Embracing The Gift Economy As An Antidote For The Scarcity Economy
Excerpts from Recipes For Reciprocity and my thoughts on divesting from the scarcity based economy to invest in Gift Economics to recognize and potentiate natural abundance
December is here! Christmas time is coming soon!
It is Gift Giving Season and so I thought it would be an apt time for me to offer some perspectives, ideas and experiences pertaining to nurturing the Gift Economy.
First of all, what is Christmas… exactly? and where did this tradition originate?
While the cultural origins of Christmas may be traced back to pre-Christian times over 4,000-5,000 years ago and include the winter solstice celebrations of the ancient indigenous peoples of the homelands of my Gaelic ancestors as well as aligning with ancient celebrations connected to the Roman Saturnalia and the birthday of the Persian deity Mithra, most think of it as a Christian tradition.
For more historical info on the pre-Christian cultural roots of the Christmas Time celebration read this and this.
In modern times, most religious people associate Christmas with the birth of Jesus and a time of gift giving, expressions of gratitude and joyful meals shared with loved ones.
At the same time, Christmas day (and season) often gets intertwined with consumerism and ego, so this year I want to invite all of us to take a step back and look upon the concept of sharing gifts from a different perspective.
Gifts come in many forms and the most beautiful gifts that embody the spirit of hope, kindness, joy and good will are those gifts that you arrived with when you chose to come to this world and live the human life you are living now. These gifts are inside you, they are unique to you and you possess them so that you can engage in the sacred task of sharing those gifts with this world.
When you take time to look inward, discover your unique gifts and then imagine a way you can use your gifts to nurture other beings to achieve their highest potential, give back to the living planet that gives to much to us and create things that express the essence of your spirit manifested in physical form and/or poetry for the senses, you are giving the most valuable gifts in this universe. No one else can share the same gifts, in the same way that you can.
Therefore, during this season centering on a day that is meant to honor the birth of a man that shared his unique gifts with this world… with courage, love and kindness… the best way we can honor his life is to do the same ourselves.
Why Gift Economics?
As someone that has chosen a life path that could be summarized as becoming an apprentice to nature, I have spent years keenly observing the way that ecosystems distribute, store and share resources in the Living Earth’s more ancient version of an “economy”.
The human fiat currency economy necessitates scarcity (or at the very least the perception of scarcity) and its propaganda systems attempt to instill in us from a young age that “there is not enough to go around”, that it is a “survival of the fittest/dog eat dog world” and that success in life is measured by how much fiat you can hoard and/or how many material possessions you can accumulate. Of course, scarcity is an illusion and where it exists in relation to food, in an empirical sense, is the result of said scarcity economic model crippling the local ecology and ancient cultural practices of a said region, which at one time, embodied, recognized and perpetuated the abundance inherent in that bioregion.
The ancient living economy of the Earth, on the other hand, is based on a perpetual cycle of gifts moving freely within a self-organizing, anti-fragile, symbiotically connected community of beings (which each have niche gifts that they provide to make their community increasingly resilient, biodiverse, beautiful and nourishing as a whole). It is the antithesis of the human fiat economy, as instead of hoarding, it involves giving gifts to other beings and having faith in the soundness, elegance and longevity of Creator’s design.
Take a leaf for example, each one embodies the architecture and dynamics of the larger gift economy (ecosystem) it is seamlessly embedded within. The leaf breathes in cosmic light (which is gifted freely to the Earth and countless other worlds by the beings we call “stars”, in our case, a star we call “Sol” or “The Sun”.) Through the alchemy of photosynthesis the leaf also breathes in CO-2 (which we humans and countless other beings gift freely to the plants each time we breathe). The leaf also absorbs water (which is gifted by the ocean as well as by the way of extraterrestrial sources such as meteorites in the form of water vapour, which is gathered into raindrops in clouds via the gifts of fungi and trees, which help initiate rain drop nucleation by the spores and pollen they send up to literally create rain storms). Last but not least, the leaf completes the miracle of photosynthesis through absorbing the minerals from the rich earth below (which was created through countless beings gifting biomatter and their very bodies over centuries). That leaf combines those gifts to make sugar (and a diverse range of other phytochemicals) which the plant in turn gives as a gift in the form of food. The gift of food created by the alchemy of photosynthesis (enabled by the gifts of many beings on Earth and beyond) is then gifted back to the earth (both in the manure of the being that ingested the food, and in time, via their very body which was built with that food) returning to the Earth as well, completing (and enriching) that ongoing perpetual cycle of gifts that makes up the Earth’s living economy.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚 ‘𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞’ 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. (source)
Studying fractal geometric patterns in nature is a passion of mine. I firmly believe that when we use our pattern recognition skills to identify, observe and understand the repeating patterns which exist at the foundation of nature, we are gifted opportunities to align our designs with the schematics and architectural design of the Creator of all things.
