Tithing

In yesterday’s post I articulated my recent revelations about tithing and the HUGE 180 degree mental shift that happened for me when I embraced Edwene Gaines’ views on tithing.  I felt it necessary to lay that foundation in order to give you both my ‘old’ and ‘new’ views on this topic.  Now that we have that out of the way, I’d like to metaphorically take you “Behind the Music” and share my personal experiences with tithing over the last 30 days.  Disclaimer: Results are based on the individual.  My experience may not look anything like yours!

When I first came across this new perspective on tithing in late April, I knew immediately that it was a spiritual practice I wanted in my life.  I could see that the focus on gratitude, spiritual connection and abundance would support the vision of how I want to show up in the world each day and keep it top of mind.  It was a must-do in my mind.  Now there was just the small matter of convincing the hubby.  Surprisingly, this was much easier than expected (have I mentioned how much I ADORE my husband?)  He listened to the recording as well, asked me questions about why I wanted to do it and then gave me his blessing.  So we were agreed – I was going to give away 10% of all the money that came in through my coaching business.

Me and Money

Money and I have a twisted relationship that goes back through the years.  My desire to have money is rooted in a deep need for security.  My greatest fear has always been finding myself in a career or health situation and not being able to get out of it.  Consequently, I have saved like a maniac since I was 10.  My family even called me cheap at times.  And I was actually proud of it, because I had cash in the bank.  But it never felt like enough, even though I knew I was always doing financially better than the majority of people my age.  Yup, despite what seemed like plenty, I was stuck in a scarcity mindset.  And I knew it had to change.

Getting married brought more security, but I still attached too much of my identity to how much money I made.  The elusive question of “what is enough?” always hung out in the air, just out of reach.  I didn’t want to do this my whole life, so I started learning about different mindsets on prosperity consciousness.  And that’s when Edwene showed up…thank you Universe!

What Changed for Me

One of the immediate shifts I noticed when I mentally committed to tithing was that I found it much easier to receive money.  In my line of work, clients often pay me in person at the beginning of the month.  It always surprised me to find how difficult it was to receive those checks.  I would quickly whisk it away and stick it in my purse, blushing bright red.  Not anymore.  First off, the guilt attached to receiving the money disappeared.  In fact, I started to get excited about days I would get paid because I knew that meant I had to get a tithe out.  It also changed how I received the money.  I noticed that during the exchange I looked them straight in the eye and openly received not only the money, but their gratitude for the valuable service I was providing.  It was the coolest damn thing, I tell you.

Now if that wasn’t big enough in itself, I also started attracting more money than I ever had before.  In fact, $1100 more dollars of business came in during May!  And that’s after 10 months of the EXACT same amount coming in.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Edwene encourages getting out your tithes right away, because if you don’t it sends the message that you’re not ready to receive more.  So I was all about receiving the money and sending it on its way to do more good in the world.  Simply, it’s about cultivating a flow of money in your life, not a blockage.  That way you can trust that whenever you have a need, the flow will always be great enough to provide (thereby eliminating the need to worry about what is enough).

In order to determine who was to receive my tithe, I’d always go into meditation and ask the question, “Who is to receive my tithe this time?”  The answer has always come to me within moments and I just go with that first intuitive hit I get.

Then it’s time to gift the tithe, which I’ve come to view as a sacred ritual.  This is actually my favorite part, as it’s long been a joy of mine to acknowledge the people who have made an impact on my life.  I still believe that the act of delivering the “why” behind the tithe (via words) is the most critical part, but the transfer of the money seems to make it more formalized somehow.

My Tithing Ritual

In *MY* tithing ritual, I do the following:

1. I begin by stating that one of my spiritual practices is tithing and that today I’m there to honor them with a tithe.
2. I explain what my practice is all about (most of the stuff in yesterday’s blog post) and emphasize that I really need them to accept this, no matter how awkward it may feel.
3. I then go into explaining exactly how they fed me spiritual food (again, see yesterday’s post for an explanation) and express my deep gratitude for the way in which they impacted me.
4. I end by handing them the money and letting them know that there are no constraints on the spending of it.  They do not have to tell me what they did with it.  It does not have to go back to charity.  And it most definitely cannot be used to take the two of us out to dinner or something like that (refer to the part yesterday about where I said I can’t receive a benefit in return).
5. I then leave a quiet space for them to receive it and respond if they’d like.

I have tithed two times thus far and both were equally satisfying spiritual experiences for me.  Truly, sacred is the best word to describe this exchange.  My recipients responded in far different ways.  As you can imagine, this is an incredibly intimate moment that often overwhelms the receiver.  For that reason, the responses can be quite varied.  I had one receiver that sobbed throughout the entire exchange and seemed a bit in shock.  The other receiver giggled uncontrollably and kept staring at the money (and even trying to put it back in my hands).  I have no doubt that each exchange in my future will be both sacred and unique.

