The Illusion of Money

1. Money is an Illusion, Not True Security

The Illusion of Money is because money is one of the biggest excuses we give ourselves for why we can’t follow our highest calling and step into what we are meant to become.

Money isn't security. Society has programmed us to believe money equals security, but this is an illusion. We use the pursuit or lack of money as an excuse to avoid following our true passions and stepping into our potential. This belief creates constant stress and anxiety, activating survival systems even when not in real danger.

True security is internal. Real security isn't found in external circumstances like a bank account balance or job stability. It resides within: your presence, open heart, self-acceptance, awareness, appreciation, and unconditional love. These internal assets are always available, regardless of external conditions, making you truly invincible.

Fear blocks abundance. Believing money is your sole security source cuts you off from your infinite creative being. This fear of "going broke" (a mental concept) prevents risk-taking, investing in yourself, and accessing higher-level solutions. Paradoxically, being okay with the idea of being broke can free you to create on a higher level.

2. Your True Value Comes From Within

Your true value is based on how closely connected to yourself you are.

Value isn't net worth. Your value isn't determined by how much money you have, your job title, or your achievements. These are external metrics. Your real value stems from your connection to your inner self, the infinite creativity and potential that resides within you.

You are the source. You are the source of value, creativity, and abundance. Money is merely a result or by-product of accessing and expressing this inner value. People like Oprah aren't just rich; they are valuable because they've tapped into their unique creative expression and shared it with the world.

Internal matches external. If you prioritize money over self-connection, you risk losing both. External abundance is unsustainable if your internal sense of value doesn't match it. You unconsciously sabotage financial success if you don't believe you're worthy of it, mirroring your internal state externally.

3. Chase Inner Expansion, Not External Results

When we’re aiming for our expansion instead of money or some temporary external result, we have a power and an intention that is thousands of times stronger than when we’re trying to achieve some mental goal.

External goals are temporary. Chasing external results like money or achievements provides only temporary happiness or validation. Once achieved, the feeling fades, and the mind seeks the next external fix. This creates a cycle of chasing that never leads to lasting fulfillment.

Expansion is life force. Your life force is your expansion. If you're not expanding into something new, you're contracting. Aiming for internal expansion – growth, learning, deepening self-connection – aligns you with the universe's natural forward movement. This internal shift is the true source of sustainable joy and abundance.

You are the experience. We often chase external things because we believe they will give us a certain feeling (excitement, freedom, abundance). But these feelings are already inside you. Winning the lottery doesn't create excitement; it gives you a mental excuse to access the excitement already within. You can access these feelings now by changing your perception.

4. Listen to Your Body's "10s" for Guidance

The feeling of a 10 in your body is a preview of more 10s that will show up in your life when you follow that feeling.

Beyond the mind. Your body holds intuitive guidance, a "higher self" connected to your true potential, distinct from the logical, fear-based mind. This intuition guides you toward expansive choices, your "10s," which feel exciting, light, and sometimes a little scary because they are unknown.

Society disconnects us. We are often driven into our heads by marketing and societal conditioning, disconnecting us from our body's wisdom. This leads to making choices based on habit or mental comfort (like eating burritos) rather than true expansion (like meditating).

Identify your alignment. Rate activities and aspects of your life on a scale of 1-10 based on how expansive they feel to your body, not your mind's justification.

• 10s: Exciting, expansive, unknown, aligned with soul's calling (e.g., painting, starting a new business, traveling).
• Low numbers: Contracting, habitual, comfortable, based on past (e.g., scrolling social media, eating fast food, staying in an unfulfilling job).
  Your Average Amount of Alignment (AAA) score reflects how much you're living in congruence with your true self.

5. Release the Past to Embrace the Present

Often, the reason that we hold on to destructive old stories, habits, addictions, people, and patterns from our past is because we haven’t been able to accept, appreciate, learn from, and release our history so that we can move into full alignment with the moment.

Hoarding blocks flow. Clinging to past experiences, memories, objects, or relationships ("hoarding your history") prevents you from being fully present and receiving the abundance available now. Your mind tries to recreate past emotional highs, limiting possibilities.

Appreciation vs. hoarding. There's a difference between appreciating the lessons and growth from your history and hoarding it. Appreciation allows you to integrate the past and move forward. Hoarding keeps you stuck in lack, believing you need something from the past to be complete.

