I think many of us here live pretty modestly.  At least no one seems to be flaunting wealth.  We seem to be a pretty practical bunch from what I've seen.  I was thinking recently about wealth that goes beyond finances.  How wealthy do you feel and can you relate it to your astrology?

I feel incredibly wealthy even though I am often a paycheck or two away from complete financial ruin.  I've been through loss of nearly everything tangible and much of the intangibles I valued at the time.  I was sustained by forces beyond my imagination and I have never lost the awareness that what I need will be there when I need it and the knowledge that I have an incredible ability to make resources go a very very long way. 

 My ex husband always felt (still feels I'm sure) very poor in spite of the fact that he makes a decent living, owns a nice home and drives nice cars.  I don't think he has money to burn necessarily, but he has everything he needs and a lot that he wants.  Yet he is constantly telling our children what he can't afford. 

On the other hand, my daughter told me she wanted to take a class trip.  John and I both immediately said we would find a way to make it happen.  You can't put a price on the kind of experiences that come from travelling to other parts of the world and we would make whatever sacrifices we could to help her reach that goal.  She didn't want to put that much effort into it or she knew it would be a burden to us so she didn't register to go. 

I am wealthy in love, both the romantic love between John and I and the rich wells of friendship that exist for me in places like Elsa's bar and in my real life.  Elsa talks about the way your chart constellates around you and this is something that happens where ever I go.  I find friendships worth valuing and people who are themselves deep wells of love and compassion.

Venus in Cancer in the 8th house.  I value love above all and I am more wealthy than I can explain.

I think you are going to have a hard time getting anyone to say they are wealthy because  if they do they risk being dogged for it.  I hate this by the way. It is okay with me if you are rich. More power to ya!!

Wealth is a state of mind.

I meditate on Jupiter so that I can see the abundance in my life.

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Isn't wealth related to the 2nd house of Values?

Yepper, Toni

2nd house natural taurus for material possessions and self worth, the values of the self alone. Its opposite 8th Scorpio values of others in relation to self vice/versa.

But Jupiter is about optimism, abundance, and luck. Its the kind of energy you can use to view your "values".

chamirose, that would explain why money has such little value to me. I have no 2nd house or Taurus influence in my chart!

I have a packed 2nd house.  Im pretty poor relatively speaking.  I work really hard for meager pay and thats the way I like it, its feels honest.  I feel like people who don't know how to live on beans and be happy are the poor ones.  Not saying people with means are lacking in happiness, just saying that if you dont know how to be happy with nothin', then you don't know how to be happy with somethin'.

I agree notatirem. 

And Elsa, I understand.  I guess what I really meant was not how much money do you have but do you FEEL wealthy.  Because I'm not but I do. 

In the crudest sense of wealth, I have worked my way up to upper middle class status through work and luck and some inherent privilege. I make a very healthy salary, I have no debt or dependents, I have every kind of insurance, and I want for nothing. For someone who grew up with one pair of pants, two at most, at any given time, I'm very grateful for the opportunities I've had. I don't think I'll ever be entirely accustomed to this, as I expect it to disappear at any time, whether there's actual danger of that or not. I have a terror of debt, ruin and poverty, having brushed up against it too many times. Saturn in Taurus in the 8th. There's nothing I won't do to avoid it, as long as it doesn't involve high crimes and misdemeanors.

I have a wealth of intelligence and talent. That I did nothing to deserve at all, I was just born with it. This is where I have to be careful not to be complacent, and to be humble.

My source of poverty has always been with love and acceptance, whether from family, potential lovers or from myself. As I feel more whole now than I ever have in my 40 years, I think I'm on my way to creating more balance there as well, and it is this that makes me happier than any bank balance or diploma I could acquire.

Things wax and wane in life, and I don't expect to be living on easy street forever. Maybe I will, but given the past and the way my chart is wired, it's impossible for me to make that assumption. All I can do is keep my shoulder to the wheel and do my best. 

Feel like I've been given that choice by Eddie Izzard, Cake or Death? and I eventually chose the cake after seriously thinking I only deserved death, and there doesn't seem to be a catch, but I can't believe it's quite that easy.

I keep trying to post this and it keeps getting messed up.  Please Mercury, be kind. 

Am I right to associate Venus with wealth?  2nd house, Taurus and Venus, right?

And I always think of the goddess Lakshmi when I think of wealth and Venus.

