Two Lessons That Bring The Joy Back Into Giving

The more inspirational books I read, the more I see how giving is such an important aspect to being in the flow of life.  For some, giving is so easy and for others it's not so simple.  Regardless of where we fall, when we talk about giving, it seems to always bring up an emotional response.

To be in the flow, I believe the key is to go deep into giving into an area that makes you FEEL good.  Yes, giving is about helping others but it's also about helping YOU build your trust muscle.  It helps build the faith that the Universe is your source and supply - not your job, not your husband or wife or family.  And, it's been a wonderful spiritual lesson for me.  Two lessons actually...

In Deepak Chopra's, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, giving is Law #2.  I especially love that he uses the word affluence in this law because affluence seems like an outrageous expectation and yet, I'm no longer willing to settle for less than outrageous.

"The word affluence comes from the root word 'affluere,' which means 'to flow to.'   The word affluence means 'to flow in abundance.'  Money is really a symbol of the life energy we exchange and the life energy we use as a result of the service we provide to the universe.  Another word for money is 'currency,' which also reflects the flowing nature of energy.  The word currency comes from the Latin word 'currere' which means 'to run' or to flow.

Therefore, if we stop the circulation of money - if our only intention is to hold on to our money and hoard it - since it is life energy, we will stop its circulation back into our lives as well.  In order to keep that energy coming to us, we have to keep the energy circulating.  Like a river, money must keep flowing, otherwise it begins to stagnate, to clog, to suffocate and strangle its very own life force.  Circulation keeps it alive and vital."

So, lesson #1 for me - choose a word that feels OUTRAGEOUS like affluence and consciously think about that word as you circulate what you have.  Not only will you be in the flow, you can't help but up-level what starts to flow back to you.

And lesson #2?  Pay attention to how you feel when you give.  John Randolph Price details this beautifully in The Abundance Book.

"Giving is an esoteric science that never fails to produce results if it is done with love and joy, because the Law will shower you with a pressed down and multiplied return.  But if you tithe (and I really prefer the word 'sharing' to tithing) as a mechanical and calculated method to please God, unload guilt, meet a sense of obligation and play a bartering game with the Law, no one benefits - not even the receiver.  Give with love, joy and a sense of fun and the windows of heaven will be
 thrown open with a blast!"

Focus on what makes you really, really happy when you give and dig deep into that area.  Forget about giving because you HAVE to give, and forget about giving because it's the right thing to do.  Instead, tap into the love and joy of giving.  Have fun with it.

Recently, in San Francisco, there was an anonymous giver who hid $100 bills around the city and tweeted out clues to where you could find the money.  I love that concept, especially when you can trust that the Universe is guiding that money to exactly the right person at the right time.  It's a brilliant way to share!

So, take a look at what makes you smile and feel joyful when you give.  Choose a big word - one that might make you even choke a bit - that you tap into as you give.  Start there and commit to that.

Where can YOU have a sense of fun in your giving?  And what is the BIG word you're choosing to consciously focus on as you circulate?

Today, I set the intention to dive deep into giving in an area that I am passionate about, consciously focusing on feeling affluent and opulent as I remain in the flow of circulation.

"Your faith vibration attracts that which you have and experience in this world

 because like must attract like!  Where is your faith?  Look around you.  

If your faith is in an all-sufficiency, then so it is in your life  If your faith is pulsating

 to a 'just getting by' frequency, than so it is in your world.  If your faith

 is on the dial-set of insufficiency, then there will never be enough to meet

 your needs.  Your world simply reflects your faith."  

~John Randolph Price, The Abundance Book

It's not what we ask for that is outrageous.  It's what we settle for that is outrageous."  

~Alan Cohen

Affirmative Prayer:
Turning within and staying in this moment now, in this time now, and in this space now, there is a sacredness that is calling.  It is a Divine Presence that exudes beauty and grace; a Divine Power that is the essence of strength and wisdom.  Like the whisper of a breath, it is all-sustaining and ever-present.

Noticing my breath, I see, that at my core, I am one with this Divine, Creative Intelligence.  It is a loving connection with the all-good of the Universe that guides my journey.  I give this Divine Spirit space for full expression through me and as me in a way that no one else can and I say bring it on!  

