If we’re struggling in some area of life, it may be due to the cycles of time, the collective, or unfolding karma. But it’s also useful to look at how we are with circumstances. If we’re resisting or responding with depression or other heavier emotions, we may be offering a sinkhole to the energy of growth.
This is not a suggestion of blame. It’s natural to feel bad when things go poorly. But soon, it’s time to move on. What are we bringing to life? What are we feeding? What is supported now?
An early example for me was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He offered everything he did and all his accomplishments back to his teacher. He framed his work as on behalf of his teacher and the tradition. We may say he was a monk and gave away everything as a practice. But there is a deeper art to action here.
You may be familiar with tithing. The principle is you give back a portion of your earnings or crop to what gives you spiritual sustenance. This is embedded in some cultures. For example, in India you didn’t have to pay for spiritual instruction because those that could already supported the teachers and healers. Christianity has similar underpinnings.
Giving a portion is a rule for physical reality where resources are finite. Once we step deeper into energy and flow, resources become infinite. Thus, we can offer everything back. This is where it gets interesting.
Remember the dynamics of consciousness from which everything rises? We are here to have experiences, to be the observer. As we recognize in Self Realization, we are not the doer. As we discover in God Consciousness, the doing happens through the process of creation. More deeply, through the process of experience in consciousness. By putting our attention on these dynamics, we enliven them and they express into forms and phenomena.
By offering back the energy and patterns we receive, we strengthen the aliveness of the related devata (process of experience), they experience recognition and value, and they offer back even stronger results. Offering those back too creates a loop, expanding the results and spreading the benefits widely.
To understand this more deeply, we can refer to the nature of the devas. To quote from the closing lines of the Rig Veda:
“Go together, speak together, know your minds to be functioning together from a common source, in the same manner as the devas [celestial beings], in the beginning, remain together united near the source.“
This is seva or giving service in a much larger way.
Dorothy Rowe uses this approach in her healing process. The group works as a collective, together. By putting attention on the roots of health challenges, we can resolve the cause. But what expands the potency is when we offer those results back to the doers, back to source. This feeds those that support us and expands the results.
This is the art of gratitude, to thank what is supporting us and offer it back.
Our support team works with energy. What we feel is what we give them to work with and live off of. If we grumble and complain at our lot, we’re feeding our staff with disappointment. Not much you can make with that except more of it. How long can they work hard for us in those circumstances?
Again, this isn’t about blame, just understanding.
This is also not something we can manipulate. Fake gratitude won’t cut it. Attempts to manipulate energy will be flavoured with that and will produce results accordingly. As the Yoga Sutra (2:37) puts it, When non-theft is established, all jewels (wealth) rise up.
Also, you have to be willing to receive. If you don’t accept what is given, what do you have to give back? If the acceptance is conditional, giving it back is not an expression of gratitude.
This points back to the value of samadhi or transcendence, a spiritual practice that takes us beyond the mind into source. As we get familiar with source, we can begin to use it in life directly. We can bring unlimited resources to our support team.
As we culture inner peace, we can come to a place of honest thanks. As we experience the limitlessness of Being, we’re able to let it all go. And then we can offer it all back.
For everything that arises, say thanks and offer it back. This will expand it for everyone. As we awaken more laws of nature, this increases functionality but also leads to changes in the age. The number of awake laws supporting us is what determines what we’re capable of experiencing and the height of group consciousness.
Davidya
Tag, you’re it. 🙂
(laughs) a different form of “giving” 🙂
🙂 It is a funny thing about giving back, as there is nothing particularly altruistic about it in its deepest sense.
Giving back simply becomes an effortless reflection of (our) true nature, since we also live the complete and practical impossibility of holding onto anything we receive, no matter how generous the gift.
Yet, it cannot just hang there, unresolved, and so the energy is appreciated, integrated, and naturally offered in return, and resolution, or further reflection.
Another perspective is one you touched on, about ‘good karmic’ return, so even though there is no grasping, by allying ourselves with the Totality of life, Mother Divine, and acting from such a location, we naturally accrue unfathomable good karma from this simple action of turning non-attachment into gratitude.
Firmly taking the reins of surrender. 🙂
Hi Jim
Yes, when life just flows through and we’re not grasping at it, we’re automatically receiving fully, then giving fully.
Yes, the more broadly we rest and act from, the wider the effects and the greater the benefit. It also spills over to all who love us.
Lovely, thanks David.
f
You’re welcome, Frank.
Love in action. Thanks, David.
Ah – good insght, Lorey. Thanks.
🙂
Since reading this and experiencing a Dorthy Rowe webinar, numerous opportunities to share gratitude with others.
Powerful stuff!!
Here is a share of a recent past experience in brief: Was at a gig where my daughter’s boyfriend plays the drums in a rock band. There were 2 other bands playing as well. Universal love arose here toward these beautiful young people sharing their gifts. I gave them all hugs and expressed my gratitude directly to them. The all started crying and laughing and glowing at once and expanded out from there. They wonder if I am a witch, lol. I said it’s just the power of Love. Caused kind of a scene, lol.
What is this? A transfer of energetic qualities?
It is as you say, the power of love. Many people don’t experience unconditional love very often – for themselves or what they do.
Note they were also willing to receive.
Certainly this includes energetic resonances and so forth as love washes over everything.
Thanks for sharing.
I picked this up from dear Dorothy and have practiced and taught it since it became a habit here. Experiences of loops of love and gratitude this “practice” create is so wonderful to the physiology. I have a four year old now who offers her morning yoga routine back to the all.. “from my heart to all of creation” she says with her baby voice with hands touching her heart and opening so wide. 🙂
Wonderful! What we learn at an early age carries forward in deep ways.
Thank you for the further explaination. Perhaps the doors of receptivity may be opened by the expression of gratitude and love. 🙂
Some are strong and open. Some open when it is safe.
It’s worth noting that when you work from the universal, it’s much bigger than the personal and the effects are much larger. It may not feel much different to you if it’s familiar but it can be very different for others unfamiliar.
Thank you, David.
P.S. Yes, good not to assume.
Right. But the universal will arise and organize of its own accord. We just have to stay out of the way and watch it work it’s magic. 🙂
🙂
I’m a bit new to all this, so bear with me and I’ll do my best to be a good listener. What does “offering something back” look like? I mean I think of this phrase in real world terms. I have received some money, so I offer some of it back at Church or a favorite charity as a tithe. But if I notice that when someone busts my chops in a social situation, I might take that personally. The next morning, I reflect on it and try to see what the “seed” is. I see that it’s an image problem. Even though they were just having fun, busting my chops, I was afraid I looked bad, someone’s opinion might have changed about me, someone might have NOTICED me in a way they hadn’t because of that “chop busting”. I “lost control of my story” basically. So that being discovered, what does the “offering back” look like?
Hi Kenneth
Yes, good example. Just keep in mind the tithe is representative. In other words, it’s symbolic of offering back all of your earnings. You gotta be practical (laughs).
When we see everything as a gift, for growth or for learning, we can offer thanks or gratitude. Even more deeply, we can offer the experience back to whence it came.
This shifts the context of the experience. We can recognize:
– I’m not the source of my experiences
– I can’t control what others think
– it’s not personal, just the unfolding mechanics of action
– I’m not in control
– it’s not about me
– it’s OK, all of it
Life becomes an act of surrender. Of falling back into source.
That said, we don’t want to be obsessing about this. That just becomes another manipulation of experience and resistance to life. This is just shifting the approach when it comes up. Moving away from story-creating and seeing what is here. Moving towards letting go.