Welcome to my blogsite, the Tao of Money. The name for this blog came to me a few years ago when I was organizing the money conference at Bard College. Not far before the conference was to occur, I was worrying about the name of the conference which was, “Local Currencies in the 21st Century.” Something wasn’t working about that title. I wanted the title to be more broad but evoke a sense of intrigue and wonder and a sense of the transcendent.  This conference was delving into new levels of looking at money that are very outside the mainstream academic understanding of money. The “Tao of money” seemed to express that more suitably. In the end, it didn’t fly. So I put it on the shelf for use at some later date–maybe for a book or something. Well, here it is. Let me be clear, when I say the Tao of Money, again, I don’t wish to give the reader the sense that this is a place to gain super hot investor secrets that only Warren Buffet knows. My intent is this: to explore the history of money in its relationship to the evolution of human consciousness.

The Tao means “the Way.” In the dictionary it is described as “the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifying the way, or code of behavior, that is in harmony with the natural order.” (New Oxford English Dictionary). The knowledge of the Tao is something that appeals greatly to me. It contrasts greatly with the western orthodox idea of God. Because it emphasizes the essential unity of duality and that cosmic creativity is more of a universal flow of interchanging forces, light and dark, taking place in the eternal Now. The point of this blog is to explore the relationship of money to this larger cosmic priniciple that exists in the Tao. in terms of its relationship to the evolution of humanity. I believe that we are emerging out of a period characterized largely by dualistic thinking which has created a false relationship to the rest of life. The money system, as it is a construct of this mode of consciousness, operates from this world view which has the effect of fulfilling the feedback loop. We believe that we are disconnected from the rest of life and from one another so we have created a system to mitigate “the risk” of separation and ultimately the possibility of death. It is a natural by-product of living in a divided and broken world–but it is this self-imposed money matrix that further inflames this point of view.

I must give credit to my late friend and mentor, Michael Murphy, who started this conversation nearly 5 years ago in 2002. Many thanks to Susan Witt of the Schumacher Society for providing me with a place to nourish my evolving thinking and education since 2003. His work can be viewed at www.revelation2seven.org/.