We hear so much about sustainability these days as all human organizational systems - social, economic, political, educational, health complexes and their ecological footprints are becoming more and more unbalanced and unsustainable.
What would a 'mindful economy' look like? Can we use some principles of living systems to create a functional currency and fair economic system based on Buddha's wholesome understanding (Right View) of economy and Right Intention for currency free from greed, ill will and harm? Could we start a collective appreciative Inquiry of 'Transforming the Capital in Capitalism? Money as debt is not freedom yet and State-supported corporate capitalism is communism of the rich.
The Chinese President wants IMF to start a new Global currency. But would it be wise for leaders of developing world to rely on IMF or World Bank, when so much of their policies to end poverty and speed up development in third world countries are actually deepening and perpetuating the viscious cycle of poverty, corruption of political leaders and massive transfer of wealth from poor to the rich countries. Ron Paul is for phasing out World Bank.
The EU President, Czeck PM calls the US plan to spend its way out of recession a 'Road to hell.'
Our president Obama is graciously receiving online questions on economy from us today. I asked "Mr president have you watched the Youtube Zeitgeist- On FED? What would you do to free 'we the people' and our governmnet from debt-based fractional reserve currency as Presidents Lincoln, Jackson, Kennedy aspired to give us and world's children?"
Here are two books that are addressing unsustainability of Capitalism as it functions now.
Mindful Economics by Joel M and Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth by David Korten.
So what is the Buddha way? The Buddha Way is to understand how systems like capitalism are constructed within the human mind and perception both at the individual and collective level, so we can create a mindful Wikinomics of compassion, generosity and right understanding.
Here's a playful inquiry of the Bailout Bull Economics & The Cow Economics
And renewed protest against War-economics on 6th anniversary of Iraq war.
And G-20 summit in London takes place amid public protest and pre-summit low expectation of economists.
Pictures of 2009 G-20 summit. Leaders pledge 1.1 trillion dollar to IMF and other Global financial institutions. Other News: Biden's Pre-summit meet. Popular Obama, unpopular plan.
Look which group of plutocrats and technocrats has a summer meetup at Athens, Greece?
Some call them the High Priests and Control Freaks of Globalization.
So how do we stop cooperating with and move away from the war-military-intelligence-prison-big pharma-media-think tanks complex and begin to put our collective attention, intelligence and energy towards creating an Economy of Peace?
And what role we as engaged buddhists, conscious citizens, women, youth, people of color, LGBT can play? IMAGINE a world living in peace and harmony, no need to kill, die or oppress self and others.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Restoring the Spirit of Currency: Loving Kindness
I have been wanting to write something soulful and a positive vision to hold onto this year of 2009, which offers us many wonderful expansive creative energies. We have the opportunity to breakthrough the energies of lack, fear, scarcity and greed! The financial breakdown is heightening stress and anxiety. The best way to counter this constricting energy is to simplify our life, be appreciative of what we have and give a little more than we usually do. Since this collective system change intention experiment and discussion was launched after What the Bleep do we know movie, in December 2006, I have seen wonderful things and co-creation taking place in magical ways.
Just wanted to share with my readers a soul infused book Money is Love: Returning to the Sacred Origin of Money by Barbara Wilder. I came to this book via my soul friend and author Jamie Walters, who recently had a conversation with Barbara.
Let us release those deeply entrenched habitual pattern of command and control, victimization, mean spiritedness, secrecy, shame, blame, guilt and accumulation of power over others. It is time drop our masks and our need for external validation through power, money, position and irresponsible sex and invite the power of love into our hearts and homes, our communities and heal all our wounded relationships. Money as 'debt' has been responsible for a Century of War, poverty, crime and injustice.
Recent studies find huge rise in male mortality rates in working aged men (15-69 years) in post-communist countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union between 1989 and 2002, following policies of rapid privatization of formerly state own enterprises (shock doctrine).
