Gods. Prosperity and the magic of money
Plutos
Among the huge number of Greek gods, there was also a god of wealth. His name is Plutos. Initially, perhaps, he was one with the underground god Pluto, because there are so many treasures and riches in the earth. But later it is mentioned that Plutos was the son of Demeter, the goddess of fertility. There are a huge number of sculptures, dishes and other art objects dedicated to Plutos.
DemeterThe goddess Demeter was the daughter of the Titan Kronos and Rhea, the sister of Zeus, and the mother of Persephone. Demeter was the Greek goddess of fertility and agriculture, the main goddess for peasants working in fields, forests and arable land. The Greeks believed that nothing could grow anywhere without the permission of the goddess. Demeter taught people agriculture, gave them the necessary knowledge and tools for work. Only with her permission did bread and other crops ripen. If a woman wanted to be fertile, she had to constantly pray and make sacrifices to Demeter, and then the goddess could actually endow this woman with fertility. During the sowing season, the Greeks held a great festival in honor of the goddess, at which they made sacrifices to her.
The Legend of King MidasThe Greek gods have always had an ironic attitude towards wealth. This is most clearly shown in the story of King Midas. He asked Dionysus for the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. Over time, the blessing turned into a curse. Absolutely everything, even food, became golden in the hands of the king. He could die of hunger, so he asked Dionysus to free him from this curse.
MercuryBy the way, there was also a place in the pantheon for the goddess of poverty – Singing. The Romans' god of wealth was Mercury, who was also responsible for trade and profit. He protected trade caravans and some colleges of merchants. Of course, in all the statues Mercury was depicted with a tightly stuffed wallet. Mercury also helped treasure hunters and sometimes pointed to the location of the treasure.
JunoThe Romans also had a goddess of motherhood and marriage, Juno. Money was minted in her temples. This name can also often be found in European languages.
God of Jews and ChristiansIn the Hebrew Bible there was only one God who bestowed wealth and prosperity on his chosen ones. These were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Also, at one time, the tribes of Israel were famous for their enormous wealth.
At any given time there existed a person endowed by God with wealth and health. Wealth was a blessing for every person who followed God. But not only material good came from God, but also spiritual food. People had not only wealth, but also longevity, respect from others and health. This was a sign of God's love, care and generosity.
Gods of wealth in EgyptFor a more complete understanding of the gods of wealth of different countries and peoples, we will talk about the Egyptian, Indian and Chinese gods of wealth. As stated, every culture and religion has a deity who is responsible for the prosperity and enrichment of people. This concerns not only material values, but also has a direct bearing on spiritual ones. So, for example, in Egypt the god who brings wealth and prosperity is Hapi. This God of the Nile is also considered a savior and brings salvation to those in need. In many drawings depicting Egyptian gods, Hapi is dressed in robes. Also, as a special symbol that distinguishes it, there is a wreath made of lotus. Another Egyptian god who is responsible for wealth is the god Shai. His name can be translated from Egyptian as “fate” or “fate.”
Gods of prosperity in Indian cultureIndia, like many other civilizations, had its own god, who was involved in the patronage of various types of activities. Trying to give people the opportunity to become wealthier and prosper, he helped and protected those who wanted to achieve some success from various problems and worries. Ganesha has the head not of a person, but of an animal, namely an elephant. It should be noted that his image does not make a positive impression at first glance. The reason for everything is the head of an elephant and a fairly short stature. Plus, the image is complemented by four hands. Many people even today worship this god and ask him to bring prosperity to the home. For greater effect, you can purchase a figurine with his image. There is an assumption that its size directly affects how much income you can expect. It is important to note that the figurine itself can be made from various materials. So, copper and wood are widely used, and it can also be made from bronze.
Gods of Prosperity in ChinaIf in many other cultures there was either one or two gods of wealth, then in China there are many more of them. So, for example, we can distinguish seven gods, some of which relate more to the culture of India, some relate to Japan, all of them are considered deities who protect and provide patronage to any type of activity. This includes the god Ebisu and the god Daikoku, as well as the god Bishamon, who is also responsible for business development and its prosperity. The Chinese people believe that by making sacrifices correctly, the gods can hear all prayers and give a person the wealth that is of particular value to him.
Using these symbols, our Slavic ancestors attracted the energy of prosperity, wealth and well-being into their lives. It is worth relying on proven methods and following their advice to change your life. After all, we are Slavs. Let's figure out how it works.
One of the strongest deities among the Russians was Dazhdbog.
His name is interpreted as “the giving god,” whose sign is considered to be a six-pointed star, and whose symbols are gold and silver metals. He was the embodiment of the Sun, its warmth and strength, giving fertility, health, various benefits, fulfilling dreams.
People asked Dazhdbog for a good harvest and a bright Sun, nourishing and healing with its warmth.
At the same time, the sun among the Russians was considered an eye that monitors everyone, how and by whom ethnic laws are observed. It is not for nothing that from those distant times to this day, violators of order have been hiding from punishment under the cover of darkness.
