The Prophet : On Giving
AquariusA Celebration Of Kahlil Gibran
On Giving
You give but little when you give of your worldly possessions.
Only when you freely give of yourself, your gifts, time and resources
And with love in your heart, do you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things for keeping and guarding
Out of fear that you may need them sometime.
But what will that bring to an over-prudent dog
Who buries a bone in the trackless sand of the desert,
As it follows a pilgrim on their journey to a holy place?
Isn’t the fear of need a need in itself and
Isn’t the dread of thirst, even though your well is full,
Part of a higher thirst that cannot be quenched by water?
There are those who seek recognition,
Even when they only give little of the abundance
The Universe in its kindness has bestowed upon them.
Their hidden desire makes any gifts they have unwholesome.
But there are also others who have very little and
In spite of this don’t hesitate to give all they have got.
They are the believers in life and its bounty
And life itself sees to it that their coffers will never be empty.
Next there are those who give with joy,
And the happiness they feel is their reward.
Giving to these people is as natural as the apple tree
In your garden shedding its ripened fruits,
So that all can partake in it, down to the smallest
And least significant creatures of the Earth,
As all have the same right to share this life with us
And to be nourished and fed.
On the other hand there are those to whom giving is painful,
And the pain they feel is part of their Earth baptism and initiation.
Others just give and their giving causes them no pain.
They neither seek joy nor do they claim to be virtuous.
They are giving because it feels like the right thing for them to do.
Such souls give as the flowers breathe their fragrance into space.
Through their hearts and hands God,
The Great Father/Mother of all life speaks.
And from behind their eyes S/He smiles upon Mother Earth,
To bless and heal all her children.
Giving when asked is good,
But it is better by far to do so unasked,
Because you feel and understand the need of another.
To such open-handed ones the search for those
Who are ready to receive their gifts represents a happiness and a joy
That is something much greater than mere giving.
Is there anything in your life that you would like to keep to yourself?
Your spirit and soul are the only possessions that forever will be yours.
All others will one of these days be given to someone else.
Therefore give now, so that the joy of giving may be yours
And not belong to those who follow behind.
Forget about saying: ‘I would give, but only to the deserving.’
The trees in your orchard never say this,
Neither do the flocks in your pasture.
They give of themselves because that is their life’s purpose.
Withholding their abundance for them is unthinkable.
Anyone who is worthy of receiving the gift
Of another lifetime on the Earth plane
Is your sister or brother and therefore worthy of
Anything you can share with them.
And all who are allowed to drink from the great river of life,
Surely deserve to refresh themselves and fill their cups
From your stream of consciousness.
Could there be a greater desert than doing nothing but receiving?
And who would you be that people should bare their souls before you,
So that you may see their worth naked and their pride damaged?
Make sure that you yourself become a deserving giver
And a worthy instrument through whom God’s gifts can be presented,
For in truth it is always life itself that gives to another part of life,
While the giver is nothing but a channel and a witness.
All of you are receivers, so assume no weight of gratitude,
Lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon the Great One
Who presents His/Her gifts through you.
Together with this giver rise on the wings of the gifts
That in this way come to our world.
And forever be mindful of your debt of gratitude for the generosity
Of your kind and loving mother, the Earth.
Never forget that she is a spiritual and physical manifestation
Of the Great Mother of all life, the Goddess,
And Her loving partner, God, the father,
Who not only dwells in Heaven, the highest levels of life,
But also on the Earth, with Her and at one with Her.
Both are as much alive in minutest creatures of the Earth,
The same as they are in you and me.
From ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran 1883-1931
Lebanese/American poet
Edited by Aquarius
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Author Notes: All my writings are of an intuitive spiritual non-religious nature.
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