chapter 4~"A context of giving"

chapter 4~"A context of giving"

 
“It isn't a matter of giving a lot or a little, of giving anything at all.  It is simply a matter of giving oneself.” Daniel Odier
 
Giving, or "tithing", is the practice of giving 10% of your income to places that inspire you and who do charitable work.  Historically this practice came from the Babylonians, who passed it to the Hebrews, who passed it the Christians, who passed it to the wider culture.  In modern society giving to spiritual teachers has gotten separated from charitable giving, when they used to be one and the same.  The temple would honor  the priests AND feed the poor.  So I recommend both.
 
When I first learned about tithing, in 2005, I started giving right away.  My income increased from $8,000 a year as a stay-at-home mom to $50,000 a year with a thriving business.  5 years later I was making $100,000.  Tithing works!
 
Tithing changes you immediately. Generosity makes us wealthy instantly because it affirms that we have something to give. When we give away something we formerly thought of as scarce, we reframe our experience of it to be something of which we have plenty.   When we give, we open up space to receive more of what has been given.  This works on a very practical level.  If you give chocolate, you get more chocolate.  If you give money, you get more money. 
 
"The act of giving restores a harmony and balance in both mind and body that results in happiness as well as prosperity.  When your life gets out of harmony, you need to give in order to restore balance and abundance."
 
                            ~Catherine Ponder
 
It is a powerful practice to give where you are inspired, to give back in gratitude.   Give to people and places that keep you in alignment with your highest self.  These are people and places which encourage you to be more generous, responsible, powerful, and loving.  These are people and places who lovingly call you on your shit and lovingly call themselves on their own shit, and keep going.
 
I see in myself and others the urge to call charitable giving enough, to just give to a need. "I'm giving to the food bank, and my local school, isn't that enough?" as we learn to be more generous, we are called upon to give more to others, and this is good.  And I see that this alone does not work to prosper me, not in the way giving to my source of inspiration does.  When we give only to a need, we are not feeding our soul.  When we give out of gratitude to where we are nourished, we are truly fed.
 
Who inspires you?
What work calls you on your shit?
Who aligns you with your source?
What work supports your life purpose?
Who stays with you and your intentions?
 
Giving is only ever your choice.  If someone tells you to give to them, run away!  The tithe is a freely given gift of gratitude for what has been received.  It is not a payment for a service or product.
 
Some places that people have historically given:
 
Ministers & Rabbis
Churches, Synagogues & Spiritual Centers

But they have also given to:

Musicians, Authors & Inspirational Speakers
Counselors, Coaches, & Healers
Spiritual Practitioners
Artists and those who Protect Nature, etc.

So, basically, anyone who is doing work that inspires you and helps you grow!
 
The way I recommend to start or upgrade a giving practice is to give to the locations of your choice for 1 month, and then keep a journal of all the blessings that come your way for that month.  See if the tithing practice is working for you to uplift you and help you prosper.  If it is a “downer” with few positive benefits, at the end of the month you can decide if you would like to shift and change the locations of your giving.
 
Some benefits people report from tithing:
 
Income expansion
Healing miracles
Freebies & discounts
Forgiven fines
Windfalls
Increased savings
Prayers answered
Unexpected blessings
Things working out well

Have fun starting or upgrading your very own giving practice!"

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