"We must shift America from a needs to desires culture," Mazur said. "People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality. Man's [sic] desires must overshadow his [sic] needs."
~FromThe Assault on Reason by Al Gore
So many Wiccans have "financial issues" -- huge credit card debt, an inability to live within their means, problems with resources.
Why? To how many ads have you fallen victim? What kind of circle could you cast in order to protect yourself?
3 comments:
Hi Hecate,
My community has been exploring, ever so carefully, the nature of "money" and how we can work with it as an ally instead of an adversary. Of course, this means we have to understand what/who money is!
Cheers,
Sissy
Sissy,
I'd be fascinated to learn what you all discover.
My "community" is a mental health center in Los Angeles. Some of us are fortunate to receive Social Security Disability or other government assistance. I've managed to retain my apartment, others who attend our groups are literally homeless and come to the groups to be sustained by the support and encouragement of all of us.
I feel blessed and fortunate to be here on the earth at this time, despite the series of events that led me to this place. I often see people who are far less fortunate than I am and bless the universe for taking care of me when I couldn't.
Some of the community have Master's Degrees in Poetry and Philosphy and Ph.d's and others only a GED or high school graduation.
Be we've formed a community that aids one another over the past 4 or 5 years. We share resources, including possessions to help us decorate our homes and we share food at picnics and when we celebrate birthdays. We notice when people are stretched to the match at the end of the month and share our lunches.
I worked in stressful conditions in the Corporate America Headquarters environment for 35 years and had a breakdown at the end of it.
Now, receiving minimal money in contrast to higher earnings in the past, I am finally happy enough to bless my life. Yes I WANT and DESIRE things. But with limited means, I find the THINGS I wand and need at thrift stores or we exchange things with one another.
Sorry for the long post, but I had huge credit card debt and had to declare bankruptcy when I had the breakdown. Now I live more or less within my means and am less isolated and more interconnected than I've ever been. Yes, it's a struggle and there are tears and stress. But so many more of my minutes on earth are spent blessing my life at this age. Intimate connections are more important than things and I never knew that until I lost the means to buy things and had to reevaluate my life.
Hecate, I come to this blog often because you describe intimacy with self, others, earth and life and I'm always searching for ways to enhance my life experience. Thank you for your intelligence and ability to write about these issues so beautifully.
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