*This essay is part of a broader inquiry into time, value, and conscious decision-making that informs the AstroFluent approach to astrology.

to Consciousness, Value, and the Currency of Time

We live in a world that often encourages us to quiet our wants, detach from money, and pretend that we can transcend the physical realm entirely — as if being spiritual means being void of desire, disconnected from material needs, and satisfied with whatever is handed to us.

And while there is wisdom in simplicity — and there’s something undeniably powerful about being able to sit still with yourself and feel whole — there’s also something just as powerful, just as sacred, in allowing yourself to want more, not from a place of lack or ego, but from a place of deeper awareness.

Because the truth is, when desire is conscious — when it’s acknowledged, respected, and understood for what it really is — it becomes one of the most direct tools we have for personal evolution.

Desire Is the Compass

Desire has been misunderstood, especially in spiritual and healing circles, where it’s often lumped in with selfishness or seen as a sign of spiritual immaturity. But the kind of desire I’m talking about isn’t rooted in consumerism or ego. It’s not about chasing status, proving worth, or filling emotional voids with external things. It’s deeper than that. It’s quieter. And when you really listen to it, it becomes clear that your desires are not distractions from your path — they’re activators of it.

They are the whispers that rise from your inner life and say:

“This version of you isn’t the full truth anymore.”

They let you know when something within you is ready to grow, expand, or release.
And if you follow that feeling — not impulsively, but intentionally — you often find yourself being pulled into a new level of consciousness.

For example, you might feel a strong desire for more peace. And at first glance, that might seem like a surface-level craving — a preference for calm over chaos. But if you stay with that desire long enough, it starts to show you what it’s really about. Maybe it’s pointing to a life that’s out of rhythm with your nervous system. Maybe it’s revealing how much time you’ve spent in survival mode. Maybe it’s showing you the people, environments, or habits that are no longer aligned with who you’ve become.

Desire always has layers.
And when we treat it as sacred — when we meet it with curiosity instead of shame — we can begin to hear what it’s really asking us to notice, reclaim, or release.

THE VALUE OF Money

Let’s get real about something that’s often glossed over in spiritual conversations: we need money. Not because it’s a symbol of success. Not because it makes us more valuable. And definitely not because it defines who we are.

We need it because we live in a world where money determines access — to time, to safety, to rest, to healthcare, to nourishment, to space to think, feel, and create without being in constant fight-or-flight mode.

That doesn’t mean we worship money. It doesn’t mean we chase it blindly or use it to measure our worth. It means we understand what it’s for — and what it’s not.

Money is a tool. It is a vehicle.
It gets you from one place to another, energetically and logistically.
It gives you the ability to choose how you spend your days, how you protect your energy, and how you support your wellness — not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally.

You are not more worthy if you have more money.
You are not less worthy if you don’t.

But if you want to live a life that honors your energy, your rest, your purpose, and your healing — money is part of that equation. And claiming that truth doesn’t make you less spiritual. It makes you honest.

Time Is the Real Currency

If money is the vehicle, then time is the currency — and how you spend your time reveals far more about your values than what you say you believe.

So many people believe they’re chasing money, when what they’re really chasing is time that feels like it belongs to them. Time to rest without guilt. Time to create without urgency. Time to be present with their loved ones. Time to wake up in the morning and actually feel like they’re living — not just surviving.

But here’s the trap: we’re taught to trade our time in hopes of gaining money, and then told to use that money to buy back the freedom we gave away in the first place. And that cycle — that loop of labor and depletion — leaves so many people stuck, exhausted, and disconnected from the very life they’re trying to build.

That’s why time is the true wealth.
It’s the one thing we can’t replace, can’t reproduce, and can’t buy back once it’s gone.

So the real question becomes:
What are you doing with your time?
Who or what are you investing it in?
Are those investments giving you life — or draining it?

A New Way to Measure Value

There is a different way to define success.
One that isn’t rooted in external validation, status, or income.
One that’s based on how fully you show up — for yourself, for your purpose, and for the people you love.

You can start asking different questions:

• Did I honor what matters to me today?

• Did I give time and space to what nourishes me?

• Did I allow myself to listen to my desire instead of shutting it down?

• Did I move one step closer to the life I want — not just the life I was handed?

This is how we begin to shift.

This is how we reclaim our power.

And this is how we stop living in reaction to the systems around us, and start building a life that’s actually aligned with who we are.

What I Know for Sure

Desire is not something to be feared or suppressed.
When it’s conscious and intentional, it’s one of the clearest signs that you’re ready for a shift — not because you’re broken or incomplete, but because you’re evolving.

Money is not the end goal.
It’s just a resource that can support the real goal: being free enough to live in alignment with your truth.

Time is not a given.
It’s sacred. It’s fleeting. And it deserves to be protected and spent with care.

And your value?
It doesn’t come from what you own, what you earn, or how you perform.
It comes from your being.
From your presence.
From your awareness.
From your decision to live with intention.

So if there’s a desire rising within you — don’t ignore it.
Don’t shame it.
Don’t push it down.

Sit with it. Ask it what it wants you to see.
And follow it — not with urgency, but with reverence.
Because more often than not, that desire is the doorway to the next version of your becoming.