TEK8 Capital Flow Study
How Cultural Capital Becomes Financial Capital Through 8 Petals
This is a summary. The full paper is available with complete citations.
Key Findings
8 Forms of Capital
TEK8 maps 8 forms of capital to 8 petals, following the Bhagavad Gita 3.42 hierarchy (senses → mind → intelligence → wealth):
- Cultural (D12/Ether) — songs, stories, artistic traditions
- Natural (D8/Air) — ecosystems, biodiversity, living systems
- Material (D4/Fire) — tools, infrastructure, physical resources
- Experiential (D20/Water) — lived knowledge, memory, adaptive wisdom
- Spiritual (D6/Earth) — sacred connection, grounding practices
- Social (D10/Chaos) — relationships, trust, community bonds
- Intellectual (D100/Order) — systems knowledge, pattern recognition
- Financial (D2/Coin) — money, exchange, resource allocation
Cultural capital initiates the cycle. Financial capital sustains it. The error of conventional education is starting at the financial end.
Three Case Studies
- Tulalip Tribes: Self-governance + cultural facilities → education sovereignty → economic development. Capital flows from spiritual/cultural base outward.
- El Centro de la Raza: Community organizing → cultural programming → economic empowerment. The Beacon Hill campus as multi-capital generator.
- Harlem Children’s Zone: “Conveyor belt” model — cradle-to-career pipeline generating all 8 capitals across 97 city blocks.
Washington State Funding
Per-pupil spending in WA: $19,603 (state + local + federal). MSOC allocation: $1,614.28 per student for materials/supplies/operating costs. Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) programs provide a funding vehicle for TEK8 implementation.
Full document: Read Full Paper
Preliminary Draft — Open for Review
This paper is a preliminary draft and may contain inaccuracies. The open comment period and collaborative public drafting and review is active for Q1 2026.
All papers will receive updated drafts, including co-authors being added based on engagement and participation in our first cohort at skool.com/7abcs.