Money: The Crux of the Problem

“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, pp. 230-32
Alice Bailey, Lucis Publishing Company

The Ageless Wisdom teaches us to look behind the outer world of manifestation and to attempt to view life and its events from the long-range perspective of the world of causes and the subtle world of meaning. All that exists is spiritual and pervaded with energy, even that most material of substances, money itself; it is a form of concretized energy, a golden, lighted substance that at the present time is unevenly distributed. When viewed from the perspective of the inner planes, the money energy of the world is heavily concentrated in certain areas, primarily in the large cities, while large portions of the planet remain, both spiritually and materially, in the dark.

In order to carry forward the hierarchical intentions of the present period, this condition of imbalance in the distribution of the money energy of the world has to change and it has to begin to circulate and turned towards spiritual purposes. The process of change is never easy, and especially so in relationship to a substance as emotionally charged as money. Those who hold the present purse strings of the planet will not easily cede their authority but plans are now being formulated that will arrest the present situation and lead, under the full tide of the Aquarian impulse, to the free and full circulation of the money energy of the world. Our task as spiritual workers, in the broadest sense, is to redeem, or “buy back” the very substance of matter itself so that it can become a vehicle for the light. Redemption is an occult process of transmutation, a type of spiritual alchemy, through which material substance is purified through the agency of fire. This purification can only safely be carried out through a group. It is through this collective appropriation of the will energy by the group that the “fires of love” can release the money energy of the world. What’s essentially happening is that a “new materialism” is coming to birth, whereby the resources of the planet which have heretofore been turned towards the production and accumulation of things is gradually shifting towards the creation of beauty that will release humanity out of slavery and into a new life.

Too often, money carries negative associations related to a collective process of conditioning. These limitations within consciousness have to be left behind as they retard the work that needs to be done. The people who are the most balanced in their relationship with money are those who view it dispassionately, freed from emotional underpinnings, and quite often this attitude has no real relationship to the actual amount of money one has. Money, we are told, is the “crux” of the problem—it is the catalyst behind a project and its lack often brings things to a halt. A debt of gratitude is owed to the many individuals who, over the years, have given freely (sometimes of their very need), to help forward the spiritual work of the world. But because of the crucial nature of the times and the powerful push that is on within both the inner and outer planes of activity, large sums of money are needed if we are going to reach public consciousness on a wide scale. And while we know that the money exists to realize the work that needs to be done, the question remains how to re-direct it into those channels that are reflective of hierarchical intent.

Money for Spiritual Purposes

So much money is spent on non-essentials and luxury items while eight million people die each year simply because they cannot afford to live and millions of others are starving for spiritual truth. 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, it could go a long way towards preparing the path for the return of the world Teacher. It is relatively easy to raise money for humanitarian projects but it is not always so for the spiritual work of the world. Spiritual work is less tangible, less clearly defined consequently people don’t often fail to understand how vitally essential it is. It’s not always apparent that if we advocate for change at the level of consciousness it can bring about fundamental changes in all other areas as well. Spiritual principles, if broadly disseminated along many different avenues, could do so much to change and uplift all aspects of life. The spiritual workers of the world are vitally needed to support this work. If they do not, who will?

Money is, in a certain sense, the life blood of any project and, without it, the work atrophies and dies. 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 the right medium can surely be found to disseminate them more broadly among the masses of humanity. People are hungry to believe in such things because they give hope and a sense of 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 them and respond. In this work many people are needed and all can play their part.

There is a tremendous opportunity at this time but to realize it requires a strong business acumen which naturally includes the ability to manage large sums of money. Spiritual work today is an engaged spirituality that demands a willingness to learn to work effectively with all the skills and resources that the more worldly individuals and organizations use to market their wares, only dedicating them instead to spiritual purposes. The forces of materialism have often been highly successful in manipulating the public but a large scale campaign along the lines of goodwill and right human relations is what is called for. This is happening now as many individuals and groups align to end world hunger, end political corruption and move towards a world at peace.

Spiritual Requirements for the Regeneration of Money

There are a number of pre-requisites needed in order to raise the money to do this work--the primary one being courage. It takes courage to raise money for forward looking ideas, and to do so in a clear and non-fanatical spirit. Also, those individuals who are undertaking this work have to be living in such a way that justifies their asking. We cannot ask if we ourselves are living beyond our means and wasting money on unnecessary items. We have to give ourselves and dedicate our time and energy to its realization. As we do so, we will be able to raise the needed money and the work will increasingly go forward. The money that comes in must be justly used and there should be a minimum of overhead for operations and salaries allowing as much money as possible to go directly into the work itself. Finally, we are asked to cultivate a positive mindset and a firm belief in the future and in humanity that we will eventually see our way out of the present difficulties. We also have to work from the basic principle that the teaching must be given freely, without charge. The understanding is that spiritual work should be made available to all people, regardless of their financial situation. Those who have money to give, provide for those who are unable to do so. As we work in this way, the teaching is made available.

Spiritual Techniques for the Regeneration of the Money Energy of the World

There are two techniques that we can use to help generate the needed money for spiritual purposes: the “noontime recollection” and “the money meditation”. These techniques could serve to effect real changes within the world because of their collective, group nature. Each day, no matter where we are, we can link up at noon with the group and use the noontime recollection to help stimulate the release of love and the principle of sharing in the world.

“I know O Lord of Life and Love about the need;
Touch my heart anew with love, that I, too, may love and give."

These two simple lines, if said with heartfelt intent, can have a tremendous effect. They are meant to accompany the use of the Great Invocation. The keynote of the Great Invocation is sacrifice and the keynote of the “noontime recollection” is love. If we use them effectively, we contribute towards the circulation of money between the three planetary centers of Shamballa, Hierarchy and Humanity. If this work is successful and the triangular circulation of energy is increased, the emphasis upon giving will grow and we can see this happening at this time.

The Sunday morning is called Reflective Meditation on Attracting Money for Hierarchical Purposes. Its purpose is to aid in this process of redeeming 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’re asked to visualize the money energy of the world passing out of the control of the materialistic forces and into the hands of the forces of light. At the close of the meditation we consider our own responsibilities, dedicating our resources to the work that needs to be done.

These practices can be used by all individuals and groups who want to participate in this collective task of freeing the money energy in the world.

This material was adapted from the writings of Alice Bailey which is published by the Lucis Publishing Company, which holds copyright.