ianhollinsworth - The Spiritual Meaning of Debt

The Spiritual Meaning of Debt

Is It More Than Just Money Owed?

We hear the word debt and instantly think of money. Owing the bank. Credit cards. Overdrafts. Mortgages. But what if debt is more than just a number on a statement? What if it has roots much deeper — reaching into language, belief, energy, and power?

That’s the journey we’re taking here. Because when you trace the word back to its origin, something surprising emerges: debt didn’t always mean what it does now. In fact, it once meant to keep something back from someone.

And that flips everything.


What the Word “Debt” Really Means

Let’s crack it open. The word debt comes from the Old French dete (pre-1200), and before that, the Latin word “debitum,” which literally means “that which is owed.” But it’s derived from the Latin verb “debere,” formed from:

  • de- (away, off)
  • habere (to have or to hold)

Put those together and you get: “to have away from” — or even more accurately, “to withhold.”

In other words, debt originally carried the sense of possessing something that should be released.

This is where the spiritual angle starts to emerge. Because withholding — whether it’s love, truth, generosity, or forgiveness — creates spiritual disconnection.

Debt isn’t just financial. It’s energetic. It’s relational. It’s karmic. It’s a spiritual signal that something is out of flow.


Withholding Energy: The Unseen Side of Debt

In many traditions, when we talk about “spiritual debt,” we’re not talking about a balance sheet. We’re talking about:

  • Promises we’ve broken (to others or ourselves)
  • Truths we’ve withheld
  • Help we’ve never offered
  • Resentments we’ve carried

Each one is a kind of energetic IOU. Something we’re still holding on to, consciously or unconsciously. And like unpaid bills, they create emotional pressure — anxiety, guilt, resentment, self-sabotage.

ianhollinsworth - The Spiritual Meaning of Debt - Withholding Energy
Withholding Energy

In spiritual terms, this isn’t just personal. It’s ancestral, societal, and even planetary. The debts we carry aren’t just ours — they’re passed down, soaked in, inherited.

Debt becomes a form of energetic congestion. A block in the heart. A knot in the soul.


Emotional & Karmic Debt: What Are You Still Carrying?

Think about this: Have you ever felt like someone owed you an apology, but never gave it? That lingering discomfort… that’s a kind of debt.

Or perhaps you’ve held back your own apology. Or never told the truth. Or failed to follow through on something your gut told you to do. These all stack up over time.

In ancient cultures — from Vedic India to early Judaism — debt and guilt were often the same word.

In Sanskrit: ṛṇa means both debt and duty. In Hebrew: ḥov means debt and guilt.

Debt wasn’t just about gold or goats. It was about honour, justice, and right relationship.

These words show us that spiritual debt is about disharmony — within ourselves, between people, and between humanity and the divine.

ianhollinsworth - The Spiritual Meaning of Debt - Emotional and Karmic Debt
Emotional and Karmic Debt

Modern Debt: Slavery in a Shinier Suit?

Fast forward to today: the word debt has been financialised to the extreme. Governments run on it. People are shackled by it. And yet, we rarely stop to ask:

Who benefits from our debt?

The modern banking system literally profits from keeping people indebted. Through interest. Through inflation. Through a system that treats scarcity as normal and overextension as inevitable.

But if we go back to that ancient root — to withhold what should be given — then the current global model starts to look like something else:

A system built on keeping people from their rightful energy, freedom, and potential.

Spiritual debt becomes a collective condition. One where we’re all held hostage by a belief that we’re never enough, never clear, never whole until we “pay it off.”

ianhollinsworth - The Spiritual Meaning of Debt - Modern Debt
Modern Debt

Releasing Debt: Financial, Emotional, Spiritual

So how do we shift it?

Start here:

  • Forgive a debt — literally or emotionally.
  • Own a truth you’ve been sitting on.
  • Break a pattern where you keep others (or yourself) in obligation.
  • Use EFT tapping or energy work to clear what you’ve held on to.
  • Let go of the illusion that you always owe something.

Sometimes the greatest wealth is in clearing what’s been withheld. Because that’s where energy flows again.

And maybe that’s the real point:

Debt — when unresolved — blocks connection.
Debt — when recognised — invites release.

And freedom isn’t about zero balance. It’s about restored integrity.

ianhollinsworth - The Spiritual Meaning of Debt - Releasing Debt
Releasing Debt

The Spiritual Meaning of Debt in Today’s World

This isn’t just about money. It’s about energy, power, and truth. It’s about what we withhold — from others, from ourselves — and how that slowly drains us.

The spiritual meaning of debt is this:

It reveals where flow has stopped. It shows where forgiveness (of others, or self) is waiting. It highlights what we’re still holding on to.

In a world full of “owed this” and “owed that,” real freedom might just come when we finally ask:

What do I need to release — or return — to let energy flow again?


Appendix

  • Latin: “debere” = to owe; de- (away) + habere (to have)
  • Sanskrit: ऋण (ṛṇa) = debt/duty
  • Hebrew: חוֹב (ḥov) = debt/guilt
  • Common Law: Debt as a breach of obligation, not just finance

Suggested Book

“The Soul of Money” by Lynne Twist
A powerful reframe of money, sufficiency, and meaning. Eye-opening, practical, and deeply human.

“Clearing Karmic Debt: Releasing the Past to Embrace Your Divine Future” by Nikeya Banks
A transformative guide for those seeking to release the limitations and burdens of their past in order to step into a brighter, more abundant future.


Suggested Resources


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Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only and may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to buy through them — at no extra cost to you.

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MrH https://ianhollinsworth.com

Ian Hollinsworth is a 6th Dan ITF Taekwondo Black Belt and founder of Premier Dojang. A certified Reiki Master and Reflexology practitioner, he also hosts the Wandering Warrior Podcast, exploring martial arts, self-development, and adventure while traveling as a digital nomad.

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