This moved me to tears, my friend. This idea that our first breath and our last are two halves of a full cycle. I have words for how it moved me. I think it goes back to your discussion of weeping. There was no story in my mind attached to the reason for the tears, I was simply connected to the fullness of all of our breaths. And the idea of tithing is so beautiful! That's how I first discovered Tara here too. I'm sure you've read Braiding Sweet grass. In that book, Kimmerer writes of a gift economy. When we receive every experience as a gift, the natural response is to give back, to tithe. THIS is the way to relationality. Thank you so much for all of these gorgeous words! ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you for sharing your experience while reading. I wonder if the chord of meaning in giving/receiving--the tithe of being--was struck in the milieu of your heart. I do not mean this singularly metaphorically. I mean the beating of the physical heart, perceptive organ that it is, embodying relational tithing: blood received and blood pumped to the whole body with only enough to the heart to keep this motion going across the arc of an entire life. . . . (especially after our recent exchange over in your comments on the placement of the heart.) ❤️
Kimmerer's work is beautiful, bringing us back into relationality, as you say, and economics returns to oikonomia (Gr. economics), i.e., lending care for the abundance received from our home (the Earth).
Renée; what I love about this piece is the true realization that giving is so gratifying, especially when giving from the heart, without the need for anything in return; though the mutuality of your experience with the guitar player was lovely, and it speaks to the joy of giving and receiving at the same time in an effortless and beautiful way. True service, meaning giving from the heart, is clearly an essential part of spiritual growth; and yet we, including me, tend to want to receive and often see giving as "work" with little reward. I suspect it's all a part of our narcissistic culture where we're so focused on getting what we want, and not recognizing that true giving gives us all we need. So, thank you for giving so freely of your time, your insights, your wisdom, and your heart to all of us readers. Giving to you or tithing as you put it, is an easy one for me. It does feel like true mutuality between us, and it's precious. "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field; I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other, doesn't make sense."--Rumi
Your reflections on giving and receiving are poignant. Thank you. You bring some questions to the fore about giving as essential to spiritual growth. We might ask ourselves: why is this so? Could it be that in the spiritual heart of giving we come to the recognition that we have received . . . already? By this, l do not mean, the mutuality of exchange, i.e., "You give me this and I give you that in *return* and all's fair." Tithing is this act of recognition, as is dana, which is perhaps why we see these two forms of mutual blessing in spiritual traditions (almost exclusively). And so, of tithing, of dana, "even the phrase each other, doesn't make sense." We are the continuous flow of breath breathing itself, and tithing with you is joy, Ed.
Renée, I really appreciated this post on tithing. As a minister I have never felt comfortable with the Christian interpretation of the Biblical stories on tithing. A more forced expectation along with a specific and prescribed amount. It feels more transactional to me rather than what you describe here as the tide, the flow of the breath, the natural exchange between two individuals that have been touched. I have for many years been aligned with "Dakshina" a Hindu practice (I was a practicing Hindu for around 25 years) that gives from the heart. Giving to what you love, sharing in the giving and receiving like the breath you incredibly described here in your post.
Thank you for sharing your reflections, especially from your perspective as a minister. As with your alignment with Dakshina, I often see tithing in the context of Buddhist dana, and in fact, the root sound *di* from which tithe comes is of one root sound group with *da* (according to Jean Gebser) in these two word gestures. It would seem that long before the conceptual nuances of language of today, there was in these sounds the embodied perception that giving is receiving is giving.
Dear Renée, I am honored that you remember my essay from last July! If my history, philosophy, and economics of tithing helped us think at all about the vexing question of payments on Substack ten months ago, you have now written the science and poetry of it. Between us, we are offering a liberal arts education 😉 and my favorite way to think about what paid subscriptions mean for LitLetters. Thank you for your beautiful post! I wish you a prosperous 6 weeks until your birthday. 🎂
You've also given us "LitLetters," which has become, for me, an expansive framework to explore and reword digital publishing parlance and so, digital publishing itself, on behalf of "boosting confidence in humanity." Thank you for your always thoughtful offerings. May abundance be plentiful. 🙏
Renée, it is always a blessing to recieve your words - your life - your living breathe (put into this digital fusion of *hands waving crazily about* all this around/abound Us).
By this reading - a reminder to breathe easy... as easy as creation. And, if all I do I today - is breathe - then it is *hands waving crazily about* - All worth it.
As are your words and presence infusing them a blessing, dear Friend. Yes!--if all I do today is breathe--then it is all worth it! We breathe not for ourselves alone. 🙏
Connecting tithe and the tide is absolutely brilliant! Your description of the tide flowing to the beach to leave some small part of the ocean is an excellent visual I will hold in my mind when tithing.
The unending openess of the first and last breath, the venturing to and from the unknown, is something I have never considered until now. Thank you for bringing the sacred into what seems regular.