The Slavic Dazhdbog rode straight across the sky, in a painted chariot, harnessed to four beautiful white horses with gold wings and red manes. A dazzling light comes from the golden shield in the hands of Dazhdbog - this is sunlight. And in the morning and at sunset every day, Dazhdbog sails on the sea on his boat. Swans pulled the boat through the water. Outwardly, Dazhdbog is magnificent, with an open and direct gaze, a proud gait and a shock of golden hair that blows in the wind.
On September 22, on the day of the autumn equinox, Dazhdbog Day was celebrated.
At this time, the harvest had already been harvested, and the last works were being carried out in the fields. The custom of honoring Dazhdbog was as follows: residents of villages and cities went outside the settlement, rolled up a large wheel blazing with fire, which symbolized the Sun, and danced around it, sang songs in chorus, and played various ethnic games. Then a large table was placed on the main street, on which food was placed and the feast began. Each family brought their own dishes, one tastier than the other, and treated their neighbors. It was customary to praise food and praise the gentle Sun and Mother Rus'.
In those days, the Russians called themselves “Dazhdbog” - that is, the grandchildren of the Sun, and it is not surprising that in their houses, on clothes, various kitchen and household utensils, signs of Dazhdbog could be seen everywhere. The duty of every Russian man was to create a family, which he had to feed, raise and, in the best traditions, raise his children. It was as if he symbolically became Dazhdbog.
Another famous Slavic deity would be Veles- the lunar god and brother of the Sun god, the ruler of nature, forests, and everything unknown.
He patronized travelers, was a guide on the roads, a strong and omnipotent magician, the lord of magic. Also, he was considered the trustee of merchants, the giver of benefits and wealth. And also the owner of Navi. Vedic teachings say that after death a person’s soul travels along the road of moon rays to the very gates of Navi, where it meets Veles. Pure and worthy souls are immediately reflected from the surface of the Moon and soar to the Sun, where, according to legend, the temple of the Almighty is located. Other souls either go back to Earth to reincarnate as a human being or one of the lower beings, or remain with the god Veles to undergo the purification process on the Moon.
Outwardly, Veles presented himself in different ways. It could be a big bear or a bull, or a man with a bear's head. His hand is invariably crowned with a cornucopia. The abode of the god Veles was on the island of Buyan.
The symbols of the ancient gods Dazhdbog and Veles are strong old Russian amulets and they really work. The worship and faith in gods among the Slavs in Rus' was quite strong. Later, when Orthodoxy was adopted in Rus', the deities known as Veles and Dazhdbog still continued to be venerated, but under the guise of Orthodox saints.
Fulfillment of money desires with the help of ancient symbols
The power of these symbols is beyond doubt; you can simply put a few banknotes in a book about Slavic magic and deities and ancient magic will begin to multiply these investments. But there is a way to speed up this process by working with individual signs. It's pretty simple.
- Before you go to bed, imagine a goal and its final, desired result. For example, if you dream of a car, imagine it in front of your eyes, already standing in the parking lot near your house and yourself next to it.
- Choose the symbol you like.
- Draw this symbol on a white piece of paper without letting your dream out of your head. It is better to use a bright marker, such as red, raspberry, blue or green. You should draw the symbol slowly and carefully, as if you were drawing your dream. Everything is ready! Now you need to bend the sheet and put it under your pillow. He will lie there for several nights.
- Every time before going to bed, you will need to unfold the piece of paper and look at the symbol for a couple of minutes, and then keep the image in your head until you fall asleep.
Among the Slavs, the main god of wealth was considered Volos, Veles, Vlasiy or Vlas - the “cattle god”, through cattle the god of wealth, the god of arts, the patron of legends and storytellers, the god of wild nature and forests. In the text of the treaty between Rus' and Byzantium in 907, Volos (Veles) is compared with gold, and in the text of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” the ancient songwriter Boyan is designated as Veles’ grandson.
The wealth of a person among ordinary peasants until the mid-20th century was determined by the presence, quantity and quality of livestock on his farm. Therefore, it is not surprising that Veles is one of the main gods in Slavic mythology. In medieval teachings against paganism, for example, in the apocryphal text “The Virgin Mary’s Walk through Torment,” he is defined as Satan and a fierce beast; among the Balts, “vels” is a synonym for the word “devil.” He is also known by the name Mokos, the husband of Mokosh.
There are at least 4 known references to Mokos-Mokosh in the masculine gender: the god of magic, the posthumous judge, the god Navi. It is he who is called Chernobog among the Slavs, although he also has an incarnation in Prav. He is one of the sides of the great Family. Veles is identified with the three-faced image on the Zbruch idol.
Its day is Wednesday, its metal is lead or mercury, its stone is obsidian or opal, its wood is walnut, spruce or ash. Veles days are celebrated on the second and sixth of January and on the days of praising Yarila. Among the Ilmen Slavs, the god of wealth probably also appeared under the name Volkhov or Lizard.
According to mythology, Veles is married. The wives of Veles are Volosyn. The Universe was represented to the ancient Slavs as a Cow, and the Milky Way was also like its milk. Veles was the son of the Cow of the Universe. And the Elk, or the Constellation Ursa Major, was the palace of Veles.
Veles - the engine of the world
The main act of Veles was that he set the world created by Svarog and Rod into motion. Day began to change into night, exhalation was followed by inhalation, and winter was certainly followed by spring, summer and autumn, and after sadness, fun. Thus, all people were called to learn to value happiness and overcome difficulties. The rotation is carried out in accordance with the highest law of Rule, following the movement of the Sun across the sky - Posolon, and the guiding force is Great Love, which helps in trials and struggle. The ancient Slavs also associated the name Veles with the Pleiades star cluster (in Old Russian Vlosyn, Bulgarian Vlassite).
The ancient Slavs had a custom (rite) of leaving a small number of unharvested cereal stalks, the so-called voloti, on the field as a gift to Veles. This sacrifice bears the name "Hairbeard", which was supposed to appease him and gain his support in raising livestock, hunting, and therefore wealth.
In the Christian era, the functions of Veles were transferred to saints and miracle workers. Some of them were taken over by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who became the patron of wealth and trade, and was also, in the minds of the Slavs, the master of the sea and underground worlds. Due to the sound similarity of the names and coincidences in some features of the cult, Veles merged with the Christian Saint Blaise, who was the patron saint of cattle.
Veles is also called the patron of trade, because he makes sure that the terms of the deal are respected. In this case, the offering to him could be a copper (copper coin).
In order to appease this god and receive his favor, it is necessary to go out into an open field on a clear night, tie a pile of wheat with a strong knot, put a copper coin there and say the following words: “O great patron, bestower of grace, send me your affection and glance yours for my deeds, and protect me from the evil of others and increase my goodness.”
The appearance of Veles
Veles is described in different ways. One of his descriptions is of an old man in expensive tents with a golden beard made of wheat, while another is of a middle-aged man dressed in the skin of a bull.
Nowadays, it is difficult to find more reliable information about this god, since his appearance and functions were assimilated by Christian saints and saints.
The temples of Veles are very interesting, as they were one of the richest and most skillful in the entire pantheon of Slavic gods. These altars were decorated not only with sheaves of wheat, but also with the skulls of cattle. Hunters brought expensive furs for them, and traders brought goods from overseas. Everyone turned to Veles with their own request, since he (Veles) was an omnipotent and omnipresent god.
There are known cases when ancient Russian princes (before the baptism of Rus') turned to Veles with requests for help in making important decisions, while placating him with expensive gifts.
Molten copper and silver were often found at the temples of Veles. This indicates that the believers and people who worshiped him brought precious gifts and threw them into the fire. These, in turn, melted and formed a deposit of precious metals on the altars (stones for sacrifices).
Nowadays, some people who have information about ancient rituals often turn to this great Slavic god for help. And this can be understood, since Veles is a god-pleaser.
We all want to be happy. And many believe that wealth and prosperity will bring them happiness. And some people simply believe in luck. Let it be as they wish, and let them be rewarded according to their dreams. Let's just see what divine entities help in this matter. The presence of which gods promises both wealth and good luck. What gods exist that help in money matters?
SLAVIC GODS OF WEALTH
ABOVES OF HEAVEN- sometimes this symbol is called a talisman. And you can’t immediately tell who the sign is dedicated to: they use it, and there is a place in it. A multi-valued symbol, it develops intuition, attracts happiness and good luck(and therefore the Gods of Wealth consider him theirs too). And also, as a sign of the Goddess Agidel, the sign “Heavenly Abyss” is recommended to all women - to strengthen and increase their beauty and charm (hence, it also turned out to be one of our own).
They say that this sign has a special power: it will protect you from various troubles and worries, it will take away bitterness and failure from you, and it can also protect your thoughts from darkness.
WATCHMAN- a protective sign belonging to.
The sign is somewhat similar to a person. In this case, a person who guards borders. The sign protects and protects, and, as a result, helps to increase prosperity and wealth. The gods of wealth also welcome this sign.
The sign can be made of any material: burned on birch bark, carved from wood, smelted from metal. This could be an imprint on ceramics or embroidery on a towel.
GODS OF WEALTH IN OTHER PEOPLES.
The most famous of them are the seven gods of happiness - Ebisu, Daikoku, Bishamon, Saraswati, Hotei, Juradzin and Fukurokuzen.
“team seven” from Japan, India and China. Figurines of these gods of luck (all together, or each separately, or one of them) can often be seen not only in homes, but in the most unexpected places: in offices, restaurants, shops.
Let's see what these mysterious eastern deities are, who have been bringing goodness and prosperity for more than one millennium.
EBISU- God of honest work and prosperity. Brings success in the profession
PEDIGREE. It is believed that he comes from Japan, and his teacher and friend is the god of wealth Daikoku. They say that at birth he was crippled, but then a miracle happened and his arms and legs grew, although he remained slightly deaf.