When you look closely enough, the way the Creator designed the living systems on Earth is based on the free flowing cycle of gifts between many beings (each sharing gifts while also receiving them from others) resulting in anti-fragile communities of life expressing a rich array of diversity and beauty in endless splendor. These design patterns and dynamics are something we can learn from and emulate to improve our quality of life, the resilience of our human communities and our relationship with the living Earth that sustains us all with her many Gifts.
I explored how we can learn from (receive) and then emulate (give) the gifts of wisdom shared with us by our elder species on Earth in a Poem I included in the Regenerative Poems, Short Stories and Recipes for the Soul" chapter of Recipes For Reciprocity called Earth Teach Me (which I now gift to you so you can read below if you wish).
This is a pathway that invites us to apply biomimicry, empowering is to be capable of solving some of the greatest challenges we face as a human civilization and as a species.
Gift Economics As Medicine For Our Ailing Society
(The following is an excerpt from my book pertaining to a concept called Gift Economics which I feel offers some important perspectives and sign posts for us on the fork in the path that lies before us now)
Under our current model of fiat currency ("money" created by private central banks equaling endless debt, which is passed on from governments that borrow onto tax paying citizens) is used for the 'propping up' of our top heavy and hollow economy. This results in human behavior that is highly toxic, sometimes psychotic and detrimental to the environment. This is essentially a debt slavery system that promotes extreme poverty, endless war and a parasitic relationship with the ecosystems that we depend on to survive. This system is not honourable, moral, nor “sustainable” (and it is certainly not regenerative).
Thus, if we wish for our modern civilization to continue (and seek to leave a world worth living in for our children) we must abandon ideologies and belief systems (such as capitalism) that teach people that the acquisition of material wealth, competition rather than cooperation, and the endless commodification of aspects of nature is what we should strive for as individuals, organizations, communities and nation-states. It is impossible to cling to unnatural concepts like capitalism while simultaneously claiming to care about the future of our children, the integrity of the ecosystems and while claiming to want to help create a more sustainable, regenerative and equitable society in the here and now.
Investing our time and energy in humanocentric systems of thought is a path of stagnation which comforts our ego but does not honor the truth of what we have learned about nature in the past century, nor does it serve to unlock our true potential as human beings. Through embracing humility and reverence, rather than self importance and anthropocentrism we can lend our sentience and free will towards a meaningful path of symbiogenisis between humanity and the many other beings who call this living planet home. I feel this new and ancient path (defined by humility and symbiosis) can serve to align us with a way of living that nourishes the living world that sustains us and encourages the unfolding of ever higher expressions of human potential in the process.
In an excellent post on “Kindness as a Radical Act” Dana O'Driscoll wrote:
“I’d argue that in an age where the norm is to take whatever you can get at the expense of others (both humans and the biosphere), kindness is a radical and powerful act.
But what do I mean by kindness? I would argue that true kindness is a value that we choose to bring to our interactions that involves showing care, consideration, generosity, and attending to the needs of others. It is the opposite of narcissism. Asia Suler has identified that there is a difference between being nice and being kind. She argues that being nice is something that people label you with—a value for women, especially, that focuses on you being agreeable, pleasant, bland and/or not upsetting the applecart. She argues that being kind is a different kind of thing—in this case, it is something that we choose to portray, an inner goodness that we cultivate and offer to the world ourselves, not the labels others give us. I like this definition of kindness—real kindness—as opposed to being quiet and agreeable. And that means that sometimes it is the kind thing to do to speak up or take a different path than the norm. I love this concept–I want to be kind because I feel it is the right thing to do, particularly in this dark age. I want to live the values that I think the world needs more of.