Can we restore the lost spirit of money through mindful inquiry, wholesome view, skillful speech and putting loving-kindness in action? Yes we can and we must. The great thing about a Mindful Revolution is that it is all about a mind-shift and shifting perceptions within our individual and collective mind. Once we see and accept the possibility in our minds, changes start happening like magic in the outside world. All we need is to plant the vision and gain understanding of the root of the dualistic conflict ridden man-made system of 'money as debt'. We just need to direct the power of collective loving attention to this issue, allow our basic wisdom and deep co-intelligence to arise through mindfulness, and this self-emergent process of conscious co-creation can self-organize itself in our communities, sanghas, social networks, peace and justice groups, green enterprises, interfaith groups, fair trade, labor unions, non-partisan groups, independents, artists, activists, human rights, equality and dignity advocates in science, technology, business, banking, and government.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix
Just wanted to share with my readers a soul infused book Money is Love: Returning to the Sacred Origin of Money by Barbara Wilder. I came to this book via my soul friend and author Jamie Walters, who recently had a conversation with Barbara.
Humanity and Money Share Common Essence and Purpose
Our Source, Infinite Intelligence and Creativity, is also money's source.
Our Essence, Love, is the same as money's essence.
All of life is meant to remember its Source, and fully express its Essence.
When both Source and Essence are shared, there exists Oneness.
This union makes it possible for understanding, communication, and
cooperation to develop between humanity and money. [source]
Our ego-mind does not want to get into those dark, stuck, lost places of deep anguish, hurt and pain, yet that is the only way to dive deep into the heart. So let us all clear the wounded, stuffy, claustrophobic energies around our soul that has so long confined us, limited us and dimmed the light of our own soul. As a child I was afraid of the dark goddess Kali and identified (still do) with goddess Saraswati . Now I find myself more and more accepting and be ONE with Kali.
Let us release those deeply entrenched habitual pattern of command and control, victimization, mean spiritedness, secrecy, shame, blame, guilt and accumulation of power over others. It is time drop our masks and our need for external validation through power, money, position and irresponsible sex and invite the power of love into our hearts and homes, our communities and heal all our wounded relationships. Money as 'debt' has been responsible for a Century of War, poverty, crime and injustice.
Recent studies find huge rise in male mortality rates in working aged men (15-69 years) in post-communist countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union between 1989 and 2002, following policies of rapid privatization of formerly state own enterprises (shock doctrine).
Can we restore the lost spirit of money through mindful inquiry, wholesome view, skillful speech and putting loving-kindness in action? Yes we can and we must. The great thing about a Mindful Revolution is that it is all about a mind-shift and shifting perceptions within our individual and collective mind. Once we see and accept the possibility in our minds, changes start happening like magic in the outside world. All we need is to plant the vision and gain understanding of the root of the dualistic conflict ridden man-made system of 'money as debt'. We just need to direct the power of collective loving attention to this issue, allow our basic wisdom and deep co-intelligence to arise through mindfulness, and this self-emergent process of conscious co-creation can self-organize itself in our communities, sanghas, social networks, peace and justice groups, green enterprises, interfaith groups, fair trade, labor unions, non-partisan groups, independents, artists, activists, human rights, equality and dignity advocates in science, technology, business, banking, and government.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Some Not So Visible News
- Just gotten a note from a friend that Amero may be coming sooner than you think! Don't count on me. Do your own research starting at Wikipedia
and Dennis Kucinich on bailout and debt-based money system.
As conscious citizens and consumers we are now becoming increasingly aware that political democracy alone becomes meaningless without economic democracy and economic justice. Wait a minute! Do we even have a political democracy? Why Amero is not being as publicly discussed as Euro has been? Who ultimately benefits from such secrecy?
As Ron Paul says, the power to regulate the value of money, does not mean the federal Government can debase the money. Right now our Government is borrowing $2.2 Billion everyday mainly from china and Japan to pay for our overseas empire. As our dollar value declines, we cannot expect these and other countries to hold onto theirs for ever, and when they decide to dispose dollars, our fantasy world comes crashing us. No more empire, no more pledging trillions more in entitlements...if people wants to be free from a state apparatus that that threatens their liberties, squanders their resources on endless wars, destroys their values of dollar and spews forth endless propaganda, there's no force that can stop them...let the Revolution begin. - The Revolution, Ron Paul.
