Years ago I wrote a dissertation for my Doctorate in Metaphysical Science called “Got Spirit”? It was an in-depth study of the most popular metaphysical, new thought and new age movements and the marketing practices their founders used to establish them.
I wrote it because so many people seem to have a negative attitude toward money and marketing that I wanted to see for myself how the biggest and most famous spiritual movements got that way.
I suspected the greatest meta-physicians — from Jesus to Phineas Parker Quimby to Mary Baker Eddy to Ernest Holmes to Mother Teresa — were all comfortable with money and either did marketing or had someone do it for them.
It was an illuminating study. Turns out every one of these spiritual teachers and their movements knew the value of money and marketing. Each did everything from writing, speaking and advertising to publicity events to get attention and attract followers.
If that’s the case, then why do most metaphysical practitioners today — most people, period — dislike marketing and money?
The most obvious answer is they believe, “God will provide.”
That reminds me of the story of the man with a beautiful garden in his backyard. One day a man walked by, saw it, and stopped to admire it.
“You have an amazing garden here,” the stranger said.
“Thank you,” said the owner.
“It’s really God’s garden, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” replied the owner. “But you should have seen it when God had it all by Himself.”
The point is, God (or the Divine or Nature) provides us with the basics, and we have to do something with what we’ve been given. If we just allow things to grow in the backyard, we’ll have a jungle, not a garden. Someone has to tend to the earth. Even if we’ve been given (or learned) the talent to heal, we have to let people know we have it for us to be able to use it. In other words, we have to spread the word.
That’s marketing.
It’s no different than what Jesus, Phineas Parker Quimby (pictured above), Mary Baker Eddy, or even Mother Teresa did. If someone hadn’t helped them spread the word, we wouldn’t know of them today.
The success of Unity Church is a case in point. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore managed to raise all the money they needed to build and expand their business. It wasn’t until 1942 that the real secret of their financial support was revealed. The Fillmores had created a now famous “Dedication and Covenant” on December 7, 1892, that read:
“We, Charles Fillmore and Myrtle Fillmore, husband and wife, hereby dedicate our selves, our time, our money, all we have and all we expect to have, to the Spirit of Truth, and through it, to the Society of Silent Unity.
“It being understood and agreed that the said Spirit of Truth shall render unto us an equivalent for this dedication, in peace of mind, health of body, wisdom, understanding, love, life and an abundant supply of all things necessary to meet every want without our making any of these things the object of our existence.
“In the presence of the Conscious Mind of Christ Jesus, this 7th day of December, 1892 A.D.”
Please note that while the Fillmores signed an agreement with Spirit, they also wrote, published and distributed materials to market their message and their offerings. In short, they had to do both: Implement marketing and work with Spirit. I call it the phrase I coined: Spiritual Marketing. It could have easily been called Spiritual Money.
The point here is that money and marketing are not separate from Spirit at all. They are in fact Spirit.
When someone says, “I don’t care about money, I just want to follow Spirit,” they are revealing their own limitations about the reality of the world.
Money is Spirit.
Saying you aren’t interested in money, or marketing, is a form of self-delusion. You don’t need to be in love with money to appreciate it and attract it. When you realize it’s a tool of Spirit, you are in a position to create miracles.
Dr. Hew Len, my coauthor for the book Zero Limits, is clear that money is of Spirit. He uses the ho’oponopono practice to clean on everything, including any negativity around money. As a result, our book is a bestseller and I send him huge checks for half of everything that I ever receive from anything related to Zero Limits products. He simply receives.
When you have Spirit, you can have money.
They aren’t separate.
Got Spirit?
Ao Akua,
PS — Miracles Coaching can help you with all of this. Click here for more information.
21 Comments
Hi Joe, what a great post! 😀 I love the story about the garden and God.. I once met someone who claimed that “you must not charge money for spiritual work”! What a bunch of BS… But still many socalled “spiritual” people believe this. With this point of view they indirectly say that money is evil….
Blessings and greetings from Denmark,
Claus 😀
Hi Joe, what a great post! 😀 I love the story about the garden and God.. I once met someone who claimed that “you must not charge money for spiritual work”! What a bunch of BS… But still many socalled “spiritual” people believe this. With this point of view they indirectly say that money is evil….
Blessings and greetings from Denmark,
Claus 😀
As always, insightful words!
I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Happy New Year!
Ah, but wasn’t it Jesus who said “The love of money is the root of all evil”?
Not money, but greed. And who loves money more than Mr. Fire?
Duff, if you’re going to comment on my blog, you really need to read my blog posts. I’ve already addressed the quote. I also wrote about it in my book, Attract Money Now, which you can read for free at http://www.attractmoneynow.com
blessings
joe
Ahh. Another ‘penny’ drops and another tool in the miracle kit. Thanks again Joe. Arohanui from New Zealand
I am glad to read this post. By the way it looks Christmas Surprise post for us. Inspiring and another example for me. 😀
Merry Christmas to you Dr. Joe
Ravin
I think that money is a kind of energy, like Mark Joyner states in simpleology 101, and as a kind of energy, it is fully provided by God, it means that if you have problems with money in some way you have problems with God.
Happy new year!
Funny what we try to prove god is pleased with.
