What is money? Philosophers through the ages have pondered this question. From ancient times, humankind has discovered that using a common symbol, such as a rock, a stone, beads, buttons, wampam, precious metals, jewels, is easier to carry around and use for exchange than carting your ox or your buffalo, hoping someone will have exactly what you need to trade for. So, first and foremost, money is a medium of exchange.
So let's look a little more closely at what goes on in exchange, or trade.
The idea is, I go out and shoot a buffalo, or harvest a crop, or build a house, or whatever it is that I do when I engage in "productive activity." Now, I need stuff that I haven't had the time, energy, skill or ambition to produce for myself - like clothes, shoes, a good haircut, etc. So, I look around for some one, or some ones who have exactly what I need, and want to trade for exactly what I've got. We call this "an equal exchange of energy." That's what money represents.
In primitive times, a person's entire day could be taken up with this energy exchange thing - either making something, transporting something, or engaging in the social niceties around exchanging what you have for what you want. Today, things are a lot different. We are so accustomed to using cash, checkbooks, credit cards and electronic transfers that we have come to view money as a separate commodity and an end in itself. Of course, it is! And then again, it isn't!
Let me explain what I mean.
Everything we create today in the material world is first conceived of as energy. It is a thought inside of somebody's head. If that person chooses to act upon their thought, the idea becomes reality. We call this "manifesting." Now, Wallace D. Wattles, in The Science of Getting Rich (originally written in 1910!) talks about the invisible "substance" of the Universe, the stuff of which all things are made. This "substance" is a living, conscious form that is able to be molded and organized according to our wishes.
So, when we talk about money, Making it, Acquiring it, Growing it, Increasing it, and Keeping it, we must learn to work with the invisible "stuff" of the universe to manifest our dreams. Money is therefore a means to an end, albeit an important one - AND, money can be worked with directly through our relationship to the mysterious living force with scientists are now suggesting is the basis for everything!
On the following pages of CREATIVE MONEY MAGIK, we invite you to explore the "magic" of money - how you can create it, what you can do with it, and best of all, how to keep it, so you can do something really valuable and important - fulfill your destiny in this lifetime!
Links for this article:
History of Money: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/amser/chrono.html
Science of Getting Rich http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net/
Unified Field Theory: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci554508,00.html
About Barbara Leuin, Ph.D.,
Transformational Business Consultant
Barbara A. Leuin, Ph.D., CEO & President of Creative Money Magik, Inc. has over twenty-five years of professional experience with dual careers as a business educator and organizational consultant. Barbara completed her doctorate in natural resource economics in 1978. She taught economics, business, public speaking, corporate training and organizational development at major universities for 14 years, and has been an organizational development consultant and national conference organizer, entrepreneur and seminar presenter. She is the author of the popular book Planning With A Heart: A Business Planning Book For Women Only. With over 1000 hours of training in personal empowerment and group dynamics, Barbara brings a holistic, balanced approach to business planning and organizational consulting that empowers the human spirit.