We cannot solve poverty and economic injustice . Yet we seem to have endless supply of debt-currency for the military-intelligence complex, War on Terror exploits, manhattan project, big pharma, destructive derivatives, or adventures in Science like CERN Hadron Collider!
The Buddha Way is the compassionate way of a peaceful warrior, a warrior who has conquered all ignorance, passion and agression through realization of impermanence of all phenomena, interdependence of all life and primordial non-duality of samsara and nirvana. The Buddha way is to be constantly mindful in the way we perceive, think, speak and act in the world and whether our unexamined views, ideas, attention and mindless actions are generating more stress, delusion and dukkha or alleviating them for the well being and happiness of all?
Can we save ourselves from our collective ignorance regarding man-made currecy? Can we make the radical shift from the old invisible, unconscious and false paradigm of 'money as debt' to the new luminous and compassionate paradigm of 'money as trust' through collective learning. YES WE CAN! Reach the Millenium goals and save our planet.
Let us hold that Vision for 2009! May all beings be free from suffering and the root of suffering!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Free Market Theology & Priests of High Modernity
Thirty five years of free market ideology and the many intellectual cross currents and 'isms' of High Tech Modernity (postmodernism) with its common traits of individualism, political liberalism and economic capitalism is failing miserably to improve the human situtaion at the most basic level of collective survival and social well being. Law, regulation, violence, revolutionary ideologies, science and technology are not sufficiently addressing or affecting the roots of injustice in social political structures (including democracy, socialism, communism) and bases of economic system and foundations of society.
Ken Jones in his book the New Social Face of Buddhism comments on high modernity's personal identity crisis and its attendant inner void that insatiably needs to be filled. These needs previously addressed by community, religion [and nationalism] are increasingly being commodified into whole culture of consumerism. Consumerism is winning more converts more quickly than any other previous belief or value system in human history (David Loy).
Ken urges Buddhists to renew their understanding of dukkha (suffering) by looking deeply into our contemporary global society, reflecting on how it can be healed. My sense is we need to go back deep into our collective unconscious and develop a deep understanding of our inner journey and outer social institutions begining with gender based patriarchy and ending with class based elitist supremacist global-imperialistic capitalism. With the advent of internet and web 2.0 history is being rewritten from persperctives not explored and disseminated before.
Listen to this surprising admission from Alan GreenSpan.
Asian and European Markets Fall with Greenspan's remark.
<> G20 Summit was a failure <>
Here are questions posed by engaged Buddhist Robert Thurman in Dropping knowledge
Ken Jones in his book the New Social Face of Buddhism comments on high modernity's personal identity crisis and its attendant inner void that insatiably needs to be filled. These needs previously addressed by community, religion [and nationalism] are increasingly being commodified into whole culture of consumerism. Consumerism is winning more converts more quickly than any other previous belief or value system in human history (David Loy).
Ken urges Buddhists to renew their understanding of dukkha (suffering) by looking deeply into our contemporary global society, reflecting on how it can be healed. My sense is we need to go back deep into our collective unconscious and develop a deep understanding of our inner journey and outer social institutions begining with gender based patriarchy and ending with class based elitist supremacist global-imperialistic capitalism. With the advent of internet and web 2.0 history is being rewritten from persperctives not explored and disseminated before.
Listen to this surprising admission from Alan GreenSpan.
Asian and European Markets Fall with Greenspan's remark.
<> G20 Summit was a failure <>
Here are questions posed by engaged Buddhist Robert Thurman in Dropping knowledge
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Bloggers Bear Witness to Poverty & Inequality
I am about to leave for a four day dzogchen retreat, and wanted to drop a note in support of Bloggers and Site Owners all over the world bringing attention to the cause of poverty and injustice embedded in and perpetuated by our dysfuntional and fraudulant financial system. The burden of poverty heavily falls on world's women, children, minority and marginalized classes, especially in developing countries.
