(archetype series) the principles of eros + money

a little lesson in Greek and Roman Mythology

When I was in 5th grade, my friends and I had a “gods and goddesses club” where we each picked a Greek or Roman goddess to represent us. We would go to the library and check out books to learn more about our chosen divine archetypes and play out scenarios as our alternate personalities.

Precious, amiright? Also, possibly problematic.
There is a lot wrong with the tales from the ancient Greeks and Romans including pederasty, assault, jealousy, wrath, vengence, and non-consensual relationships just to name a few. As we bring lessons and values from these tales into the modern era, we get to modernize how we use them, as well.

Keep in mind that I do not have the space to acknowledge every nuance here but I would highly recommend researching whatever your interests are and how the ancient myths have influenced them over time. Fascinating!

My chosen goddess was the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora (in Greek Mythology she was Eos). Here’s a little excerpt from Wikipedia.

“In Roman mythology, Aurōra renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the Sun. She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the Sun) and a sister (Luna, the Moon).

Aurōra appears most often in sexual poetry with one of her mortal lovers. A myth taken from the Greek by Roman poets tells that one of her lovers was the prince of Troy, Tithonus. Tithonus was a mortal, and would therefore age and die. Wanting to be with her lover for all eternity, Aurōra asked Jupiter to grant immortality to Tithonus. Jupiter granted her wish, but she failed to ask for eternal youth to accompany his immortality, and he continued to age, eventually becoming forever old.”

I’ve always loved ancient Mythology and I got really into the terrible, beautiful, and frightening stories. So, it makes sense that I’m fascinated with Eros as a Greek god and as a practice in utilizing archetypes.

Eros, in the context of Greek philosophy and mythology, represents the concept of passionate love and desire.

Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia:

“He is the Greek god of love and sex and his Roman counterpart was Cupid. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is described as one of the children of Aphrodite and Ares and, with some of his siblings, was one of the Erotes, a group of winged love gods.

In Greek mythology, the primordial deities are the first generation of gods and goddesses. These deities represented the fundamental forces and physical foundations of the world and were generally not actively worshipped, as they, for the most part, were not given human characteristics; they were instead personifications of places or abstract concepts.

Hesiod, in his Theogony, considers the first beings (after Chaos) to be Gaia, Tartarus, Eros and Nyx.”

One of my favorite stories of Eros is of how he fell in love with a human woman named Psyche after his mother Aphrodite, being jealous of Psyche’s beauty and worshippers, orders him to make her fall in love with a horribly ugly beast. Instead he pricks himself with his own arrow and falls in love with her. After an Oracle of Apollo gives a grim fortune that she is supposed to marry a dragon-like creature who harasses the world, her father offers her up to her fated husband. She never sees the creature who beds her because he always leaves before dawn. Her sisters convince her to unveil his identity, and in doing so, Psyche betrays his trust and he leaves her. She desperately asks Aphrodite for help and after giving Psyche as series of tests, Aphrodite grants her immortality to be with Eros forever. Together, they give birth to Hedone.

“Hedone is personified as a goddess of pleasure, enjoyment, and delight. The Greek word Hedone is also the root of the English word ‘hedonism’.”

If you know anything about me, you know I’m a fucking hedonist.

While Eros is primarily associated with romantic love and sexual desire, the values that he rules over can extend to encompass a broader understanding of the principles of eros.

Here are some key principles commonly associated with eros:

1. Desire and Attraction: Eros is characterized by intense desire and attraction towards another person or object. It encompasses a strong longing and passion that ignites a deep emotional and physical connection.
   
   The way I embody desire and attraction within my relationship with money is by giving my desires so much permission to be wanted. I speak to each desire as a lover, “You are worthy of being desired. I want you desperately and deeply. Give me all of you!” Each of my desires is divine and deserves to be fulfilled with money. Money is the catalyst for materializing my divine desires, therefore it is, itself, divine. I do not shame my desires even if they’re weird or kinky or masochistic or sinful. I also allow my desire for money to be wholly accepted in all of its divine and sinful nature as well.
   

2. Beauty and Aesthetics: Eros appreciates and celebrates beauty in all its forms. It recognizes the aesthetic qualities that evoke desire and arouse passion, whether it be physical beauty, artistic expression, or intellectual stimulation.
   
