There is no doubt that we live in a universe where reciprocity is central to survival. Things gives away things to support other things. Other things receive things to survive. Human being survive on oxygen, food, and water. We have to receive these things, or we’ll soon stop living. We also return things like returning carbon dioxide to the world, and the plants can use that. Between plants and human beings, both systems are supported by each other’s breath, after a fashion.
In many regards, the reality of plants and animals sharing oxygen and carbon dioxide is perfect as a metaphor for money. There is a natural ebb and flow to it, and it’s done without holding back. You’ve never seen a plant holding in oxygen, have you?
But when it comes to money and all the ego attachments people have with it, this flow is hampered. People hold on when they need to let go. And some people give when they should receive or store. People don’t flow appropriately, and this causes problems. It also gives rise to unconscious systems.
Involuntary Giving and Transactional Giving
If people don’t give and receive well, systems that force giving or coerce giving arise. That’s most of what people see today. Taxes come to mind, and while they do serve an important purpose, it’s not a voluntary giving situation. Taxes are, by and large, involuntary giving. I suppose they are also transactional in the sense that a person gets certain protection (like the military) and other services from the government.
Transactional giving is giving to get something. Also, if you need something, you have to give something for it. Otherwise, you can’t have it in this methodology.
These types of giving frustrate a lot of people, and it’s why many people think money is somehow bad. But money is just a tool. It’s how the hand uses a tool that’s a problem.
And there are a whole host of other problems around money and attachments, but rather than pointing those issues out, I think it is more important to discuss voluntary giving.
Giving with No Expectation of Receiving
More than a number of spiritual traditions coerce people into giving, and in some respects, that’s still part of a response to people having an inability to give and receive properly. And I want to emphasize that regardless of if you feel called to donate to me for the upcoming talks, that voluntary giving is something to be practiced in countless aspects of your life. That’s the main point I’m making here. There are so many people and organizations in your life that need financial support to do all sorts of things. Maybe you should email a couple of friends and see how people are doing financially. Part of the sickness of today’s society is that a lot of people don’t feel like they can be honest about how they are doing financially. There are probably people in your life who are in bad financial straights but are ashamed to say anything. An extra $20 could go a long way for them.
In giving with no expectation of receiving, you also give freedom to people to not worry about having to do something for you. That mentality comes from the transactional mentality–people think they have to do have done something to receive something. This false belief can make a lot of people feel guilty for receiving without having offered anything back. Reciprocity can be offered in other ways than money, but the point in this section is that giving is an important spiritual practice and so is receiving openly without attachments.
There’s a lot to learn about money and the relationships and the world we create and re-create with it. For more on that, you may want to check out this blog post.
Supporting My Continued Work
As I said earlier, this reciprocity topic is bigger than me. If you don’t feel guided to support my work at this time, that’s okay. If you do, your donation is greatly supported. The energy you send to me is passed on to others. It does not get stuck with me. Your donations keep flowing, and the more money-energy flow that passes my way, the more I can flow back out to others in a whole host of ways not just spiritual awakening talks, but more blog posts, advertising the blog, advertising YouTube videos, email replies, social media shares, and countless other things.
Thanks for your consideration in donating. Be well!
