Esoteric Mythology of Money in Emerging Russian Consumer Society
The paper addresses a number of myths associated with money in the context of the emerging consumer society in Russia. It discusses some of the connotations of the word "money" characteristic of esoteric discourse and corresponding practices of handling personal finances. The example of a seminar, training how to build and manage an effective personal budget, is used to show the combination of esoteric philosophy and the ideals of the Protestant ethic (money as a material manifestation of God's favor) with the hedonistic aspirations, contributing to better integration of individuals in a consumer society. The ideas of R. Barthes, U. Beck, J. Baudrillard and V. Rozin are used as methodology for this research.