Gifts
with Spirit
“At
some points during the year we will have giveaways. These are times
when we give gifts to those present so they can share the happiness
we are feeling and so they will have something by which to remember
the moment of shared happiness. The gifts do not have to be
elaborate, but they should be gifts from the heart.”
Sun
Bear and Wabun (The Medicine Wheel)
In
Native American cultures, giveaways are held on special occasions,
such as births, coming of age ceremonies, marriages, at the end of
powwow gatherings, to celebrate good times, or to help in
misfortune. Each person in the gathering gives one gift, usually
something that belongs to them that they value. Or it might be
something they made that will be useful for the next stage of the
recipient's life.
When
I was part of a Bear Circle, we had a giveaway at the end of each
gathering, which is to say, twice a year. In our case, we simply put
the packaged gifts into the center of the circle and each person
chose one for themselves. Then the giver would tell what the gift
was, what it meant to her, and why she gave it. We believed that
Spirit influenced both the giver's and the receiver's choices. I once
chose a pendant of the warrior goddess, Artemis. I wore it everyday
for the next year while I was going through the break up of my
marriage. I think she gave me strength.
Gifts
should come with no strings attached, not even unconscious strings.
When we give freely from an open heart, what comes with the material
gift is our blessing, and the thoughtfulness that has gone into its
choosing. People feel that. Whether the gift is large or small, they
receive the love behind it.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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