To Give Back

Greetings all,

I'm back from my travels this week.  I'm glad to be home, but I am making the commitment to travel more frequently.  I had so many expansions of energy due to all the people I interacted with on my week long journey.  It was a working trip, but I love the work I do so working on a trip is a good thing.

A lot of the times when I am traveling I do give aways.  I give gifts to my hosts for their hospitality, and sometimes I offer my services for free to certain people on the road.  I do see paying clients too, but often what I do for free is different from a paid session.  It is looser (if you can imagine that since my sessions are pretty off the cuff to start with), and there are some things I just don't do for money.  It's not because it is wrong to charge (if it is wrong to charge for healing insurance companies have a lot to answer for),  it's just that some kinds of ceremony and energy work are too intimate for me to charge for.  Some things I wouldn't even know how to price.

There is a funny thing about me when it comes to gifts or offering something for no charge.  I'm happy to do it if I offer it.  If it becomes expected or an obligation I won't do it.  Guilting me actually is counterproductive.  I feel it as a form of manipulation.  Giving back is important to me, but I set the terms.  For me if I give out of obligation or a feeling of guilt it has that energy attached to the gift as opposed to when I willingly choose to give from my heart.  When I choose to give the gift it has the energy of love behind it, which is a much stronger and healthier energy.  I believe it does more good to give out of love even if it is the exact same thing, for one it is a lot more enjoyable on the part of the giver.

So back to my trip.  I was able to do some phenomenal healing work while I was away.  It pushed me beyond what I had done previously with ceremony.   It was also what I call "heavy" work.  This kind of work is why I keep studying and taking classes with shamanic practitioners.  (Sidenote thanks to all three of my shamanic teachers ).  I did the work and the next day as I was on the road again I made the decision that this particular kind of work would be my give away to the universe.  I'd do it for those that had a bond with me (or through someone who did), it was just too solemn for me to do for strangers.  So when I arrived home the next day my inbox was flooded with orders from my web site.  It was odd. You might call it coincidence, except midweek I did some give away work and again new orders came in through my online store.  In the Q'ero shamanic tradition there is a principle of reciprocity summed up as, "I give to you today, you give to me tomorrow."  This principle is also behind the concept of tithing.  For me this changes things, I no longer feel guilty about not giving to everybody or not giving everything they want.  I feel like as I give out and share my gifts the universe is rushing in with support for me, and the giving is not an obligation it's always been something that I can do and want to do.   (Even when it is difficult I've want to do it, or just been compelled by the need of something being done).

In the wake of these realizations I've had one of the most successful months to date with my healing practice.  So can you take away from this?  Well start with your concept of giving.  Is it always money when you think of giving back?  I'm sort of disorganized when it comes to structured giving, so that isn't my primary way.  Do you offer your time to friends, loved ones, strangers?  Giving back doesn't have to be through an organization, someone in your life probably needs you right now.  What about your skills, talents, and or spiritual gifts?  For me I love to share those.  How about you?  Is time, treasure, or talent your comfortable mode of giving.  Do you think giving has to be unpleasant, or burdensome?  Many of us have martyr complexes when it comes to giving.  Really, suffering is the opposite of the point here.  Remember when you give with love and joy that gift is more powerful.  Give with love, receive with gratitude...rinse and repeat.  The world needs you, yes you, even little old you who thinks they have nothing of value to add to the world.  Believe me if that were true you wouldn't be here.  Give a smile sometimes just that can change someone's day or their life.  Don't give because I tell you to, give when your heart tells you.

Peace & Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle