feel this guilt outright and give a lot of your money away to appease your guilt. Or you may hide your guilt behind defensive justifications or self-destruction.
But if you are using the world to remember your Self in God, then money has no value for you personally. You don’t have to think about money. You are only here so the Holy Spirit can work through you, so you are certain the Holy Spirit will provide what is needed until you are done in the world. You leave all decisions, including those about money, up to the Holy Spirit.
Any conflict you feel about turning money over to the Holy Spirit reflects your conflicting goals for the world. If you still have goals apart from being here so the Holy Spirit can work through you, you will fear sacrifice in turning financial decisions over to the Holy Spirit. You may do it on occasion, but never consistently. But when you are truly ready to turn your life in the world over to the Holy Spirit, you will recognize you have to turn your finances over, too, because there is no life in the world without money.
Since money has no power of its own it cannot harm. Only thoughts can seem to harm and they can only seem to harm the mind of the thinker. If you fear money, the fear is not in the money but in your own mind. The distorted perception of money as power is a choice and can be changed. Some choose to see money as love or gratitude and they exchange it gratefully with others.
At the heart of the discomfort that I make a living by providing a service to students of the Course is lack of faith. Lack of faith that there is a Holy Spirit to guide us and to work through us; lack of faith that the Holy Spirit will use what we have made to lead us back to God; lack of faith that the Holy Spirit knows what we need while we seem to be in the world; and ultimately, a lack of faith that God is inevitable and that the awakening of the Part of God that dreams it is not-God is unfolding perfectly.
Yet is the ending certain. For God's Will is done in earth and Heaven. (W-292.1)
>>>>
One-on-one study, support and guidance are available for students of A Course in Miracles who want inner peace, harmonious relationships and a deep sense of purpose faster and easier. Visit www.acimmentor.com. There you will also find an archive-by-topic for this blog and booklets to deepen your understanding of the Course.
Comments
Thanks again,
Mike
I think that you all are right, just knowing that when Spirit guides you, will let you know what you need to know at the time..We just need to be open to it.
If you feel good charging or paying for a service (time) do it!! and if not, I'm sure there's other people who doesn't who you can go to..just feel the LOVE for everyone in both sides! <3