AT Ariyaratne, Founder of Sarvodaya movement sees the root problem of poverty coming from a sense of personal and collective powerlessness. Money itself is empty, yet not understanding its fundamental nature and function as a collective social agreement, as a medium of circulation and a measure of value through which all human exchange of labor, goods, service, ideas and creative thoughts take place, keeps us from exercising our own power to collaborate and create the sustainable reality we like to live in with basic dignity, happiness and joy assured for all.
If power and wealth is getting concentrated in few despite overall sign of prosperity, could it be that the majority do not see or understand the basis of power or where they have unconsciously given away that power?
The original Buddhist concept of emptiness and the sanskrit term Sunyata carries the meaning of swollen or pregnant - and it is indeed pregnant with a liberative potential when energizing creativity. it points the way out of the oppressive prison that self-protecting unconscious ego supposes to be reality.
Based on a new understanding of our social and historical and experiential realization the time is pregnant NOW for a new world and a new humanity capable of functioning and creating new systems from the holistic, non-dual and interdependent understanding of the whole living systems. This is a deep Now moment when many things are converging in many dimensions, historically, psycho-spiritually and evolutionwise.
{Listen to Chogyam Trungpa and also see this 2 minute clip from movie zeitgeist addendum] about this NOW moment}. We must unite through our common humanity in basic goodness, courage and intelligence and not give in to panic and fear or deceptive distractions and delusions.
A new film They Come in The Name of Helping
AT Ariyaratne, Founder of Sarvodaya movement sees the root problem of poverty coming from a sense of personal and collective powerlessness. Money itself is empty, yet not understanding its fundamental nature and function as a collective social agreement, as a medium of circulation and a measure of value through which all human exchange of labor, goods, service, ideas and creative thoughts take place, keeps us from exercising our own power to collaborate and create the sustainable reality we like to live in with basic dignity, happiness and joy assured for all.
If power and wealth is getting concentrated in few despite overall sign of prosperity, could it be that the majority do not see or understand the basis of power or where they have unconsciously given away that power?
Where wealth is concentrated, the people are dispersed. Where wealth is dispersed, the people are brought together. - Confucius
Based on a new understanding of our social and historical and experiential realization the time is pregnant NOW for a new world and a new humanity capable of functioning and creating new systems from the holistic, non-dual and interdependent understanding of the whole living systems. This is a deep Now moment when many things are converging in many dimensions, historically, psycho-spiritually and evolutionwise.
{Listen to Chogyam Trungpa and also see this 2 minute clip from movie zeitgeist addendum] about this NOW moment}. We must unite through our common humanity in basic goodness, courage and intelligence and not give in to panic and fear or deceptive distractions and delusions.
Search Transforming Money: From Debt to Empowerment: Susmita Barua (see comment on sidebar)On NPR Economists Explain How To Save Capitalism, 10/20/08 . But do we need to save an unjust unsustainable system that rewards greed and speculation by the rich and sucks money away from real people and real economy? Our ignorance is the root cause of "dukkha".
A new film They Come in The Name of Helping
The Chinese word for transformation consists of two ideograms that
translate as - danger and opportunity. There is no question that we
are entering into dangerous times. But there are deep opportunities as
well. The evolutionary question is: will you, me, and we put our
wholesome attention, intention and energy towards birthing a new
dhamma world or keep holding on to the old pardigm that is simply
unsustainable and breaking apart under its own weight of living
contradictions.
Search Transforming Money: Debt to Empowerment:
Susmita Barua
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Deep Crisis Is A Deep Creative Opportunity
"Three things cannot be hidden for long. The Sun, Moon and the Truth" - Buddha
In the Buddhist Pali canon, satisfaction of basic material needs is seen as a pre-requisite for sila or moral development. In Mahayana scriptures there a broad concern for poverty as an obstacle to spiritual progress and a clear call for direct action/relief as mandatory for addressing the more subtle roots of samsara.
