Question 8

My life is completely dedicated to being present and I have had a number of awakenings and profound insights as Presence has continued to deepen. I have already begun to experience an almost complete absence of fear and anxiety in my life. One area where healing may still be necessary, however, is in the area of finances. The past affects me in the sense that I have a lot of debt. Do you have anything to share with me about this area of life?

Answer

It seems as though your life is unfolding and flowing beautifully as you deepen into Presence, and I am very happy for you. You have mostly answered your own question and there is not too much that I can add.

It is important to identify any limiting beliefs around money, which might still be operating unconsciously at the level of the mind. It is possible that this is the case, because you say that you came into your awakening with considerable debt.

Look at your family. What messages did they give you about money and financial abundance. How did they model the relationship with money for you. Perhaps a limitation comes from past life experience. All you can do is ask deep within for guidance and healing in this regard.

As you know there is a natural law of abundance, but it will not flow through a doorway of belief in limitation.

The more we are aware of and grateful for the abundance of this moment as it is, the more abundance flows freely into our lives.

There is a distinction between living in fully awakened Presence and living within the world of time.

If we live in fully awakened consciousness, there is no past and there is no future. At the deepest level of Being, we cannot function in the world, because there is no time. It is impossible to remember the past or imagine the future.

And yet we live within the world of time. We have to take responsibility for our lives within the world of time. We have to work or do what ever is necessary to earn money and provide for our needs.

How do we reconcile this apparent conflict. How can we live within the world of the mind without becoming lost there? As long as we are not driven by ego desires or fears, the quality of Presence will not be lost. Just see it as play.

Many seekers on the path tend to be dismissive of life at the level of mind. In my view this is a mistake. For me there are two questions which we must come to terms with.

The first is who am I? This question calls us to awaken into the truth of who we are and the truth of life. Very few come as far as you have with this question. But then the second question presents itself. Now that I am awake in the truth of life, how do I live in the world of time? How do I live in integrity in my relationships, my work and every other aspect of my life.

This second question requires us to embark upon a journey of trial and error. We learn from our mistakes.

If you have to go out and take a job, just do it. Do not try to hold onto Presence. That which is real cannot be lost. Do not be afraid to live at a more superficial level of Presence in order to be able to function in the world of time. It is all a question of balance. The awakened state of Presence will become the foundation of life lived within the world of time.

You might want to meditate upon a line from the Lord's Prayer in the New Testament. In demonstrating appropriate prayer to God, Jesus asks God only to "Give us this day our daily bread." In my view, he is sharing with us a principle of awakened consciousness. He is reminding us that only this moment is real. He is telling us not to go beyond today in seeking sustenance. Otherwise we will take ourselves too far into the future. We will take ourselves away from the true source of life and abundance, which is the present moment. We will take ourselves away from God as we enter into and become lost in the world of the thinking mind.

Do not focus on repaying debt in seeking out appropriate work. Simply find work and work for today. Be present in your work. Be Love in your work. Be excellence in your work. Everything else will take care of itself.

Finally, I would say that you should be very careful that you are not repressing any ego fears or desires around the issue of money in your commitment to Presence. If anything is repressed, it cannot be healed.