When I heard in 2002 that Arnold Patent had a new book in the works about money I thought I knew what to expect: an updated edition of his 1994 book entitled Money and Beyond. When Money debuted in 2005 Arnold turned my expectation on its head. Or better, Arnold once again inspired me to expand beyond the boundaries of what I typically expect, beyond what I think.

At fewer than 100 pages and sized like a large greeting card, its lightness and compactness stand in contrast to the seriousness, the heaviness, we commonly associate with books about money. Its unconventional appearance and content reflect a sentiment found in the foreword of Arnold's first book, You Can Have It All. That sentiment, veritas simplex est, truth is simple. Money lays bare the simple truth about money. And the truth is not what you think.

Money does not provide a new 5-step, 7-step, 12-step or take-your-pick-step approach to increasing cash flow or the size of your bank account. It's not a self-help guide to get rich quick or get out of debt. It doesn't reveal investment secrets. It doesn't offer clever strategies for managing your money. There are no success stories of the rich and famous to emulate.

Money takes what we think we have always known about money and the role it plays in our lives and opens the portal to a broader awareness. This broader awareness shows us that our tacit beliefs about money and its purpose are really beautifully crafted disguises for the true meaning, value, and purpose of money.

In the human experience we have all mastered the "hide" portion of an elaborate hide-and-seek game where money plays a central role. Money now guides us to mastering the "seek" in this game of hide-and-seek to find the true meaning and purpose of money. What you find once stepping through the portal that Money opens won't be what you think. But what you find will be something a part of you has always known.

Stepping through this portal, and remaining in this unfamiliar space, requires a leap of faith, a commitment and a discipline unlike any other. And this new game of "seek" is unlike any other. There are no winners. There are no losers. There is no one keeping score. There are no time outs. There is no finish line to cross. But the payoff for playing this game is beyond anything money can buy.

Without giving away the treasures that lie in store for those who have been led to read Money there is one bit of support I can give the reader. There is a word in the book that holds the key to the portal. It is the conduit for opening up and reclaiming the power hidden in money. That word is "appreciation."

Appreciation is a deceptively simple word, unremarkable in its casual everyday usage. Certainly not a word we would think to associate with power or money. That's precisely the beauty of the word, part of its power. It is one example of how cleverly we hide our own power right under our noses.

Beyond its dictionary meanings, which too are supportive of its purpose, Arnold draws our attention to appreciation as a commitment to embrace the fullness of our feelings, to be fully in the moment and to feel not just the "good" feelings but also, and especially, those feelings that seem most painful, most horrific, most tempting not to be felt in that moment. Appreciation is the commitment to open our hearts and surrender to those most unpleasant feelings that we have come to believe money can insulate or protect us from, raise us out of, and otherwise separate us from.

Money is not what you think. It is not an intellectual concept to be figured out or a collection of skills to be mastered. Money is what you feel in appreciation.

Arnold is the perfect messenger for lifting the veil and revealing the truth behind the disguises we have created around money. The first line of Money's introduction references his joyous birth in 1929 &endash; the fateful year of the Stock Market Crash, precursor to The Great Depression.

Arnold entered the human experience just as this "big bang" of a defining era occurred; an era conferring objective proof on our beliefs in the value and power of money, as well as proof of the human tragedy that ensues when money is taken away, is in short supply or is beyond our grasp. What better person for the Universe to have chosen for supporting us in opening up the tremendous loving energy we have hidden in the cultural myth about the power of money. What better person to guide us in reclaiming that power as our own.

A guide can only be successful when he or she inspires trust. Embracing what Arnold Patent has to say in Money requires an unwavering commitment to blind trust. The objective world of the human experience belies much of what he shares with us in Money. Our intellect challenges us at every turn to reject or avoid this new game of seeking our power.

As someone who has come to know Arnold Patent through his loving support during my own extreme financial hardships and who has personally benefited from this loving support, I can tell you, unequivocally, you can trust Arnold Patent. Arnold walks his talk. Arnold's words will be with you in unconditional support when you choose to open your heart, to commit to appreciation, and to trust what he shares with us all in Money.