Good to Give from the Heart

My Orchid 

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes. . . . It’s the time that you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important. . . . People have forgotten this truth,” the fox said, “But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose. . . .”

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

For my entire adult life, I have not been able to grow any indoor plants. My good friends wince and shudder when someone gives me a house plant for no matter how vital and alive it was when it arrived to my care, within weeks if not days, it starts looking bedraggled and puny. If not rescued by someone with a green thumb, it has little chance of surviving.

A few months ago I was given a beautiful orchid plant with large white blooms. I nurtured it by giving it an ice cube every day. Gradually it lost all its blooms and I was about to give it a burial when I noticed the wee sprouts of new leaves. With hope, I continued my regimen of a daily ice cube and nothing seemed to happen. I almost gave up hope, but I talked to it encouragingly every day. Then it shot up a stem which looked like nothing but a stick. Still I kept talking to her and nurturing her. I reminded her of her beauty and perfection.  By the end of January she had five or six buds. I could see that the largest one was ready to pop but it did nothing until I was away in  Florida.

What I returned to see is the beautiful orchid with two full blossoms and more on the way. I am ecstatic with joy for the beauty and also for the joy of being in the role of nurturer. It felt good to give.

One of the most quoted expressions in our philosophy is "There is a power for Good in the Universe and you can use it." 

Preparing for a class on the Law of Circulation, I read "There is a power for Good in the Universe and It uses me!" 

How important it is to remember that our teaching is based on two equally important aspects of the Divine-- Love and Law. As Ernest Holmes writes in the textbook, "Love points the way, and Law makes the way possible."

When we quit trying to get something, and instead focus on what is ours to give, the good in our lives increases. It's as if we had been stepping on the hose of abundance and only dribbles of good have been our experience.

To step off the hose, you need to shift your perspective, to a perspective of unity, love and harmony. There is no one against you and there is nothing that stops you from experiencing greater good. Not even I have a "black" thumb. As the fox says to the Little Prince, "You become responsible for what you've tamed." I was responsible for my orchid and now the orchid returns my love by bringing me joy and beauty.

What To Do When You Are Filled With Gratitude

After class on Tuesday night I was filled with gratitude, joy and awe and stepped out into the parking lot to view this full moon peeking behind the scattered clouds. It was so beautiful, I just wanted to take it in, to experience its magnificence. I was filled with gratitude and I wanted to share it. My Teaching Assistant, Kathy Storey,. saw me standing in front of our building to see what I was doing. She rolled down her window and howled. We all show our appreciation in different ways.

The truth is that we simply can not take, take, take, even something like beauty. The Law of Life calls us to give back.

In this moment take a deep breath in and hold it. Hold it for as long as you can. The oxygen that is renewing your vitality is vital to your health yet nature will not allow you to just take in. You also are required to exhale, to give back.

There is a law of circulation, that if followed, assists you in living a full, creative, prosperous life. If not followed, you will become stagnant and start to die.

The exact law is a law of returning ten percent to the source of your spiritual well-being. It is the law of tithing. What tithing helps us remember is that we are more than our bodies or our big brains, we are spiritual beings, living in a spiritual universe governed by spiritual laws. the Law of Circulation is one of those laws. We return the money to the place or places of our spiritual inspiration. We soon learn that ninety percent of our income goes further than the hundred percent used to.

Not only are we required to give back a portion of our financial good, but also we are required to also tithe our time and talent. Tithing our time means the time you invest in your spiritual growth. Tithing your talent means giving your service. This giving can be to a friend, a neighbor and institution. It can range from making a pot of coffee for a group to welcoming people to your spiritual home.

I have been committed to the full practice of tithing for over 25 years. My life is full because of it. I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, I love the work I do, I have many friends and I have enough money to do what i want to do when I want to do it. Life is good.

Where do you circulate your good?

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