SACRED ANIMAL (SYMBOL): sea bass (tai fish)
SYMBOLISM. Ebisu symbolizes honesty in business and justice
APPEARANCE. An ordinary fisherman with a fishing rod, wearing a flattened cap.
FANS: fishermen, farmers, sailors
WORSHIP DAY - 20th of every month.
ACTIVATION (CALLING THE DEITY) - place his figurine near the flowing water and call the god of luck Ebisu
DAIKOKU- the god of wealth, as well as a god who, with the help of a magic hammer, can fulfill any desires of people. God of cuisine and agriculture.
OTHER NAME: Daikokuten or Great Black
PEDIGREE. He comes from India, where his name was Mahakala, and then he came to Japan through China.
APPEARANCE and ATTRIBUTES. He always carries a bag of rice and a hammer with him. True, they say that there is not always rice in the bag. Sometimes there are coins or even precious stones there. And as soon as a rat gnaws a hole in the bag, these pebbles (or coins) begin to fall to the ground. So know: rats are useful creatures, especially if they are accustomed and gnaw through a bag of wealth so that their owner’s wealth increases.
PATRONAGE. This deity used to favor warriors, but then abruptly changed his role and decided that wealth was somehow more reliable
ACTIVATION (CALL OF THE DIVINE) - performance of a special sacred dance of Daikoku
BISYAMON- a warrior god, but at the same time - a god of prosperity and wealth. God is the protector of temples. He is the guardian of the North, able to exorcise demons. He punishes Evil, and gives good people treasures (or at least wealth).
SYMBOLISM. Bishamon is dignity itself.
PEDIGREE. They say that he comes from India. His middle name is Tamonten - this is his name as one of the four heavenly guardians. He is strong and merciful. And in Sanskrit his name means God who hears everything.
APPEARANCE and ATTRIBUTES. Warrior in full samurai armor with a spear and a small model of a pagoda (hoto)
SACRED ANIMAL - dove
FANS: military, doctors, lawyers
BENTEN (SARASWATI)- goddess of wisdom and luck.
OTHER NAME - Benzaiten
HABITAT: water, sea. In India she was considered the deity of rivers
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: art and thirst for knowledge, wisdom and love, luck. Patronizes artists, musicians, writers.
SPECIAL PATRONAGE: music and water (water shows are exactly the elements where she is rightfully the first)
PROTECTION. They say that the Saraswati figurine can protect from the water elements, and from other natural disasters.
SYMBOLIC ANIMAL - sea dragon, snake.
She is said to have sixteen assistants, one for each art form.
WANT- the god of happiness and good nature, compassion and carelessness, cheerfulness and abundance.
The NAME is Japanese HOTEI - canvas bag - and it (the bag) is really present in all images of this god.
APPEARANCE: very fat, cheerful old man
AS A TALISMAN - the Hotei figurine is used to attract wealth and good luck. And they also talk about the number 300. That’s how many times (three hundred!) you need to stroke Khotey’s plump belly, while wishing good things for yourself and those around you, and then happiness will definitely pour out of his bag.
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: he inspires people to drink deliciously and eat plentifully. Very popular in the restaurant business. They also say that he was a predictor, and all his predictions certainly came true.
JYUROJIN- god of longevity. He is not considered a drunkard, but he drinks a lot of sake.
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE - can give longevity, and this in itself is happiness and good luck.
LEGEND. They say that there was a Taoist hermit who sought and found the elixir of immortality. He wrote down the recipe for longevity in his scroll of wisdom, attached it to his staff, and now the god Dzyuradzin walks the earth, and can give many years to those who greet him.
True, skeptics claim that he cannot give anything, but the scroll contains his secret knowledge - who and how long is measured to live on earth.
FUKUROKUJIN- god of wisdom and longevity. He is said to be the Lord of the South Pole Star.
APPEARANCE: short old man with a peculiar head shape (very elongated skull)
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: works well with thinkers, scientists and those who are busy implementing and implementing new plans. Watchmakers also love it very much. For Fukurokujin is the god of wisdom and precision.
NAME: Fuku-Roku-Ju - can be translated as Wealth-Happiness-Longevity
HOBBIES: Loves to play chess
In the West, too, there were gods responsible for prosperity.
PLUTOS- God of wealth among the Greeks. They say that it was he who introduced the money. People loved, kept, respected money, and with it, part of the love and respect fell to Plutos. Apparently, Plutos was quite smart: he knew how to attract people’s attention.
NAME - translated from ancient Greek: what fell by lot, an accident.
IN ANCIENT ROME - Quiet correspond FORTUNE(goddess of luck) and FELICA (FELICITAS)- goddess of happiness
IN THE PIGGY BANK OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE - fortune, fart, lucky, wheel of Fortune
SYMBOLISM. The symbol of Fortune is the wheel. Tychea claims that everything is changeable, everything is spinning and can change places. She also has a cornucopia, from which she gifts her fans.
