The Way of The Gift ECOnomy
The Organic way IS an ECOnomy that IS circular, not linear. Synarchical, not hierarchal
I have sat IN deep INquiry and reflection of Organic societies - of a time BEfore the measure of ECOnomic success shifted from the collective 'WE' to the INdividualistic 'I'. Then, the most critical mode of ECOnomic exchange was THE GIFT — a simple, yet profound act that built bridges BEtween INdividuals and entire Communities, a bINding and bondINg force and Source that brought us together as One.
Visualize for a moment a wild Berry bush IN a Forest, abundant IN Fruits. To the modern (colonized) mINd, conditioned as it IS by a culture of acquisition, accumulation and possession, these Berries might seem like "Natural ReSources" or "ECOsystem Services" — commodities to BE exploited, owned, quantified. However, at the HeART of Organic societies, these berries WEre perceived differently — they WEre simply, gifts. Neither earned nor laboured for, these Berries arrived with the Sun and the RaIN, an offerINg from The Heavenly Father and The EARThly MotHER to All their Children.
These gifts of Nature carry a virtue of reciprocity. They BEstow upon us THE TEACHING of the Truth of our INnate generosity — and that, when WE give, WE INHERently, INevitably, and automatically receive. ThIS reciprocity IS not about a quid pro quo or a transaction, rather, it mirrors the symbiotic exchanges that occur IN Nature and the ECOlogical relationships & kINship that sustaINs the collective WEb of Life.
ThIS IS the Gift ECOnomy — an ECOlogy of Love.
An open HeART, INvitINg a WELLth of mutual givINg and receivINg — and tHerefore mutual BEnefit.
The Gift ECOnomy recognizes that giving IS receiving.
The Gift ECOnomy acKnowledges that generosity IS not a virtue to BE strategically deployed but a Natural expression and emBodiment of our Humanity.
Gift ECOnomies have a few key qualities:
exchanges transcend measurability and quantifiability — IN recognition that value IS subjective and that what IS BEINg exchanged goes BEyond money and what IS tangible
exchanges are INdirect, non-specific and non-linear — it IS not always happenINg BEtween two INdividuals givINg back and forth, or for somethINg specific, rather giftINg IS generalized to a Whole CommUNITY where you may give to people who have not given directly to you
exchanges are slowed — WE do not reciprocate gifts the exact moment WE receive them, INstead WE wait to reciprocate the offerINg at a later time
The advent of money and what are referred to as market ECOnomies has dramatically altered these (Organic) dynamics and templates.
Market ECOnomies are systems of exchange based on buying and selling thINgs (solely) with money. A market exchange IS specific, quantifiable, direct, accelerated / immediate / urgent, and are founded upon an explicit agreement. As IN, this product costs $123, right Here, right Now.
As Charles Charles Eisenstein author of "Sacred ECOnomics" states: "just as money homogenizes the things it touches, so also does it homogenize and depersonalize it's users." Ultimately, money IN many Ways has Created and cultivated a culture of transactional, depersonalized exchanges. This culture promotes exchanges that are disemBodied and divorced from All other relations - and the HEART, INtimacy and INtegrity of those relations. It has altered our perception and therefore expression, emBodiment and EXPERIENCE of generosity, reducINg it to a fINancial virtue rather than a Wholistic ONTOLOGICAL practice. Ontological — as IN, essential to y(our) BEINg and the quality of y(our) Life.
The Organic way IS an ECOnomy that IS circular, not linear. Synarchical, not hierarchal.
The WELLth of Berries IS shared freely, their Seeds returned to The EARTh, and a new bush grows IN time. The flow of gifts contINues — a circular, self-sustainINg current that carries withIN it The Promise of a World wHere givINg and receivINg are as Natural and necessary as the air WE Breathe. WHere the two merge and wHere tHere IS no longer a separation BEtween the two. Our generosity BEcomes as perennial as the Grass, a WELLsprINg that contINually regenerates itSelf, forever flowINg, forever nurturINg. WE Will thrive together IN thIS circle of givINg, bound by the prINciple of reciprocity, grounded IN Wholistic generosity, and Blessed by the WELLth that the Gift ECOnomy brINgs. ThIS IS our HERitage and our DESTINY.
The emphasis IN a gift exchange IS on strengthening the bond BEtween the givers and receivers, BEcause it’s a crystalline system imbued with good Faith, good Will, Devotion, honor, obligation, and reciprocity, far from the utilitarian transactions that pervade our Present day.
