THE SPIRIT OF INTIMACY, by Sobonfu
Some’, whose name
means “keeper of ritual,” was born and raised in Burkina Faso. She was a member of the Dagara tribe of West
Africa. The following is a short excerpt
from her book in regards to money. After
all, “tis the season!”
Many factors contribute to the
frequency of divorce in the West – money, job conflicts, infidelity, anonymity,
isolation. These result from a lack of
spirit’s blessing and of community support.
In the village, these are not issues.
You have to go back to the fact that
everything in the village, including money, is spirit-based. It is only when money is taken out of its
spiritual context that it becomes this huge giant that we have to struggle
with. Money was originally intended for
spiritual usage. It was taken to shrines
and placed there as an offering. It wasn’t
used as a source of power.
It’s when we start to disconnect
money from its original meaning that we disconnect it from spirit. Then we start to use it as a source of
power. Just like intimacy. When we disconnect it from its spiritual
base, we cut off it roots, and it becomes this vague thing just floating around
without any kind of focus.
In absence of spirit, money becomes
connected to “mine” and “I” and it’s mine, it’s not yours. It does not belong to the community and does
not have anything to do with spirit.
People make money into a personal
thing. It becomes all negative power and
no spirit, giving it so much more energy than what it has in reality. In this case it can only become an obstacle
that divides people.
In a place where spirit has been
forgotten, a true sense of identity is likely to be missing. And since we have to have an identity beyond
our social security number, people base their identity on their work. Many people cannot separate their identity
from what they do in their professional life.
But when you have a true sense of
identity, you don’t feel insecure about sharing what you have. And you will never find yourself fighting
over the demands of a job. – Sobonfu Some
(Author of “The Spirit of Intimacy”)