Some of the popular headilines appearing in major news media is worth pointing out. There is great chaos and confusion now as to why exactly capitalism needs a hand-out or bail-out from big government and the people. Why free market mechanisms and financial markets are not self-correcting in democratic systems?
Newsweek predicts the New age of Global Capitalism Begins Now.
To face this Deepest Crisis in Capitalism French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current president of the European Union, has spoken of a need "to rethink the entire financial and monetary system...to create the tools for worldwide regulation."
We need to be careful about the worldwide top-down regulation the French president suggests. Regulation do not promote understanding. Open sharing of knowledge does.
60 Minutes Interview: Shadow Market of Wall Street 10/05/2008
Some are predicting the Crisis Could Shake Nobel Economics Prize
Financial wizards like George Soros, or Corporate and Technology Icons like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Nobel Laureates do not seem to have any feasible answer for the long haul.
This is a great puzzle and a human conundrum that require many skillful engaged minds especially minds that can see things "as they are" and function in a wise, unbiased and non-dual way. What kind of mindful system change could meet both the basic needs and higher needs of people everywhere, their elected goverments, the Millenium Goals and sustainable ecology/environment?
What if we as enaged citizens and advocate for transparent debt-free currency system, who feel deeply called to respond to this crisis could make this happen together, just by simply putting our collective attention and intention to understand this issue.
We do have this opportunity NOW! Stay alert but keep the humor
In the Buddhist Pali canon, satisfaction of basic material needs is seen as a pre-requisite for sila or moral development. In Mahayana scriptures there a broad concern for poverty as an obstacle to spiritual progress and a clear call for direct action/relief as mandatory for addressing the more subtle roots of samsara.
Some of the popular headilines appearing in major news media is worth pointing out. There is great chaos and confusion now as to why exactly capitalism needs a hand-out or bail-out from big government and the people. Why free market mechanisms and financial markets are not self-correcting in democratic systems?
Newsweek predicts the New age of Global Capitalism Begins Now.
To face this Deepest Crisis in Capitalism French President Nicolas Sarkozy, current president of the European Union, has spoken of a need "to rethink the entire financial and monetary system...to create the tools for worldwide regulation."
We need to be careful about the worldwide top-down regulation the French president suggests. Regulation do not promote understanding. Open sharing of knowledge does.
60 Minutes Interview: Shadow Market of Wall Street 10/05/2008
Some are predicting the Crisis Could Shake Nobel Economics Prize
Financial wizards like George Soros, or Corporate and Technology Icons like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Nobel Laureates do not seem to have any feasible answer for the long haul.
This is a great puzzle and a human conundrum that require many skillful engaged minds especially minds that can see things "as they are" and function in a wise, unbiased and non-dual way. What kind of mindful system change could meet both the basic needs and higher needs of people everywhere, their elected goverments, the Millenium Goals and sustainable ecology/environment?
What if we as enaged citizens and advocate for transparent debt-free currency system, who feel deeply called to respond to this crisis could make this happen together, just by simply putting our collective attention and intention to understand this issue.
We do have this opportunity NOW! Stay alert but keep the humor
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Another View of Poverty: Spiritual, Material and Institutional
It is important to distinguish "living in poverty" from "being poor". The people of Cuba have a percapita income that is 1/20th of the USA. Yet there is little malnourishment or homelessness in Cuba, and everyone has basic health care. Infant mortality and life expectancy in Cuba are near identical to what they are in the USA. Cuba's community response to severe fuel famine and food shortage in 1990's is inspiring and exemplary.
The Institutions of New Imperialism are located within a square mile of Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Instead of poverty reduction World Bank and IMF policies have fueled social-political turmoil and economic collapse in many developing countries around the World. Ford's empire is bigger than the economy of South Africa. Tiger Woods is paid more for a Nike Commercial than the laborers in Indonesia making Nike products. United States gave money to IMF to fix Russian elections. See the Truth. about WTO
Former World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz describes how our common economic accounting procedures and statistics hide and distort the real picture and advocates alternative measures like Green GDP, Median Income, GNP instead of GDP and other measures that reflect the health and well being of people not captured by GDP. Countries like Costa Rica may be quite high in Green GDP. It remains to be seen how the Happiness Index holds up in a traditional monarchy like Bhutan undergoing a voluntary(?) political transition now.
