This journey comes from a classic gestalt therapy exercise,
Often called the empty chair.
In that work,
You imagine someone important to you,
Sitting in a chair across from you.
And you say what you never got to say.
Here we are adapting that for money.
You're going to bring one person into the money chair.
We're going to let their old sentences and old stories about money land.
And then let your body respond in the way it has always wanted to.
That might be quiet,
It might be emotional,
Might be loud,
All of it is welcome.
This is not about being calm or reasonable.
It's about giving the feelings that have been stored around money.
You might come back to the same process many times,
Even several days in a row,
With the same person,
Or the same sentence,
And each time you may notice different layers.
There is a later journey where we will explore seeing things from their side,
And moving towards forgiveness,
If that's what feels right for you.
But this meditation is about release,
And this meditation is for you.
Release the money beliefs you grew up with,
A money loves you back journey.
Take a moment to settle in.
Find a way to sit that feels supported.
Feet on the floor,
Or legs curled under you,
Whatever works for your body.
Let your eyes soften and close.
Take a slow breath,
In through your nose,
And let it out through your mouth.
Let your shoulders drop a little,
Let your jaw loosen,
Let your hands rest wherever they want to rest.
Bring to mind one person in your life,
Whose words profoundly shaped how you feel about money.
A caregiver,
A partner.
Someone whose voice you still hear when you think about money.
Imagine yourself in a simple room with two chairs.
You're sitting in one.
The other chair is across from you,
And it's empty.
Now picture the person that came up for you,
Sitting in the chair across from you.
Notice how your body responds as you see them there.
Notice your chest,
Your throat,
Your stomach,
Notice your jaw,
Your hands,
And your shoulders.
Now,
Let one sentence they used to say about money come to the surface.
Whichever one comes first is the right one.
Maybe it's something they said often,
Or maybe it's a sentence that only came out once,
But stayed with you.
Let it appear as if you're hearing it right now.
If anger starts to rise,
Allow anger to rise.
If you feel like you want to scream or swear,
Or say,
How could you say that to me?
Let that be there too.
You're not doing this wrong if it gets messy.
You are finally letting what has been there move.
If there are more sentences,
Let them come.
And notice what they've been doing inside you all these years.
Imagine you're allowed to respond,
Not as the child or person you were then,
But as the you who is here right now.
What do you want to say back to or about those sentences?
Let the words come however they want to come.
You can say them out loud,
Whisper them,
Or say them inside.
If what comes is a shout,
Let it be a shout.
If it's a sob or a cry,
Let it be that.
If it's silence with your fist clench,
Let that be there too.
Give yourself the space to be honest.
You are letting your system empty out what it has been holding for years.
When you feel a sense of completion,
Look at the person in the chair again.
See them very clearly.
You can say either out loud or internally,
Those sentences and beliefs and stories belong to you.
They were never mine.
As you say that,
You can imagine those old money sentences leaving your body.
Like taking a coat that never fit and dropping it to the ground.
Like setting down a heavy box you were never meant to carry this long.
Now imagine that the space between you and that person starts to clear.
Are letting the old money story loosen its grip.
Now turn your attention from them back to yourself.
You are still sitting in your chair.
Ask yourself very quietly,
What do I want money to be to me now?
Whatever comes,
Let it be simple and true for this moment.
Now imagine the chair across from you empty.
The old money voice is no longer there.
You are here.
Your body is here.
Your breath is here.
Your new realization is here.
Take a slow breath in.
Gently bring your attention back to the room you're in.
Feel whatever is underneath you.
Begin to notice the sounds around you.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
You can open your eyes when it feels right.
And carry your new money beliefs with you.
