Cover Artist: Gerhard Hillmann
Cover Title: Bird Seed
Medium: Organic photo montage
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Feature Article: Who Needs Charity?
“Charity is one of those gifts where you give the excess of what you have,” I felt very philosophical today. “It is the ability to give that which you have accumulated and know that someone may benefit from the possessions you are happy to part with. That is how the saying ‘charity begins at home’ came about, because people went into their homes and out of the goodness of their hearts gave graciously.” I was standing now and pretending I was addressing the crowds that had amassed to hear my speech. It was an honour to be asked to address the upcoming international conference. I felt very confident in my practice and stood proudly before my audience of one.
“Do you think that would be a good way to start?” I asked enthusiastically. “I know I have much more to write but you get the general gist of what I am saying.” He said nothing. He was staring at the ground where he sat as if there was something there that really interested him. This was not the kind of reaction I had expected. I waited patiently for his reply, my earlier confidence more than a little shattered.
From this angle I could see the mop of dark hair that I was surprised had not greyed in all his years. I had never known his age, but he had been old since I was a child. He still looked the same. I had always come to respect his wisdom and was always excited to share my ideas with him. He never criticised. He was always respectful of the ideas I put forth, no matter how young and immature they must have seemed to him. For the patience he had afforded me through the years I was grateful, and I trusted his judgment much more than I trusted my own.
I sat back down beside him and he looked at me with a sobering expression. “There are many who think they are charitable,” he started solemnly, “many who think that they are doing good deeds in giving their excess possessions to the needy. What makes someone who is giving a television more charitable than someone who smiles at a passer by?”
“Well,” I said, a little taken aback by the seriousness of his tone, “I guess it is only by degree. The TV is worth more. I mean everyone smiles at people, once in a while at least. They are not giving anything up; it’s not as if it is a sacrifice or anything. They aren’t even trying especially hard.”
“No,” I said with conviction, “it is definitely the TV person who is more charitable.”
“Are you sure?” he asked questioningly. “What about their intentions? Do they come into this at all?”
“Not necessarily,” I replied. “You can smile without having any intentions to give anything to anyone except for them to think you’re a nice person. But to give a TV, well that is simply for the other person.”
“Is that so? What if that television was a surplus item? Something that was in the way and so the easiest avenue was to pass it on to someone else. Indeed, anyone else,” he continued. “And what if the intention to smile was only to make someone feel good, no matter who they were? Do you think that the situations might be reversed and that the smiler be the giver?”
“Well I hadn’t thought about it like that. But even if that were so, people who give valuable possessions are still giving. Aren’t they?” I was a little unsure now. It seemed so cut and dried before.
“Do you mean to say that you have to feel that what you give is expensive?”
“Not necessarily expensive,” I said thoughtfully, “but it must be valuable. You need to be able to measure the value.” I thought I understood where he was going with this and I was determined to be one step ahead this time. “Whether they give a possession or time, you need to be able to quantify the gift, otherwise it is not charity. A smile cannot be quantified, as people go around smiling all the time. You could hardly call everyone charitable.”
“In that you are indeed right my friend. Not everyone is charitable all the time. But what of those who do not possess anything ‘expensive’? What of those who do not have excess time to give? Cannot these people be charitable?”
“It is understood in our society that people are charitable at different times in their lives. That is why older people volunteer a lot. They have a lot of time to give. Other people give gifts of whatever they can afford and they are seen as charitable. People who are smiling at another are not giving up anything to do this. I mean if everyone who smiled was being charitable that would mean that everyone they smiled at was needy. That is just ridiculous,” I concluded impatiently. I couldn’t get where he was going at all. Maybe he didn’t know himself. He had kept himself apart from society for so long that maybe he didn’t really have an understanding of what charity was known as.
“Let us then look at who receives charity,” he spoke soothingly. “Who would you decide is ‘needy’?”
“Well those who are underprivileged of course. Those who either can’t look after themselves properly or who are facing hardship or challenges in their lives, who want help, and those who are sick,” I said, wondering if that covered it all. “There are organisations who decide who comes into these categories.”
“So what defines charity?” he seemed genuine. I frowned. Surely he knew this as well as I did.
“It is giving to those who are in need,” I shrugged. It seemed like we were travelling in circles. Long gone was my enthusiasm for speaking at the convention on charity. Either he didn’t have an understanding or I didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. It seemed so straightforward earlier. “You give to people who are in need.” I thought out loud.
“Finally!” he exclaimed with enthusiasm, “a definition I can work with.” I looked up at him with a jerk of surprise. “What have I just been saying for the past hour?”
“Let me see. Something to do with giving excess things to a certain group of qualified people who don’t want it, to make yourself feel better, I should think,” he said, “but it certainly wasn’t ‘giving to those who are in need’.”
