Three years ago at this time, I came across a prayer for prosperity in The Daily Word, a devotional of daily prayers published by Unity. I was impressed by how it expresses true prosperity, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Let me share that prayer with you today. 

There are many different kinds of prosperity. But all kinds can be reduced to one essential property: a thriving life. Many rich and famous people embody the condition of being prosperous. Take Elon Musk who thrives in business and is arguably the richest man on the planet. Take Taylor Swift who thrives with talent, riches and mega-fame. And take the leading people in your community— the ones voted into office, or who own businesses and corporations. They thrive as leaders with much life force, material resources, and recognition. These are truly prosperous people. 

When I was in eighth grade, my science project was on the theory of audiotropism, also called phonotropism, which is the effect of sound on the growth of plants. I planted three pans of soil with winter rye grass. One pan was exposed to rock and roll music (WABB on my little transistor radio) for two hours daily. Another pan was exposed to slow music (WALA) for two hours daily. The third pan of grass had no exposure to music at all.

I am not a Trekkie, but I recall Mr. Spock’s Vulcan motto: “Live long and prosper.”

What a wonderful line from someone who supposedly repressed his emotions. As a Vulcan, Mr. Spock lived from logic and made decisions based on rational thought. Yet being only half Vulcan, he still had access to feelings, even if he did not outwardly express them.

There are many professional titles for those who guide us in our financial welfare: wealth manager, financial planner, investment advisor. Whether our fiduciary is a banker, a registered financial advisor, or a trained financial planner, we trust them to help guide our economic futures. Their responsibility is to ensure that we make wise decisions with our resources to prosper rather than decline economically.

How does a soul prosper? A soul prospers as it grows in its true nature. This thought can be said another way: The soul grows as we amalgamate our ego with our essence. Consulting the Enneagram of Soul, we see that each soul point is the true nature of an ego. The nine soul points are: Sacred Righteousness or Alignment, Sacred Benevolence, Sacred Action, Sacred Creativity, Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Kinship, Sacred Joy, Sacred Power, and Sacred Loving Peace. A soul alive and unobscured pulses with these qualities, while a soul denied these qualities, becomes veiled, obscured, and therefore desolate. 

October 6, 2025

Prosperity has come to mean economic thriving and success. But the Latin origin of the word has broader meaning. The root word of "prosperous” is from the Old Latin “pro spere,” meaning "according to hope" or "in conformity with one's hope." So, according to its original meaning, prosperity means having or being what we hope for.