Welcome
to The Gift – a simple pattern that is both ancient as
well as modern, with a thousand and one uses, that can
make the world a different place for you, for the people
you love, for the people you don’t love, and for those
who you haven’t even met yet.
It
may be that the act of giving The Gift can make changes at
a far wider level too; as more and more minds become
involved in this wonderful process, we might well have the
opportunity to permanently influence matters on a profound
plane of reality.
Having
worked professionally with Energy Therapies for many
years, I am very aware that we receive far more
information and insight about the nature of reality around
us than we could consciously ever understand, or evaluate,
or even respond to.
Much
of this information is invisible – but you can still
feel it and it certainly has the power to make you happy
and bright, or to bring you down; it is this information
or knowledge that makes the hair on your neck rise on
entering specific buildings; that gives you a strange
feeling in the pit of your stomach before the telephone
has even rang, and that accounts for “gut level
responses” to people, situations, proposals and ideas.
When
you are engaged with another in any kind of healing
relationship, and this could be both as a professional
therapist or just listening to a friend who is in trouble
and you are trying to help them somehow, both you and I
have the power to help in a most profound way – if only
we knew how to transfer our invisible and unspoken
understandings into action in some way.
The
Gift is the bridge over which your deep and unspoken
understanding and your knowing about how to help can
travel to the other person. It is easy to give, any human
alive can do this – children are especially good at it -
and you will know that a change has occurred when you have
given The Gift.
What
exactly happens when you give The Gift is a mystery. It
has been suggested that you could be making a healing
adjustment to the other’s energy system, or maybe that
you adjust the flow of the meridians through their bodies,
or perhaps align a chakra or two in just the right way.
I’m not sure what happens, only that something happens,
that it feels wonderful and right, and that it creates
positive change both for the giver and for the receiver.
I
invite you to try it for yourself. It’s a simple thing
yet endlessly applicable in its very simplicity and
profoundly useful and helpful in many situations.
Silvia
Hartmann
July
2000
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How
To Give The Gift
Very
simply, we are going to ask for a metaphorical
representation of our unique contribution to the person to
whom we are going to give The Gift.
The
name metaphor means a container – and in the case of The
Gift, our metaphor will “contain” whatever the person
needs from us at this precise moment in time and space. It
could be an understanding, a special vibration of love,
something that might remove a certain negative energy,
something that could unblock something, or provide
nourishment in some way, support, an embrace, a space of
silence or perhaps sanctuary or sustenance.
We
do not need to consciously understand what it is that we
are giving; and I am saying “consciously understand”
because when you have given The Gift, you will have a
different kind of understanding – you will know that it
was the right thing to give, because it “feels right”.
You might not be able to explain in words how it was the
right thing – but then, metaphor and intuition are from
the unspeakable realms, where what exists is beyond words,
and that’s just fine.
So,
for a moment, consider a person to whom you might like to
give The Gift.
Allow
yourself to consider them in all ways, and beyond the face
they may be wearing, beyond their social status and
clothes, beyond their problems and successes, beyond any
love or jealousy you might have for them.
Consider
them and then ask yourself this question:
At
this time, at this moment, I ask what gift I can give to
this person.
Relax
and let an idea or image bubble up in your mind. This
image, sound, feeling or idea is the container that will
carry your unique gift to the other.
Here
are some examples of gifts that appeared when the question
was asked:
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a small blue and red bird
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a multi coloured spiral
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a small tree in a flower pot
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a pair of wings
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a huge field of green grass
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a luminous white dove
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a warm blue cloak to wrap around your shoulders
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the sound of ocean
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what looked like a beach ball at first and
turned out to be Planet Earth.
Now,
take your time to consider the person and find a gift for
them. Don’t argue with your choice and accept whatever
springs to mind; your conscious mind doesn’t know enough
to know what would be the perfect gift but your
unconscious mind does, and that is the place from where
the metaphor arises.
Most
people more than readily can think of something. Should
your mind go blank, you can either leave the request to
keep working on it and send it to you as a “flash of
insight” at any time within the next few days; or you
may consider which colour might be good for this person,
and then just imagine a gift box with a matching ribbon on
top in that colour and trust that your perfect gift will
be inside that box.
Now,
imagine the person and imagine offering the gift to them.
