Giving and the Fourth Chakra
Chakras are energy centers that many different cultures believe are connected to our physical and spiritual bodies. When we are in balance, these chakras are healthy and open, but when we succumb to fear and negative thought forms, the chakras can slow down or become blocked.
Each of these spinning vortexes of energy relates to a different aspect of our lives. The Fourth Chakra, also known as The Heart Chakra, is connected to our experience of love and giving. Here we touch each other emotionally and give and receive absolute, pure, egoless love.
The “Law of Giving and Receiving” is described beautifully in Deepak Chopra’s book, “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.” Although it is only the second law in the book, in my opinion it is one of the most important ones, so I’ve decided to discuss it.
Every relationship is based on give and take. Giving motivates receiving and receiving motivates giving. According to the law described in Chopra’s book, receiving and giving are identical. Although they are different aspects of the same energy flow, if we interrupt one of them we disturb the flow, wisdom, and perfection of the Universe.
The more you give the more you will receive. The Universe has the capacity to respond to your generosity accordingly, and allow abundance to flow into your life constantly. Eventually, everything that matters in your life will become stronger by giving it away.
Judaism is also very sensitive to the delicate dynamic between giving and receiving. The word “Tsdaka,” which means charity, is an expression the bible uses as giving to the poor. But the word can also be understood as “tsedek” which means justice. This implies that balance and fairness is the Universe’s automatic response to generosity. As Hazal says, “Through the way you measure—you are measured.”
I’ve seen this law at work in my own life. The funny thing is, when I first began traveling the world, I filled my wallet with Israeli coins and gave them away to people who made me smile along my journey. I would give them each a blessing and tell them to keep this lucky coin from the Holy Land in their wallet. I explained to them that the energy of the coin was especially powerful because it had a menorah on it. Little did I know that many years later I would fall deeply in love with coins and create much more out of them. In a way, the coins gave back to me and I realized they were more than just currency—they were the beholders of powerful energy and they had the potential to bring joy and beauty to the world in a new way.
Every day I feel the power of my task as more and more coins come my way. Generous people from all over the world give me coins. Sometimes they are passed hand to hand, and other times they are mailed to me from all sorts of places. Each time I am grateful and I remember the countless people that received my own coin offerings on my travels years ago.
I feel blessed by the energy that is flowing through my life; these exchanges with other people make me feel rich in many ways. I want to share stories of my own growth through practicing the law of giving and receiving.
The best demonstration is the human hand; when it is open to give it is also open to receive! One of my own designs that makes me smile more than all the others is the “Hamsa.” It is a mold of my own hand, created from a copy machine! The coin in the middle of the necklace varies, but the Hamsa is always the same and it represents my own journey on the path of giving and receiving.
Kahlil Gibran’s poem, titled “On Giving,” offers a beautiful reflection on this concept. I find the following excerpt especially meaningful:
Giving
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give...
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?...
All you have shall some day be given...
Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'.
-Kahlil Gibran
Generosity is not limited to the giving of money. You can give kindness, compassion, hospitality, nourishment, and of course the greatest gift of all—love. Giving is the essence of life, and by giving we leave our mark on the Universe.
There is a reason that I opened the article with the fourth chakra that connects the three chakras superiority the chakras above it. This chakra is the core of the entire chakra system, just as giving is the center of life. We are who we are right. We are who we are because of giving, and thanks to giving we leave our mark on the world.
I have taken it upon myself to bless as many people as I can to improve life. This is my life’s quest and my Hamsa reminds me of this intention.
Yours,
Noa Tam