Sometimes it pays to be polite to the planets I guess.  :)

I feel financially wealthy and content when I enjoy my job. If I am miserable at work, I'm poor in my mind even though I have the same amount of financial resources and benefits.

Yes, Lupa. I too have a picture of Lakshmi on my front door with a poster of gonesha on the wall next to her.

I have set aside most of the things I used to have on my altar after the last move.  I should do something about that. 

Don't forget people, the 2nd house is also SELF VALUE and POLITICAL VALUES, MORAL VALUES, and WHAT YOU VALUE IN A PERSON. Not just material value.

Tam, that's a very good point. I've been at my company for 10 years in October, and it's only been recently that I've started having a good time, inner conflicts about what I do notwithstanding.

Excellent food for thought, thank you.

Money-wise? American standards no. By 99.999999 of the world, yes.

Oh very good point Jilly. 

Wealth is a complex concept, but for me, it's a few things. Your physical health and mental wellbeing is the obvious one. Spiritual wealth is a central component of that. Also, one's discipline, resourcefulness, intelligence, etc. It's also the richness of your familial/social contacts and the ability for your communities and environment to support the well being of ppl in general, including "outsiders". Wealth to me isn't just something an individual has, but something groups, organizations, communities, etc. build/lose together. And then of course, there's actual money and investments.

I find it interesting how the value of money is very different for individuals - esp in terms of what is worth money in terms of commodities, behaviours, time, etc. I grew up amongst wealthy people (from high earning professionals like doctors to full fledged philanthropists), and over the years, I've observed a great deal about certain lifestyles that many people have a skewed and glamourized idea of... I think that experience taught me about what a constant, stable, and obscene flow of money can and can't do. Money is not powerful and of value b/c you can buy tons of expensive stuff, although I find it's the aspect many ppl focus on. That's the weakest potential money has, imo.

Empty 2nd house, ruler (Jupiter) in 8th w/Saturn and Pluto.

Well, i would LOVE to be rich. Does that count? I always live quite close to financial ruin and recently lost many many things (the "tangibles" as you put it). I'm not so attached to things, it's the lack of security that frightens me. Debt, student loan.......

If i were wealthy (in terms of money), I probably wouldn't mention it. It would seem impolite to me...

I do have jupiter in the 2nd, in a sextile to venus...

but i also have saturn in taurus!

I have my physical and mental health (these days!) and am blessed with people who love me, who show me that they love me. That is wealth.

Would I like more money? Absolutely. Money from working or money from heaven -- doesn't matter to me. Which reminds me, found out someone hacked into my website today. Really bummed me out. Mercury is direct and I discovered this :( 

I am wealthy in terms of physical health. I am also debt free. Both of those things could change, but that's where my wealth is at the moment.

I think another form of wealth I have is enthusiasm. I agree very much with notatirem that the feeling of earning my pay is healthful. Right now, I'm actually in the opposite position - while I don't have a big salary, I do even less (not by choice). Not feeling like I'm earning my way gives me a poverty of self esteem and worth. Not that "I am my job" just that it is natural and, like she said, honest, to do a full day's work for a full day's pay.

My biggest area of poverty is social, I'd say. That's the frontier I'm working on now. 

I am glad Elsa and some others have the guts not to redefine it as something other than money-- because while I have a good salary (and I do appreciate it), I love all the stuff money can buy and I'd frankly like to have a lot more of it.  I am fascinated by personal finance and investments and LOVE gemstones and jewelry. And next year future hubby and I are going to have probably the nicest house that has ever been possible for me up to this point.

Funny thing is, much of this is on my own steam and it's taken me 42 years to get here. For whatever reason, I feel like I am "old enough" to be in a good financial position and would be depressed if I weren't.

What a surprise-- I have a Scorpio sun and Libra Venus in the 2nd house (Libra ruled).

Who says astrology isn't real? 

