Giving

"Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you."

-- Andre Gide

It's the season of giving. Well, shopping, actually. We shop to have something to give, but what if we all just gave from what we already have? Whoopee -- a ginormous festival of re-gifting!

Look around you: What are you willing to give away? Can you think of people who might want what you're willing to give? There's no time like the present. Test the waters; try one item. Give it to someone and see how you feel.

Now the harder question: What are you not willing to part with? In other words, what do you possess that is, in reality, possessing you?

I'm not saying that you should give away all the things to which you're most attached. As they say in India -- "You can't rip the skin off a snake." What I am saying is that it might actually be freeing to give up your attachment to your most cherished possessions. Then, if you can't fit them in the coffin for the final leg of your long, strange trip, you won't be so damned disappointed! And, if just perchance, between now and then, the just right person ambles long at the just right time, you can give the lucky winner some of your super-prized stuff.

Stuff is just coagulated energy, anyway. Molecules vibrating at a certain rate. Temporary at best. You can keep the energy that surrounds stuff moving by passing items along. Passing them along also keeps the energy of reciprocity moving between you and the rest of the world. It's always best to go with a good karmic flow. You get the picture.

Giving. Giving without expectation of return. Freely letting go of whatever comes your way. None of the constipation that usually accompanies materialism. Just a river of stuff flowing freely by. A river nobody owns. A river full of surprises.

Cast your offerings upon the water.

Potent Giving

"Giving is the highest expression of potency."

-- Erich Fromm

True giving always arises out of strength. It is an overflowing, a flowering, an individual expression of an abundant universe.

True giving is not concerned with the attitude or gratitude of the receiver. It is not grounded in duty, guilt, or even, concern for results.

True giving is a spontaneous outpouring of trust. It is a dynamic facet of the jewel of Self, best activated and actualized by being in harmony with the One.

If there is a debate going on in your head, "Should I give? Should I not give? I don't know what to do," then don't give. True giving is never preceded by debate. Sometimes, in the process of true giving, you don't even know you gave! Only weeks, months or years later, when someone thanks you for giving of your time, energy or love, do you even recognize your actions as giving. At the time, they were just your natural, unadulterated response to whatever was arising.

But at other times, not giving is what is called for. At least not giving at the time, or in the form, that it was requested. To give or not to give is not a cognitive decision but an intuitive one. It should not be based on who has the slickest appeal, or what tugs most upon your heartstrings, but on where your energy wants to go.

So, today, just be aware. Watch yourself giving, not giving, or debating whether to give. Don't try and change anything, just watch. Feel within. Abide in your strength. See what happens.