ON THE MAP OF THE STAR SKY: Asteroid (258) Tychea, which was discovered in 1886, is named in honor of the goddess Tyche.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- What is the name of the God of Fortune? Every nation has its own God. The names of the Gods of luck are in this article. Decide which one suits you personally the most and say his name more often - this will attract the God of luck to you.
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Aha(ancient Egyptian ˁḥ3 - “warrior, fighter”) - the god of wealth and security in ancient Egyptian mythology. Aha was the god of dance and music, as well as the protector of children and mothers.
Inari- Shinto deity of abundance, rice (and cereals in general), foxes, industry, worldly success, one of the main deities of Shintoism. Inari can be depicted as a man, a woman, or an androgyne, and is sometimes seen as a collective image of three or five individual kami. Inari has been venerated apparently since the founding of the Mount Inari Temple in 711; however, some scholars believe that the cult of the goddess arose at the end of the 5th century AD. e.
Geser(Geser Khan) - in the mythology of the Mongolian peoples and the peoples of Tibet who were in contact with the Xianbi: a heaven-sent cultural hero - Son of Heaven,heavenly horseman, god of war(patron of warriors) and chosen king(cf. Messiah), cleansing the earth from monsters - demon-mangus. As the first person to descend from heaven (more precisely, to hatch from a heavenly “cosmic egg”), Geser goes back to the pre-Buddhist, Bon tradition. In some Mongolian versions, Tsoton turns out to be Geser's double, one of his incarnations.
Kubera(Sanskrit कुबेर - perhaps “having an ugly body”) or Vitteswara- the one-eyed god of wealth and the fair-skinned lord (maharaja) of the north (one of the lokapalas), lord of the yakshas, kinnaras and guhyakas, dharmapala.
Lakshmi(Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी, lakṣmī IAST - “happiness”) - the goddess of blessing, abundance, prosperity, wealth, luck and happiness. She is the embodiment of grace, beauty and charm. They believe that its adherents will be protected from all types of misfortune and poverty. Lakshmi is the eldest consort of Vishnu, married to Rama (in the incarnation of Sita) and Krishna (as Radha and later Rukmini).
Pilvits, Pilvitis, Pilvitus (Pilvytis, Pilnytis, Pilunitus, Pilunitis, Piluvytis, Pilunitis, Piluitus) - the god of abundance and wealth in Prussian and Suda mythology. According to the “Sudavian Little Book” (1563) and “Chronicles of the Prussian Region” by Bretkunas (late 16th century), Pilvits makes him rich and “fills the barns”; identified with the Greek god of wealth Plutos and the ancient Slavic Pereplut. The origin of this name is associated with the Balto-Slavic root pel-“to be full, abundant.”
Sabaziy(ancient Greek Σαβάζιος, Σαβάδιος, Σαβάσιος, Σαβάνδος, Σεβάζιος, Σεβάδιος , possibly also Savvatius, Sabatius) - the supreme horned god of the Thracians and Phrygians, according to Strabo, “in some way he is a child” of the Mother of the gods
Februus(lat. Februus) - the Etruscan god of the underworld, where the souls of the dead live, also the giver of wealth, death, and purification. In ancient Roman religion, Februus was the god of purification. The functions of the god of the underworld were performed by Pluto. From the name Februus comes the name of the month of February among the Romans.
The fact that money is a phenomenon not only of socio-economic life, but also of the spiritual sphere has been known for thousands of years. The Holy Fathers of the first centuries of Christianity wrote and spoke about this interestingly and deeply. You can quote them endlessly. It is interesting that even Karl Marx, who is generally considered a complete materialist, wrote not only about the economic functions of money, but also that money under capitalism became a real god, and a god who began to quickly displace all other gods and acquired the status of a world god: “Money is the jealous god of Israel, before whom there should be no other god. Money brings down all the gods of man from their heights and turns them into commodities. The God of the Jews became worldly, became the world god.” According to the classic Marxist, money was once the god of only one tribe - the Jews. And in the era of victorious capitalism - the whole world. Marx says that “money brings down all the gods of man from their heights and turns them into commodities.” Money makes no exception even for God with a capital G - for Christ. Moreover, they are primarily trying to overthrow Christ, since He and only He prevents money (or rather, the owners of money) from establishing world domination. The above lines were written by Marx in 1843. If even in those days money was, in his opinion, the god of the world, what can we say about today?It is interesting that today both ardent opponents of capitalism and consistent adherents of the Church of Mammon speak about the spiritual and religious nature of money. No religion can exist without God. And the religion of money as well. I would like to know more about this god. We know that in Christianity the main dogma is about God as the Holy Trinity, and its understanding is extremely difficult. Understanding the dogma about the “divine nature” of money also requires a certain mental effort, since the god of money has several spiritual “hypostases.” There are three such “hypostases”; in their unity and inseparability they are the very “jealous god of Israel.”
We want to emphasize that the religion of money has always existed, and in the most ancient times. But then she was in the “catacombs”; if not persecuted, then at least not recognized as a state, official religion. In general, it existed as a marginal secret sect. Today the “religion of money” has become a global religion.
