A “counter-culture” view of money!
Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry wrote Seven Laws in response to a growing interest in business and money during the early 70s by friends and friends of friends who had been social activists in the 60s.
Salli was writing Rasberry Exercises about parent-sponsored schools and people were asking her how to raise money to pay for these. She asked Michael for some advice and Seven Laws was born.
Yes, it can be seen as a book about personal finance, but, more importantly, it is a definitive introduction to three key principles or practices that are critical to success in any right livelihood business.
This was the first of several books chronicling the history and development of a qualitatively different way of doing business that arose out of the “counter-culture” movement. Seven Laws introduced the first three of nine principles that were uncovered over time to become a sort of coda for success in values-driven businesses:
-
Principle 1. Passion for one’s work. Feeling passionate about one’s work supplies self-starting energy, perseverance, and deeply personal meaning which act in concert as a feedback loop refreshing and renewing one’s passion.
-
Principle 2. Honesty and openness. When launching adventures that depend on cooperation and a community of support, honesty and openness are superior strategies.
-
Principle 3. Financial records and statements. Running a business “by the seat of your pants” places severe limits on the lifespan of a project. Accurate accounting records and regularly reviewed detailed financial statements are key to making any project, initiative, or enterprise work.
Based on an ancient algorithm, the “Seven Laws of Money” are the context within which all nine principles are practiced. As delineated in this book, the seven laws of money are:
Law 1. Do it! The money will come when you are doing the right thing.
Law 2. Money has its own rules: records, budgets, savings, borrowing.
Law 3. Money is a dream – a fantasy as alluring as the Pied Piper.
Law 4. Money is a nightmare – being in jail, robbery, fears of poverty.
Law 5. You can never really give money away.
Law 6. You can never really receive money as a gift.
Law 7. There are worlds without money.
Friends and Briarpatch members Dick Raymond, Jug ‘n’ Candle, and Stewart Brand contributed to the book.
The version published in 1974 is the complete, original one. Look for the black and white cover with the image of a solar eclipse. The “Shambhala Pocket Edition” is an abbreviated version.