This part of the pattern creates the transfer from you to
them and represents your intention to be of help.
That
is all you have to do. From then on, whatever happens
next, will happen under its own processes as the
interaction unfolds and the changes are made.
Some
things you might notice or come across when you give The
Gift are as follows:
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Sometimes
when you think of the person, they appear very
different to what they normally look like – they may
appear older, younger, may be dressed differently than
in “real life”, or may be expressing emotions
through their body postures that you are not normally
aware of. This is perfectly normal and it is a sign
that you are seeing who they really are.
-
Often,
you might experience strong emotions yourself when The
Gift has come to your mind. Again, this is in a way
the correct reaction to this process and it tells you
that it is working. Emotions and energetic states are
inextricably linked in a single system.
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So
far, every person who was offered a gift received it
most gratefully – some with tears, some with
astonishment and gratitude and some with childlike
delight. It is conceivable however that a gift might
be rejected. Should this happen, you could ask what
they would prefer to have from you instead – there
is something that is absolutely unique to you for
them, that they cannot get from anyone or anywhere
else. If you feel you can fill the request, go ahead;
but you also have the right to not fill it if it seems
inappropriate or feels less than good to you.
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Pay
attention to your self when sending The Gift. It is
often as profound an experience to give it as it is to
receive it.
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It
is not necessary to tell people about the Gift,
although with good friends it adds another dimension
to the process and if you can discuss the nature of
these gifts, gain tremendous insights into many
things.
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You
can give The Gift just while talking to someone and
without them knowing anything about it. Briefly focus
on a place beyond their physical body, and you may be
able to imagine an astral copy of the person to whom
you will give the gift. When you do this, pay
attention to how the other person responds when The
Gift is given. Some people lose their train of
thought, some look over their shoulder; they are aware
that something has happened which, indeed, it has.
Note also how after a giving of The Gift the nature of
the whole interaction seems to change for the better.
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Remember
that The Gift represents an energetic exchange, in
spite of the often seemingly simple or mundane
metaphorical object that carries your intention
across. Energetic exchanges are felt not heard
or measured with a Geiger counter; pay close attention
to your feelings and your emotions when give The Gift
because that is how you will know that you have done
something important.
The
original pattern of The Gift was developed for healers and
therapists who were suffering from extreme overwhelm when
faced with deeply unhappy, physically and mentally scarred
people who were suffering from a lifetime of neglect,
terrible trauma and lovelesness.
The
Gift creates
a straightforward method for their unique healing energies
and intentions to go the right places for that individual,
and most importantly, helped them to no longer feel
overwhelmed and helpless. The negative emotions of
helplessness and conscious overwhelm disappear when you
use The Gift to help others, and in so doing, are a gift
to you.
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A
Gift For You
Interestingly,
sometimes it happens that a person to whom you have given
The Gift, will offer one in return to you – and I
don’t mean people who you have told about having sent
them a gift and who will nearly always reciprocate
likewise automatically, but those you imagined offering a
gift to.
Needless
to say, please receive it in gratitude. As we have said
before, this is an energetic exchange and energy needs to
flow freely both from you to them, and from them to you.
You
can also give yourself a gift in the same way as you would
to another person.
This
is an interesting exercise on many levels and it is
intrinsically very different from other people’s gifts
as it will be your own energy you are using instead of a
different flavour which comes from another person.
You
may consider gifts for “past selves” – perhaps there
was a time in your life that was very traumatic, or you
“used to be a different person” which usually means, a
worse person. To give those parts of yourself gifts can
help to re-align them, ease their suffering and to help
them grow and heal. It is possible that there are certain
“past you’s” that cannot be healed by anyone other
than you yourself.
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The
Mirror Gift
As
it is the case that people pop up in our lives in order to
be a mirror to us and our own problems, and as it is also
the case that my sister-in-law always gives me presents she
would liked to have received, you might consider when you
have given a few gifts to your loved ones, which one of
those gifts you would like to have received as well, and
give yourself the same one, too.
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Gifts
For Strangers
As
my intuition increases, I used to find it harder and
harder to travel on public transport or be in crowded
places, simply because of the general unhappiness,
loneliness and suffering that was emanating from the
people around me.