This is how N.V. Somin describes the process of transforming the “religion of money” into a global, universal one: “...at all times, wealth has caught people in a disastrous trap. But now something mind-blowing is happening. The passion for possession and enrichment has developed to such an extent that it has turned into a whole religion - the religion of money. Moreover, it is a total religion, so to speak, a nationwide one. The thirst for money has seized everyone - young and old, men and women, hard workers and idle people. Previously, at the very least, the state tried to serve order and justice, art - beauty, science - truth, sports tempered the body, medicine treated, literature taught goodness and morality, the elite strove for the greatness of the country, the army defended the fatherland, The media covered the life of society, and finally the economy fed and clothed those in need. Today all this remains, but in an inverted form - everything serves only as a way to get rich. And the benefits appear only accidentally, as a side effect of the process of profit. Mammon bought everything, crushed everything under his own power. Nowadays the meaning of the apostle’s words has been especially clearly revealed: “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10).”
Thus, the religion of money is a pervasive and very “active” religion.
Firstly, it is guided in their practical life by people representing all layers of society (employers and employees, young and old, Christians and representatives of all other official religions without exception, sick and healthy, men and women, etc.). Even very lazy and careless people have become disciplined and diligent followers of the “religion of money” (which has never been observed and is not observed in official traditional religions).
Secondly, the “commandments” of the “religion of money” are strictly followed by people in all spheres of life: in production, trade, culture, sports, art, politics, media, schools (primary, secondary and higher), science, army, law enforcement agencies , government apparatus, etc. Surprisingly, the “commandments” of the “religion of money” today have begun to be regularly observed even within the church fence (Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish and even Orthodox churches).
The commandments of the “religion of money” are well known to everyone and are extremely simple: kill, deceive, bear false witness, envy, hate, steal, etc. It is not necessary to advertise your “piety”, fanatical devotion to mammon. The commandments can be fulfilled in secret - so that those around you do not even suspect your devotion to mammon. Thus, you will fulfill the commandment: “deceive.” The most important commandment: a consistent supporter of the “religion of money” should not have any other gods except Mammon. He must worship only mammon. Mammon is a jealous god and does not forgive flirtations with other gods. Especially with Christ.
N.V. Somin writes: “Mammon carefully monitors the worship of herself and gives wealth to those who worship. And vice versa, he takes away the means of subsistence from those who do not want to bow, throws them out of society, and leaves them to die of starvation.”1
So what is this deity called “mammon”?
Mysterious creature "mammon"
First hypostasis: Money as a creature called “mammon”, whom people worship, respect and fear at the same time.
Historians claim that the god Mammon originates from ancient Syria, and then the ancient Jews began to worship him. "Mammon" means "treasure" in Aramaic (ancient Syriac). This word (name) has become commonly used and does not require translation in those countries where Christianity has become widespread. Christians and all educated people are well aware of the words of Jesus Christ: “You cannot serve
God and Mammon” (Luke 16:13). The word "mammon" is mentioned several times in the New Testament (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:9, 11:13).
Note that almost every nation had its own god of wealth and money. In the pre-Christian period, the god of wealth appeared under a variety of names. For example, in the ancient Greek pantheon the god of wealth was called Plutos (hence “plutocracy” - the power of wealth). Probably, at first he did not separate from the god of the underworld Pluto, who was in charge of the riches of the earth's bowels. One of the inhabitants of the Greek Olympus was Hermes. He patronized trade and sent wealth. It is known from mythology that he possessed eloquence, resourcefulness, and cunning; often resorted to deception and theft.
Among the ancient Romans, the god of trade, profit, and enrichment was Mercury, who had a great resemblance to Hermes. His name comes from the words “commodity”, “trade” (hence the modern words “mercantile”, “mercantilism”). Under the protection of the Temple of Mercury in Ancient Rome there was a guild of merchants; Mercury provided merchants with trade profits. Mercury's attribute was a wallet. This god, according to the beliefs of the ancient Romans, helped to find treasures. In the pantheon of Roman gods, Juno Moneta, the patroness of money, occupied a special place (in the temple of this goddess there was a courtyard for minting metal money, which came to be called “coins”).
Among the ancient Slavs, one of the main pagan gods is Veles. He is the patron of livestock, wealth, the embodiment of gold, the trustee of merchants, cattle breeders, cultivators and hunters. All lower spirits obeyed him.
In China and other countries of the East, the number of gods responsible for wealth, money, trade, luck in various business enterprises amounts to tens, if not hundreds.
