“When marginalized people gain voice and center their own experiences, things begin changing. ”
Socioeconomics + Manifestations:
I previously wrote about how emotions/vibrations directly correlate with manifestation. There’s a greater component to the manifestation journey that isn’t talked about by the mainstream spiritual leaders - socioeconomics. Few people are actively living their dreams and earning their desired paychecks. Most of these people are in privileged positions (and lower on the melanin scale).
According to Simply Psychology, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tiered human needs model. Needs at the bottom of the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can work their way up the triangle. While incomplete, this chart shows the complexities of moving from surviving to thriving.
People of lower socioeconomic groups tend to have access to fewer resources, education, and healthcare. A lack of support pigeonholes impoverished people to the lower levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, struggling to survive. While the older generations might be“stuck in their ways,” the younger generations are often open to change. However, it’s still incredibly difficult for the youth to ascend the socioeconomic ladder with such a heavyweight pulling them down.
To understand the concept of older people “stuck in their ways,” have you ever heard about why a captive elephant stays tied to a tiny pole? The elephants are tied when they are babies and cannot free themselves. After a while, they give up and remain prisoners at the pole. This is why it is harder for the older generations to change.
I combined Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs with Abraham-Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale in the image below to show the added layers that keep people trapped in this seemingly impossible labyrinth. And while the chart isn’t an exact science, it illustrates the incredible amount of emotional work needed to reach self-actualization.
It’s interesting to note that poverty and emotional turmoil are somewhat correlated. And, while money doesn’t guarantee happiness, it creates the possibility of happiness (especially in a capitalistic, first-world country).
I estimated that the Breakthrough Zone is somewhere between Safety Needs and Belonging & Love Needs. This is the place where we have enough of a foundational support that we can begin to actively work on our healing. And the more we heal, the more we are able to actively manifest the life of our dreams!
Manifesting in America:
Many Americans are living in a state of passive manifestation. This means that they are living in trauma and reacting to life. Americans are working so hard to survive that they don't have the energy or clarity to process poverty's effects on their lives.
According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, The poverty line is $12,760 for one person and $17,240 for 2.
Once upon a time, I was broke, living under the poverty line. It was a challenging period of my life. However, I was lucky to have kind family members who took me in because I could use the little I had to invest in books, therapy, coaching programs, etc. Not everyone can invest in oneself, especially when people choose between a roof over their heads or homelessness.
This creates an endless cycle of passive manifestation. Anger begets more anger. And, without proper support, we become emotionally stuck.
As you can see, living from a place of survival leads to a lot of pessimism, overwhelm, anger, despair, etc. These people cannot find what lights them up because they are working ever so hard to find shelter and access food or other resources. There’s a lot of internalized oppression and generational trauma with little support to deal with these issues.
Transcending from fear to contentment might take several generations!
Transcending Socioeconomics:
Studies conducted by universities such as Princeton or Purdue asked, “How much money would it take to make the average person happy?” The answer was surprising because it ranges from $65k - $95k a year. After that, salary has zero or negligible effect on happiness. And we are at a time when more billionaires and wealth are being created. The problem is that wealth isn't evenly distributed.
How do we solve this problem? We get angry that billionaires aren't properly compensating their staff. At the same time, their staff is overworked and exhausted. They cannot see the value in their jobs enough to ask for promotions or raises. It's a frustrating cycle that leads to uneven wealth creation. Interestingly enough, the way to break out of this cycle starts with you.
You cannot fix the entire world, but can work on yourself. And as you heal yourself, you positively impact the world around you.
Creating Boundaries:
Boundaries are energetic or physical walls created to give you the time and space needed to clear your mind and gain perspective.
The world is in dire need of support in creating such boundaries. Want proof? Take a look at what I like to call the "support industry." There are fitness coaches, financial coaches, nutrition coaches, life coaches, etc. There are so many different careers built on supporting other people in their goals, and the primary tool used is BOUNDARY creation.
But how do we get support when we don't have the funds to invest?
Seek out programs or therapists that lie in your price range.
So many professionals start and need clients to develop their professional resumes. These people will often work with you at significantly reduced price points. There may also be experienced coaches who offer scholarships or discounted programs.
Find government programs that can support you.