For
example, I saw an Indian lady with many heavy bags at a
train station. Although I helped her carry the bags onto
the train, there was so much sadness and physical
suffering around her like a dark grey fog that she hardly
seemed to notice me. I gave her a tropical garden, and she
took a deep, deep breath and seemed to become alive and
aware of her surroundings.
I
then went through all the passengers of the train
compartment, one by one and felt myself getting lighter
and more comfortable with each gift given and hungrily
received.
I
received a number of gifts in return also and left the
train full of energy and brighter than I had been in
years.
What
I believe is that The Gift is a stepping stone, a learning
process that will allow us to do this type of work
automatically and without us having to even give attention
to it once we are fully familiar with its workings.
I
would invite you to try it for yourself, and note what
difference it makes to you and your individual dealings
with strangers and passers by.
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Gifts
For Animals
Animals
(wild animals and domesticated animals) are extremely
aware of energetic shifts of all kinds, and they too can
receive The Gift. Further, their feedback to receiving the
gift is immediate and clearly visible in their physiology,
their body postures and their subsequent behaviour. Here
are a few examples of gifts for animals:
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a gift bow (for a dog which later turned out to
have been “an unwanted gift”);
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a foal (for a mare who was highly strung – as
soon as the owner thought of the foal the mare stopped
dead, relaxed right out and stood very quietly, with
her head drooping);
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a blue green blanket (for a dog who then came
into the room for “no good reason” lay down, at
full stretch, exactly in the spot the blanket “had
appeared” to the owner).
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A
Gift For The World
If
you remember, the original gift pattern was designed to
help with overwhelm.
What
can be more overwhelming than global issues such as world
pollution, world hunger, the suffering of all the
children, all the animals, global warming, wars and
famines, and so forth?
What
causes depression and overwhelm is the thought “There is
nothing I can do”.
With
The Gift, there is something you can do now beside
recycling and donating to charity, and I believe that
every one of us who addresses such issues at the energetic
level in this way actually does make a difference.
As
The Gift pattern does not require much meditation, time or
effort other than conscious volition to do it now
it is a perfect beginning to start to use our abilities to
make changes at the energetic level on global issues too.
What
gift will you give to the world today? To The Children? To
Humanity? Whatever you have to contribute, know that it is
uniquely yours to contribute – no-one else in the world
can give this gift the way you do – and that it will
make a difference.
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Feedback
Here
are some stories received about using The Gift in practise.
I would very much like to hear your experience with The
Gift, too. Please mail me at the address at the end of
this article to contribute.
“A
friend came to visit me who is in a very unhappy
relationship. I listened to her for a long while but began
to feel more and more uncomfortable in the face of her
anger and couldn’t think of what to do other than to
just go along with it and hope she’d tire of it soon. I
remembered The Gift from the newslist, and focussed on
what I could be giving her. As soon as I thought of it, a
white dove appeared before me. It was carrying a
long flowy red ribbon in its beak, and fluttered in
midair. I stared in awe. After I got over my
surprise, I *gave* it to my friend, mentally released it
to her. Instantly, she stopped talking. The
entire mood of the room calmed, and she tied up a few
loose ends and left, calm and confident.”
“This
metaphorical gift giving solves a huge dilemma I have had
weighing on my heart. I recently spent time with
some very old friends and was quite disturbed by the way
they are treating their children, and by their troubled 13
year old son. These are not people I can confront or
help right now, and their kids live across the country
from me so I can't establish a relationship and help that
way. But I CAN go
inside myself everytime I think of it, and send whatever
seems appropriate
at that moment. It has been a wonderful relief to me.”
“I
heard that a dear friends father had died suddenly. I
wanted to do/say something to help but was in a spin,
couldn't find the right words, so I settled myself down
and pictured my friend and his father, immediately I knew
that the 'gift' was a very special poem about laughter.
Later on I was tapping for my friend but it just didn't
feel
right, I couldn't find the right thing to tap on....until
your mail arrived. It was so obvious I couldn't see it.
Now I know that the greatest gift that I can energetically
send at this time is laughter. Thank you for putting into
words what I knew but couldn't see.”
“I
have been troubled by feeling very negative – hateful
– towards a certain person recently. When I got the
message about the gift, it occurred to me to try it on
that person to see if it would make any difference.
