Ten Tenets: Avarice

Avarice, or greed, is a primarily negative member of the Ten Tenets, but like all things, is not always bad. In some ways, avarice can be beneficial, which we will discuss, but it is mostly harmful to ourselves and those around us.

Avarice is the act of taking more than we need, and/or give to others. It can also indicate the energy of being unwilling to part with something we have no need of, but someone else does, for no reason more than it is ours. Being greedy is widely considered wrong because it means that we are taking more from the overall whole than is necessary, and this can often lead to lack for others. Avoiding being a person with the potential to have a lot of avaricious behavior requires a good amount of self awareness and humility, which is why it is more high vibrational to be charitable than greedy.

As we move into the discussion of avarice, we'll be talking about why or how it can be beneficial to us, before we move into the more obvious, but serious, reasons it is something we should try and avoid.

First of all, having more of something than we need can make us feel very confident in our ability to stave whatever negative things life might throw at us. Indulgence can sometimes provide us a form of emotional sustenance. Both of these things can allow people to maintain higher overall vibrations by avoiding negative thought patterns associated with risk or lack. Having more than enough can often improve our overall happiness, and make us more likely to be kind and charitable - both things that we've learned in previous editions to be very good things to do!

Having the inclination to be greedy about something or to keep a large amount of another is indicative of a belief of that thing's value, as well. Those who know us are far more flattered when we share something we were far, far more likely to keep for ourselves out of avarice than we were to give it away out of love. Our greedy weaknesses can also become ways that others can show us that they love and see us: either by not supplying us with the source of our addiction, or by giving us things we are likely to be covetous over, because they know we love them (maybe even a little too much!). If nothing else, over time, things that we keep in large numbers are likely to become more and more rare - which eventually improves their value, right?

Stockpiles of certain things or energies also provide us massive stores to draw from during times of need. Assuming individuals who have stockpiled certain things can let go of their need to hold on to things when push comes to shove, and others need them, certain people having more than they needed of various things can very well serve the collective more than harm them.

This feels like a good lead in to how greed can shortchange others around us if we do not choose to share our stockpiles. As we are experiencing firsthand with shortages for basic supplies and money for various necessary emergency funds in America now, the avarice of some individuals has greatly spurned the whole. I know I'm not the only person in the United States who was using paper towels (or worse) for toilet paper for a month or more, while there were other individuals who bought literally as much as their cart could hold at a time. And that's just toilet paper - wanna talk billionaires? From what we wipe our asses with to literal ass wipes, avarice creates a world of issues for the people around those who choose to take and keep more than they need for themselves.

Avarice is also indicative of a lack mindset, which many people actively involved in the spiritual community may immediately recognize. A lack mindset indicates that we do not believe that we have enough, or that the universe will provide enough for us if we do not hold on tightly to what we have. This sort of thinking is born from a lack of faith that, through our hard work and the kindness of others, we will be taken care of. It may also indicate that we would not be as likely to be charitable or kind towards others, instead choosing to ere on the side of caution or suspicion that we are being taken advantage of, or giving away something we may later need.

Last of all, I consider avarice to be low vibrational in nature because it, more often than not, results in a large amount of waste. Having cleared out more than one house from the aftermath of a hoarding situation (an extreme type of avarice), I can tell first hand of the number of things that were thrown out for being out of date, or ruined by having been stored so long. Avarice is heavily present in the food industry, where it was preferred to throw perfectly good than to allow it to go to people who weren't fortunate enough to be able to afford to eat. Another example is a large amounts of wealth sitting for generations in inheritances and bank accounts, while other families do not even have a place to live, or the ability to go to the doctor or dentist.

While avarice is a natural part of human behavior and has its merits, it is largely more detrimental, especially when the greed is very great, than it is beneficial. As such, it is usually more likely to lower your vibration to act in avarice than it is to raise it.

How do you see avarice playing out in your day to day life? How do you seek to avoid it? I'd love to hear your comments or thoughts in the comments below!

Affirmation:

I already have everything I need.