Or what we try to prove God is dis-pleased with.
joe
Joe, you should write a book called “How to attract more books by Joe Vitale”
Sincerely
X the II
Great post Joe…this was my ah-ha moment in your post:
“The point is, God (or the Divine or Nature) provides us with the basics, and we have to do something with what we’ve been given. If we just allow things to grow in the backyard, we’ll have a jungle, not a garden. Someone has to tend to the earth.”
Love it! and it is so true. Everyone is given a gift or talent, once found and acknowledged (many won’t do that) one has to build on that talent and then market their gift. Aren’t we also called to “share” our gifts. Dah!!!! Why do you think God was so angry with the man that didn’t do anything with his “talents” in the famous parable. He buried it? How sad and some might even agree that it is selfish to not develop and share (market) our talents.
It like saying “thank you God for providing a way to feed myself and my family, but I don’t want to enjoy it too much.”
So glad I read this today….a great way to start the week.
Blessings,
Cindi
Great post Joe…this was my ah-ha moment in your post:
“The point is, God (or the Divine or Nature) provides us with the basics, and we have to do something with what we’ve been given. If we just allow things to grow in the backyard, we’ll have a jungle, not a garden. Someone has to tend to the earth.”
Love it! and it is so true. Everyone is given a gift or talent, once found and acknowledged (many won’t do that) one has to build on that talent and then market their gift. Aren’t we also called to “share” our gifts. Dah!!!! Why do you think God was so angry with the man that didn’t do anything with his “talents” in the famous parable. He buried it? How sad and some might even agree that it is selfish to not develop and share (market) our talents.
It like saying “thank you God for providing a way to feed myself and my family, but I don’t want to enjoy it too much.”
So glad I read this today….a great way to start the week.
Blessings,
Cindi
Hello Dr Vitale!
What a fantastic post! Thank you for this insight and I am once again looking forward to purchasing Zero Limits as ho’oponopono technique is proving to be truly miraculous 🙂 I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for a wonderful gift of Expect Miracles which I received as an audio cd for Xmas from my fiance. The part about forgiveness really opened my eyes, heart and of course…mind! 🙂 It also inspired me to write my very first blog which is something I’ve been afraid of for quite some time now….but its now done. Thank you Dr Vitale!
Kind regards and massive hugs!
Eve 🙂
I just read ‘Zero Limits’ and it was very powerful. Now, I say ‘I love you’ everytime to everyone and everything … when I catch my mind being idle, when I tend to judge, when I skate (http://jmjfamily6.blogspot.com/2009/12/letting-go-can-be-so-much-fun.html), in the subway, in the airport … I just do it all the time, and it makes me lose all doubts, worries and judgments I have.
Indeed, LOVE is most powerful!
Thanks, Dr. Joe, and Happy Birthday!
Much love coming your way!
Love,
Joey
Joe,
It seems the modern church has deemed the practice of charging for spritual information an act of simony; which is considerd a sin.
As an author about to publish in the self-help genre, I face this question daily. But another famous biblical quote says ‘god helps those who help themselves’, so if as an individual I find value in your content, then it is worth investing in…
Money is only a path to evil if you choose it to be so. Wealth creates freedom…what we choose to do with that freedom is entirely up to us…
Write On!
Joe,
I was reading my copy of “Hypnotic Marketing” and was trying to find the fantastic business card (mentioned on pg. 155) you created for yourself. What’s the link? Thanks!
I love this line
“….an abundant supply of all things necessary to meet every want without our making any of these things the object of our existence.”
The fighting and problems all come from people who believe that what they have is who they are – the object of their existence!
Thank you for sharing
Diane
Happy new year!! I love you. Greeting from Taiwan.
Your information make me .thanks to God I understand English.
Even I just Know 80%.
When I watch attract money now first time on youtube.
I crying for 3 hours. I was so moved with your passion and love.
I will clean everyday from now. thanks for million timesssssssss.
I am sorry. please forgive me. I thank you. and I love you.
Happy Valentine’s Day Joe,
I Love You too!
braveheartwomen.com/Zaisho’s Blog
Check me out on my brave heart blog. My zaishoservices.com & zaishoservices.org are under construction and will be launched
in the next month. I hope you keep it in your memory banks and
check it out when it opens up.
I live in Washington State and loved the Secret and what you had
to add to its incredible beauty. You are truly a remarkable humanbeing.
I love this post and you are absolutely right about Spiritual Marketing.
I uses to have a bad opinion about $ but that has totally changed.
You must have it to pay all those people that do services for you.
They expect it and you must deliver it so the money wheel keeps turning.
It is like water in the dam. You must release it to give life to those below.
All the flowers in the Garden need it to Grow.
Happy Valentines my friend,
Many Blessings with Love & Light,
Lisa Anna Bull
Hello Joe,
I found this older post and wanted to give you an update on my progress. You have Inspired me to try harder and to work smarter with my doing my day to day goal setting and doing them in doable steps.
I realize that my net worth will never exceed my Self Worth and now that it is in place the rest will follow.
With much Respect and Gratitude for all that you do,
Lisa Anna Bull
http://www.zaishoservices.com
http://www.zaishoservices.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/people/canyon8beads
http://www.braveheartwomen.com/zaisho