In most U.S. states, this year’s deadline for filing tax returns falls on Monday, April 17. If you put it off until the last minute again (and there’s a one-in-five chance you did, according to IRS data), it’s time to either buckle down or hire professional help. Then write that check, lick that stamp or hit send on that e-file form, so you can 1) breathe a sigh of relief, 2) forget it ever happened, and 3) freak out all over again next year.

Or, you can realize that this annual stress is completely optional, and use the occasion to examine your overall attitude towards your finances. With the right help, you can start down the path of fiscal enlightenment and ban money worries for good, during tax season and year-round.

One company, Conscious Bookkeeping, wants to balance your ledger and your life. This group of “financial therapists” and coaches in Northern California will help you create a healthy relationship with money in practical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual terms. The goal is to start thinking with clarity about money, and place it in the context of the whole enchilada: life fulfillment, not mere wealth creation, debt reduction, or on-time bill paying. Clients include individuals, families, and businesses. The company offers workshops at various levels, and trains other bookkeepers in conscious methods.

The Conscious Bookkeeping philosophy has 11 formal elements. Among them is the “Sacred Vessel,” which encourages thinking about bookkeeping as “a way to merge heaven with earth,” the analogy being that our life’s dreams are heavenly, and money matters are earthly. “Intention” encourages the setting of financial goals (vis-à-vis life goals). As in yoga or meditation, being aware of breath and physical sensations when you’re dealing with money is key—whether spending, earning, or keeping track of it.

The program has three phases, called “domains.” Financial therapy (fixing your relationship to money) comes first, before learning about assets, liabilities, and all the other nuts and bolts. The most advanced step is “life visioning,” which involves creating a “Map of Intention” (similar to a budget, but for your life).

The emphasis on therapy is no coincidence. Bari Tessler, Conscious Bookkeeping’s founder, has an M.A. in somatic psychology and spent seven years working in mental health. She came to bookkeeping out of her own desire to run a private practice, after a stint as an accountant at an organic bakery.

As with other services, you can simply hire Conscious Bookkeeping to do your books for you. But unless you decide to do so mindfully, without shame and guilt over the fact that you’re not learning to do it yourself, you would be missing the point—and the chance to bring a little of your heaven down to earth.

Now that sounds like a pretty high tax to pay, doesn’t it?

Photo: U.S. Department of the Treasury