The Spirituality Label
How We Need To Reframe Our Thinking About What Spirituality Is And Our Right To Tie Others To The Notion
This month, I would like to start by addressing something that I have struggled with, both internally and externally, as a business owner and healing professional - something that I think other members of the spiritual community and those working in the healing arts might be struggling with as well.
Recently, I’ve become more aware of this strange juxtaposition between spirituality* and financial wealth and gain. There seems to be this curated belief that these two concepts cannot coincide in a way that allows for an individual to be seen by others as truly spiritual. There seems to be a belief that if someone cares about money, in any capacity, they are not seen as “fully spiritual” - and herein lies the struggle.
I first find myself asking where and when the idea emerged that in order to be considered a spiritual person one needs to suffer. Does this notion come from Judeo-Christian beliefs about piety? Does it come from the idea that members of religious communities such as monks choose to denounce all material things in order to reach spiritual groundedness?
If this is a lifestyle you or someone else has chosen, that of course commendable, however, it’s not the only path to being spiritually grounded or living a life with the intention of connecting to Source. Much like most of the journeys in life, there are many paths you can take to get there.
I would like to take some time to explore the proverbial pedestal our society tends to place on individuals in the helping professions upon - teachers, gurus, leaders, and of course, therapists, and psychedelic space holders. What we have done as a society is adopted this hierarchy mindset that has elevated these individuals and turned them into somewhat sacred beings that couldn’t or more appropriately shouldn’t care about money, finances, or submit to our country’s ONLY model of financial existence; the capitalistic model. According to this ideal, folks in the healing arts and support services should instead only focus on helping, healing, guiding, and growing, perhaps at the expense of their physical, material life.
And while those concepts of helping, caring, and supporting others on their healing journey might be at the forefront of these individuals’ minds and actions as they carry on their duties, I hope to examine this hierarchy mindset and get curious about where society got the notion that being concerned with or attuned to one's own financial wealth is not spiritual.
If we take a step back and primarily understand and acknowledge that we as a society do not have the authority to determine whether or not another individual is spiritual, perhaps we see that we may be projecting our own ideas about what spirituality looks like. Perhaps we see that this projection is inherently outside of what I believe spirituality is actually about.
What Is Spirituality?
At its core, I believe spirituality is a personal exploration and connection. In my understanding, it is an intimate relationship that you have with the divine energies that guide your life to be in alignment with your higher self and what your guidance is recommending at that time. It is a belief that there is something greater than ourselves and an understanding that we are part of a cosmic or divine nature. It means knowing that there is more out there than the current world we are experiencing.
Those who choose to live their lives spiritually engage in a personal relationship with The Divine (interchange with God, Source, Love, etc) and differing ideas about how to live their lives spiritually and to be spiritually minded and grounded - and that's not for anyone else to determine.
By this definition, there is no expectation of rejecting worldly goods or financial stability - no mention of suffering or rejecting wealth in this very general definition of spirituality.
So why do so many people feel like these two concepts cannot exist in harmony?
What Makes Someone Spiritual?
There is no set-in-stone definition of what makes someone spiritual. I am expressing my understanding of this concept and that is not something I intend to place on another. If my definition does not align with yours, this article may not be for you and that a-okay.
That being said, is my personal belief, informed by my own education and practices, that in order to be spiritual, one simply needs to be human. Having flaws, imperfections, and the ability to think freely and critically are what makes someone human and to be human is to be spiritual.
I hope to debunk the notion that spirituality looks a certain way and that certain people who have chosen specific careers or walks of life should emit spirituality similarly and more profoundly than the rest of society.
There are a lot of old stories that communicate the idea that spirituality means transcending the physical world in some capacity. And, it is easy to assume that when these stories mention the physical world, they are referring to physical items and experiences i.e. money, possessions, sex, etc. I believe however, that many of these stories miss (due to the rewriting of history through the lens of patriarchy, white supremacy, and modern Judeo-Christianity) is that spirituality or being “enlightened” is a combination of being able to transcend but also to descend into the depths of humaneness.
Consider some of the more sacred and transcendent experiences we can or will deal with in our lifetime - giving birth, having sex, or dying. These are incredibly dense experiences that do not always reflect what we might consider “beautiful.” When we die, we soil ourselves, when women give birth, they are prone to excretions that go along with the physical strain of giving life. Being Human, which I believe is connected and integral to living a spiritual life, means understanding all potential aspects of your humanness.
Trying to avoid or deny your humaneness is, in my humble opinion, denying and avoiding your own spirit - and in today’s world, part of being human is acknowledging and accepting the concept and presence of wealth and capitalism and understanding that most people in our society need to earn money in order to provide for themselves and in turn, successfully execute their jobs or callings.
In short, a huge aspect of someone’s spirituality is being human and understanding the aspects of your humanness.
Why Is The Idea That Spirituality and Wealth Can’t Coexist Harmful?
As US occupants, we exist in a capitalistic society - not outside of it (as much as you might hate this - it is a fact.) To attempt to exist outside of capitalism within the current structure may not necessarily be helpful for your growth - it’s not realistic.
This notion that if you are a spiritual person, leader, guide, or teacher you need to deny financial wealth by being anti-capitalistic or anti the agreement of wealth - is problematic.
Final Thoughts
Being a woman and a business owner, I’ve struggled with my relationship with my own scarcity and my business model. I’ve had interactions with individuals who perceive me as spiritual because of my work and have made the assumption that because I have transactional relationships with my clients and employees I am somehow contradicting some ideal of spirituality that has been placed on me.
I’m curious about how we look at leaders and how we look at psychedelic space holders, teachers, helpers, and “shamans”, and why we place these unrealistic expectations on people whose role in the community is helping others.
To be clear, I am not innocent of projecting these thoughts onto others. I know I've struggled with this with putting people on pedestals and making assumptions about their relationships with energy and abundance - I am here with you asking myself the same questions.
I know a lot of people struggle with their relationship with money and wealth when they start to embark on a spiritual journey. I think I'm definitely still on my own journey with this concept. I am exploring these ideas and looking at my own potential for greed - looking at my own relationship with scarcity and abundance and taking my teachers and my facilitators off of pedestals in order to embrace their humanness and my own.
We need to reframe our preconceived notions about individuals in these professions. And most importantly, teachers, space holders, and helpers also need to debunk these notions by outwardly having compassion for themselves and knowing that it is ok to need and want money for our services.
Disclaimer:
*I acknowledge that I am writing this blog from the perspective of someone with racial, educational, community, and financial privilege. It is not lost on me that MANY people - despite how their relationship with energy, spirit, and abundance is - are greatly limited by societal, social, and cultural barriers that are inherently racist, classist, and colonial in nature and by design. These barriers are in place to both block access to certain people based on specific demographic factors as well as reduce access to certain spaces that allow for the people in them to access more opportunities and therefore abundant lifestyles.
In addition, many people come from families and/or a lineage where they were stripped of their human rights and prevented from owning property, earning money for their labor, were forced off their land, and/or were fleeing from genocide and/or war. Therefore, their descendants may be the second or first generation able to begin to accrue wealth and access, placing those folks in a different space and ability to accrue wealth.
*For the purpose of this blog I will be using this term to refer to someone’s personal relationship with the Divine or Spirit, however, I feel this term is overused and often misused and I do not like to use it but struggle to find a synonym that describes this relationship more accurately and succinctly.