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Money for Spiritual Work
“Visualize money as a great stream of flowing substance, passing
out of the control of the Forces of Materialism and into the control of
the Forces of Light.”
Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. II,
Alice Bailey
Perhaps the greatest hindrance to the realization of the spiritual work
in the world lies in the lack of money with which to carry it out. Money
is the “crux of the problem.” The money exists, we all
know that, yet the problem remains how to redirect it towards spiritual
purposes. Those who hold the purse strings of the planet will not
easily cede their authority but the growing impress of Aquarian energies
will lead eventually to the free and full circulation of the money energy
of the world. Our task as a group is to contribute towards this
effort to redeem, or re-key the very substance of matter itself so that
it can become a vehicle for the manifestation of the light. Currently,
the majority of money is keyed to a low vibration and is therefore attracted
to things and activities of a similar vibration. By cleansing and
reenergizing the money that passes through our hands it can be keyed to
the work of the Hierarchy and attracted to any and all efforts in support
of the One Life. Furthermore, as the seemingly small amounts of money
passes through our hands, they touch the bank accounts of many magnetizing
these funds as well through the homeopathic principle. “Whether
the sum is large or small, it can become an attractive and magnetic unit
in the masters’ plans.”
The Ageless Wisdom teaches that all forms of life are intertwined and
connected through a vast web of relationship. Essentially, there is no
separation, no mine and thine; such thoughts are part of the great illusion
that have enslaved human consciousness and prevented our penetration into
the light. Viewed from the spiritual angle money is understood as a concretized
form of energy--a golden, lighted substance that is increasingly becoming
a fluid, “liquid” substance--a change that is having profound
implications for us all. As money moves out from underneath the weight
of its former crystallized state, it is being freed to flow in new directions,
in alignment with its higher spiritual destiny, which is “the consolidation
of the loving, living energy of divinity.” In this regard we’re
told in the teachings that “the greater the realization and expression
of love, the freer will be the inflow of that which is needed to carry
forward the work. ” Traditionally money has been used for individual
and family need and for the satisfying of our selfish desire; as we enter
into the Aquarian Age, it is beginning to be used for group and world need
and as an instrument of goodwill and right human relations.
Large sums of money are needed for the spiritual work of the world, especially
the work of preparation for the coming World Teacher. As the Tibetan
wrote, “…millions are needed to spread the required knowledge
of the hierarchical Plan; millions are needed to further the work of men
[and women] of goodwill; millions are needed to educate the masses in the
fact that He for Whom all …[people] wait is on His way back to ordinary
visibility.” And while it is relatively easy to raise money
for the humanitarian and educational work of the world, this is not the
case when it comes to promoting the far-reaching ideas of the Ageless Wisdom. Spiritual
work is less tangible, less clearly defined and, consequently, people fail
to understand how vitally essential it is. It is therefore incumbent upon
those of us who believe in these ideas to support them both financially
and with our energy and time. So much more could be done if only
a fraction of the money energy of the planet were to be re-directed towards
meeting the material and spiritual needs of the people. People err
in thinking that their small contributions are not important. In
fact, it is precisely the small sums of money, given regularly over time,
that provide the seed that sustains all the work.
Money is, in a certain sense, the life blood of any project and, without
it, the work atrophies and dies. However, a great campaign to raise
money is not necessary; the focus instead should be placed upon the dissemination
of ideas. That is why it is so important to have a clear presentation
of our message. Money flows into avenues that are magnetic and vibrant,
into ideas that carry authenticity and that consequently evoke a ready
response from peoples’ minds and hearts. Concepts taken from
the Ageless Wisdom teachings, while of ancient origin, are still largely
unknown among the general public and money is needed to disseminate them
more widely among the masses of humanity. People are hungry for something
to believe in, to feel a sense of hope and expectancy for the future. The
task then becomes one of devising a means of presenting the ideas in such
a way that people will understand and respond to.
Traditionally, part of the problem in funding spiritual work has been
that some of the most dedicated spiritual seekers have turned their interests
so wholly away from physical plane matters that money, and the means of
managing it, have never been at the top of their list of priorities or
interests. This creates a problem because this seeming “otherworldliness,” this
lack of interest in practical affairs, often renders them unable to attract
the needed money with which to carry forward their work. This is
decidedly not the case with the more materially-oriented individuals and
groups who usually have little difficulty manifesting the necessary funding
to manifest their projects. So many negative attitudes towards money have
developed over the centuries and hampered the work that needs to be done
at this most crucial time in our planetary history. A valuable exercise,
therefore, is to begin to examine our attitudes and our personal sense
of responsibility in relationship to the money that flows through our hands,
with the intent of beginning to see clearly the ways in which we are contributing
to the present conditions.
