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"The important thing is not how much money you manage to accumulate before the body gives out but rather your attitude toward the money you have. There is an old adage among the sages of The Earth, according to which , 'nothing a man does or has is as important as what he thinks about it'."
"Consider the ancient practice of renunciation. It used to be thought that, by giving up all of one's worldly goods, one could achieve nirvana, enlightenment, godliness. Yet many of the ascetics who lived lives of complete renunciation are now reincarnated again as stockbrokers and investors looking for a way to make a 'killing' on the market. Did holiness elude them in that previous experience? Not necessarily. But they may have died to that life without having entirely extinguished every spark of acquisitiveness from the soul and are now back again to allow that ember to burst into full flame. How else can they realize that it is there still?"
"You see, renunciation is often merely a way to 'put aside' a particular lesson or experience until it can be dealt with more expeditiously. In the desperate poverty of 19th Century India, for example, an individual would find little opportunity to learn the lessons that come with riches. But today! With a stock market in which a fortune can be made almost overnight (and as quickly lost), what better setting to allow all the acquisitive desires to surface?"
"Do not read into the foregoing paragraph any condemnation of wealth. It was Mankind who dreamed up the notion that to accumulate excessive riches was wrong, or at least an impediment to achieving higher ground in a spiritual sense. But The Power that created your world passed no such law. Indeed, to impute a disapproval of wealth to a Creator Who has placed such an abundance of it into the garden for His children seems intuitively contradictory, does it not? What We are saying is that the attitude with which wealth (or its absence) is contemplated is the key factor, not how many digits your bank balance may have."
"There are many attitudes toward money (or material things) that do, however, act as impediments to achieving that fine balance of internal traits which Humanity must achieve within the next decades if the marvels of the coming New Age are to flower. Let Us deal briefly with a few of these."
"The primary flaw connected with money is that of allowing material wealth and its acquisition to displace other human values. Everyone is familiar with The Scrooge Complex, thanks to the wonderful Dickens story. There lies within many people an echo of that same viewpoint, impelling them to sacrifice human warmth and love on the glittering altar of material possessions. The premier instance of The Scrooge Complex in the present day is the father who neglects to spend time with his children because he is too busy accumulating money."
"Another defect of the human attitude toward wealth relates to quantity. The current civilization is, unfortunately, one in which wasteful consumption is encouraged. Manufacturers make products with built-in obsolescence, and it is a rare item that outlasts its owner's interest without requiring repair. This circumstance has fostered a conviction that one needs more and more cash merely in order to stay in the race, as it were. It is assumed that the car, the television, and similar items will all have to be replaced at short term or, alternatively, be repaired and maintained at substantial cost. Yet it would have been possible, by using superior materials and manufacturing techniques, to make these products much longer-lasting."
"The approach to money has been further distorted due to the glorification of self which has emerged particularly in The 20th Century. While Humanity's Guides intended and expected that a strong trend toward individualization would occur, it was hoped that the associated inclination toward vanity and self-absorption could be kept in check. It is part of mankind's path to explore the many facets of each individual's make-up, to hone special talents, to develope the delightful quirks and idiosyncracies that make each person unique."
"But vainglory and egotism are stumbling blocks to spiritual advancement. They can never lead a soul to the higher ground of true enlightenment, nor provide a key to unlock any door. And most unhappily, these traits are whipped into a frenzy by the availability of countless items for personal adornment, prestige automobiles for conspicuous consumption, and lavish houses to announce the self to the world. Yet there is a light within all this darkness. It is the opportunity to test oneself against the temptation to accumulate things like an encrustation about the ego."
"If you can walk serenely amid the siren calls of avarice and conceit, turning gently away from vainglory while continuing to develope and foster the internal riches with which The Creative Power has endowed you, then for once and for all you can be free to soar on wings of your own making."
"Then there is the 'I'm poor but I'm spiritual' attitude toward the question of money, an attitude which is held by many seekers and New Age thinkers. Let Us say this as emphatically as We can. It is not spiritual to be poor! The only way to be spiritual is to be spiritual! Indeed, the person who can keep his focus on higher truths while at the same time plunging fully into the world of practical achievement -- making a contribution to society and taking gracefully the rewards which society offers for that effort -- is the one who has truly overcome the temptations of The Material Plane."
"It is easy to triumph over avarice in the hermit's cave or by taking the monastic vows or by drowning in a sea of cheap wine on skid row. It does not come as readily in the midst of plenty."
"What must be understood here is that The Race of Mankind has come at last to face the final lesson of materiality. It must learn to administer the richness of creation for the benefit of all life-forms. It must become the wise and gentle caretaker of The Earth Garden. The 'poverty mentality' has no place in this new scheme of things. Humanity will become fully conscious of the wealth of reality and the endless abundance which The Creative Power has provided and will delight in its role as Custodian of the planet."
"It is lamentable that current modes of thought foster what might be called a 'scarcity syndrome' among many people. The false view has arisen that there is only so much of any given commodity and that the more one person has, the less remains for others. This attitude is particularly in evidence in regard to money itself. Do not fall into the error of imagining that your Material World is one of lacks and limits! No idea could be further from the truth. The horn of plenty, filled to overflowing with every conceivable blessing, awaits but your command to spill its bounty into your life. There are mental techniques that the sages of the world have always used to bring them what they need in the way of prosperity."
"Let Us leave you with one final admonition in regard to wealth. Your greatest material possession is your physical body. As you cherish, care for, and use that body, so should you cherish, care for, and use all other material possessions which The Creative Power has placed upon your table. And just as the day must inevitably come when you lay aside the body, so on that same day must you release your hold on all material things which The Earth Plane has given you to ease and make joyful the journey of life. Be grateful that you have smelled the flowers, that you have touched a loving hand, and that Providence has strewn your path with the treasures of The Earth."
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