In our increasingly fast-paced world it seems like everything comes and goes at a faster rate, even money. An in this whirlwind of activity, there is something about taking a portion of that money that whizzes in and out of our bank accounts and saving it that is extremely important to our sense of self and security. I think I always knew this intuitively but I didn’t ever find a clear way to express this to myself until I read this little passage in a very old esoteric book (“Commentaries” by Maurice Nicoll). See if it speaks to you in some way:
“Suppose that you have a hundred gold sovereigns and you divide them into two lots. You decide to pay half of these golden sovereigns into your Bank and to use the other half in payment of your debts. Now the golden sovereigns are just the same in regard to their matter but they have quite different destinations and potentialities. That gold which you pay into the Bank can accumulate whereas the gold you pay out has gone as far as it can, and I am sure your thoughts about the two sums will be quite different. And I think you will agree that the 50 sovereigns that you are going to pay into the Bank have a fresher feeling about them than those that you are going to pay out.”
Saving money aside, regardless of how much debt you owe, is along the same lines as “doing something for yourself.” In the spiritual world, setting aside time to meditate is doing something for yourself. In the day-to-day world, treating yourself to a massage or even just a latte at your nearby Starbuck’s is doing something for yourself. In the financial world, saving some money aside that will grow-without you having to do anything other than put it in a bank or investment-is doing something for yourself.
If you live hand-to-mouth or if you somehow feel that you are not getting as far in life as you should, saving a little bit of money rather than paying it out all can give you a secure foundation on which to stand. It can make you feel as if, in the ledger of debits and credits, you have something on your side for once.
This emotional and psychological side to saving money can be hard to grasp at first because it doesn’t necessarily meet the conditions of logic. However, I think you’ll find that if you try it for a month or two you’ll begin to feel the difference that savings can bring you. Enjoy!