HavINg said All of that,
ThIS SUBSTACK IS Gratuity-based.
What does that mean?
Gratuity means freely given.
To give from a place of gratuity comes from Pure Desire, Choice and Will (INtrinsic motivation) rather than some sort of contractual, transactional or moral obligation (extrinsic motivation).
Here's how it works:
INstead of settINg a fixed price for a monthly or yearly membership subscription, thIS approach IS designed to encourage, INspire and emPower you (the CommUNITY member), to determINe the INvestment you make, based on the value that you have recieved. I leave this Choice entirely IN your hands and Heart, acKnowledging that only you can Truly assess the worth or value of the experience.
IN my core, I INnerstand the subjectivity of value.
I recognize that value can take on various forms and differ from person to person. What may BE of HIGH value to One INdividual may hold lesser significance to another. Moreover, value transcends monetary considerations and encompasses factors such as — resonance, relevance, amount of INformation given, experienced sense of BElongINg, amount of usage and so on.
By acKnowledging thIS INHERent subjectivity, I INvite you to reciprocate what reflects their emBodied experience.
IN addition to encouragINg, INspirINg and emPowerINg you (the CommUNITY member), to determINe the INvestment based on the value that you have recieved, thIS gratuity-based model also allows for me, the One who tends to the CommUNITY Garden to fully Honor my cyclicality, seasonality and INner reSource(s).
By removINg any and All extrinsic motivations tied to fixed pricINg which INvokes this (conditioned) sense of BEINg INdebted to CommUNITy members, thIS model allows me to fully embrace my Natural, reverent pace and to flow IN Harmony with my Organic Creative INtelligence and genius.
ThIS gratuity-based approach supports me IN havINg WELLthy time and space to restore and regenerate my INner reSource after, BEtween and BEfore Creative Births and allows me to BE more immersed IN and INtimate with Life, which enables me to affirm even more Life IN thIS CommUNITY Garden.
I accept and appreciate gratuity amounts of All sizes.
IN our fragmented world, the Gift calls us back to Wholeness, INtegrity, INtimacy and INnocence. It INvites us to see BEfore and BEyond THE SELF and to recognize our INterdependence with the entire Choir of Creation. It remINds us that our INdividual success IS INtertwINed with the success of others, and that our WELLBEINg IS bound up with the WELLBEINg of others.
Let us Honor the sacred tradition of the Gift, not as an archaic relic but as a timeless Truth that can Harmonize, unite, and INspire (Breathe Life INto).
AMEN.
Each note I share IS but a sINgle thread IN thIS INtricate tapestry WE're WEavINg together. While my HeART fINds solace IN expressINg, it leaps with anticipation at the prospect of recievINg your resonant expression, Voice and note, which IS vital for the Harmony of the collective Choir of Creation. I INvite and INspire you to share yourSelf IN the comments, so that WE may co-Create a contINual SYMPHONY OF SYNARCHY.
God Bless you, BELoved.
Anja
Are you INterested IN supportINg the work God has commissioned me for?
IN Devotion to BEINg of Pure and True Missional and FEMININE Service, I have Chosen to make ALL of The Heavenly HERitage's offerINgs Gratuity-Based (which I go INto IN depth IN The Way of The Gift ECOnomy).
If you would like to offer your gratuity / a Gift you can do so by clickINg the button BElow:
Another Way you can offer your support IS by RESTACKING, SHARING and / or RECOMMENDING thIS publication. These are BEaUtiful Substack features that can BE used as a Faithful & True promotion of the offerINgs that you feel the INtegrity of, resonance with and that you have BEen INspired, enriched and enLivened by yourSelf. If you have your own publication and support what I offer, Know that a restack, share of a post and / or recommendation of The Heavenly HERitage IS recieved with Humble hands and a Humble HeART.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I am currently integrating and processing upgrades to my relationship with resource and this is something I am sitting with more. I came to re-interact with this notion and to land it in my body more. I believe there is a place for gratuity and a place for more directly stated transactions, however I desire to find the balance between those two which now includes seeing how I can be of deeper service, faithful, and more deeply held by LIFE as I naturally also hold more. Thank you as always for being a community LEADER and innovator and invitation. Love you sister.
Also loved this. I recently did an article on ways we reject the village and essentially the circular economy and I love that you speak on it all too