By Kathy Karlander

Are you a Money Monk???

• Do you feel it is wrong to have “too much” money?
• Would you rather barter/trade for services and goods instead of paying with cash?
• Do you feel like you don’t “need” money?
• Do you wish the world could or would operate without the need for money?
• Would you agree that if you were happy, healthy, and loved that you don’t need money?
• Do you believe that it is better to give than to receive?

If you answered yes to any (or all!) of these questions then you are probably a money monk!  It is not bad to be a money monk, if that is what you are consciously choosing to be.  However, if you would like to have more financial abundance in your life and you have not been able to consistently manifest that abundance, then it would be wise for you to take a second look at those underlying thoughts and emotions that create your money experiences.

At one time in my life I would have answered yes to most of the questions on the top of this page.  Now I realize that I can be spiritual and enjoy financial abundance, even financial freedom.  The term ‘financial freedom’ simply means that your passive business income exceeds your monthly expenses for necessities.  A college student with minimal monthly expenses can be financially free with very little passive business income, for example.  The more expenses you have, the more you need to generate in passive income in order to be ‘financially free’.

What is “passive business income”?

Passive business income is income generated whether you are actively working or not.  For example, I am an ‘affiliate’ for a couple of different internet websites.  Basically, as an affiliate I will receive a small percentage of any sales that are generated through my website.  As an affiliate, I am being paid for referring new clients to these other websites.  In the beginning, I had to spend some time creating my website, creating the webpage, finding great affiliate programs for products or services I am happy to recommend, adding the link for the affiliate program, and promoting my website.  That was the active part of my business. 

Here is the beauty part, once it is all created and in place, I don’t really have to do any more active work.  I will continue to get paid indefinitely every time someone visits my site and clicks on a link to make a purchase at the other website.  Each click of a mouse that generates income for me is “passive business income.”

What would you do if you were financially free?

What would you do with your time and energy if you did not have to consciously focus on manifesting enough money to cover your monthly expenses each and every month?  Imagine what kind of good you could do in the world if you did not have to live paycheck to paycheck.  Imagine what kind of good you could do in the world if you were independently wealthy.  If you were wealthy you could donate money to a wide variety of causes, you could buy parts of the rainforest to protect it, you could supply food and medical supplies to needy people anywhere in the world, and so much more. 

Imagine what you could do for yourself, too!

Yes, it is important to enjoy spending money on yourself.  Do something wild and crazy just for the fun of it! Yes, I know that some of you have a great deal of difficulty with this! I invite you to keep reading, though.....

Everybody knows it is better to give than to receive, right? WRONG!! And here is why....

Do you enjoy giving to others?  Are you a generous person?  I am willing to bet that if you are reading this page or were drawn to my website you are a generous person and truly enjoy giving to others.  I am also willing to bet that most of you are not as good at receiving as you are at giving.  (Yes, I am psychic but that is not why I am willing to make such a bet.  It is because of the patterns and themes I see in my clients and students.)

I would like to invite you to think about the last time you gave something to someone.  Really let yourself get back into that moment of giving.  How did your heart feel?  Did you smile?  What was the reaction of the other person?  Did they accept your gift with graciousness and gratitude?  If you gave something to another person that received that gift with graciousness the whole experience was probably very enjoyable for both you and the person to whom you gave the gift. In my opinion, there is no greater feeling of joy than to do something for someone else that they could not do for themselves; and expecting nothing in return.

 Now, on the other hand, if you tried to give a gift to someone else and they did not “receive” it with graciousness (ie. Tried to give it back, felt unworthy of receiving it, etc.), then the whole experience probably felt somewhat empty.  The energy of the exchange was stagnant. 

Okay, now I would like for you to think of the last time that someone tried to give you a gift.  How did you respond?  Did you accept it with graciousness?  Did you try to give it back? Did you feel like it was “too much?”  How did your heart feel when the other person was trying to give you a gift?  Was it joyful for you?  Was it joyful for the other person trying to give you the gift?

All of my life I have heard, “it is better to give than to receive.”  Well, if I am trying to give something doesn’t there have to be someone willing to receive whatever it is that I am offering?  To me it seems more like a 50-50 proposition!  Giving and receiving must occur in balance.  That does not mean that the giving and receiving must be a ‘tit for tat’ situation where you immediately have to return a gift to the same person that just gifted you.  It just means that overall in your life it is necessary for you to give and receive in balance. 

I am here to tell you that if you don't receive gifts graciously you are being selfish.

