Sacred Commerce

From Chapter One: Hearing the CallWe first heard the term “Sacred Commerce” from our friend Ayman Sawaf (he and his partner Rowan are the authors of a book of the same title). As entrepreneurs and seekers, we felt two of our passions—business and spirituality—kindled by Sawaf ’s words. Another of his sayings caught our attention: “merchant priests,” referring to a past and present lineage of “financial alchemists” transforming the world through dedication to intentional enterprise, “holy business” (consider the possibility). Ayman’s words gave form to a new life-purpose for us: Sacred Commerce has been our navigating star ever since.With the rise of a merchant class, the Industrial Revolution, and the accumulation of wealth separate from church and state, money and materialism have monopolized the passion of our modern times. We give obeisance in tall corporate towers and worship in mega-malls that dwarf our church spires in height and opulence. Prayer, meditation, and yoga are no longer spiritual paths but “coping mechanisms” for the tributes demanded by the high priests of advertising.The indigenous tribes of the Amazon basin call us the Termite People. We devour life with a consumptive gnawing while occupied by a world “out there” that leaves us ever hungry. Our consumerism has inflated the ego mechanism, what Buddhists call the “hungry ghost,” into some kind of all-or-nothing game-show race to oblivion. The human sacrifice of the ancient empires pales in comparison to the ignorance of turning our oxygen suppliers—our forests—into junk mail advertisements for air fresheners. What kind of culture jams the space on urinal disinfectants with pharmaceutical advertising? Where is this line of worship taking us?This book takes the view that the empty promise of materialism is now exposed and the game is up, and that the coming exorcism will require Sacred Community. Communion—and by that we mean love before appearances—is the antidote to our spiritual, environmental, and social degradation. For most of us, the pursuit of our livelihood occupies the majority of our attention. Thus Sacred Commerce is a manual for building a spiritual community at the workplace. The word “spiritual” may alienate some of you, since a material god requires that we scoff at alternatives and doubt the practicality and sense of those who propose them. When we use the word “spiritual” in this context, we’re not advocating the adoption of another belief system, only an authentic willingness to look deeply into our lives and see where we are worshiping something other than the fundamental reality of Oneness.Business is all about providing a service, product, or experience that the market wants. No business can succeed eluding this point. While ego pulls off the ultimate conjuring act—the subjective separate sense of “I”—we suggest that freedom from its aloneness is our heart’s desire. Those in search of this ultimate well-being are a growing segment of modern society, and they are projected to soon constitute a trillion-dollar market identified by the acronym LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability). Our Western culture is just starting to understand that life is an inside job and that our consciousness is the real present. Our success with Caf? Gratitude entails training a community (our employees) in love as the state of well-being and turning them loose in a retail environment. Human beings, customers, and employees are ready to awaken, and we all can make it our “business.” This reality demands that we inquire into what possesses us as communities and as individuals; it asks that we be open to acquisition and occupation by Love. “That’s a platitude!” your ego might protest. We suggest, rather, that this is a foundation stone of a heart-based culture, one that is not only necessary to our human survival but all we’ve ever wanted!...