“You see my friend,” he said with great enthusiasm, “if you are feeling less than joyful about life then you are in need. If you are anything less than excited about life you are in need. Most of your population is in need. No amount of televisions will help you when you have cancer. No surplus of anyone’s possessions will make your abusive relationship better, and no amount of money will help a child to stop feeling bullied. But giving of yourself lovingly, will. A smile for the sake of having another feel comfortable makes a difference. Just sitting quietly in your own time, in your own home and thinking of another as whole and joyous in a loving way, and holding that vision for a little while, does not only affect a person’s physical being but it connects with their soul. It doesn’t only affect them on this plane but in other levels and dimensions. It crosses colour, nationalities, race and time barriers, and it affects them permanently in a wonderful way.”
“No greater gift has ever been given than to love another’s wellbeingness. It starts as a smile on your face and grows into a heartfelt compassion that renews life from the spark in their soul. It is a wonderful gift that no one in this world will ever know about, and yet it makes you feel so good you could explode with gratitude. It is a gift that is anonymous and comes from the heart. There are no monuments built to you or history books written about you, but you get to affect another soul in the most profound way. That is my definition of charity my friend.”
And as I felt swept up in the electricity of the vibration he had summoned, I thought, now that’s a great speech!
Gayle Maree,
Stewart Natural Health Clinic, Yungaburra
07 4095 3600
Regular Article: Can Someone’s Clutter Turn into Someone Else’s Treasure?
Who does not enjoy browsing in pre-loved shops in search of a good bargain?
Keep in mind that second hand goods are carrying subtle energies, storing memories of their previous owners, their moods, their vibrations, their energies, their laughter, their joy too of course! Displaying pre-loved items in your home will have an impact on your life, so follow these suggestions to take essential precautions.
1. Mirrors
To my understanding and my perception, and… having visited and consulted so many houses over the past 17 years, I can tell you that mirrors are real gateways to spirits. They also act like sponges, and ‘keep in mind’ all that happened in their vicinity. This is one of the reasons why having mirrors in a bedroom (new or old mirrors) can be disturbing to your sleep, having babies waking up at night crying for no obvious reason. Do you have a mirror reflecting your body when lying in bed? It is recommended to cover it during your rest.
Mirror ‘As New’ -> Need to be perfectly flat and levelled – any distorted mirror will reflect a distorted view of your persona. Tiled mirrors can only ‘cut’ you into pieces and could have a subtle impact on the reason why you are losing self-confidence.
Mirror ‘Second Hand’ -> Has to be cleansed thoroughly to remove as much as possible from its past memories. Two steps are essential:
Step 1 – Use cleaning product (e.g. Windex) OR use a few drops of vinegar and salted water with paper towel to give a sparkle AND make sure that you add your intent of cleansing all memories from this newly bought item.
Step 2 – Put the mirror outside on your lawn facing up during the full moon to remove any old energy.
2. Furniture
Inherited wooden furniture, vintage and antique items also have their own stories and past memories. Clean the wood with professional products adding your intent of clearing the vibes and energies of the previous owners. Whenever possible, put outside overnight in the full moon. If too heavy to move out, repeat the first clearing suggestion for 9 consecutive weeks (one day a week).
3. Jewellery
A dear friend of mine offered me a gorgeous real pearl necklace over 100 years old that she had received herself from an old and dear friend. As soon as I put it around my neck to show her how good it looked on me, I felt strangled. To avoid hurting her feelings, I did not mention anything about this incident but simply asked what had happened to her friend. She was a sad lady who went though tough times in concentration camps during the Second World War. Her life sadness was carried in the pearls. I decided to cleanse this necklace several times during the full moons with respect of who she was and what she had lived through. Today I wear it proudly for special occasions without feeling any negative effects, and feeling very special to have such a valuable item from someone who I now better understand, respect and honour.
4. Clothes
To get rid of the energies stored in second hand clothes, simply wash them before wearing. Leather or suede clothes are more difficult to cleanse, as perspiration together with memories cannot be washed out; put those items regularly in the full moon.
5. Decorative items
Only display in your home items in perfect condition. Avoid buying craft goods without knowing ‘the mission’ that the craftsman gave to them – by this I mean warrior masks, African amulets and similar.
I recall a story of a lady whose boyfriend avoided sleeping at her place. Checking her bedroom she had displayed on each side of the bed two large PNG warrior masks that were protecting her… they did their job! When she removed them, the boyfriend decided to move in within that week.
Fig 1 – Avoid warrior masks in your bedroom; prefer the symbol of embracing Love.
Now, feel and have another look at the items displayed in your home; what do they remind you of? Do you feel happy with each of them or is it time to prepare a bag and drop some at the charity shops? Enjoy your de-cluttering!
By Roseline Deleu – Feng Shui Master, Author and Inspirational Speaker
(www.fengshuisteps.com )
I welcome your feedback and questions to roseline@fengshuisteps.com or phone me on 0412 717 454.