I am lucky. I'm unemployed, but the Canadian government is kind to provide me with my hard-earned Employment Insurance pay (i've been paying since I got my first real full time job in 2005). This is probably the least I've ever lived with. I have Venus in Taurus in 2nd so I'm not comfortable with very little - though at the same time, I don't like having excessive wealth either (Venus trine Saturn). I just care about having enough stuff - and then some. Venus in Taurus likes comfort :) I like to have savings to satisfy my worrywart Saturn :) I paid off almost ALL my debts (a couple thousand left). I have a great apartment that I worked so hard for... So overall, I'm satisfied but... I guess you can say I wouldn't mind going back to the work force and earning the things I own :)

I guess you can say my strongest wealth is my resourcefulness. Despite how hard times get (financially), I manage to figure my way out of it. I guess that's the advantage of having an earth trine. :)

I am glad Elsa and some others have the guts not to redefine it as something other than money-- because while I have a good salary (and I do appreciate it), I love all the stuff money can buy and I'd frankly like to have a lot more of it.

Thanks Pixie Dust!  I appreciate your honest answer.  I realize it's considered poor manners to talk about money and really I wasn't asking people to post their financial portfolios here.  What interests me is not the bottom line numbers but how we feel and how what we have works for us. 

My youngest son (7 yo Cap) has some powerful money magic.  He is generous and not at all miserly but he pays attention to money.  Noting the magic of the tooth fairy, he began collecting coins and putting them under his pillow.  The kids play musical beds a bit when my older son visits so the older son slept in that bed and was nearly asleep when he realized there were coins sticking to him.  He tossed them onto the couch nearby and oh my goodness the drama that ensued when my youngest thought his big brother stole his money.  Don't go messing with his money magic!  It's powerful stuff though as all the stray change in the house seems to be migrating to his stash, which is now contained in a small glad container.  He counts it every night and makes plans for his $6.89.  :)

Lupa, that's funny and brought back some memories. When I was little, I actually used to like to imagine I was poor and how I would get myself out of it. I read all the books like Little Women and A Little Princess and stories of girls who were poor but had some great skill or clever ideas or moral fortitude that helped them to overcome it. 

I thought it was an interesting challenge and I used to think about how  I could use my money the best way if I didn't have much of it. I imagined house decorations and clothes that would look "nice' without costing a lot. One thing I still think is so wild and retro is that one of my "ideas" was that if I were a poor widow with children I would feed the kids but instead of food for myself, I'd buy lipstick and get my hair done and catch a man!! So, basically prostitution, though my 7 yr. old brain didn't know what that was.  It seemed like a smart use of resources!

I'd guess that your son is always going to be attracting money, if that's how it is at 7! Plus all the Caps I know ( Many of the people close to me are Caps) are careful with money, very hard-working, very good with investments, buying real estate early in life, any kind of structured plan like pensions and steady salary increases-- generally I'd say stingy, so your son is lucky he has a generous streak.In 20 yrs you can turn over your finances to him and you'll be in good shape :)

I'm not money-wealthy (far from it) but I've got a Jupiter ruled chart and I'm never without resources to tap. The other day I had a conversation that went like this:

Friend: "How's it going? How's you feeling?"

Me: "Good, I guess, but I'm a little bummed"

Him: "Well, kashmiri, from what I can see you've got good friends, and you've got hobbies and fun things you like to do, now you're dating, the only thing you need is money--lots and lots of money"

He said it to be funny, and yes I did laugh. 

In 20 yrs you can turn over your finances to him and you'll be in good shape :)

Yeah that's my retirement plan  *laugh*  Him and my 10th house Virgo sun daughter.  

(kidding really - there's no plan!)

@Lupa lol, thanks for sharing your story about your son. I'm a Cap sun and when I was a kid, I loved old coins, special issue coins and foreign coins. To this day, when I have dreams, coins represent something very old, full of value, and yes, magical... I don't care about real life coins anymore though; I'd rather spend them than look at them.

 I'm not wealthy but yes, I feel relatively wealthy....& I have faith that I will receive what I need to survive.    I can relate to Notateriums comment about the honesty of working hard and meager pay ....and that's basically how my life has played out as a teacher.    But with contradictions in my chart...I also have  fantasies of the little princess variety....and every now and then I play them out.  Venus ruled with Libra rising, I am prone to buying  beautiful things I can't afford.....and then I have to live on stale food in the back of the cupboard until the next paycheck.  I'm pretty good at getting things back to even keel though....and never let things go completely haywire for very long.   

 I also  try to pump my money flow up via intentions....including burning green candles (works for me) and placing crystals in the money corner of my house, so you're probably not surprised to learn I have Neptune in Scorpio in the 2nd house. ...tempered by Saturn in Cap. in the 4th, thank god.   

Lupa, your writing about the feeling of wealth in your life was really beautiful... & inspiring.