Susan Burton was a parolee when she started a life-changing company called "A New Way Of Life." She started this program because she needed bus tokens, and the only way she could get her coveted tokens was if she started a non-profit, and she did. A New Way Of Life is now changing many women's lives as they deal with reentry into life after incarceration.
Talk to supportive people.
Like I said in a previous post, family isn't always the best because they are often traumatized by the same things you are. Find people who aren’t triggered by whatever you’re healing.
What do I talk about when I don't know how I feel? Start by sharing how you feel now, in a week, or year. Trauma is like an onion- you gently peel the layers back, discovering more and more as you go on.
Find safe shelter.
Again, are there government programs that can support you?
Can you crash at a friend or family member's place?
If you crash at a family member's place, ensure you have an exit plan because you do not want this strategy to become your crutch.
If you cannot contribute with money, what other ways can you contribute? Can you cook for them or tidy their house? Make sure to contribute in whatever ways you can because this will establish your abundant mindset and connect you to feelings of gratitude.
What’s next? Share your story and utilize it to connect with the world around you!
My Marginalized Journey:
I'm sharing my story because that's what it takes to get out of the stigma called marginalization. As you share your story with supportive people, you will gain clarity about yourself and the incredible power you carry within.
Let's start by understanding what it means to be marginalized and why I fit the category.
A marginalized person is someone who is treated as if they are insignificant. And I can relate because I've been treated as unimportant. I shared statistics of people in poverty above. Honestly, my earnings fell beneath the poverty line for a few years.
My story will help highlight why it's challenging to break out of the poverty mindset.
Here it goes…
When I was a kid, they called me "la corajuda," the angry girl. Anger doesn't like to be silenced, so it is etched into my face for all to see. Anger isn't a little girl's natural state of being. I was supposed to reflect happiness and a carefree spirit.
Do you know why kids are happy and carefree? It's because they have an incredible amount of physical and emotional support. But I was angry because the adults in my life were too tired to figure out why I was angry. I felt unsupported. And it wasn't their fault either because they were too exhausted trying to provide that the emotional component slipped away from them.
From childhood through my late 20s, I'd been passively manifesting, creating a world that made me increasingly unhappy. Because I felt emotionally unsupported by my guardians and teachers, I began relying on myself and solving my problems independently. And let me tell you, it’s nearly impossible to solve problems with the same mindset that created them. This strategy did not go well for me.
In adulthood, I ended up attracting a similar kind of unsupportive environment. These places were extremely competitive and based on a scarcity model where everyone was pawing for scraps of validation. The environments weren't collaborative or growth-minded, which reflected my childhood experiences right back at me.
It took incredible support to realize that I couldn't fix ethically and fundamentally broken environments because they didn’t want to be fixed. There was so much discord at the top that tension trickled all over. And I expended so much unnecessary emotional energy along the way, trying to fix things that weren't meant for me to fix.
I am a woman, marginalized, Mexican, American, not wealthy, unmarried, unfinished, in my 30s, which is hard because most women are made in their 20s. This also means they are not growing as much and become fixed in a mother or wife persona. Despite the freedom in my journey of not settling, a part of me feels like I failed society - because I picked myself first.
Where am I now?
I'm working ever so hard to stay in my lane. I cannot change other people, but I can inspire others to change by working on myself. I realized that healing someone else's dysfunction won't increase my value or self-worth. I needed to heal the emotions that I carried within.
Healing allowed me to find clarity and support, processing my emotional turmoil. And this healing opened me to share my stories with you today. I give meaning to my challenges by converting them into learning and growth. If I can heal myself and show you what I learned along the way, so can you.
Now that I'm taking responsibility for my emotional reactions, my world is getting brighter and brighter. Where there was once hopelessness, there is no hope. And smiles are emerging from a face once marred by anger and fear.
Final Thoughts:
You'll likely need support to break free if you face emotional or physical challenges. But, with the right support, you can create magic from whatever life has put in your path.
According to Forbes, in 2019, 43 million Americans were struggling financially. Most wealthy business people or politicians have no idea about the emotional implications of living a life of financial turmoil. Therefore, they cannot solve poverty on their own. They can create more and more wealth, but they cannot create emotional healing with money alone. Active support is required.
Here is the biggest takeaway: You can potentially support 43 million people by sharing your story and standing in your power, just as I did in my personal story above.
Your story is ripe with power. Are you ready to share it?
Amor y Canela,
Monica