The Institutions of New Imperialism are located within a square mile of Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Instead of poverty reduction World Bank and IMF policies have fueled social-political turmoil and economic collapse in many developing countries around the World. Ford's empire is bigger than the economy of South Africa. Tiger Woods is paid more for a Nike Commercial than the laborers in Indonesia making Nike products. United States gave money to IMF to fix Russian elections. See the Truth. about WTO
Former World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz describes how our common economic accounting procedures and statistics hide and distort the real picture and advocates alternative measures like Green GDP, Median Income, GNP instead of GDP and other measures that reflect the health and well being of people not captured by GDP. Countries like Costa Rica may be quite high in Green GDP. It remains to be seen how the Happiness Index holds up in a traditional monarchy like Bhutan undergoing a voluntary(?) political transition now.
The greatest inability of the human race is to understand the cumulative enslavement effect of usury, exponential growth in debt (exceeding money put in circulation) via compound interest. Take a peek at our credit card industry.
Listen to "All I see is Spiritual Poverty", a song by Bijean
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Unveiling the Deluded World of Finance & Banking
"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead
I was surfing the web today on the subject of money after my six weeks trip to India to get over my jetlag. This may make you laugh and cry or make you both sad and mad but we must not go back to sleep and miss this great historic opportunity to come out of our unconscious collective mind prison/poison of delusion, greed and aversion. It is time to wake up!
- Some naughty Englishmen making a pun of "structured investment vehicles" or products of American Financial Ingenuity here on youtube to enlighten the rest of us financially impaired about the recent subprime mortagage crisis that turned Bear & Stearns belly up.
- Read Excerpts of a new book on monetary reform "Web of Debt" by Ellen H. Brown, J.D. She also have a blog with many insightful comments.
- What is the reason for a central bank? It's connection with the American Revolution
- Have you heard of the new currency Amero, Vchip and NAU like the European Union?[View CNN Report Clips, after 1st minute]
Since economics have almost acquired the status of a modern secular religion with its own church and priests aka the Chicago Boys and Jeffrey Sachs, we can take the cue from Kalamas and need not stay confused and ignorant and extend the globalization of empire and dukkha for our children and the planet.
In the News: Beware The Chicago Boys by Naomi Klein, The Gaurdian June 14,08 [link]
Before we can create a new fair currency system for the welfare and happiness of many, we need to develop sammaditthi or right view (wholesome view, vision and understanding) of money itself. Developing Right view and Right Understanding takes patience, persistence and insight (panna) into our collective reality and collective experience as it is unfolding now, and the nature of our collective mind conditioning.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Tao of Sacred Currency & Sacred Commerce
I was eagerly waiting for sometime for this book "Sacred Commerce" since reading about it at Urth.TV a year ago. Now it is out!
Sacred Commerce reverses the common assumption that business and spirituality are mutually opposed, and instead looks at business as a path of destiny. Your professional and business activities need not be divorced from your “regular” or “family” life. The notion of capitalism infused with the sacred expands the notion of profit with the concept and the reality of the fourth bottom line. Sacred Commerce advances the idea that commerce can be a vehicle to raise consciousness as well as a path towards Self-realization
"The priests of ancient Egypt had vocations and roles above and beyond what we are accustomed to in our time. Some Egyptian priests never left the temple; they served by staying in perpetual dialogue with the universal current of life. Other priests were scribes, healers, teachers, mediators, and celebrants. Still others were known as Merchant Priests. Certain members of the priesthood took up Sacred Commerce as a mission to serve humanity.
