Giving and Receiving

by William Britten | Reciprocal Feeding, Cynthia Bourgeault

Giving and receiving—the rhythm we think we know—turns out to be something stranger: giving IS receiving, the energetic frequency on which the universe actually runs, according to Wisdom Teachings.

The Ground: Poverty as Receptivity

“The vow of poverty is the practice of inner emptiness, which is established as a consequence of the silence of personal desires, emotions and imagination so that the soul is capable of receiving from above the revelation of the word, the life and the light. Poverty is perpetual active vigil and expectation before the eternal sources of creativity; it is the soul awaiting that which is new and unexpected; it is the aptitude for learning always and everywhere; it is the conditio sine qua non of all illumination, all revelation and all initiation.” Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot, p112

“It is the vow of poverty made by intelligence to the element which transcends it which renders it capable of perceiving this element and of receiving its intimate teaching, with regard to which it would be deaf and blind if it were not emptied of its own richness, i.e. if it did not know how to reduce itself to silence in order to listen.” Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot, p510

Earth’s Vibrational Frequency

“What if, when this world was created, nestled amongst all these other realms, that it was set up so that giving is receiving is the core principle by which things unfold rightly here and do what they have to do. The core principle by which human beings move from being frightened and timid and self-hating to being confident and connected. The core principle by which the poor are fed and the blind see and the lame walk. What if it is the core principle around which peace and justice can finally be made to reign on Earth. What if it’s the core principle around which environmental sustainability becomes possible. In other words, this planet was set up that way, that’s its vibrational mainspring. And when we get with the program, both our own life and the world, do the thing that it ought to do.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Divine Exchange, 1:18 disc3 track2

“So that there’s a sacrifice of an actualization at a certain level on this planet, the little fish level, in order to commit oneself to the actualization of oneself and of the kingdom. And ultimately you can’t separate them at the other level. It seems to be the pattern we see over and over and over, that the more we bring ourselves into actually being able to trust and literally go for broke with that assumption, that wild wager, giving is receiving, is the vibration, is the energetic frequency on which this planet is aligned, the more the planet seems to be harmonious and our life seems to be harmonious.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Divine Exchange, 5:05 disc3 track2

Staying Present to Higher Meaning

“When Michael Brown says that giving is receiving, is the energetic frequency to which this planet is attuned, he’s saying something that is on the one hand obvious, but on the other hand very difficult. Because this is what you might call a high energetic frequency. In other words, it’s not easy to stay present to it. Generally speaking, to stay present in non-dual or witnessing awareness really requires a stronger degree of what you might call collected psychic energy. I think one of the reasons why we so easily get unscrambled and float back into all sorts of negativity and egoic worrying and small self stuff is that it’s a lower energetic state. It’s a lazier state. It requires something from us to stay present at that witness, hear, ungathered, collected place.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Divine Exchange, 2:26 disc3 track3

“Maurice Nicoll said, as our being increases, our receptivity to higher meaning increases. As our being decreases, the old meanings return. You get what he’s saying? As our being increases, our receptivity to higher meaning increases. In other words, when we’re more gathered, more present, more in our skins and here, we are able to stay present to both higher possibility and higher actuality. By higher possibility, I mean it’s possible when you’re in a centered, balanced state, in a much more clear way, to believe things and to trust things that are impossible, that are counterproductive, that are counterintuitive. Like this wonderful statement that giving is receiving is the frequency our planet is attuned to. That teaching, that’s a higher meaning, isn’t it? And it can only really be received in a higher state of being. When you lose being, the old meanings return.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Divine Exchange, 5:13 disc3 track

Living the Wager

“Begin to understand that there’s perhaps a way to still in an even greater way pick up the wager, giving is receiving, and learn how to play with that like those little children in Logion 21 in the Gospel of Thomas that simply took off their clothes and stood naked when the landlord began to say, come on, give us back our land. How do we take off our clothes and stand naked now? What does that mean in your life? What does it mean to jump into the river or grab the big fish now? So I think that these are all questions we want to really work with, meditate with, and not to think it through, but to open our heart to receive it.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Divine Exchange, 6:35 disc3 track2

The Archetypal Pattern

“Take that quote that I started with, giving is receiving is the energetic frequency that our planet is alive on while other aspects or approaches to energy exchange result in disharmony. The reason that’s true is because of the trinity. It’s because we are inescapably involved in a round dance of giving is receiving. The breathing, so that we can’t get away from that. And any attempt to constrict or restrict either by not breathing at all, hoarding or hustling, or just trying to push and push and push and push without breathing. We can’t unbalance the icon and the instrument that’s within us. So that’s what we have to teach. It really is a practical laboratory in abundance.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Divine Exchange, 6:05 Disc7 track6

Logion 21

Miriam said,
“Then tell us, Master, what your students are like.
How would you describe them?”

He answered,
“They are like small children
living in a field not their own.
When the landlords return and demand,
‘Give us back our field!’
the children return it by simply stripping themselves
and standing naked before them.

So then, I must also tell you this:
If a householder knows for sure
that thieves are coming to steal his goods,
he will keep careful watch before they get there
to prevent them from tunneling in and taking his possessions.

You too, from your beginnings,
must keep a watchful eye on the cosmos,
binding great power to yourselves
so that thieves cannot find a way to get to you.
Pay attention then.
Any outside help you look for they will try to seize first.

May there be someone among you who truly understands this.

So listen carefully, if you have an ear for this!
When the fruit was ripe, ready to burst,
the harvester came quickly, sickle in hand, and took it.