The word “mammon” is well known to current followers of Judaism. It is found in the Talmud. The attitude towards mammon in Judaism is very positive. Of course, in Judaism as a monotheistic religion, mammon is not a god, but is considered as a kind of “spiritual” principle that brings a Jew closer to God. Modern Jewish Kabbalists talk about mammon. They draw attention to the fact that in gematria the numerical meanings of the words “mammon” (“wealth, monetary condition”) and “sulyam” (“ladder”) are the same. At the same time, they remember the ladder that is mentioned in the Torah (Book of Genesis) and which stretched from earth to heaven in the prophetic dream of Jacob, the founder of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is important to them
proof that the pursuit of wealth and money has the “highest blessing.” Rabbi Benjamin Blech draws attention to this secret meaning of the word “mammon”: “Money can become the ladder that allows a person to achieve the noblest goals. With money you can build a temple for worship, schools for teaching children, homes for the poor and homeless, hospitals for the suffering, shelters for the persecuted. It is not written for us Jews that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven. If a rich man manages his wealth wisely, his money can bring eternal blessing to himself and others.”
In the modern post-Christian world, the most common name for the god of wealth is “mammon.” The name Mammon is often used to refer to the religion of money: this religion is called the “religion of Mammon” or simply “Mammonism”. The term "Mammonism" was introduced into scientific and political circulation in Germany after the First World War by such authors as Rudolf Jung and Gottfried Feder. These authors and their followers put different meanings into the word “mammonism”: starting from a certain (capitalist) economic model and ending with the religious and spiritual state of society that had developed in the West by the beginning of the twentieth century (considering mammonism as a religion that denies and destroys Christianity).
Modern researchers of mammonism are fairly unanimous in recognizing that mammon is an invisible creature that belongs to the invisible world of fallen spirits (demons, or demons) - the so-called “infernal world.” There, mammon occupies a certain place in the hierarchy of demons (a special “science” called “demonology” studies this hierarchy). He, of course, is not the first person in this hierarchy, but, as “experts” in “demonology” claim, he is one of the seven main demons (each of this seven corresponds to one of the deadly sins). Mammon is a many-faced creature. This is the god of wealth, money, acquisitiveness. In some cases, he may be the god of gluttony (in Russia in the old days, mammon was sometimes called the womb, stomach, womb). At the same time, as “experts” on demons note, mammon is a tempter and a seducer.
Let us note that deep knowledge about the spiritual nature of the demon called “mammon” is available only to a narrow circle of “select”, “initiated” in the church of mammon. These “initiates” at their secret meetings (gatherings) consciously worship mammon in compliance with all the necessary rituals. However, the figure of mammon at such “last suppers” can be replaced by the figure of the “chief” of mammon - the devil himself. Besides those “dedicated” to the church of mammon, Christians also know what mammon is. Mammon is one of those who, in modern language, “part of the team” of demons (demons) under the command of the devil. The same devil who personally tried in the desert to tempt Christ (at the beginning of His earthly ministry) with wealth, vanity and power (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13). The same devil whom Jesus Christ (at the end of His earthly ministry) called “a liar” and “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).
As for the ordinary members of the church of mammon, the “laymen,” their ideas about the nature of mammon are very vague and vague. And the name “ma-mona” may be completely unfamiliar to them (due to poor literacy and lack of reading habit, many of our contemporaries are no longer able to read the Gospel, where this “character” appears). They prefer other words and names: “luck”, “success”, “luck”, “fortune”, etc. They can offer their requests, prayers or toasts to mammon using these words and symbols. And what exactly do the worshipers of mammon (both conscious and “uninitiated”) want from their god? - “Grace.” For them, mammon is the source of “grace,” which is the second aspect of money.
Money as "grace"
Second hypostasis: Money as “grace” emanating from the god mammon. This “grace” is also a rather difficult concept to comprehend. Such “grace” is immaterial, similar to the “spirit” or “energy” descending from heaven onto the worshiper of mammon. This grace is sometimes called “wealth.” Wealth is not only the sum of material objects owned (owned) by a person. This is primarily a person’s spiritual sense of self. He must definitely feel a sense of his eminence above others. And material property is secondary here, the main thing is sensations! “Grace” fills him with unimaginable joy, and can even lead him to a state of religious ecstasy.
True, the peculiarity of money in this second incarnation is that the “spirit” must constantly arrive. The ancient philosopher Seneca the Younger said: “There are two conditions for wealth: to have what you need, the second is to be able to be content with it.” Explaining this idea, he added: “It is not the poor one who has little, but the one who wants more.” Otherwise, “grace” ceases to be “grace.” If the flow of “grace” decreases, this is perceived as a gradual loss of favor on the part of mammon. A person can increase the number of things in his property (possession), but at the same time feel poorer! These are the complex, one might say, insidious laws of the spiritual life of the followers of mammon. The state of euphoria ends and is replaced by anxiety. If the flow of “grace” is interrupted, this is already considered as a terrible “punishment” on the part of mammon. Worry and anxiety develop into hysteria, frenzy, and rage. The ending of such “religious hysteria” can be suicide. Let us emphasize once again that “grace” has not the slightest relation to our material world. This is a kind of abstraction that has a numerical (mathematical) expression. For example, we can hear that as of such and such a date, the wealth of oligarch N is $10 billion. As a result of falling stock indices, this wealth could decrease by, say, 50%. The entire material world (plants, factories, hotels, restaurants and other objects of movable and immovable property) did not undergo any physical changes. However, at the same time, intangible “grace” decreased by $5 billion.
