Living the Path: Reflections on giving and receiving

Hi Folks,

Elizabeth “Liz” Young here. Someone once told me that the person who needs a smile the most is the person who can’t give one in return. In the world we live in today, we can feel afraid of smiling at a stranger, and sometimes we are even afraid of smiling at someone we love. How has the simple gesture of giving a smile become so complicated?

In this season of sharing, family gatherings and celebrations, the Pathwork Guide Lecture #155: Fear of Self: Giving and Receiving explores the nature of giving, and purports that giving and receiving are actually one and the same thing. Could this paradox be true and how does that relate to feeling a sense of disconnection that many people feel during this season?

As the Guide tells us in Lecture #155: A vessel that is closed cannot be filled any more than it can be emptied. When you hold yourself tight and guarded, you not only do not protect yourself from any danger, but you close yourself to all the healthy universal forces -- those that could and should stream out of you and that could and should stream into you.

The Pathwork Guide adds that we unfortunately often withhold what we have to give: the best of ourselves, even from those we love. Explore the flavor of your giving, receiving and why many people feel a sense of disconnectedness during this holiday season by reading #155 and joining a discussion about this profound and timely lecture.

Peace, love and blessings,

Liz

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About Liz Young

A former school teacher, social worker, and school psychologist, Liz has now turned her attention towards seeking a better understanding of the meaning of life by studying Pathwork. A certified Pathwork Teacher, she provides free monthly discussions as part of Philly Pathwork’s Living the Path series.