A Prosperity Treatment

Cover of Prosperity

Twenty-Third Psalm
(Revised)

The Lord is my banker; my credit is good.
He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of omnipresent abundance;
He giveth me the key to His strongbox.
He restoreth my faith in His riches;
He guideth me in the paths of prosperity for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the very shadow of debt,
I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me;
Thy silver and Thy gold, they secure me.
Thou preparest a way for me in the presence of the collector;
Thou fillest my wallet with plenty; my measure runneth over.
Surely goodness and plenty will follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall do business in the name of the Lord forever.

by Charles Fillmore, Prosperity, 1915.

Tune Into the Flow

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Having a healthy relationship with money is similar to having a healthy relationship with another human being. While it requires some quality attention and intention, it is not true that the more “effort” you put into it the better. Money may be a little trickier than a personal relationship, because intensity is actually never a good thing. The funny thing about money energy is that the more desperately we cling to it, the more it tends to be repelled from us.

More

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If some is good, more must be better, right?

In our culture we are so accustomed to messages that tell us that bigger, taller, and faster is better. We need more of this, that and the other. A quarter pound hamburger is good. Surely the half pound must be better. We super size everything from our food to our houses, in an attempt to satisfy our emotional needs and wants.

Avoiding is Obsessing

What is it about human beings that typically we only have a binary view of money? We either make it into an idol or label it evil. For most of us it is the reason we do what we do, whether our choices lead us in the pursuit or the avoidance of money.

Partnership

Who are the important partners in your life and, in particular, your financial life? Your spouse? Your parents? Your boss or place of employment? Your clients?

The funny thing about money is that we often get so tied up in our heads with the partnering, planning, preparing and implementation of our “financial strategies” that we rarely begin at the beginning.

Loving Discipline

I am basking in the satisfaction of having completed my income tax filing this weekend. I am feeling quite organized and accomplished in my financial life having completed this task well in advance of the deadline. In my glow of triumph, I was sitting and thinking about how wonderful the fruits of discipline actually are.

Our Daily Bread

The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.
- Ernest Holmes

The Lord’s prayer says give us this day our daily bread. What is this daily bread and what is the nature of how we receive this bread?

The "Winter"

As I sit home-bound during the third significant snowstorm this winter, the stillness has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the gifts of the season.  For many of us, the doldrums of winter are a trying time. Daylight is limited and we are generally less active. Our energy is lackluster and we very often experience the uncomfortable feelings that we avoid in our busyness. Animals cope with this season by hibernating, but the human animal resists the cyclical nature of life and growth. The medical profession even has a diagnosis for extreme symptoms, Seasonal Affective Disorder. We may try to overcome it but in the end, we cannot help but experience these ebbs and flows.

Financial Security??

Are you seeking or have you achieved financial security? What do the words mean to you? Do you know someone who is financially secure?

In truth these words are probably one of the biggest fabrications that has been used to brainwash us. Financial security is not a real thing. Security cannot come from or be based on financial things. Money is energy and therefore has an impetus to flow, transform and change. If we are looking to money (or any external thing) for security, we will always be left wanting.

Loving Work

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Why do you do the work that you do? Is it for the money? Do you love what you do? Please give this question some serious consideration and answer honestly, because you must understand that the answer is critically important to your experience of wealth. Love is not something that comes to us from outside ourselves. Love is an internal orientation to the world, a posture from which we have gratitude and appreciation for the details of our life.

Story Time

Are your stories facilitators of your dreams or heavy baggage that prevents you from moving forward and living life fully?

What are the stories you tell yourself about money, your life and God? We are creatures created for sole purpose transformation, and yet we have this inner need to find some stability to which we can cling. Unfortunately, for most of us this takes the form of holding on to narratives about our lives and ourselves that are no longer serving us well. Inevitably either for our benefit or detriment, our experiences are radically shaped by the stories we tell ourselves. These deep-seated beliefs that we carry with us in every moment are not necessarily the “truth” about us, but they become our reality.