Or, for example, the property of the same oligarch N increased over the year from 10 billion to 20 billion dollars, i.e. 2 times. Can we assume that he has become richer? It's hard to say. If, say, in the same year, the property of his competitor, oligarch X, increased 3 times, then we can confidently say: oligarch N began to feel poorer, he felt abandoned by God and mammon.
Worshipers of mammon fear the wrath of this deity, because... it can at any moment deprive each of them of “life-giving” “grace” - regardless of the social status of a member of the church. The only exceptions are “dedicated” members of the church, the number of which is very small. By nature they are half-humans and half-gods. They not only cannot be deprived of “grace,” but they themselves actively help mammon distribute this “grace” among ordinary (“uninitiated”) members of the church. The owner of a factory and a hired worker, the owner of a small shop and the top manager of a large corporation, a resident of the “prosperous” West and a native from a distant African country may find himself in the disfavor of mammon. This is the “fear of God” that keeps all the “ordinary” members of the Church of Mammon in terrible nervous tension. Without the “grace” of mammon (or at least the expectation of it), the life of a church member loses meaning; he is left to climb into a noose or throw himself out of a skyscraper window.
However, Christians also know very well what the “grace” of mammon is - from the Gospel and the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church. These are temptations sent by the evil mammon that can inflame various passions in people. As a rule, it all begins with the passion of love of money and covetousness. However, mammon always works “as a team”, and his infernal “partners” help him by inciting other passions in the victim: gluttony, vanity, lust for power, envy, covetousness, lust, etc. And it all ends in despondency, despair, anger, and sometimes even the voluntary departure of the worshiper of mammon from life. Christians know very well that mammon is the same “murderer from the beginning” as his boss, the devil.
Money as a fetish
Third hypostasis: Money in its material form. This is a visible and sensually felt part of the “jealous god of Israel”, through it the adherent of the church of mammon gradually comes to comprehend the god of money in all its fullness, i.e. in three forms. Once upon a time, even before the mass transition of humanity to the church of mammon, money was material, quite regularly performed the functions of a measure of value, as well as a means of exchange and payment, and had the status of a modest and dutiful “servant”. Nevertheless, even such “technical” money was attributed by people to a certain mystical power. It is noteworthy that in the era of the triumph of historical materialism, our textbooks on political economy wrote about “money fetishism” - people’s perception of material money as a mystical and unknowable principle. “Money fetishism is the worship of money, its deification in conditions of spontaneity and anarchy of production based on private property, when relations between people inevitably take on a material, commodity character.”
The most common and “perfect” material form of money has always been (and remains today) gold. Owning gold (or the desire to own gold) is irrational: this yellow metal is of little use for satisfying the vital needs of a person. For all its materiality, gold has a very deep and completely incomprehensible religious meaning. This is the material symbol of the god of wealth. Members of the Church of Mammon not only own the yellow metal, for them it is an object of religious veneration. “Golden Calf” is a material image of the highest spiritual being - mammon. “The golden calf is in the Old Testament legends a golden (or gilded) idol of a bull, which was worshiped as the incarnation of God himself. In a figurative sense, it is the personification of wealth, money.”
A detailed description of the golden calf is found in the Old Testament in the Book of Exodus (chapter 32). This pagan idol, or idol, was made by Aaron (the brother of Moses, who led the ancient Jews out of Egypt), at the urgent insistence of the children of Israel; these sons, taking advantage of Moses' long absence from Sinai (where he communicated with God), wished to have with them some visible image of the deity. This idol was probably made in the form of the Egyptian black sacred bull Apis or the white bull Mnevis. It is known from the Bible what severe judgment befell the worshipers of the molten calf and the idol itself. Again, the cult of the golden calf among the ancient Jews arose in the era of King Jeroboam, when the unified Israeli state split into the Northern, or Israel proper, kingdom and the Southern, or Judean kingdom. King Jeroboam sought to discourage his subjects (residents of the Northern state) from visiting the Jerusalem Temple, which was located in the Southern state. To do this, he placed golden images of calves in the ancient sanctuaries of Beth-El and Dan and said: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (1 Sam. 12:28 et seq.; cf. Exod. 32 :4).
Over the past century, there has been a rapid dematerialization of money, which manifested itself first in the replacement of gold with paper money, and then with paper money with non-cash money.
A small part of modern money is paper banknotes and metal coins. Of course, this is not full-fledged commodity money, they are signs of money, but at the same time they have some “materiality”. Of course, banknotes perform such “earthly” functions as payments and settlements, capital accumulation. But at the same time these are material objects of religious veneration. In essence, these are “icons” that constantly remind banknote holders of the “high world” where the god mammon lives. Today the whole world is filled with green “icons” called “dollars”. The occult-mystical, religious meaning of the images on these green pieces of paper is beyond doubt.