Some contemplation, and inspirational words today on money, wealth, & acquiring material objects. In the human experience, riches come in two forms: material riches, and spiritual riches. Material riches consist of money, objects, achievement, and anything to be gained in the external world, outside of ourselves. Spiritual riches includes freedom, peace of mind, contentment, inspiration, and everything in the internal world, inside of ourselves. External riches can be quantified and measured, while internal riches cannot.
Spirit is a Lost Treasure
Because material riches are tangible, seemingly attainable, and constantly thrown in our faces, they have become the entire focus of society. Every component & mechanism of our system is geared toward obtaining material riches. We’re groomed to believe it’s the way to happiness. Richness in spirit, on the other hand, is rarely brought up as a topic of conversion, and has absolutely no emphasis in our education, or workplaces. What makes this all so difficult is the fact that our human nature craves & desires richness in spirit, while our senses, and reality is conditioned, bombarded & shaped with the material world. It becomes seemingly impossible to live a life of purpose, with richness in spirit, and still survive in the material world. As a result, many settle for a life of moderate material gain, and security, while dismissing the idea of living a life rich in spirit. Or we go to a church on a regular, or yearly basis, to convince ourselves that we’re filling that void.
I spent the first 30 years or so of my life pursuing these material riches. Although I can’t say that I was ever “rich” in this sense, I always strived to achieve, and had some worthy accomplishments. Probably the best of which was supporting a family of five around the age of 24, and creating a lifestyle that allowed my wife to stay home & nurture our love child while I burdened the financial responsibilities in one of the highest cost of living areas of the country. I’ve had paychecks as high as $25,000, and we created the wedding of our dreams with our own money.
Like most Americans, my desires for material gain drove me to get caught up in the game of credit & borrowing. In other words, I enslaved myself. Played right into the hands of the elites who control the direction & reality of our society. For many years money, debt, and ownership of property was my entire existence, and along the way, I completely lost touch with my spirit, and true nature. I was literally a slave, and on the deepest levels, my soul was crying out to me for freedom, purpose and a more meaningful life.
Eventually I listened to, and honored the calling of my spirit, and my soul, which whispered: “follow your heart”. This meant embracing & honoring my experience for exactly what it is, and going with the flow of life. It meant Indulging my desires, following my impulses, and doing exactly what always felt right to my spirit & soul. Freedom from living according to the expectations & mandates of others.
Finding Freedom & Purpose
It’s been several years now that my focus has shifted from pursuing material riches, to fulfilling my spirit, and my internal world. There have been countless experiences on my path that have led me to a place of spiritual richness. I could spend days writing about these individual experiences, and eventually I may do so. But for the purpose of this article, to stay on point, I’ll sum it up in a few sentences. It’s been a process centered on evolution & creativity. A process of letting go, mostly of fears, going with the flow, cultivating deeper levels of self love, and trusting in this process. A process of having gratitude, faith & trust, of cherishing and appreciating the beauty of life, the blessings in disguise, from the simple to the magnificent. It’s de-conditioning, re-programming, meditating, and listening to that inner voice. A search for truth, beauty, love, and authenticity.
I can say now that I’m wealthy, truly rich, and it’s the only type of wealth that is real, and lasting if you ask me. Material wealth is fleeting, dependent on others; employers, governments, external circumstances. It can be taken away at any moment, and depreciates over time. Spiritual wealth continues to grow, and blossom, and it’s rewards are greater over time. It’s a path of exploration, excitement, joy, enthusiasm, and inspiration. It’s waking up every day with gratitude, peace of mind, and excited to see what the day brings you. I used to wake up every day dreading the day, dreading my 9 to 5 job, fearful of losing it, stressed about achieving, how to climb the ladder, and play the corporate political game. Now, I wake up practically every day like a second grader on recess. This is extra fun when you have an 8 year old who thinks it’s always recess time.
I’m far from wealthy in the material sense. Matter of fact I’ve completely released all attachments to these status symbols. We live incredibly modestly, with little desire for material gain. I joyfully flip a big fat middle finger at our credit industry. My way of living has been completely de-constructed, and is being re-built from the ground up the way I want, with a foundation of richness in spirit. I’ve had to completely drop & dissolve the desire for material richness in order to fully expand into the spiritual riches awaiting me. Socrates sums this one up well: “He is richest, who is content with the least”. This has also been my experience.
I used to dread working, because it was for the wrong reasons. It was forced, and I was chasing illusory keys to happiness. Now, when I work, it’s no longer a matter of working just to pay the bills, to survive, or to attain “things”. It’s a matter of working towards fulfilling our dreams & visions, with a purpose. Working towards a life of truly never having to feel like you’re working a day in your life. A life where daily you’re filled with peace of mind, inspiration, and abundance, regardless of outside circumstances.
Richness in spirit provides a life of freedom. Freedom from the bondage of the material world. Experience has shown me that we are the creators of our world, and with deepening faith & richness in spirit, you’re free to create the life you’ve always wanted, the way you want it. When you develop trust in the universe, you see no obstacles, experience no fear, but simply see all of it as opportunity, and blessings, knowing that each step is one step closer to fulfilling your ultimate purpose.
Balancing Internal & External Wealth
When pursuing the wealth of the material world becomes a primary focus, one loses touch with their spiritual nature, finds oneself out of balance, and must sacrifice, on the deepest levels, who we truly are. Each of our greatest prophets spoke of having no attachments to the material: Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi, and more. On the other hand, when one dissolves, and drops the obsessive attachments to the material, you can not only be filled with the deep, everlasting treasures of spirit, but you can use these treasures as the foundation to build a life of fulfilling your dreams, including an abundance of external wealth to accompany the internal. A person who is rich in spirit can obtain material wealth, while remaining balanced & true to their self. Additionally, you’ll naturally want to spread & share this wealth with as many others as possible, making the world a better place along the way.
As for my experience, I suppose you could say I’m on a pilgrimage to pursue & create this very reality that I’m speaking of. So far the universe has cooperated every step of the way, always provided exactly what’s needed at the right times, and always clearly showing the signs that we are not alone, on the right path, and leading the way with beautiful synchronicity. All of this started because I simply decided to listen to that inner voice, at all times, above all else. What is your inner voice asking of you?
With Love,
Burke “Triple B” Coleman
