This month we are looking at the energy of money. Becoming conscious of how we view money is the first step in changing it up – stepping into a new relationship with money.  In the Money Web exercise you discovered your money story – the unconscious thoughts and beliefs you hold about money. And these beliefs, either consciously or unconsciously held, contribute to the actions you take. Or don’t take.

If you find yourself literally closing your eyes or shutting down your emotions when the topic of money arises, somewhere, sometime, a belief formed in your subconscious mind that going blind to money would ease your pain. Perhaps your father used the withdrawal of your allowance as a punishment for not doing what he expected. Maybe one or both of your parents taught you that only through the pain of hard work would you find the reward of more money.

This is what I call “Money Fog” – blipping out whenever the topic of money comes up.

If you’ve ever come home from the mall with a bag full of shoes or clothes that you don’t need, you know what I’m talking about. To lessen the pain, you become unconscious around your money energy. The following exercise introduces you to a tool that might be helpful in rooting out the childhood stories about money.

Exercise: The Money Timeline Tool

1. On a sheet of paper, or in your journal, draw a straight line from one side of the page to the other. Now label the far-left side “birth” and the far-right side “today.” Divide the line into 7-year increments. Put a big dot at the point on the line representing age seven and label it “7 Years Old.” Mark another big dot and label it “14 Years Old.” Continue all the way along the timeline until you reach the end, and label that big dot with today’s date.
2. Now, remember when you were seven years old. Sit in meditation and picture yourself at that age. See yourself as you might have been in a school picture or a photograph from a holiday celebration. Sit and breathe in the air—the energy—of being seven. Maybe you had a favorite book or loved a specific game such as jacks or tee-ball. Just remember. Think about money. Maybe the tooth fairy left you money. Maybe you received an allowance or money on birthdays and holidays. Remember what it was like to have money at the age of seven. For instance, I remember that half of my birthday money went into my savings account but the other half I could spend. I also remember that there were judgments placed on how I spent my money. My father often asked if I had spent my half wisely. There was a certain level of disappointment on his part if I chose to spend my cash on a frivolous item. I am thankful for the lesson in saving money, which has become a lifelong habit. I also have a tendency to be very serious when it comes to spending my “play money.” I am sure that some of my father’s judgment still resides in my space.
3. Continue with this exercise, remembering what it was like to have money at age fourteen, at twenty-one, and so on until you reach the present time. Journal about your memories.

As we come to understand our deeply held beliefs about money, we are offered a choice – do we stay stuck in our outdated beliefs, or do we move beyond.

Using the technique of tapping is particularly helpful in rooting out some of the most insidious parts of our internal dialogue. See more on tapping here and here. You might also choose to use the tool blowing up a rose.  Removing these stories of pain allows you to move into a conscious awareness around the energy of money. As we remove the stories, the old baggage, we make room for something new.

Begin to think about how you want to view this energy of money. In the next post, we will learn more about moving out of poverty consciousness.

 

 

One of my all time favorite books about money is aptly titled, The Energy of Money, by Dr. Maria Nemeth. I devoured the contents of this book! You can also see a lot of Dr. Nemeth’s work on youtube – please check it out.

 

Read more