Greed is often associated with stinginess and never wasting anything. This causes me to muse….

When we think of greed, we usually picture stinginess with money, possessions, or power. But I believe another, deeper kind of greed is perhaps the most profound. It is the withholding of ourselves, our hearts, and our presence. 

A giving heart is the antidote to a greed-ridden heart.

A giving heart is not ruled by fear of scarcity but overflows with abundance that displaces that very fear.

In becoming conscious, we awaken to the truth that we are not our appearance, personality, or possessions. We are our soul, our most authentic self, and our soul’s relationship with the Divine is the only thing we truly have, and the only thing that matters. Yet our culture tells us otherwise: “You are not enough unless you have enough.” The problem is, “enough” never arrives.

Greed is the reluctance to relinquish what we hold dear. In its worst form, it includes holding on to what other people hold dear even if we do not value it. Greed can also mean the desire for what belongs to another. What one person treasures may seem worthless to someone else. Greed is deeply personal. And it can be weaponized.

Greed easily morphs into lust. These two passions are woven into one another, which is why the Enneagram reveals their deep connection. Greed is the passion of Ego Type Five, while Lust is the passion of Ego Type Eight. One of the inner lines of the Enneagram links these two points, reminding us that greed and lust both spring from an unhealthy ego that has lost touch with the Virtues and Holy Ideas of the soul.

The word “greed” comes from the Old English “grædig,” meaning “hungry” or “voracious.” It points to a hunger that is never satisfied, marked by a desire to hold on, to never run out, and to secure what we value.