Chapter 67 - Principles of Esoteric Investing - Strength for the Journey
The more 'solid' one's financial position becomes, the more one realizes the fundamental fallacy of its stability. Many financial investment principles, especially of the Value variety, hold great Wisdom behind them. A singular focus on purely economic aspects limits one's understanding and therefore one's ultimate success. Succinctly, money is not everything. In Truth, money is not really anything at all. Much like water, money takes on the energy of those objects & situations one chooses to associate it with. Also, as an interesting aside, one could term money as something of an esoteric 'universal solvent', as it has a tendency to be a revealing factor in the distillation of an individual's core moral precepts.
Money 'stands in' for various manifestations of energy. In this essay, we investigate the valuation of these foundational energies themselves, cutting out the middleman of economic exchange. Economic terms, due to their widespread acceptance & employment, will form the basis of our exploration. Defining Assets & Liabilities is a good starting point, as these represent the basic building blocks of any investment theory. I believe one could go far on the following definitions & explanations alone.
Assets are things, that is objects, people, places, experiences (nouns, essentially) that increase in Value over time, with any energy placed into them returning more than the initial elements & energy outlay involved. This is accomplished either through what is basically magic or through exploitation, depending upon one's approach. Liabilities represent essentially the opposite of Assets, decreasing in Value over time any energies invested in them, disappearing into an entropic black hole. Bureaucracy of any sort is an excellent example of a classic Liability.
Thus far, we have not strayed far from traditionally accepted economic theory. Our Insight herein hinges primarily upon our expanded & revised concept of Value. The view of Value I present is nothing new, historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius (to select a name at random) have illuminated them at length. I feel originality can be overrated, for true Wisdom stands the test of time. Understanding the full picture of Value can increase one's financial wealth (obviously among other things).
What, esoterically speaking, is Value? Value can be better experienced than defined, but we shall do our best. Beauty is as proper a point of departure as any. Creating Beauty is the primary means of adding true Value. Taking things and optimizing them for aesthetic purposes turns liabilities into assets. When one focuses on mere economic optimization, asthetic Value is often compromised. Tact recognition of this fact can be observed in the 'luxury' market. What makes 'luxury' different from the 'ordinary'? Aesthetics, pure and simple. More is not better. Value is found in quality, not quantity. With this background, let us approach the world from a holistic perspective.
The quality of one's relationships adds to one's personal Value. Social media has proven for us the lack of Value present in great quantities of minimally cultivated relationships. A practice of being wholly present then, and its incredibly positive impacts upon human relations represents an esoteric Asset. We would do well to invest our time & finances into such an asset. Esoteric investing is a highly strategic effort. One must be willing to risk the 'loss' of immediate temporal returns in exchange for long-term gains. Fear of shortchanging our present comfort & basic needs keeps our eyes restricted to the visible world. This is a major liability. 'Building up treasures in Heaven' is less abstract than we might suppose. Energy invested in better relationships, for example, often decreases or even eliminates the 'need' for monetary outlays.
The ever-worsening instability of global financial markets adequately demonstrates to the Wise the true lack of Value inherent in them. In some ways, our 'world' is surely crashing. However, the sky is not actually falling. Today's situation is the evidence & result of of a general abandonment of esoteric Values. Wealth is not a sin. Greed & exploitation are liabilities. Anything gained quickly, through dubious means will vanish just as rapidly. These are fundamental truths of esoteric (or natural) 'law'. In response to the widespread corruption of basic principles, wealth itself comes under undue scrutiny & suspicion. Truthfully, wealth is a Divine gift, intended to bring us closer to Her Joys.
Socialism, as surely as pure capitalism, remains focused on 'things of this world'. I encourage you to experiment in expanding your personal investment portfolio to center around a holistic wealth picture. You will find, over time, that your Earthly (or temporal) status and even financial position will stabilize in return. Seek always to increase your total Value. I am not suggesting an abandonment of financial investments, rather a complete reevaluation of strategy. Imagine for a moment that you are suddenly 'cleaned out', losing everything you have accumulated in your life. What remains? Relationships you have cared & fed correctly. Emotional & mental skills you have developed, honed or mastered. 'Who you are', then, is more crucial than 'what you own'. The practice of esoteric investing is the application of Wisdom principles to turning your very self into an asset. You see people around you who are assets, you see walking liabilities. Which are you? Perhaps more importantly, in which direction are you steering your life? Become a living, breathing (Loving) asset. This will be your greatest investment.