Humanity’s relationship with money is changing under the influence
of the incoming energy of the seventh ray, bringing in a new breed of spiritual
worker, those who know how to work lovingly with substance and who possess
all the skills and resources to generate the large sums of money needed
for the spiritual work. Eventually, under the full tide of the Aquarian
impulse, there will be a blending of spirit and matter and a free and full
circulation of the money energy of the world. And there are spiritual techniques
that can facilitate this process. They involve the use of the spiritual
will by groups of individuals who are living sacrificial lives, asking
nothing for the separated self and giving all they can to the work that
needs to be done. By such means they will create a channel through
which the needed supply will be directed. It is the combination of need,
the ardent desire to meet that need, and the sure knowledge that it can
be met that will release the needed funding for the building of the new
world. We work with an understanding of the Law of Supply and Demand,
establishing the right conditions within consciousness that create a magnetic
aura that, in turn, attracts the “supply” needed to carry out
the work. The Tibetan tells us “The secret is: use, demand,
take. Only as the door is unlocked by the law of demand is another
and higher door unlocked permitting supply.” iii
We do, however, live in a material world, with very real and, at times,
overwhelming material considerations. As a consequence, we are often
impeded in our ability to make spiritual decisions and abide by them. Therefore,
the changes demanded of each one of us in order to serve the Plan require
courage and persistence and the ability to stand firm amidst life’s
challenges. If we make the needed reorientations within our lives, there
are forces at work within the world that will support us in the work that
we seek to do and we can count on them.
* * * * *
There is a meditation that many people are using each Sunday morning to
aid in this process of re-directing the money energy of the world. In
this meditation, we are asked to visualize the redemption of humanity
that would become possible through the right use of money. We visualize
money as a great stream of flowing, golden substance, and see it as passing
out of control by the forces of materialism and into the control of the
forces of light. The more people who participate in this work, the more
rapidly will we become able to free up the money needed for spiritual purposes.
Another powerful, yet simple technique to generate the needed money is
the use of the “noontime
recollection.”
I know O Lord of Life and Love about the need
Touch my heart anew with
love, that I, too, may love and give.iv
Every day at noon, no matter where we are or what we might be doing, we
can subjectively link up with the worldwide group of people who are
using this simple mantram. Through this activity we help stimulate
humanity to give and share with others.
* * * *
Extracts from the Tibetan upon the Spiritual Significance of Money
“Money is the manifestation of energy. All energy can be applied
in differing ways, being in itself an impersonal and blind force. It
can be selfishly or unselfishly used. That, in itself, constitutes
the main difference. Motive and creative thought determine the magnetic
power of any individual, group or centre. Determine your motive;
see that your group ideal and group love are dominant; use skill in action;
this will involve right preliminary meditation, plus correct thinking;
then you will find that that which you need will be forthcoming.”
Discipleship
in the New Age, Vol. II, p. 229
“When desire is absent and the individual seeks nothing for the
separated self, the responsibility of material wealth can again be handed
back…, but his [or her] point of view will then be free from that
particular glamour, and the fogs of astral desire will be lessened.” GLA,
p. 75
“…freedom from material things carries with it its own beauty
and reward, its own joy and glory. Thus [we] are liberated to live
the life of the mind.” GLA, p. 76
“The forces of destruction, militating against the Forces of good,
have (to use your American phrase) "cornered" the money assets
of the world and have turned the tide of prana—which automatically
crystallises into money and in the financial wealth of the world—towards
entirely material, separative and personal ends. It is not easily available,
therefore, for the spread and culture of goodwill and this applies equally
to the money which is in the hands of aspirants, as in the hands of those
who are purely selfishly minded. So many aspirants have not learnt to give
with sacrifice. If you can reach some of the financial abundance and deflect
it towards the ends of the Great White Lodge of which the Christ is the
Master, it will be, at this time, one of the most constructive things you
can do to help. EXH 62
These men and women of goodwill and spiritual inclination must reject
the thought of their relative uselessness, insignificance and futility,
and realise that now (in the critical and crucial moment that has come)
they can work potently. The Forces of Evil are defeated, though not yet "sealed" behind
the door where humanity can put them and which the New Testament foretold
would happen. The world is in the balance again. Evil is seeking every
avenue available for a new approach but—and this I say with confidence
and insistence—the little people of the world, enlightened and selfless
in their viewpoint, exist in sufficient numbers to make their power felt—if
they will. There are millions of spiritually-minded men and women in every
country who, when they come to the point of approaching in mass formation
this question of money, can permanently rechannel it. EXH, 628
A great campaign to raise money is not demanded, but the selfless work
of thousands of apparently unimportant people is required. I would say,
my brothers, that the most needed quality is courage; it takes courage
to put aside diffidence, shyness and the dislike of presenting a point
of view, particularly a point of view connected with money. It is here
that the majority fail. It is relatively easy today to raise money for
the Red Cross, for hospitals and for educational institutions. It is exceedingly
difficult to raise money for the spread of goodwill, or to secure financial
sources and the right use of money for forward looking ideas, such as the
return of the Christ. Therefore I say that the first prerequisite is courage.
