Money represents energy and energy fulfills things through beliefs, values and actions.
Since we are physical beings made of the earth, we are drawn to things of the earth.
When there is tension, there is dynamism along with the opportunity to make decision that can shape and reshape our lives.
But why then do some people find themselves constantly in debt while other people hoard their money?
FOUR PERSONALITY PATTERNS
Personality patterns can provide a format for developing self-awareness of how we use our energy.
After the exercise, we counted what we had and the person who had the most pieces of paper money won.
Here's what I did.
While performing my services, one participant offered to be my manager.
I was doing what I naturally enjoyed doing and he was doing what he naturally enjoyed doing which was marketing.
My manager, because he went around the room, spent some of his money to engage others in my service living the idea that it takes money to make money.
We can think of ourselves as a three-sided triangle with each side as important as the others.
Although we all have these three sides of ourselves, we tend to prefer one side over the others thereby creating a dominant expression.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFLECTION
Struggles with money indicate opportunities for reflection in learning how to use money as a tool for spiritual discernment.
Having a home in New Zealand and being on a fixed income was a new experience and as New Zealand is a long journey, we started having long-term visitors, something else we were not use to.
One visitor expressed himself as the earth element which can be characterized by more inwardness, not as chatty as some of the other elements, a slower pace, and a deliberate, thoughtful approach to spending.
We knew these people had a decent nest-egg, a good pension, and was debt-free; something an earth element person would clearly strive for in their need for building wealth and security.
We choose not to address the situation at the time of their visit because we were afraid we would say something we might regret.
They said no they weren't concerned about money but that they had put themselves on a budget.
We determined that in honouring ourselves, we needed to be more upfront with long-term visitors.
Our second visitor was more the water element expression.
Typical of the water person, in striving to serve others, he and his wife wanted to pay for more than his share.
During their visit, using feng shui, they prepared our house for re-sale which resulted in an excellent offer within a few days.
Billy Graham said -- if a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.
Our third visitor, a closer relative and someone I am more familiar with, came and I, perhaps a little too zealously, wanted to be straightforward about money.
He wanted nothing to do with my system and said things would work out.
Never remaining too long on any one track, they can be seen going from race track to race track which can also be true in their partnerships.
Fire people are constantly starting over as they get disillusioned by others.
Never comfortable with inner tension for very long, their life strategies appear to be that of solving one problem after another.
And so, thrown upon myself and sometimes confused when it came to opening the purse, I seemed to have no choice; we were going to do it his way.
Everything you do with them is faster than a speeding bullet.
Fire element people live to solve problems and if there aren't any immediate problems, they seem to create them.
Their spiritual struggle in life is that they forget to build down, living their life so much in the present tense.
When this happens, other people feel compelled to help out and can often feel left behind in a cloud of smoke wondering what just happened.
We had a good time because he and his partner enjoyed everything we did, we spent money doing just exactly what we all wanted to do, and they were always upbeat.
Nobody was ever meant to remember or invent what he did with every cent.
I determined the husband to be an air element expression because I found myself acting a little more formally when around him.
We didn't discuss money because there seemed no pressure to get the question of shared expenses out into the open.
Although the time together went quickly, I don't remember too much laughter and certainly no problems but a great deal of civility.
They are present, you can see them, but then they disappear.
Drawn toward the world of ideas, they live in a creative flow of future possibilities.
Not wanting to lower their standards in any context, they would not work just for money but to bring something new into the realm of possibility and would tend to see money as Ayn Rand did - ask yourself - did you get your money by fraud, by pandering to men's vices, by lowering your standards, by doing work you despise for purchases you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a penny's worth of joy.
Seeing people from an elemental expression of air, fire, water, and earth helped us to understand and broaden our responses to our guests as well as temper our reactions.
Using the elements, we can shed light on our use of money by how it flows in and out of our lives.
Earth people are never secure in the feeling of having enough money.
Unless they stop and manage this flowing process, they never gain wealth and if they do, they lose it only to rebuild it and lose it again.
Water people, in order to expand themselves, need to put themselves in the equation when it comes to money as they tend to put others first.
And air people don't pay much attention to things of the earth but prefer to work out systems while floating in abstraction.
Unless working with money for achieving something worthwhile, money discussions are not a favorite topic with this group.
How we handle our money is really a direct reflection of how we think, feel and act.
An anonymous writer said - money can't buy friendship - friendship must be earned.
Money can't buy the glow of good health - right living is the secret.
Money can't buy a good character - good character is achieved through decent habits of private living and wholesome dealings in our open contacts with our fellow men.
It's amazing how life straightens out once we get a grip n our attitude and management of money.
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