I walk through life affirming perfect wealth, opulence and affluence and Life makes the way for the experience of abundance and prosperity  I am surrounded by grace in every minute of the day and welcome the circulation of my good out into the world in joyful and fun ways.  I feel energized and alive as I give in deep and meaningful ways, knowing that my every need is met by a Source that always has my back.  I clearly see my worthiness to receive as I up-level my circulation back out, cultivating my prosperity consciousness.  I align with my soul and heart which urges me to reach for outrageous experiences of a life in the flow of magnificence and wonder.  And I smile as Spirit blasts open the windows and doors, showering me with a pressed down and multiplied return.

Allowing the feelings of thanksgiving and gratitude to overtake me, I lean into the happiness that emerges and grows stronger.  In faith and trust, I say Thank You, Spirit, for evidence of the truth - that life is for me in amazing ways beyond what I can even imagine.

Grateful for the guidance of the Universe, I release my word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  Blessings and miracles are mine to give and to receive.  And I let it be so.  And so it is!

Photo courtesy of Jose Moutinho/Flickr

Why I Am Grateful for Vulnerability

"People who recognize your beauty, see you truly."  ~Alan Cohen

I was talking to a friend about relationships and it occurred to me, Am I focused on what bothers me or am I focused on what I value in my relationships?

There is really no way around it - relationships take work and that includes the relationship we have with ourselves.  Part of that work requires that we become vulnerable as we open up to others and as we do the inner work to heal old wounds we may be carrying around.

Vulnerable. 

That word alone has some serious power behind it for me.  If I open up to make a true connection with someone, will that be honored?  Can I trust that I won't be hurt if I allow others to see who I really am?

I get so much from my relationships but I want to be safe.  I want to share my thoughts and feelings but I fear opening up too much.

At the other end of the spectrum, I probably open up too much with my husband.   It's easy to criticize and nit-pick at him when I'm having one of those days.  Why do we always seem to lash out as those we love the most?

Fortunately, as I do the work, I'm learning to recognize the signs and to self-correct so that I can appreciate the good in my relationships.

And - that's really the first step - appreciation.  Cultivating being in gratitude for friends, for family, for acquaintances and all of their best qualities has surprisingly resulted in having those same qualities mirrored back to me.  As I am grateful for the easy-going attitude of a girlfriend or for the silliness of my daughter that always puts a smile on my face, I find that I can give those good feelings back.

I am also finding that self-love is an important part of the equation.  The more I am accepting of loving others right where they are in their journey, the more I am kind to myself and open to embracing every aspect of my personality.   I can release the fear and allow my relationships to thrive.

We are all doing the best we can with what we have, in this moment.  So, what do you value in your relationships?

Today, I set the intention to seek what I value in each and every relationship, grateful for the heartfelt connection I have with others as we open up and trust one another.

"For to be free is not to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that 

respects and enhances the freedom of others."  

~Nelson Mandela

"One of the first things to do, is to love everybody.  If you have not done 

this, begin to do so at once.  There is always more good than bad

 in people, and seeing the good tends to bring it forth." 

 ~Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

Affirmative Prayer:
With each breath that is taken, there is a knowing that there is only Source, only Substance, only Supply.  It is everywhere present and always available, as Spirit, as God, as the Universe.

This Source and Substance is also present and available, as me and through me.  And I embrace this truth - that Life expresses all around me with joy and with compassion, with freedom and with love.  Just as my breath flows in and out, so I flow with this presence of Spirit within.

Claiming that Life is for me, I speak my word from this place of good.  Every experience and every connection that I make is from a knowing of pure Spirit, revealing the beauty that comes from being in relationship.  The sharing of thoughts and hopes and dreams is part of the journey and I am blessed with a life that unfolds in prosperous and abundant ways.  I am free to be exactly who I am, sharing my gifts and talents and seeing the value in all who happen upon my path in this life.   And as I step out in faith, taking action as I am guided by intuition, I accept the miracles, big and small, that manifest in perfect, Divine timing.

I am profoundly grateful for this journey, filled with rich experiences of live well-lived.  And I am thankful for the unlimited possibilities of every-increasing good that are revealed to me each day.  I am filled with gratitude for the magnificence of the abundance that surrounds me and the prosperity that moves through me.

And from this place of gratitude, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  It is here now.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.