September 20, 2005 at 11:55:43 p.m.

You’re probably making up your gift list by now but you need to take a moment and check the first name on the list. Is it you?! If it isn’t you’ll be starting off the holiday buying season one step behind.

You couldn’t be around metaphysics long without hearing that “if you can’t love yourself, you can’t love someone else.” That’s certainly a valid statement. But what is also true is that if you can’t give to yourself, you can’t really give to another. We have probably all been brought up to feel that any act of self-giving is an act of selfishness. But what we haven’t been taught is that the Universe operates on a Law of Positive Selfishness. The outworking of that law is for us to serve our need before serving the needs of others. It is another way of saying, “straighten up your own mess before you start mucking about with someone else’s stuff.”

Of course, that covers a big field. But for this message it points to the need to be a good giver and a good receiver. Most of us feel that we are good at giving, and that we are generous and sincere. But what about the “oh, gosh, you shouldn’t have done that,” that seems to spill out every time someone’s gives us a gift? Or worse yet, the embarrassed and insincere “thank you” that really hides an uncomfortable guilt that we are now obligated to reciprocate.

Giving is an art but no less an art than that of receiving. Giving to yourself without guilt is the initial joy of the holiday season. And, you don’t have to wait until Christmas or Hanukkah to do it. You can give yourself your present whenever you want to. Now, that’s the JOY of receiving! – GT