Book Review: Sacred Economics with Charles Eisenstein
Charles Eisenstein is at the forefront of the regenerative movement. His writings strike at the heart of who we are as a civilization, and they so poetically yet critically examine our relationship to culture, story, place, ecology, and politics. In this article, we interviewed Latitude co-founder Neal Collins about his reflections on Charles Eisenstein’s book “Sacred Economics.”
Charles Eisenstein
Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth.
Today, these trends have reached their extreme - but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being.
Q: What intrigued you about this book?
Neal: Land and place are the bedrocks of our culture. It’s why I chose to work within the industry of real estate, because ultimately real estate is society’s most raw relationship to land. How we design, build, steward, and transaction our places is sacred.
I’ve come to accept that no matter if we like it or not we live in a capitalist society where prevailing economic policy is based on debt.
Because real estate is so capital intensive, no matter if you are doing things like affordable housing or regenerative ranching, you come face to face with debt, money, and property every day in this business.
Q: What did this book stir up in you that you didn’t anticipate?
Neal: The vision and path that Charles puts forth in this book is beautiful. I want to live in that world now, but feel that we have so incredibly far to go.
I have carved out a specialty within my real estate practice around using financing as a tool to create an impact in the world. I’ve work on many amazing projects, but have had thirty times as many great ideas fail to get off the ground simply because of the financing and money.
That’s why when Charles talks about debt being the very instrument that is used in order to fuel the flawed and destructive endless economic growth system, it struck me to my core.
This plunged me into a deep introspection into my relationship to money. This struck so deep that it felt like it was on a soul level.
How do we operate when we know that we’ll likely never see in our lifetimes the transformation that we are so passionately working towards?
This complexity is what keeps me coming back to the well to drink, however. I believe that how I show up in the world and the work that I pursue is soul work. It’s not something that I can simply ignore.
What will you take with you into your work after reading this book?
Neal: I am beginning to see how we can embrace money as a value of exchange that is based upon gift. Not just when we literally give money away, but a way in which we can trade our skills, talents, and time in exchange for value in a way more efficient than a barter system.
The ultimate long game that I see is to decommodify our land, homes, and places. To create the future Charles talks we need to transmute private wealth into community wealth. Not in a capitalistic vs communistic way, but in a way in which we see ourselves as stewards of Place rather than owners of real estate.
This has pushed me towards extensive research and action around community land trusts and community-based financing models.
I find renewed hope as I’ve helped to establish a Community Land Trust in the community I live in, have found some incredible organizations in the world that are working in this area, and am finding ways to help our clients and colleagues access generative, life-giving financing options for their dreams.
What do you want other real estate and finance industry professionals to know because of this book?
Neal: I hope that when people are confronted with important decisions, they can ask themselves “Does this decision support Life and work towards the betterment of the whole? Or does this decision perpetuate a world based on scarcity?