I love that you are drawing in 60+ paid subscribers for your special birthday, may it be so. ❤
I am recalling some of the images you have shared recently, of water so near to land, and appreciating how transparent you are with what you share with your readers. This transparency seems to me to be a bit of ocean leaving waters at the shore.
The number for this appeal is quite high, which says something about this number I'm nearing. Ha!
Renee, I missed the part about breath until Jenna mentioned it and then it was like ok, so each time I breath I am giving and receiving, noted with awe! What you shared about the busker reminded me of something that happened yesterday. I went to be by the sea, which was wonderful. Late afternoon I passed a man on a bench with a rucksack, a dog, a can of lager. For a moment our eyes met and I knew he had stories, I knew that he was a gentle soul. I wanted to sit and pass the time, but the moment passed. A part of me wasn’t sure. But I know we exchanged something, fleeting as it was. It stayed with me.
I am imagining you at your new home so near to the sea.
These moments of encounter, so fleeting and so real, are lived through the flesh and heart. Aren't they? The rational mind comes late to the scene, after the moment has passed, and then tries--on our behalf--to make sense of the sublime.
What’s wonderful is that these fleeting moments seem to happen with more regularity, so that my days are punctuated with scenes of connection without words. I feel like they are little reminders of our connectedness with all humanity, quite subtle, yet profound.
I read you, "connectedness with all humanity" and "fleeting moments . . . more regularity," and the image of a tuning fork comes--finely tuning the perception of the body-being and in this way, connectedness itself is passed through and perceived in all its profound subtleties, you walking along the shore meeting the eyes of a man whose eyes were meeting yours . . . across time and the soul.
I resonated deeply with the analogy of breath to tide. Having spent some time lately thinking of breath as a healing modality both for self and others this thought added another dimension to my thoughts.
The 🔥 burning embers of my heart ❤️ was touched by the depth and sacred space of your message. Thank you! This fuel can be carried forward. Beautiful piece.
This moved me to tears, my friend. This idea that our first breath and our last are two halves of a full cycle. I have words for how it moved me. I think it goes back to your discussion of weeping. There was no story in my mind attached to the reason for the tears, I was simply connected to the fullness of all of our breaths. And the idea of tithing is so beautiful! That's how I first discovered Tara here too. I'm sure you've read Braiding Sweet grass. In that book, Kimmerer writes of a gift economy. When we receive every experience as a gift, the natural response is to give back, to tithe. THIS is the way to relationality. Thank you so much for all of these gorgeous words! ♥️♥️♥️
Jenna,
Thank you for sharing your experience while reading. I wonder if the chord of meaning in giving/receiving--the tithe of being--was struck in the milieu of your heart. I do not mean this singularly metaphorically. I mean the beating of the physical heart, perceptive organ that it is, embodying relational tithing: blood received and blood pumped to the whole body with only enough to the heart to keep this motion going across the arc of an entire life. . . . (especially after our recent exchange over in your comments on the placement of the heart.) ❤️
Kimmerer's work is beautiful, bringing us back into relationality, as you say, and economics returns to oikonomia (Gr. economics), i.e., lending care for the abundance received from our home (the Earth).
Renée; what I love about this piece is the true realization that giving is so gratifying, especially when giving from the heart, without the need for anything in return; though the mutuality of your experience with the guitar player was lovely, and it speaks to the joy of giving and receiving at the same time in an effortless and beautiful way. True service, meaning giving from the heart, is clearly an essential part of spiritual growth; and yet we, including me, tend to want to receive and often see giving as "work" with little reward. I suspect it's all a part of our narcissistic culture where we're so focused on getting what we want, and not recognizing that true giving gives us all we need. So, thank you for giving so freely of your time, your insights, your wisdom, and your heart to all of us readers. Giving to you or tithing as you put it, is an easy one for me. It does feel like true mutuality between us, and it's precious. "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field; I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other, doesn't make sense."--Rumi
These are great quotes Ed, thanks for sharing.
Ed,
Your reflections on giving and receiving are poignant. Thank you. You bring some questions to the fore about giving as essential to spiritual growth. We might ask ourselves: why is this so? Could it be that in the spiritual heart of giving we come to the recognition that we have received . . . already? By this, l do not mean, the mutuality of exchange, i.e., "You give me this and I give you that in *return* and all's fair." Tithing is this act of recognition, as is dana, which is perhaps why we see these two forms of mutual blessing in spiritual traditions (almost exclusively). And so, of tithing, of dana, "even the phrase each other, doesn't make sense." We are the continuous flow of breath breathing itself, and tithing with you is joy, Ed.
Renée, I really appreciated this post on tithing. As a minister I have never felt comfortable with the Christian interpretation of the Biblical stories on tithing. A more forced expectation along with a specific and prescribed amount. It feels more transactional to me rather than what you describe here as the tide, the flow of the breath, the natural exchange between two individuals that have been touched. I have for many years been aligned with "Dakshina" a Hindu practice (I was a practicing Hindu for around 25 years) that gives from the heart. Giving to what you love, sharing in the giving and receiving like the breath you incredibly described here in your post.
