There are various teachings about tithing, or giving away money, being a doorway to increased financial prosperity. Teachings about tithing that are more in line with spiritual or so-called New Age outlooks tend to portray the universe as reciprocating our money actions: if we put money out it will return to us, and even be multiplied; if we hold money back money will be held back from us in return.
This is an interesting outlook and does have some basis, I believe, in truth. The truth of it is has to do with the (genuine) nature of the universe. It is standard belief that the universe is generally beyond our control and acts upon us. Essentially this is a notion of us being small and impotent and the universe being enormous and powerful.
I disagree with this outlook.
I believe the actual power side of the equation is not the universe but us. I believe as well that the universe does not act upon us; it acts in response to us. But which “us” is the universe responding to?
Does the universe respond to our physical form? Does it respond to our bodies and the roles we play and our backstory — what most people identify with when they talk about ‘me’? I think the universe can respond to this, to some degree. But the universe’s response to this is certainly unreliable.
If the universe reliably responded to our physical form and our personality then all of our desires would be granted and metaphysical methods like the Law of Attraction would work perfectly, all the time. This however is not the case. Many, if not most, people do not get their desires reliably granted and the Law of Attraction generates much criticism and also frustration because it isn’t certainly reliable.
What the universe responds to, I believe, is not our physical form but our spiritual self — which is what we really are. The spiritual self is not something that we can consciously control but it is something that we can consciously connect with (most of us are very much disconnected from it now). When we connect with our spirit self, when we are in genuine alignment with it, then the universe shifts.
When we attempt to move the universe from our physical being, when we try to command it or manipulate it through our physical actions — like tithing or thinking particular thoughts — the universe may respond and it may not. But it will not respond on command on a consistent basis.
If you believe you are the exception to this, if you believe you can make the universe move as you want it to when you want it to, then don’t wait another moment to take your rightful place as the most powerful entity in the world. I will hold you in awe along with everyone else.
Here’s something to know however about tithing, and any other attempt to make the universe move as you want it to: you don’t need to do this. You do not need to earn good favor. You don’t.
You are already in the highest regard, from God no less, simply because you are. You are God’s creation and so have all of God’s favor and characteristics. You — not the physical form with a backstory and who is mostly under the control of ego — but your genuine spirit self.
I realize this may come across as so much metaphysical sermonizing so don’t, certainly, just take my word for who you are and your connection with spirit and also God. Know this for yourself. To get to the place where you can feel this experience, literally, you first must get clear of ego interference which happens as mental activity.
You have to get clear of mental noise and negative mental noise in particular. There are various ways to do this but one quite effective way is to observe your thinking and emotions, particularly when you are feeling badly. Don’t embrace your thinking or emotions as truth, don’t deny them as false, don’t try to push them away, don’t try to understand them, do not act upon them: simply watch (observe) them.
If you make this a consistent practice you will feel your connection to spirit and God as a sense of peace and well-being, and even bliss. Stay with it and eventually external circumstances will begin to shift and improve. Then you will know fully that you never needed to do anything except to simply be yourself.
Your genuine self.
