“There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life –   reciprocity.”                                                                                 ~Confucius

 

 

 

By now, I believe you have a sense of how each of the Laws of the Universe build on, complement, and enhance each other.  Ultimately, when all the Universal Laws are honored and coherent within our own understanding, they are infinitely more powerful in their Unity.  In the same token, when all parts of the whole are working together for the greater good, the potential for the greater whole increases exponentially.

We know what happens when we take without giving back.  We know what happens when we clear cut forests without replanting, when we greedily overharvest the fish in the seas and rivers, when we blindly mine all of the minerals from a mountain, gutting the mountain, and never even clean up the tailings and destruction left behind afterward, when we take individuals for granted without giving something back in return.  When we do this, the balance of Nature is harmed, changed forever… and so are we, whether we recognize this or not.

The Laws of Reciprocity and Complementarity are foundational principles underlying and unifying every Law that exists.  Giving and taking must be balanced in order for balance to be possible.  The Laws of Reciprocity and Complementarity are also foundational to the Laws of Rhythm, Gender, Polarity, and Compensation.  Remember that the negative charge (feminine principle) is the receiver, and the positive charge (masculine principle) is the giver. Without both of these in rhythmic, reciprocal action, there is no Life, there is no Unity.

Denis Kucinich reminds us that,

“Peace is not just the absence of war, it is the active presence of a capacity for love and compassion, and reciprocity.  It is an awareness that our lives are not to be lived simply for ourselves through expressing our individuality, but we confirm the purpose of our lives through the work of expressing our shared sense of community in a purposeful and practical way; to sustain our own lives, we sustain the lives of others – in family, in a community of neighborhoods called a city, in a community of nations called the world.”

We have learned what happens when one species forgets, disregards, and disrespects its sacred relationship with Nature and all Life.  All of Nature is thrown so far out of balance that Life itself is now threatened.  Humanity is the only species on the planet who has forgotten this very basic principle that is so foundational to a balanced eco-system, a balanced world.  In doing so, humanity has thrown every eco-system out of balance, impacting every other species, causing the extinction or near extinction of so many of our once prized sources of inspiration and beauty.  It is time for humanity to remember, to take responsibility, and to be accountable for the imbalance and harm that has been created here.  It is time for humanity to begin to give back and to repair the damage we have done, restoring balance and harmony for all Life.

The Original Peoples of the Earth have always known this Truth, this necessary balance, and have lived their lives honoring this Truth, in harmony with Life.  Disrespecting Nature and the balance of All Life was completely unfathomable to them, because they fully understood and felt the Sacred connection and delicate balance between and among all sentient beings.  All planting happened in communication with the Earth, with the Moon cycles, the seasons, and the natural complementary rhythms of Life.  When trees were cut, permission was asked, and healing offerings were given back to the Earth in reciprocity for what was taken.  We naturally take care of what we love, and what we bless, blesses and cares for us.  Yet, humanity as a whole has not honored this natural, rhythmic balance of Life to the point where humanity can now be seen as an enemy of the Earth.

With an understanding of the Laws of Nature and how they work, can you see what a precarious situation we have created for ourselves?  Mitigation requires a remembrance of the Universal Laws.  When Life is an ongoing, reciprocal exchange of energy, balance is the effect of a cause founded in understanding and honored connection.

“The universe is a vast system of exchange.  Every artery of it is in motion, throbbing

with reciprocity, from the planet to the rotting leaf.”       ~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

            When we think of the extent of the damage, and in some cases, the total destruction that has been ongoing on Earth for centuries, it is truly overwhelming – so much so that many of us have no idea how or where to begin.  We, personally, may have not been the ones clear-cutting our forests, or fracking, or drilling for oil, or blasting mountains.  We think, “The ones who have been doing the damage should be responsible.  The big corporations did the damage – they should fix it.”  Though this line of thinking may be logical from a 3-D perspective, is it not good enough from a spiritual perspective.  At the spiritual level we know that we are all One.  We know that the impact of unconscious actions affects each and every one of us, all of Nature and all of Life.

What can we do?  We can take an honest look at our own thoughts, words, and actions and observe where we are not honoring the Law of Reciprocity in our relationships with family, co-workers, community members, Nature?  Where are we taking more than we are giving, or giving more than we are taking?  Each of these contributes to the greater imbalance.  Allowing the cycle of giving and receiving to complete itself within our beings and our personal microcosms will support the restoration of balance and harmony within ourselves and in Nature.  As we live the Truth of this perception, using the energy of the Laws of the Universe for the Highest Good for all Life, we will begin to feel a great Peace than we have ever known!

Please take 24 minutes and watch this film short as part of this class, as we will talk about the feelings it evoked in you for our next class on Jan. 30th.   The Earth Mother’s Cry has 3 distinct, yet un-named segments.  Notice (please don’t analyze), just feel in your heart, the transitions of these segments and how each of them makes you feel.

  1. Mother Earth is asking us to know Her pain. Knowing Her pain is the first step in embracing the Truth that we are all One.  Let yourself feel into this part of the film without censoring whatever feelings flow.
  2. Mother Earth want us to Remember our Oneness with all of Nature. She invites us to see ourselves as one with each species, to know the Power in the Beauty of Nature and the delicate balance that each requires to thrive.
  3. In the final segment of the film, Mother Earth is inviting us to walk with her, to breathe with her and to Love and Embrace all Life with her – not just as we view the film, but every moment of our lives!

 

Questions for Contemplation:

  1. What does honoring the Law of Reciprocity mean to you personally?

 

  1. What are your thoughts… is it??? “Is it possible for a person to love without wanting love back?  Is anything so pure?  Or is love, by its nature, a reciprocity, like oceans and clouds, an evaporating of seawater and a replenishing by rain?”                        ~ Alan Lightman

 

  1. Considering the critical balance provided when the Law of Reciprocity is honored and respected, what have you witnessed in humanity’s treatment of Nature that causes you the most pain? What is it about this that hurts you so deeply? Please be prepared to share this in our next class on Jan 23rd.

 

  1. Please share your reflections on Earth Mother’s Cry and be prepared to share in class next week..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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