The Sacred Dance of Life

As I take a moment to pause in the eye of the storm during mid-summer activity, and observe my current life experience, it’s a bit staggering to see how much I’ve been giving of myself. I’ve been growing a wellness practice offering therapeutic services, as well as collaborating on and leading events such as: retreats, cacao ceremonies, ecstatic dances, sister circles, teaching yoga classes and meditation services, and vending at fairs and corporate events, all while nourishing my myriads of potted herbs, family dynamics, friendships and a new romance. The question which has arisen from and through it all is: is giving equal in value as receiving?

Through my (sometimes bazaar) yogic lens of interpretation, I’m reminded of the cyclical dance of giving and receiving which seems to be a piece of the operating blueprint of life itself. From the more cosmic cycles such as the seasons, the concept of karma, the ecology of the planet and of birth and death, to the more collective economic cycle of giving and taking within society, to the more individual cycles of doing and resting, and even the biological cycles such as the inhalation and exhalation of respiration.

When we witness patterns in life as a whole, we can recognize that we must give in order to receive, and we must receive in order to give. In order for this world as we know it to be sustained, we need darkness to have light, birth to have death, payment to receive service, and the inhale to be able to exhale.

As I come to understand the world around me, I see a society of people who are so ingrained in the idea of receiving based on our capitalistic culture that it seems to have conditioned the collective mindset from potentially seeing a more balanced option of operating. In general, I don’t see much awareness around other ways of functioning which are not founded on competition, profit, gain, and ultimately receiving in a radical way. From a cosmic perspective, this radical way of receiving would look like a long-starved winter of hoarding nutrients with a short summer. From an individual perspective, this would look like greed and a breathing pattern with exaggerated inhales and short exhales.

However, I also see those who are radically on the opposing end of the spectrum with the many religions, philosophies and traditions which emphasize the importance of giving without hardly ever mentioning anything about receiving. From a cosmic perspective, this would look like a long, exhausting summer with a short winter. From an individual perspective, this would look like a state of burn-out and a breathing pattern with exaggerated exhales and short inhales.

And then I see those who are trying to cultivate harmony and balance in this world without overly taking or overly giving. I see the visionaries, free-thinkers, homesteaders, intentional communities, and egalitarians. From a cosmic perspective, the seasons and ecology of the Earth would be in harmony. From the individual perspective this would be a healthy balance between serving others and taking respite, and a harmonious breathing pattern.

So, the felt sense that came over me while meditating on the question: “is giving equal in value as receiving?” was to reframe my perspective from “is it equal?” to “is it in a symbiotic flow with the ecosystem of life itself?”.  We do this by letting go of the tit for tat perspective. For example, when we’re physically/mentally or emotionally ill, we may be called to receive more. When we’re healthy and strong and capable we may be called to give more.

When we give, the one we’re giving it to receives and when we receive, the one we received it from gives. Like the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with humans and plants. By giving to the plants, we are ultimately giving to ourselves. And by the plants giving to us, they are ultimately giving to themselves. When we connect into this flow, there becomes less of a distinction between the giver and the receiver.

And what is foremost is that how we give and how we receive comes from a place of unconditional love for the other and for the self. Then, it becomes a fluid dance with no beginning and no end. The giver and receiver become one. Because what binds all of creation together is the unconditional love that is within all of creation. The cosmic, collective and individual cycles of life begin to move in a harmonic rhythm, flowing in and out like dancing figure 8’s weaving into the sacred flower of life.

In closing, I encourage you to take a pause and notice if you’re out of sync with the dance of life. Where in your life are you being asked to receive more and where in your life are you being asked to give more?

Or in another sense, where in your life are you being asked to love more?

As for the receiving end of things, please scroll down to see the many opportunities for you to partake in loving nourishment for the body, mind and spirit so that you may give back to life from a place of replenished fulfillment!

Your cosmic dance partner,

Shannon

“The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

~ John Lennon & Paul McCartney