Guest Post by Connie – thank you Connie for this sharing and much success in your business which finds the Sacred in Order!


I caught this story a few weeks ago on CNN:
Marie Douglas-David, a 36 year old Swedish countess, is divorcing her husband, George David a former CEO, and says she can’t live on $43 million. She wants $100 million in cash and stock, plus $130,000.00 a month in alimony. It went on to say that her husband’s weekly living expenses were somewhere in the range of $200,000.00.

We’ve all heard the saying “money can’t buy happiness”. But do we really believe that? If you look into the lives of most Americans we don’t seem to believe it at all. The behavior of most Americans would support the belief that happiness is found in accumulating more things, material pursuits and presenting the right image. The lie of our culture is that owning more stuff will lead to more happiness. While keeping up with the Joneses is part of American culture, comparing ourselves to others is damaging our happiness and self-esteem.

In his recent book, “The High Price of Materialism”, psychologist and researcher, Tim Kasser demonstrated that people whose values center on accumulation of wealth or material possessions face a greater risk of unhappiness including anxiety, depression, low-self esteem and problems with intimacy. Money seekers also score lower on tests of vitality and self-actualization. Other researchers have shown that once we have sufficient food, shelter and clothing, further materialistic gains do little to improve our well being. Many scientists believe that over-consumption is one of the problems threatening the well-being, and integrity of the earth’s eco-system.

Nowhere is this over-consumption more evident than in people’s homes. People’s lives are out of control and this chaos is reflected in their homes. People feel overwhelmed and the outward manifestation of this is the sheer volume of stuff in their environments. It’s hard for people to feel secure and centered, when they can’t find the floor beneath them. Too much stuff, too much clutter, too much consumption, paralyzed by stuff they don’t need. What does your home say about you? Are you out of touch with who you are, or deeply aware? Is your environment a sacred space that allows you to be yourself? Outer depends on inner. Your outer environment, regardless of whether you live in a home, apartment or a room, is a mirror of what’s going on inside of you. Your dwelling is your emotional, physical – essentially the energetic base for your life. Continue reading →

Filed under: personal growth, Spiritual Growth, This Physical Reality | Tagged: action, change, chi, consumerism, coping with recession, energy, environment, happiness, home, intention, life force, material pursuits, money, order, sacred space, sanctuary, simple living, transformation, wealthy people | Leave a comment »