Religion and Healing: a True Paradox

Religion. Just the word itself brings a palpable, observable quake to most thinking persons’ systems. Even those who acknowledge the numinous quickly clarify, “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” Who can blame them? We live in an extraordinary country, one founded on religious freedom; yet historically, religion in this country has been used to control, to… Continue Reading Religion and Healing: a True Paradox

Can Money Be Addictive, and If So, Is That a Bad Thing?

Can money be addictive, and if so, is that really a bad thing? One might say that, like people who compulsively exercise, addiction to money has significant practical benefits. Keeping one’s focus on the bottom line and delaying gratification in order to create a more secure future is terrific…in balance. But are we always talking… Continue Reading Can Money Be Addictive, and If So, Is That a Bad Thing?

Elliot Rodger: A Cautionary Tale

While everyone is talking about gun control, can we take it to a deeper level? Our boys, and the men they become, are in trouble. While Rodgers, and Holmes etc before him, are extremes, our males are at risk, from puberty on, in continued discouragement around developing more “feminine” qualities that allow for satisfying intimacy, relationally and not merely sexually. And those who do are likely to be the main object of interest for the school bully. Continue Reading Elliot Rodger: A Cautionary Tale

Money Stress: How Growing Up Without Effects Our Relationship With Money Now

That trauma shows up in my office, among those who rationally know they have plenty, but are constantly driven by a sense of never having enough. By those who are miserable in their jobs but terrified at even manageable risk factors in pursuing, instead, work more satisfying to them and more helpful to the world. By those compulsively resist opening their ledgers, looking up their account balance, or in any way checking their goals against the realities of their current finances. When you’re raising a family, or closing in on retirement, that becomes a huge problem. Continue Reading Money Stress: How Growing Up Without Effects Our Relationship With Money Now

There is no Magic in Money (Pt. 2): Using “the Ladder” to Make Money Work for You

What has this to do with you and your bank account? Plenty. Remember that exercise I had you do a couple of blogs ago? The one where you sat with actual currency, and noticed what thoughts and feelings came up. One of those beliefs may have been, if only I had more of this I… Continue Reading There is no Magic in Money (Pt. 2): Using “the Ladder” to Make Money Work for You

Learning — and unlearning — money lessons from childhood

Courtesy of Amy Berk, Financial Adviser, Ameriprise If you suddenly received a windfall, would you take a trip around the world? Buy a luxury car? Save it for retirement? Surprise! Your answer may be greatly influenced by your parents and grandparents. Experts say how we handle money and what it means to us has a lot… Continue Reading Learning — and unlearning — money lessons from childhood

Is Money Really the Root of All Evil?

When I consider “dirty money,” and how we may carry a secret disgust around currency, I think of Sheik Sidi. This wise old Sufi teacher once warned me, “Don’t squash the levels.” He was addressing the struggle many humans face: we may strive to be sacred, to live in more peaceful communion with others, to… Continue Reading Is Money Really the Root of All Evil? Continue Reading Is Money Really the Root of All Evil?

Making Peace with Money (or, how to live with what you can’t live without)

Money is the root of all evil. Money can’t buy you love. Money makes the world go around. Poor money! All these expectations placed on an object that, at this point, doesn’t even have any inherent value. A piece of paper with some ink and a strip of special metallic material. Actually, not even that…just… Continue Reading Making Peace with Money (or, how to live with what you can’t live without)