I was talking about these thoughts with a friend of mine who is a fellow professor at the same university where I teach. She just published a book on her research in refugee camps in Ethiopia, and one of the things she discovered was that while the conditions of these camps were awful, one of the most powerful lessons she saw was in this communal kindness that people had: in spite of the terrible daily life conditions, people worked hard to treat each other with care, consideration, and generosity. They took an unbearable situation and made it bearable simply by attending to others’ needs. That in the face of so many challenges and inhumanity, they remembered their humanity.”
In other words, they embrace the gift economy.
Dana continues by saying
“Kindness is a virtue that I believe we all can strive for. It is certainly one that I work hard at in my own life—to bring kindness into my interactions with all beings. This might mean doing something like moving the worms from the sidewalks, attending to the needs of a stray cat, lending money to a stranger, or even honoring the paper wasps. Kindness is about kinship, relationships, and connection. I don’t think you can have kin without being kind.
I think there’s a deep power in language, and looking at the history (etymology) of the term “kind” and “kindness” offers more insight into the importance of kindness in building kinship relationships with all beings. While there are two meanings of “kind,” the meaning we are focusing on today goes the whole way back to proto-Germanic *kundi- which refers to “natural” or “native” as well as *kunjam “family” or “kin.” These terms made their way into Old English, where “(ge)cynde” was tied to “natural, native, innate,” and the “feeling of relatives for each other.” Meanwhile, in the year 1300 CE, we see the term kindness referring to “courtesy, noble deeds” but also in Old English, “kindness” tied also to “nation” or “produce, an increase.”
So in this etymology, we see that the foundation of kinship is based on kindness and that being kind and being kin are actually the same thing. We treat those who are our family, relatives or kin. It is important to note that for a growing number of people, including those who are druids, animists, and nature-centered folks, this kinship is not limited to human beings. We can be kind to all beings on the land, in our human and bio communities, and through that kindness, build respect, mutuality, and connection. But the other fascinating thing about this etymology also links the abundance of the natural world to this kindness. This to me demonstrates what Tyson Yunkaporta in Sand Talk describes as the custodial relationship that humanity should have with the earth.”
These ancient roots of the word kindness and kinship spring fourth from the inherent dynamics of the living gift economy of the Earth. In other words, kindness and kinship, as human choices and states of being translate into producing units of currency in the Gift Economy. Unlike Fiat currency, CBDCs or cryptocurrency, units of currency in the Gift Economy can be cultivated to grow exponentially by anyone and everyone, in any and every situation.
Kindness may be difficult to embody in some situations, but it is always possible as a choice, and kinship, the reciprocal relationships we build with other beings in and around our community (human and non-human) is something we can rely on when times are tough and (in some extreme situations) money may have very little or no perceived value at all. Kinship, kindness and the goodwill between beings these choices and states of being generate are a form of spiritual and practical currency of the Gift Economy which cannot be taken from you and can be carried with you always.
I was introduced to this concept of a “Gift Economy” through an excellent book called "Sacred Economics" by Charles Eisenstein.
Here is a video where he explores some of these concepts
From the video above "What survives collapse? What survives crisis? Community. Whatever you give and contribute into your community and you generate that goodwill, and you generate those structures of taking care of each other and reciprocal (gift) relationships, that is an investment. That is a savings account that fires cannot burn and thieves cannot steal.
The best investment you can make is generosity, for the only thing that cannot be taken from you is that which you give."
What Charles is talking about is the resilient fabric of a localized Gift Economy, supporting everyone through the shared goodwill it generates. That is True Wealth and True Prosperity, and you cannot steal, hoard or buy it, it requires patience, tlc and genuine humility.
I will also share a quote of his, now, to further illuminate the nature of our current economic model so that we may be in a better place to see how we need to change it to create a better future (based in an endless cycle of gifts).
"Scarcity is built into the money system. On a most obvious level, it is because of the way money is created (as interest bearing debt). When the bank lends money into existence, or the federal reserve creates money, the money comes along with a corresponding amount of debt. And the debt (because there is interest on it) is always greater than the amount of money.
'Growth' is another thing that is built into our money system. Basically 'economic growth' means that you have to find something that was once nature and then make it into a good (or something that was once part of a gift relationship) and make it into a 'service'. You have to find something that people once got for free, or did for them selves (or for each other) and then take it away and sell it back to them somehow."