Letting go creates space. Releasing attachment to the past, whether it's a physical object tied to a memory (like an Airstream trailer or a Civil War rifle) or a mental identity (like being a caretaker), creates space for new, exciting possibilities to enter your life. This requires facing the fear of loss and trusting the unknown.

6. Invest in Yourself, Not Just External Assets

Instead of investing your time and money in things outside of you, start looking at ways you can begin investing in your internal growth.

Beyond external security. Traditional investing (stocks, real estate) focuses on external security, which is inherently temporary. Investing in yourself – your health, learning, creativity, self-connection – builds internal value that is permanent and compounds exponentially.

Helen A, B, C. Consider three approaches:

• Helen A: Invests in short-term pleasure (parties, luxury goods) - leads to depletion.
• Helen B: Invests in external security (savings, traditional investments) - provides limited, external growth.
• Helen C: Invests in internal growth (travel, learning, health, following passions) - builds lasting value and sustainable abundance.
  Helen C is best positioned for true abundance and resilience, even if external systems collapse.

Time is limited. Time is your most valuable, limited asset. How you spend it reflects your true value. Investing time in activities that expand you (meditation, nature, creating) raises your internal value and attracts external abundance more effectively than spending time on numbing or low-value activities.

7. Embody Your Inner Intention, Don't Just Set Goals

A goal is something you can understand. An intention is defining and aiming toward an expansion.

Intention vs. Goal. A goal is a specific, external outcome in the future that your mind can grasp ("make a million dollars"). An intention is an internal direction, a feeling, a purpose in the present moment ("to embody freedom," "to discover patience").

Intention is superpower. Living from your inner intention is far more powerful than chasing external goals. It aligns you with your soul's calling, provides strength during challenges (like overcoming addiction), and focuses your attention beyond mental noise. You are your intention; it's your truth.

Beyond outcomes. While external goals can be achieved, they often don't bring lasting fulfillment. An intention, however, leads to continuous internal expansion and attracts unexpected opportunities that align with your evolving self. Prioritizing intention over goals allows life to show you something bigger than your limited mental vision.

8. Giving Proves and Increases Your Abundance

Your ability to receive is equal to your ability to give, and vice versa.

Giving from abundance. Giving is a natural expression of internal abundance. When you know you are connected to an infinite source, you naturally want to share. Hoarding, conversely, stems from a belief in lack and reinforces that scarcity.

Prove your abundance. Giving beyond your perceived limitations is a powerful way to prove to yourself that you are the source of abundance, not the money itself. This action releases the fear-based part of you that blocks receiving, opening you to a faster flow.

Selfless connection. Giving selflessly dissolves the illusion of separation between you and others. It aligns you with the universal energy of circulation and collaboration. People rooted in internal abundance attract others who are also aligned, leading to greater collective abundance and impact.

9. You Own Nothing, But Have Access to Everything

The belief that we own our money creates an equal and opposite belief that we don’t have access to all the other money in the world.

Ownership is illusion. The concept of owning anything – money, objects, even thoughts or your body – is a mind-made illusion. Money circulates; objects are temporary tools; thoughts come and go; the body is a temporary vessel. Clinging to ownership creates fear of loss and suffering.

Trapped by possession. Believing you own something makes you vulnerable and creates mental tension. You become owned by the things you think you possess, constantly managing, protecting, and worrying about them. This attachment is a "sickness" that pulls you from your true, free self.

Flow vs. stagnation. Life is a constant process of receiving and letting go (like breathing, or cells renewing). Aligning with this flow, rather than trying to hold on or "own," allows abundance to move through you freely. Releasing the need to manage everything allows life to be managed better.

10. Unconditional Love is Your True Nature and Source

Underneath the illusion of money, or our need to own something or to chase something or to find security in something outside of us—there’s just love.

You are love. Beyond all the layers of ego, fear, judgment, and the need to chase or own, your true essence is pure, unconditional love. You are not seeking love; you are love. You are not seeking abundance; you are abundance.

Love dissolves illusion. Embodying unconditional love for yourself and others dissolves the mental illusions that cause pain and separation. It transcends external judgments and aligns you with the universe's creative force, making you an open space to receive and a powerful force for positive change.

Internal source. True love comes from within, from the universe, from nature. Seeking love, approval, or security from others is a distraction from the love you already are. When you embody your own unconditional love, you become complete and attract relationships and circumstances that reflect this wholeness.

Last updated: May 1, 2025