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. 

October 5, 2025

It is typical for young children to cover their eyes and say, “You can’t see me now.” The child thinks that by closing their eyes, they are invisible. This antic amuses us, because in the “real” world, no one can control others’ vision by covering their eyes. Child developmental psychologists call this behavior “egocentric” because, in this stage of development the child assumes they are center of the universe, and that everyone sees what they see. 

October 4, 2025

There is a familiar saying in many spiritual circles: “Let go and let God.” It reminds us to stop holding on to our concerns and allow God to hold them. Yet we often clutch our problems tightly, thinking that we will finally discover a solution by turning them over and over in our minds. But holding on to the problem only harms us.

October 3, 2025

Jeremy was involved in a large organization whose leader was engaging and charismatic. He believed in the well-respected leader. But Jeremy sold his soul for the approval of that leader by making himself available to him around the clock. Next, Jeremy quit his day job to be the leader’s personal right-hand man. Living at the beck and call of the leader, Jeremy had little time for his personal life. But he had one small side business, which demanded his time every Tuesday evening. One day, the leader asked him to give up his side interest to be at his disposal on Tuesday evenings. This left him with only Sunday afternoons off to be with his parents, who also needed him. 

October 2, 2025

My 103-year-old mother-in-law is a survivor. She lives in the same home where she has lived for 75 years. She manages her checkbook, cares for herself, and only receives help from a caretaker for four hours daily. Yet, growing older has been a strain, because she can no longer do all she once did. Only a few years ago, she was always helping others, always reaching out with energy and love to be of service.

October 1, 2025

There is temporal power, and there is divine power. Heads of state and their armies are examples of temporal power, while leadership of spiritual movements and religions has long been associated with divine power. Kings, queens, emperors, empresses, and pharaohs, even the Pope, held  both kinds of power, since they ruled as heads of state and were also considered divine beings—or ruled by divine right.

September 30, 2025

With desire comes the need for control. Control gives us the power to make things happen. If we desire something, we also desire the control and the power to obtain it. 

September 29, 2025

This morning, there is a break in the hot temperatures. Cool air is creeping in and slowly replacing the summer heat. I do not want the summer to end. How dare time and seasons move on without my approval! The cool air reminds me that I am not the decider, I am just a guest on this planet, only for a brief ride. Time moves on and seasons change, even when I do not want them to.

September 28, 2025

We all have wounds from childhood. This is normal and, for some, the wounds are deep. As innocent young children, we did not arrive here knowing the rules of our family, the neighborhood, school, or community. As very small and defenseless children, we did not know what to do when the voices told us that we were not “OK" the way we were and that we had to conform to expectations that ran counter to our natural self. We were not born knowing how to handle rejection and conflict with parents, siblings, or friends. We simply did what came naturally to us. Our unashamed soul had to learn to negotiate the world that inflicted shame. The overpowering pain of shame and rejection is why our soul child allowed our ego to cover it, protect it, and to strategize a way forward. The ego gave of the semblance feeling OK once again.

September 27, 2025

Mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) wrote the now famous words, “Follow your bliss,” published in the classic volume, The Power of Myth. Campbell goes on to say, “Our life has become so economic and practical in its orientation that, as you get older, the claims of the moment on you are so great you hardly know where the hell you are or what it is you intended. You are always doing something that is required of you. Where is our bliss station? You have to try to find it.”

September 26, 2025

We understand ourselves when we know that we have two different levels of moving in the world. We live from the level of our ego mind or from the level of our soul. At their most intense state, our egos protect our interests above those of others and essentially set ourselves apart from the common good. The unhealthy ego obstructs our having true empathy for others outside our clan. Our egos cope with a tricky and demanding world by presenting an outward face that fits the situation and by strategizing ways to protect ourselves from harm even if we have to strike preemptively.

September 25, 2025

Enneagram-ers can do a simple thing that gives them a reading on how they are doing and, at the same time, receive a glimpse into self-understanding.

September 24, 2025

Human beings need to be held. We were held in our mother’s womb and then in our parents’ arms. In the years to follow, we are held in the arms of friends, loved ones, and of our beloved. Yet there is another type of holding that humans need. It is the sense of being secure in our home, our community, our nation, and our world. The arms of this holding provide assurance that all is well.