Julie,
Thank you for sharing your reflections, especially from your perspective as a minister. As with your alignment with Dakshina, I often see tithing in the context of Buddhist dana, and in fact, the root sound *di* from which tithe comes is of one root sound group with *da* (according to Jean Gebser) in these two word gestures. It would seem that long before the conceptual nuances of language of today, there was in these sounds the embodied perception that giving is receiving is giving.
Dear Renée, I am honored that you remember my essay from last July! If my history, philosophy, and economics of tithing helped us think at all about the vexing question of payments on Substack ten months ago, you have now written the science and poetry of it. Between us, we are offering a liberal arts education 😉 and my favorite way to think about what paid subscriptions mean for LitLetters. Thank you for your beautiful post! I wish you a prosperous 6 weeks until your birthday. 🎂
Tara,
You've also given us "LitLetters," which has become, for me, an expansive framework to explore and reword digital publishing parlance and so, digital publishing itself, on behalf of "boosting confidence in humanity." Thank you for your always thoughtful offerings. May abundance be plentiful. 🙏
Renée, it is always a blessing to recieve your words - your life - your living breathe (put into this digital fusion of *hands waving crazily about* all this around/abound Us).
By this reading - a reminder to breathe easy... as easy as creation. And, if all I do I today - is breathe - then it is *hands waving crazily about* - All worth it.
Jacob,
As are your words and presence infusing them a blessing, dear Friend. Yes!--if all I do today is breathe--then it is all worth it! We breathe not for ourselves alone. 🙏
Connecting tithe and the tide is absolutely brilliant! Your description of the tide flowing to the beach to leave some small part of the ocean is an excellent visual I will hold in my mind when tithing.
The unending openess of the first and last breath, the venturing to and from the unknown, is something I have never considered until now. Thank you for bringing the sacred into what seems regular.
I love that you are drawing in 60+ paid subscribers for your special birthday, may it be so. ❤
Donna,
I am recalling some of the images you have shared recently, of water so near to land, and appreciating how transparent you are with what you share with your readers. This transparency seems to me to be a bit of ocean leaving waters at the shore.
The number for this appeal is quite high, which says something about this number I'm nearing. Ha!
I am nearing the same number!
Renee, I missed the part about breath until Jenna mentioned it and then it was like ok, so each time I breath I am giving and receiving, noted with awe! What you shared about the busker reminded me of something that happened yesterday. I went to be by the sea, which was wonderful. Late afternoon I passed a man on a bench with a rucksack, a dog, a can of lager. For a moment our eyes met and I knew he had stories, I knew that he was a gentle soul. I wanted to sit and pass the time, but the moment passed. A part of me wasn’t sure. But I know we exchanged something, fleeting as it was. It stayed with me.
Louise,
I am imagining you at your new home so near to the sea.
These moments of encounter, so fleeting and so real, are lived through the flesh and heart. Aren't they? The rational mind comes late to the scene, after the moment has passed, and then tries--on our behalf--to make sense of the sublime.
What’s wonderful is that these fleeting moments seem to happen with more regularity, so that my days are punctuated with scenes of connection without words. I feel like they are little reminders of our connectedness with all humanity, quite subtle, yet profound.
Louise,
I read you, "connectedness with all humanity" and "fleeting moments . . . more regularity," and the image of a tuning fork comes--finely tuning the perception of the body-being and in this way, connectedness itself is passed through and perceived in all its profound subtleties, you walking along the shore meeting the eyes of a man whose eyes were meeting yours . . . across time and the soul.
I’m a bit speechless Renée, such a perfect description, I shall visualise myself as a cosmic tuning fork from now on. It’s wonderful!
!!!
Nice thoughts Renee!
Michael, thank you. 🙏
I resonated deeply with the analogy of breath to tide. Having spent some time lately thinking of breath as a healing modality both for self and others this thought added another dimension to my thoughts.
Also the give and take from the busker, ahhhh.
Blessings.
Erma,
I'm so glad to read this. Thank you for sharing. I can imagine the image of the tide would nurture the breath work. . . .
The 🔥 burning embers of my heart ❤️ was touched by the depth and sacred space of your message. Thank you! This fuel can be carried forward. Beautiful piece.
Doreen, thank you for sharing how this piece touched you. I am so appreciating your reflections here. . . . 🙏
breathing as tithing ~ what a beautiful, tender concept...
"We are never not tithing"
💗🙏
"We are never not tithing" … ah, this reached my core! 💙 Beautiful writing.
Thank you, Patricia. 🙏
I so appreciate you sharing, and my apologies for such a delay. This comment got lost in the shuffle. I'm glad to have found it.