In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores money as a form of Shakti and the importance of maintaining a balanced flow between earning, preserving, and spending.

Money, like all other forms of Shakti, needs to remain in motion. We have many Shaktis in our lives, but money has become particularly important in the modern world. Shakti is the dynamic force of the universe, and when it is prevented from moving, problems can occur. Problems can also arise when Shakti moves too quickly and becomes exhausted. The same principle applies to the Prana Shakti in the body: we need to accumulate a certain amount, but we also need to use it every day so that the body remains properly connected with its environment.

This principle also applies to money through the concept of Yoga Kshema. Yoga means obtaining that which you have not yet obtained, while Kshema means protecting that which you have already attained. During our working years, we need to earn and accumulate money that will hopefully remain available when we are older and no longer wish or are able to work a full day. This means understanding how much to earn, how much to preserve, and how to employ what we have.

There are various ways of approaching this question, some more esoteric than others. Dr. Svoboda recalls that his Jyotish guru, Mantriji, used to say that when someone visits a new city to conduct business with the possibility of making a profit, the first thing that person should do is spend some money there. By putting money into the local economy, one is “priming the pump,” encouraging the economic environment to return some of what is destined to come back.

Money should therefore not be considered separately from the larger economy in which it circulates. We are continually putting money into that economy, but we can choose how much we contribute, when we contribute it, and what we support with it. When we direct money toward good things, the principle of resonance suggests that beneficial results are more likely to return to us. When we direct it toward less beneficial things, we should not expect the same result.

Balance is essential. If we hold on to too much and become miserly, we may eventually damage our own prosperity because we are preventing money from circulating. On the other hand, if we allow too much to flow away from us, which Dr. Svoboda observes is a more common problem today, Lakshmi, who is always Chanchala, always moving, can develop the habit of moving away from us, making prosperity more difficult to retain.

The aim is therefore to understand how much money needs to come into our bank account, how much should remain there, and how much should be spent, as well as when and where it should be spent. By maintaining this balance, we can develop a healthy relationship with money and allow ourselves and the economic environment to exist in a mutually healthy relationship, just as we seek a healthy relationship with our physical and mental environments.