The wallet is where we house our most important objects: our personal IDs, insurance cards, debit cards, credit cards, and cash. It’s not unusual to stash a memento or two inside as well. Our wallet is our safe place, a traveling, miniature filing cabinet of sorts. A person’s wallet says a lot about them and the things they choose to keep on their person. It is an object we hold close, carrying it with us wherever we go. When we step out the door, we reach for our keys, our phones, and our wallets. It serves as a lifeline, enabling us to circulate our money, make purchases, and pay bills.
Our identity is often tied to the wallet. We are prone to tying our sense of self to our net worth, the types of cards we carry, or the amount of cash we have on hand. We carry ourselves differently when we have money burning a hole in our pocket versus when we are struggling to make ends meet. The energy of the wallet is subtle and nuanced, but its influence over us is palpable.
In this way, there is a funhouse sort of energy associated with the wallet. Our understanding of it shifts and morphs depending on our perspective. When it comes to the wallet, context matters. To make matters even more confusing, what was once a physical object we handled daily has evolved into a number on a screen. Today the wallet is most often the bridge between our physical environment and our digital ledger. The wallet is the personal bank account incarnate.
Money is the connective tissue of our lives and it lives in the wallet. We need our wallets to procure the various goods and services we require. In the age of mobile and online banking, Venmo, and direct deposit, the wallet is intimately connected to the phone. It is increasingly challenging to interact with money without a phone, as it is the touch point that enables us to transfer money, receive payments, and pay bills. The two work together to enable us to fully participate in the marketplace.
There is a liminality to the wallet as it is where we plant the seeds of our dreams. Most of our worldly desires involve money in some way shape or form. New ideas, identities, and experiences require funds to be rerouted, allocations to be reconsidered, and savings to be dipped into. Without the power of the wallet, our visions are unable to land on the physical plane. It links the past, present, and future as we spend and save according to our ever-evolving values, goals, and desires.
Much like the kitchen, the wallet thrives on ritual and routine. From pay periods to rent checks, we all have our unique rhythms with money. Taking the time to create personal financial systems enables us to feel well-resourced. Learn to work with the wallet as the space that it is. Keep it tidy, clean it regularly, and air it out as needed. Most important of all: befriend it. Tend to the wallet so it can return the favor.
TO CONTEMPLATE:
What’s in your wallet? What are you carrying around with you? Empty your wallet. Examine the contents individually.
Where does your money flow to? Where does it flow from? Are there any tweaks or modifications you want to make?
How would it feel to share your spending habits with another?
Interested in learning more? Book a Space Reading! And, of course, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
-MRD