Gift giving

I saw something so subtle and beautiful the other day. I happened upon a documentary of two shamans, one was a Grandfather and one was a Grandmother of different indigenous tribes. They were called to a meeting and filming. Each presented several gifts from themselves. One was a plant wrapped in a beautiful cloth, it was a corn plant. One was a song sung into a drum made of seal skin. I just remember these two gifts mostly. The gifts were given with such joy and presence to the other.

 What was remarkable, was to see how they were received. I watched as neither recipient took the gift to them self as personal. They received the giving of the gift but did not take of the gift. 

 I have contemplated this for a couple of days now. As they were receiving the other's gift, they maintained a very open, radiant,  peaceful, presence and thanked the giver. There was, however, no involvement of liking or not liking the gift. I see tonight that the gift was given as if to one's own heart and received without any trace of taking of some thing that would in any way complete the other. For there is no other to receive or accept it.

 I watched as the shaman grandfather touched the cheek of the grandmother, later in the documentary, and she was in such a silence of her own! Nothing was exchanged! It was already fulfilled within each of them.

There was the gift, there was the giving, the joy of the giving,........ but no real receiver that was separate from the giver.

I am thinking of this as Christmas is about here and I have chosen and made gifts for others. I have spent some time to find what it is that they desire. I know from experience, that I never meet that place in the other with a material gift. There is always a polite thank you.

What is this revelation about?

I think it is to see that all gifts are given as an offering to the Divine or to fill someones pictures of desired objects. Either our heart is in the giving or it is simply and sadly a performance, wasted, to fill someone's temporary craving . Have I chosen to give with my heart? Have I really spent time in my heart with my 'projection of otherness' to see what would cherish them? It is my offering after all, unless someone gave me a list to fill; and that has no heart in it. Just filling an order, so to speak. I see that I have only one such gift that I am giving that has my heart in it. Maybe two even three! And when I give them, I must give them to fulfill my joy in cherishing them! For they are the beloved in my life. . They are my creations, my stories, my dreams. When I give my song from within the drum beat of my heart then these gifts are truly given! They are the gifts that will be shining and vibrating my generosity and my pleasure. These gifts are my chance to express my heart. There is no need for them to be actually received personally for they have already found their completion in the act of the offering which contains my heart's honoring and devotion to Love itself.

The rest of the gifts are temporary amusements, so to speak. They are lists fulfilled; with web blasters and baseball bats and furry boot slippers. There is love in them; but they support a kind of material filling of deluded pictures of happiness! They will be enjoyed for a day or two and then put aside for some other momentary pleasure. They will not bring the same expression of love with them.

Why do I still give to this split way of being?. Why am I still serving the world's ways of fixes and momentary gratification? My heart ponders this!

May all beings be happy, may they receive what makes them happy until they come home to the Heart of Giving and open to the Joy of Generosity!