I know that this won’t resonate for all of you, but for those that it hits a chord with, I’m happy to get you more resources to help determine if you want to bring this into your life as well.  A few options:

• I can send you the recordings that inspired me.  Just leave your email address in the comment section.
• Buy the book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity.
• Check out Edwene Gaines’ site, Prosperity Products.

This practice is radically changing my mindset around money.  I’d love to hear from those who are currently practicing or those who feel inspired to take it on.  I hope it changes your life as well!  Sarah

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So a few weeks back my world got ROCKED when I stumbled upon a 4-part audio series by Edwene Gaines.  She is the author of the book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, a guide on creating true abundance in your life. I’m going to be honest, this post feels a bit more intimate than usual (as it involves both money and spirituality – both typically taboo topics), yet I feel it’s been too transformational for me NOT to share.  For simplicity’s sake I am going to focus on sharing the essence of Law 1 today, which is all about the practice of tithing.  You’ll have to read the book yourself if you want to learn about the other 3 laws…

I’ve been a devout Catholic my entire life, even attending Catholic schools from Kindergarten through College.  While I embraced many of the principles of the Church, I had always struggled to understand the importance of tithing in my spiritual life.  I had so many questions around it that never seemed to get answered: Why tithe at all? Why 10%? Why to the church instead of another organization?  Why not time instead of money? Due to the lack of clarity on the subject, I ended up giving far less than 10% of my income to the church.

The crazy thing is, after reading this book, the whole concept just clicked into place and I instantaneously felt this desire to start tithing 10% of what I earn.  Before I explain what the reframe was all about, I want to explain the basic concept of a tithe for those that are unfamiliar.  Literally translated, a tithe meens one tenth.  In the Bible, the first recorded tithe is from Abraham to his spiritual teacher.  This set the model for the Christian tradition of donating or tithing 10% of all you have to your spiritual teacher (translation: the church).

Edwene jumps right in by clearing up the question, “Why do we tithe?” Her answer: In tithing, we are acknowledging that God is our Source and that none of this abundance would have been possible without him.  It is a way to recognize that there is something larger at work in our life and show gratitude for it.

Why 10%? Well, Edwene hasn’t found a scriptural answer for this one yet, but she offers the suggestion that it goes back to the olden days when farmers would hold back a tenth of their harvest to use for planting the following year.  I also would add that I think 10% is a challenging but do-able stretch.

The most profound shift for me came when Edwene answered the question, “Why tithe to the church instead of another organization?” Her answer stopped me in my tracks: If the church is where you get your spiritual sustenance from, then return your tithe to them.  If not, tithe to the people, places and organizations that FEED YOU SPIRITUALLY.  If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you’re wondering what ‘feed you spiritually’ means.  By Edwene’s definition, to be fed spiritually means to have an experience/encounter where you feel inspired and connected to your highest (most God-like) self.  It is an experience/interaction that touches you profoundly and reminds you of who you are at your core.

This can be a hard concept to get, so I’m going to spell it out a little bit more.  For example, I may send a check to an author of a book that inspired me.  I may tithe to my best friend who expanded my awareness about a part of me I didn’t understand.  I may tithe to my beloved Alma Mater when I feel moved by the stories in the quarterly magazine.  I may even tithe to the barista at Starbucks who cheerfully hands me my coffee each day.  You get the idea?  It’s really about anything that moves us and connects us to gratitude and ourselves in a deeper way.  And what I love most about it is the fact that we have to constantly be looking for the things that touch and inspire us!

So why does it have to be money?  Why can’t I donate my time or give someone a gift instead? Edwene doesn’t suggest that we should stop practicing generosity in other forms, she just insists that it should be IN ADDITION to our tithing.  Many of us have distorted money beliefs that make it much easier for us to gift time or things than straight money.  By blessing the money and sending it out into the world to do more good, we disconnect from the scarcity mentality that so often surrounds money and replace it with a belief of abundance and knowing that it doesn’t matter if I give this away, there will always be enough.

Just to make sure you get this concept, I’m going to emphasize it again: There is an important TRANSFORMATION that happens through the physical act of handing over money and expecting nothing in return (no recognition, no re-payment, no gift in return, etc).  It becomes purely about honoring that person for the spiritual impact they had on you and thanking God/Source for the abundance that is flowing through your life.

I hope you can see why I’m so moved by this radical shift in thinking about tithing.  I see now that it is a structure for helping me embrace a multitude of the practices I am trying to bring into my life on a daily basis.  To learn more about Edwene Gaines’ work, check out her website, Prosperity Products.  In my next post I am going to move away from the theory and tell you about my personal experience with tithing thus far.  I think you’ll really enjoy hearing about it…

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