Gifting

In today's culture where money is the measure of the value of others, those who are redefining values will find ways to develop their spiritual lives through their own practice of intensity and self-awareness. The Gifting Culture are those who are making cultural shifts.  The best things in life really are free, you cannot purchase enlightenment or any of the lasting values. Our attempt is to change the spiritual model.  We do not participate in the "Spiritual Capitalism" movement where instant enlightment, health and happiness are for sale.

The term "money" comes from the word Simony. If you go back to biblical history, Simon was a wealthy man who tried to purchase salvation (enlightenment). As the Church and the Christian religion were being built out of Rome, they instigated a practice of selling prayers and that was called Simoney - cynically after Simon. If you read the letter that Martin Luther pinned to the door of the church during the reformation, one of the things he was condemning was the practice of Simony, which had become a huge revenue source for the Church.

Religion is something that is heavily marketed in our culture. Over the years we watched numerous Prophets for Profit emerge with a self-righteous air and grandiose lifestyle, all the while they are beating up emotionally on their followers to keep that money flowing into their pockets. We find this not only unethical but immoral - a form of spiritual parasitism. For that reason, we don't feel that offering to share our life experiences and philosophy can or should be something for which we charge others. This is not the same as right livelihood as we are obligated to provide for ourselves but to do so by manipulating others at a spiritual and emotional level is what we choose to avoid.

So, why is this important at this time? It is important as we are not going to change the world until we begin to change ourselves and challenge the status quo. Otherwise, we are only changing words and not actions. Right livelihood is the exchange of goods and services but mankind got diverted into paying homage to a priestcraft that interjected itself into our individual relationship to the Universe. If we are going to have peace, it must begin with our integrity and nobility, expressed in respect to our spiritual lives. Enlightenment comes from within, not through magic secrets for sale in the public marketplace.