The Merchant Priests traveled specific energy pathways that were known to them because of their high vibration. These energy pathways, or ley lines, became the trade routes that led from one temple to the next, allowing precious goods to be exchanged between regions. Turquoise, for example, would be exchanged for herbs or incense and fine fabrics would be exchanged for hand-woven baskets. Items of exchange were primarily those high vibration prized objects and elements that raised people’s consciousness, and whose presence made you feel more elated, either by their beauty or by their intrinsic resonance/vibration, like the healing vibration of precious essential oils from flowers.
Merchant Priests knew that a healthy society must have a solid foundation. Principles of flow, balance, and abundance were understood as essential, and commerce was a key means to that end." - Quoted from Free chapter, Sacred Commerce, Rise of Global Citizen by Ayman Swaf and R. Gabrielle
I believe the notion sacred currency also existed in many parts of the World including native cultures since Ancient times. Since currency or money is basically a human innovation or communication tool (as I see and define money in www tools for education) designed to overcome the limitation of direct exchange or barter. Money was not a usury bearing debt or IOU originally, but a product of sacred trust and collective agreement to use something as a universal medium of exchange. Currency itself was designed to function not only as a pure medium of exchange (with a measure of value), but also as a medium of circulation that allows goods and services to pass freely between developers and users. Human relationships, human labor and all creative gifts of human labor were considered sacred.
Usury, also called unearned income or the practice of making money out of money via exhorbitant compound interest was a corruption that happened with loss of sacred trust between heaven and earth within human psyche as some priests and religious and royal heads fell under the spell of three mind poisons of untamed greed, hatred and delusion. Misperception of money (as a commodity comes from goldsmith warehouse receipts and adopted by fractional reserve based colonnial industrial Bank of England in 1600. Modern banking, finance and usury seem to have first appeared and perfected in Sumeria, as evidenced by archaeological findings in the city of Uruk . Usury has been a source of concern historically, since the code of Hamurabi. Usury (in the original sense of any interest) was denounced by a number of spiritual leaders and philosophers of ancient times, including Plato, Aristotle, Cato, Cicero, Seneca, Plutarch, Aquinas, Muhammad, Moses, Philo and Gautama Buddha. (wikipedia)
Also you can download the colorful issue on complementary currency here
at DGCmagazine April Issue
Sacred Commerce reverses the common assumption that business and spirituality are mutually opposed, and instead looks at business as a path of destiny. Your professional and business activities need not be divorced from your “regular” or “family” life. The notion of capitalism infused with the sacred expands the notion of profit with the concept and the reality of the fourth bottom line. Sacred Commerce advances the idea that commerce can be a vehicle to raise consciousness as well as a path towards Self-realization
"The priests of ancient Egypt had vocations and roles above and beyond what we are accustomed to in our time. Some Egyptian priests never left the temple; they served by staying in perpetual dialogue with the universal current of life. Other priests were scribes, healers, teachers, mediators, and celebrants. Still others were known as Merchant Priests. Certain members of the priesthood took up Sacred Commerce as a mission to serve humanity.
The Merchant Priests traveled specific energy pathways that were known to them because of their high vibration. These energy pathways, or ley lines, became the trade routes that led from one temple to the next, allowing precious goods to be exchanged between regions. Turquoise, for example, would be exchanged for herbs or incense and fine fabrics would be exchanged for hand-woven baskets. Items of exchange were primarily those high vibration prized objects and elements that raised people’s consciousness, and whose presence made you feel more elated, either by their beauty or by their intrinsic resonance/vibration, like the healing vibration of precious essential oils from flowers.
Merchant Priests knew that a healthy society must have a solid foundation. Principles of flow, balance, and abundance were understood as essential, and commerce was a key means to that end." - Quoted from Free chapter, Sacred Commerce, Rise of Global Citizen by Ayman Swaf and R. Gabrielle
I believe the notion sacred currency also existed in many parts of the World including native cultures since Ancient times. Since currency or money is basically a human innovation or communication tool (as I see and define money in www tools for education) designed to overcome the limitation of direct exchange or barter. Money was not a usury bearing debt or IOU originally, but a product of sacred trust and collective agreement to use something as a universal medium of exchange. Currency itself was designed to function not only as a pure medium of exchange (with a measure of value), but also as a medium of circulation that allows goods and services to pass freely between developers and users. Human relationships, human labor and all creative gifts of human labor were considered sacred.
