Giving Freely

Here's a quote on giving by Charles Fillmore.

“A gift of reservations is not a gift; it is a bribe. There is no promise of increase unless we give freely, let go of the gift entirely, and recognize the universal scope of the law. Then the gift has a chance to go out and to come back multiplied. There is no telling how far the blessing may travel before it comes back, but it is beautiful and encouraging fact that the longer it is in returning, the more hands it is passing through and the more hearts it is blessing. All these hands and hearts add something to it in substance, and it is increased all the more when it does return.”

That quote reminded me of these quotes about water:

In every glass of water we drink, some of the water has already passed through fishes, trees, bacteria, worms in the soil, and many other organisms, including people.
~Elliot A Norse

All the water that will ever be is, right now.

~National Geographic,
October 1993

Between earth and earth's atmosphere, the amount of water remains constant; there is never a drop more, never a drop less. This is a story of circular infinity, of a planet birthing itself.

~Linda Hogan

And that reminded me of the recent post about being in the "flow" and waterfalls. Which brings me to what I'd like to talk about today:

I'm wondering if it might possibly be true that the energy of money, the flow of generosity and kindness, all the receiving and the giving we do falls also into that same category of neither diminishing nor increasing.

Could it be that we just pass energy around much the same way that water gets passed around? Could it be that there are dry seasons and wet seasons? That (when it comes to prosperity) some of us are the Willows and Sycamores, and others of us are Baobabs and Barrel Cactus? That there are deserts and wetlands? And that however the energy flows to us and through us, we are each one doing the best that we can, and are beautiful in our own unique ways, and exactly perfect how we are in this now moment? What if giving has nothing at all to do with receiving more and everything to do with having already received plenty?

Assuming that is the case, and the metaphor is appropriate, I have some questions for you:

1. Have you noticed that your prosperity does indeed have "wet" and "dry" seasons? Or is there more of a tendency for it to remain pretty evenly dispersed?


2. Do you "store up" what comes in (like the baobab or the cactus)? Or do you absorb it and use it right away?


3. Are you more comfortable with "wet feet" like the Sycamore? Or, do dry periods stimulate and invigorate you?


4. What stimulates you to grow? What encourages you to dig deep and expand your boundaries? If you were to write a "horticultural" profile of your ideal financial "environment" what would it be? Wetlands? Rain forest? High plains? Desert savanna? Tropical island? What?