   If millennials and Gen Z know how to do anything, its vibe with an aesthetic. With the state of the internet as it is, people are learning more and more how important romanticizing the mundane is. Glorifying a morning cup of coffee on your tiny terrace, taking a hot girl walk with your Stanley cup and your cute doggo, even opening your windows in the morning and making the bed has become an event to be shared on social media. When I described those scenarios, you saw them in your mind’s eye. The sense of .: sight :. is incredibly provoking when used to cultivate an erotic relationship with money. Using visuals that trigger emotions and physical reactions, ones that you actually desire, can be the first way you connect with money. It’s, arguably, the least confronting. I love creating vision boards on Pinterest that, when I gaze upon them, move my soul and titillate my brain. If you were around for the Tumblr era, you might be able to relate.
   

3. Connection and Intimacy: Eros seeks connection and intimacy with the beloved. It values emotional closeness, vulnerability, and the sharing of deep personal experiences. Eros thrives on the reciprocity and mutual understanding between individuals.
   
   This principle right here is why I love to envision my relationship with money as if it were with another human. I’ve spoken about our human superpower to anthropomorphize any inanimate object in the past, and I think it applies here as well. Now, this may not be the best way for you to relate to money, but for my clients who have tried it, it changes their world. Just play with it, remove the seriousness. It’s all a game anyway. When I started to consider how I treated money as if it were a human, I started to realize that I may have been the toxic one in the relationship. Being flakey in my promises to money, not creating a safe environment for money to thrive and flourish, and being downright bitchy about money behind it’s back.
   

4. Pursuit and Courtship: Eros involves a sense of pursuit and courtship, where individuals actively seek to win the affection and love of the beloved. It can involve acts of seduction, wooing, and the expression of romantic gestures to captivate and engage the object of desire.
   
   Like I said before, money can either be the object of our desire or can be the vehicle to bring us the object of our desire. If an erotic relationship is the goal or is something you’re playing with, I highly recommend incorporating seduction practices into your routine. First of all, who doesn’t like to be seduced? It’s a clear sign that you are desired! This is the most fun facet of my practice: seducing money. I love to dress up, tease my anthropomorphized version of money, and call it in in a delectable and juicy way!
   

5. Sensuality and Pleasure: Eros embraces sensuality and the physical aspect of love. It revels in the pleasure, touch, and intimacy that comes with romantic and sexual encounters. Eros seeks to satisfy and delight the senses, promoting a heightened state of pleasure and bliss.
   
   You know what’s also incredibly fun, delectable, and juicy? Cumming to the thought of money penetrating you! Did someone say sex magick?? Orgasms are a great way to use the life-creating energy that our bodies naturally emit to manifest money, but that’s not the only way to let pleasure ravish you. Pleasure can be found in any emotional state, including grief and rage. Pleasure can be felt moment to moment and creating an intimate relationship with your unique pleasure centers will make this 6th sense so much more heightened. The big thing is taking up space and advocating for your innate deservingness to experience pleasure.
   

6. Transformation and Growth: Eros has the potential to transform individuals and relationships. It can inspire personal growth, self-discovery, and a deepening understanding of oneself and the beloved. Eros encourages individuals to evolve and become their best selves in the pursuit of love.
   
   Acknowledging the divine nature of your desires and being 100% about yourself will unlock new heights for the impact you can make on yourself, your loved, your legacy, and the world. Through the pursuit of unapologetic self-love and self-expression, money becomes a willing tool that is doing everything in it’s power to make things happen for you.
   

7. Unification and Oneness: Eros seeks unity and oneness with the beloved. It aims to dissolve boundaries and create a sense of merging, where the individual and the beloved become intertwined and inseparable.
   
   Once I had connected with Self deeply, lovingly, and unapologetically, I could acknowledge the beautiful humanity that connects us all. My experience is important and worthy of empathy but it is not unique. Millions of my human soul siblings on this Earth experience similar if not the same feelings, thoughts, and reactions. So, I know I’m not alone and neither is anyone else. When I’ve liberated my money from any judgements about myself, I can wield it benevolently for others too. This is where I create my legacy, the meaning of my life.

The understanding and interpretation of eros can vary across cultures, contexts, and personal beliefs. Different philosophical and psychological perspectives may provide additional insights into the nature and principles of eros.

If you resonate with any of this, or if it gave you new things to consider please comment and lmk to keep the convo going!

I love you 💋