Immediately, a huge black raven sprang to mind. I was
worried that it might be something bad and hesitated, but
it looked very beautiful and powerful so I decided to
trust my unconscious mind and send it anyway. I felt
better immediately as I “saw” the raven flying away
all purposefully and actually found it hard to get back
those feelings of negativity about the person. Later,
someone told me this: “The raven on the Shamanic
Medicine Wheel is the guardian of in absentia healing and
it's medicine is considered needed to bridge the Void, to
reach the collective unknown.” I had no idea of that but
WOW. What a gift – and just what that person must have
needed. And what I needed to do to regain balance in my
mind.”
“The
gift I gave to a friend I did give to myself too and quite
a few spooky things
have happened to me since including: a change of attitude
to food: frequently I am "energised " by some
"energy " which leaps out of me; feeling at
peace and "full " of self-love and kindness. I
also I had a weird experience to find out I share a past
life memory with a friend!”
“Today,
a friend stopped by. He was tripping out, exploding with
ideas, and I began to feel overwhelmed with his energy.
I thought of The Gift, and a small speckled egg appeared
in front of me. It was a lovely greenish bluish
greyish color, with brownish spots. I just stared at
it for a moment, sort of cherishing it. Then I released it
to him. I was watching his face as I gave him this egg. He
stopped in mid word and just stared at me, and asked me
what he'd been saying. He said, "Something just
happened. everything is different." so I told
him about the egg. he teased me about having *egged*
him. Then he said that the sensation he was
experiencing was a sort of encapsulation. about a half
hour later, he was again escalating his thought process,
and my attention drifted back to the egg. I replayed
it in my mind, and as I did so, he again stopped, looked
at me, and asked if I'd egged him again. I hadn't
meant to! We laughed about it. Now I can't wait to use
this with my kids, and my ex when he stops by & begins
to attack me. This is truly the simplest thing I've ever
done, and the results are remarkable.”
“I
was in this doctor’s office with a replacement doctor
because the regular one
was on holiday. This was a woman of about 50. She
spent the first ten minutes apologising to me that she
wasn’t the real doctor and kept asking me if I wanted to
wait until the real doctor was back again. I thought of
The Gift and what came to mind was a single red rose.
Whilst she was still apologising, I imagined a ghost shape
of me giving the rose to a ghost shape of her, it took it
and said quite loudly in a tearful voice, “No-one has
ever given me one of these before.” At that moment, the
real woman stopped talking and looked over her shoulder,
in the same direction where I was seeing the ghost shape.
She took a deep breath and seemed confused for a bit, then
she smiled at me and said, “Well, lets find out how can
I help you”.
“The
morning after I received The Gift on the list, I was out
walking and saw a woman shouting and screaming at her dog
in the park. For some reason I wondered if I could give a
gift to the poor dog and I thought of a big red ribbon,
like a gift bow. I send it to the dog and then went on to
say hello to the woman and stop her somehow. She was very
angry at first but calmed down, and then told me that dog
had been “an unwanted gift”. I nearly burst out into
tears on the spot.”
“One
of my best and oldest friends is dying. I lay in bed and
couldn’t sleep for tears although I kept telling myself
it was all for the best and that he was going home. I was
exhausted and at 3am, I called up an image of my friend
and began to give him all sorts of gifts, dozens of them,
until he smiled and stopped me and gave me a gift instead
– it was a big white Indian blanket with symbols painted
on it which he wrapped about me. I don’t know what
happened or how but I felt really warm all of a sudden. I
stopped crying and went to sleep. Thinking about it now, I
think the gift was always about me.”
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Further
Information
Working
with metaphor to heal, solve problems, or even just to
have fun with finding out what your imagination and
intuition can do for you, is both one of the most ancient
human endeavours as well as being now at the absolute
cutting edge of mind-body technologies.
This
is a vastly under-rated, underestimated and underexplored
domain of virtually limitless potential that is easy to
access and comes naturally to most people.
If
you would like to learn more about this amazing
undiscovered country, we recommend to read Silvia
Hartmann’s “Project
Sanctuary” which is a work of unprecedented
scope and practical use on the subject of metaphor
change, or to attend an officially licensed Project
Sanctuary workshop.
Please
mail your experiences with The Gift to