Usury, also called unearned income or the practice of making money out of money via exhorbitant compound interest was a corruption that happened with loss of sacred trust between heaven and earth within human psyche as some priests and religious and royal heads fell under the spell of three mind poisons of untamed greed, hatred and delusion. Misperception of money (as a commodity comes from goldsmith warehouse receipts and adopted by fractional reserve based colonnial industrial Bank of England in 1600. Modern banking, finance and usury seem to have first appeared and perfected in Sumeria, as evidenced by archaeological findings in the city of Uruk . Usury has been a source of concern historically, since the code of Hamurabi. Usury (in the original sense of any interest) was denounced by a number of spiritual leaders and philosophers of ancient times, including Plato, Aristotle, Cato, Cicero, Seneca, Plutarch, Aquinas, Muhammad, Moses, Philo and Gautama Buddha. (wikipedia)
Also you can download the colorful issue on complementary currency here
at DGCmagazine April Issue
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Is Our Financial House in Order?
Some Scary Economic News
The Fall of 5th largest Investment Bank Bear Stearns and White Men Playing Bridge, a quickie time line by Daily Intel
Why aren't million of homeowners in jeopardy of losing their homes being bailed out by the Goverment? See the PBS analysis of the Domino Effect.
CNBC Jim Rogers: 'Abolish the Fed' Posted March 12th, 2008 by _lupester_
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke should resign and the Fed should be abolished as a way to boost the falling dollar and speed up the recovery of the U.S. economy, investor Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings, told CNBC Europe Wednesday. Roger says bailing out of failed Investment banks by FED is not capitalism, it is socialism for the Rich and EU, China, Australia doing better job with inflation than US FED. See Youtube interview
US financial system overhaul plan gives more power to FED,
Dow rose in today's April Fool's Day rally, Wal Mart stock was up 2.3% - $1.40 per share, or $5.6 billion. Meanwhile, GM, Ford & Toyota all announced that their US car sales dropped by double digit
Banking Industry for the first time in 44 years faces revenue shortfall and 200,000 job loss
SHOULD THE US NATIONALIZE ITS OWN CURRENCY?
A debt-free usury-free national currency would restore true democracy and signal the end of centralized privatized fractional reserve banking, transform banking and finance globally and end suicidal imperialism of a few wealthy nations over many. don't sweat over Fed, Laugh!
The Fall of 5th largest Investment Bank Bear Stearns and White Men Playing Bridge, a quickie time line by Daily Intel
Why aren't million of homeowners in jeopardy of losing their homes being bailed out by the Goverment? See the PBS analysis of the Domino Effect.
CNBC Jim Rogers: 'Abolish the Fed' Posted March 12th, 2008 by _lupester_
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke should resign and the Fed should be abolished as a way to boost the falling dollar and speed up the recovery of the U.S. economy, investor Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings, told CNBC Europe Wednesday. Roger says bailing out of failed Investment banks by FED is not capitalism, it is socialism for the Rich and EU, China, Australia doing better job with inflation than US FED. See Youtube interview
US financial system overhaul plan gives more power to FED,
Dow rose in today's April Fool's Day rally, Wal Mart stock was up 2.3% - $1.40 per share, or $5.6 billion. Meanwhile, GM, Ford & Toyota all announced that their US car sales dropped by double digit
Banking Industry for the first time in 44 years faces revenue shortfall and 200,000 job loss
SHOULD THE US NATIONALIZE ITS OWN CURRENCY?
A debt-free usury-free national currency would restore true democracy and signal the end of centralized privatized fractional reserve banking, transform banking and finance globally and end suicidal imperialism of a few wealthy nations over many. don't sweat over Fed, Laugh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
