Connecting to the Flow of Abundance

We’ve heard the saying before, “You get what you give.” This is true in many aspects of our lives, like our relationships and careers. And it is equally relevant for the flow of money in our lives.

There is a great misconception about spirituality and money that goes something like this:

If I am going to be a spiritually-minded person when it comes to money:

– I will have no control over it
– I need to be less concerned about it
– I can’t have a lot of it

None of these things is true.

There is nothing kabbalistic about that misconception. In fact, the very meaning of the word Kabbalah is to receive. At its core, this spiritual practice is all about how we receive in life and for what purpose.

We are meant to have more of everything. I know what you’re thinking…Excuse me, what? How is this part of a spiritual practice? The Creator wants you to have total fulfillment, physically and spiritually. Poverty is not a prerequisite of spiritual growth.

While money means different things to different people: greed, envy, power, happiness, security, and status, to name a few, money doesn’t inherently represent any of that. We assign it meaning and importance based on our own emotions, experiences, and upbringing.

Simply, money is energy. It is the physical manifestation of energy. A piece of paper with $1 written on it in special ink has no intrinsic value other than the value we all agree to assign to it. So, what is a dollar? Potential energy. Maybe that dollar transforms into part of a car, or house, a meal, or a pen.

While many spend focus, effort, and time accumulating more, what matters most is how much joy and fulfillment you get out of the money you have. Enjoying money is something American’s really struggle with. In AP’s latest Stress in America survey, they found that 72% of Americans reported feeling stressed about money at least sometime in the prior month. According to the 2021 Capital One Credit Wise survey, 73% of Americans rank their finances as the most significant source of stress in their lives. Seventy-three percent is a lot.

Seventy percent of married couples argue about money ahead of fights about household chores, togetherness, sex, snoring, and what is for dinner. Of couples without children under 18, 64% argue about money, while 80% of couples with children younger than 18 argue about money. Clearly, we need to work on this.

So, how do we get more joy and fulfillment out of money?

By sharing it.

The kabbalists teach that cultivating a desire to receive is not wrong as long as it is for the sake of sharing. A spiritual life does not preclude desiring and growing in physical blessings (be it money or otherwise), but desiring more and receiving more is a necessary part of our spiritual life in order to share that abundance with others. Therefore, the abundance we experience in life is rooted in our desire to receive.

Of course, wanting more and believing that you can have more are two different things. That is why people settle in jobs or careers where they are not happy—because they do not believe that they could make more money doing something that they actually love. Our worth is very much tied to how much people are willing to pay us for what we do. And these two things are not necessarily equal. We have to rethink money in order to stop underestimating what we think we can have.

As I stated before, money is energy. Thinking of it this way helps us understand the way it flows in and out of our lives. Like energy, we cannot “own” money. If a person thinks—consciously or unconsciously—that money belongs to them, they are basically cutting off the energy within that money from its source, the Creator. We maintain a steady flow of abundance in our lives when we remove our egos from thoughts about money and maintain a consciousness of not owning money. Rather, we are the stewards of whatever money we have for the opportunity to share it in meaningful ways.

I love this parable that explains how money flows in the physical world.

There was once an ancient kabbalist by the name of Rav Zusha of Anipoli. Everyday after he would complete his morning prayers, he spoke aloud to the Creator. “Blessed Creator, your humble servant, Zusha, would like some breakfast now.” Immediately following this, his attendant would arrive and serve him breakfast.

This continued on day after day, without fail.

After a good amount of time, the attendant thought to himself, “Sheesh, Zusha. Of course, your breakfast arrives every morning. I’m the one who makes it and brings it to you!” Then he hatched a plan to teach the kabbalist a lesson.

The next day, Rav Zusha requested his breakfast as usual, “Blessed Creator, your humble servant, Zusha, would like some breakfast now.”

The attendant, feeling smug, crossed his arms and did not move a muscle. He stayed in the kitchen and smiled to himself.

All of a sudden, he heard a knock at the door.

There, on the threshold, stood a man holding a bounty of food. “Rav Zusha gave me and my wife a blessing for a child. Our baby has been born healthy and strong. Please take this gift as a token of our gratitude.”

Awestruck, the attendant accepted the food and realized his folly. “What was I thinking? The Creator is, indeed, the one who provides for Rav Zusha. If I refuse to bring Zusha his meals, the Creator will find another way, for I am simply the channel.”

There is beautiful circuitry to the way that money flows. While it can seem unpredictable, it is anything but.

Yet, if we allow ourselves to focus on what we lack or what we wish we had but can’t afford, we interrupt the flow of abundance coming our way. Each of us has a direct channel of Light and blessings coming to us from the Creator. We control that flow with our certainty and our willingness to share.

The Creator blesses all of us to differing degrees, depending on our soul’s purpose, with different levels of monetary manifestation. If a person thinks that there is something wrong or unspiritual with attaining wealth, they are closing themselves off to the potential abundance that was meant for them. This occurs in other aspects of our lives, as well. Some want a fulfilling relationship, but they do not think they are deserving of it, so they block the very opportunities that would provide the relationship they crave.

The purpose of spiritual practice through learning, study, and applying these understandings is not only to find pleasure in our spiritual lives but to mirror that in our physical lives, as well.

Think about the thought patterns or actions that may be blocking abundance from your life. Everything can start to change the moment you decide to connect to the flow of abundance waiting to enter your life.