The second requirement for the workers of the Christ is to make those
sacrifices and arrangements which will enable them to give to the limit
of their capacity; there must not be simply a trained ability to present
the subject, but each worker must practise what he preaches. If, for instance,
the millions of people who love the Christ and seek to serve His cause
gave at least a tiny sum of money each year, there would be adequate funds
for His work; the needed trusts and the spiritually-minded trustees would
then automatically appear. The difficulty is not with the organising of
the money and work; it lies with the seeming inability of people to give.
For one reason or another, they give little or nothing, even when interested
in such a cause as that of the return of the Christ; fear, or the love
of purchasing, or the desire to give presents, or failure to realise that
many small sums mount up into very large sums—all these things militate
against financial generosity, and the reason always seems adequate. Therefore,
the second prerequisite is for everyone to give as they can.
Thirdly, the metaphysical schools and the esoteric groups have given much
thought to this business of directing money into channels which appeal
to them. The question is often asked: Why do the Unity School of thought,
the Christian Science Church, and many New Thought movements always manage
to accumulate the required funds, whilst other groups, and particularly
the esoteric groups, do not? Why do truly spiritual workers seem unable
to materialise what they need? The answer is a simple one. Those groups
and workers who are the closest to the spiritual ideal are as a house divided
against itself. Their main interest is on abstract spiritual levels, and
they have not apparently grasped the fact that the physical plane, when
motivated from the spiritual levels, is of equal importance. The large
metaphysical [Page 630] schools are focussed on making a material demonstration,
and so great is their emphasis and so one-pointed is their approach that
they get what they demand; they have to learn that the demand and its answer
must be the result of spiritual purpose, and that that which is demanded
must not be for the use of the separated self or for a separative organisation
or church. In the new age which is upon us, prior to the return of the
Christ, the demand for financial support must be for the bringing about
of right human relations and goodwill, and not for the growth of any particular
organisation. The organisations so demanding must work with the minimum
of overhead and central plant, and the workers for the minimum yet reasonable
salary. Not many such organisations exist today, but the few now functioning
can set an example which will be rapidly followed, as the desire for the
return of the Christ grows. Therefore the third prerequisite is the service
of the one humanity.
The fourth prerequisite must be the careful presentation of the cause
for which the financial support is required. People may have the courage
to speak, but an intelligent presentation is of equal importance. The major
point to be emphasised in the preparatory work for the return of Christ
is the establishing of right human relations. This has already been started
by men of goodwill all over the world, under their many names, and here
I have done naught but indicate another motive for presentation.
We come now to the fifth prerequisite: a vital and sure belief in humanity
as a whole. There must be no pessimism as to the future of mankind or distress
over the disappearance of the old order. The good, the true and the beautiful
is on its way, and for it mankind is responsible, and not some outer divine
intervention. Humanity is sound and rapidly awakening. EXH, 629-30
The aspirant has an appreciation of the occult value of money in service. He
seeks nothing for himself, save that which may equip him for the work to
be done, and he looks upon money and that which money can purchase as something
which is to be used for others and as a means to bring about the fruition
of the Master's plans as he senses those plans. The occult significance
of money is little appreciated, yet one of the greatest tests as to the
position of a man upon the Probationary Path is that which concerns his
attitude to and his handling of that which all men seek in order to gratify
desire. Only he who desires naught for himself can be a recipient
of financial bounty, and a dispenser of the riches of the universe. In
other cases where riches increase they bring with them naught but sorrow
and distress, discontent, and misuse. IHS, 89
If you cannot yourself teach or preach or write, give of your thought
and of your money so that others can. Give of your hours and minutes
of leisure so as to set others free to serve the Plan; give of your money
so that the work of those associated with the New Group of World Servers
may go forward with rapidity. Much time you waste on non-essentials. Many
of you give little or nothing of time. The same is the case with
money. Give as never before, and so make the physical aspects of
the work possible. Some give of their very need, and the power they
thereby release is great. Those on the inner side are grateful for
the giving by those who can give only at great personal cost. Others
give of what they can spare and only when it needs no sacrifice to give. Let
that condition also end, and give to the limit, with justice and understanding,
so that the age of love and light may be more rapidly ushered in. I
care not where or to whom you give, only that you give,—little if
you have but little of time or money, much if you have much. Work
and give, love and think, and aid those groups who are building and not
destroying, loving and not attacking, lifting and not tearing down. Be
not taken in by the specious argument that destruction is needed. It
has been needed, no doubt; but the cycle of destruction is practically
over, could you but realise it, and the builders must now get busy.
EPI, 188-89
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