That's right. It is selfish of you NOT to receive graciously, BECAUSE you are robbing the other person (or Universe) of the opportunity of feeling the joyful feeling they could have had if only you would have received their gift graciously! How's that for a different perspective??

Okay, back to your financial freedom!

Now that you are more open to the concept of receiving abundance from the Universe, imagine again the good you could do in the world if you were wealthy.  Imagine what kind of joy you could experience in giving and receiving the abundance the Universe has to offer.  Imagine the classes and workshops you could take if you did not have to worry about how much it cost!  Imagine the healing sessions, alternative therapies, and such you could explore if money were no object.

Spirituality is meant to be joyful.  Spirituality is not about suffering.  I believe the Universe is absolutely without question unlimited in its resources.  I believe we are all co-creators of our experiences.  I also believe that as such, we can choose to have as much as we desire and it will take nothing away from anyone else.  You can have as much as you choose without needing to feel guilty.  If someone experiences struggle and strife in their life it is not because of what you have done or because of money that you have made along the way.  If someone experiences struggle and strife it is simply because on some level that is just the experience that they are creating for themselves. 

So make a choice, right now.  You can choose to stay where you are, or you can choose to have more.  Even if you already feel like you have ‘enough’ or ‘a lot’; imagine what could you accomplish or experience if you had more?  It is not selfish to manifest more, because no matter how much you manifest it takes nothing away from anyone else!

It could, however, be argued that you are selfish for not receiving the gifts that the Universe has waiting for you!  You are being selfish by not allowing some other individual to experience the joy of giving.  How’s that for a shift in perspective?

If you are still with me, you are probably now interested in knowing a bit more about how to create some of this passive business income for yourself!  I don’t blame you.  I just came across the whole concept a few months ago and I have been super excited about it ever since.  I just keep thinking of all the wonderful things I am doing and can continue to do as my wealth increases.

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but what I can do is share with you some of the opportunities I have found that seem to be on the “up and up.”  I can share with you the things that have worked for me or have helped me in some way. 

Clearing emotional and mental blocks in regards to money and abundance:

For some of you this is certainly the place to start. For some, simply the conscious awareness and choice to shift thought patterns is enough. For others it is necessary to work directly with the subtle energy bodies to facilitate the shift. (clearing energy patterns, blocks associated with receiving monetary abundance)

Money Message. . .

The money message is inspired by "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" cards, by Harv Eker. The deck is a great way to give yourself daily messages that will assist you in becoming more conscious of your "money thoughts." (Visit frequently to read the rotating money message on the purple sidebar!)

"Choose Both"

Harv Eker says that poor people think "either/or" and rich people think "both."

Here is my interpretation of the card . . .

So what exactly does it mean to choose both?

The truth is that we can be kind, generous, loving, spiritual, balanced, do work we love, AND be wealthy!

Let me ask you a question, "If you are happy, healthy, and feel loved, do you need money?"

If you answered no, then you are subconsciously choosing between the two conditions(happiness and wealth). If you answered yes, then you are allowing for both in your life.

It took me awhile to realize that I had been indirectly choosing between the two states of being. I now realize that I can have it all. I can be spiritual and be abundantly wealthy. I realize that with abundant wealth I can do many things to benefit myself, my family and humanity. With abundant wealth I can purchase parts of the rainforest to save it from being destroyed, I can send money to help disaster victims, or I can travel to remote areas and offer workshops to those that would not otherwise be able to attend.

Abraham-Hicks teaches that all you have to do is "ask" and it is automatically given. If you do not "receive" what you thought you asked for, then you need to look at what you are doing to resist the gifts the Universe tried to send your way. In each and every moment of each and every day you are either allowing or resisting. You only need to look around at your life experiences to figure out which state you are in more of the time.

If you are happy with your life, then change nothing. If you are not living the fullest, happiest version of life that you could be, then change something.

Your emotions act as a guide telling you if you are in the mode of allowing or resisting. Basically, if you are feeling happy or peaceful, then you are allowing. If you are sad or fearful then you are in the mode of resisting. So I say, "Choose your experiences and BE HAPPY!"

In each moment of each day simply choose the thought, action, or deed, that will allow you to feel the most peacefulness or happiness. If you do that, then you are in the mode of allowing. You are allowing the Universe to bring to your doorstep all that you desire.

If so, I invite you to schedule an akashic record consultation with me. If you would like to know more about the akashic records you could read my new book, Essence of the Soul. In the book you will learn about the akashic records and also how to access your own. It is an incredibly powerful tool for personal growth.