- Charles Eisenstein
Now here is the good news! We can regenerate our communities and our economy. And the garden is a great place to start. When we take time to compost our kitchen and yard waste and build living soils we are giving back to the Earth that has given so much to us. In doing so we are choosing to strengthen the living fabric on which a thriving ecosystem can be nurtured (that will also provide food for you and your loved ones, cutting down on grocery costs, reducing our dependence on and support of the above, mentioned toxic industries that do so much damage to Mother Earth and our fellow species that call her body home).
Composting is medicine for the land and medicine for the soul. It offers us a tangible way to connect with and give back to the living planet that sustains us all. When one looks at the act of composting, through a more linear or utilitarian lens, it is an act that facilitates the transformation of free materials into something extremely valuable and useful for saving money on grocery and medical bills.
Through offering our hands to accelerate the natural cycles inherent in composting, we involve ourselves in the sacred act of reciprocity and begin to nourish a relationship with the living Earth that results in nurturing the Gift Economy and creating True Wealth.
What is a “Gift Economy”?
Many centuries ago in a time before centralized money systems, there were indigenous peoples living in connection with the land and each other. While some of these ancient peoples utilized various forms of barter and trade, there are also examples of ancient cultures (from several different continents) that not only did not use money… they apparently did not use "barter" and "trade" as a regular means of commerce either. These cultures were described as operating on a mostly "gift based economy".
The innate characteristics of this 'gift economy' would have been effective at mitigating manifestations and behaviors of the ego (like greed, thievery or deceit) because in those tightly knit communities such behavior was easily detected and the individual responsible would have been ostracized (thereby forcing the individual to change their ways or have to fend for themselves). While there would have inevitably been those who sought self-interest and greedy behavior in moneyless (gift economy based) societies, it would seem to me that they would have a lot less motivation and rewards for doing so in such a situation.
Given that some of the cultures that operated based on this Gift Economics model had an Animistic worldview, and viewed our tall standing rooted, four legged, finned and winged non-human kin as intelligent beings, imbued with a spirit and possessing much wisdom to share with humanity, it makes sense that their methods of exchange would more closely resemble the gift economy that is omnipresent in a forest as opposed to the fiat currency economy that was present in Europe (and being imported to what is now called “North America” as well).
The following images are pages from The Serviceberry : Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World By Robin Wall Kimmerer that offer insights into Gift Economics (thanks so much for recommending the above book to me
!)
(You can buy your own copy of the book the pages shown above are from here.)
We can glean some additional illuminating historical perspective on how central the Gift Economy worldview was a foundational aspect of the traditions, beliefs, moral compass and ways of interacting with other humans in some indigenous cultures by taking a look at the first hand observations of French military officers and Jesuit Priests and how they viewed a number of the peoples of the Eastern Woodlands of Turtle Island (such as the Huron/Wendat and Mi'kmaq) when they arrived there and mingled in their communities in the 1600-s.
Also, perhaps more importantly, and more tellingly, we can glean illuminating insights via taking a look at how some of the indigenous inhabitants of the Eastern Woodlands viewed the European interlopers, their economic model and their society.
The following are excerpts from two books ( 1491 and The Dawn Of Everything ) which provide illuminating cultural and historical context that helps us to see the clear delineation between a community and culture operating on the Gift Economy, vs one operating on the fiat currency/scarcity economy.
In the most direct way, the generosity and liberty made indigenous villages into competitors for colonists’ allegiance. Colonial societies could not become too oppressive or stingy, because their members — surrounded by examples of well fed peoples living a free life — always had the option to vote with their feet. It is likely that the first British villages in North America, thousands of miles from the House of Lords, would have lost some of the brutally graded social hierarchy that characterized European life. But it is also clear that they were infused by the generous, democratic and informal brashness of Native American culture. That spirit of gift economics and liberty alarmed and discomfited many Europeans, toff and peasant alike. But it is also clear that many others found it a deeply attractive vision of human possibility.
Historian Cornelius J. Jaenen reported in an account to his American years, that the Huron, could not understand why:
'one Man should have more than another, and that the Rich should have more Respect than the Poor. ... They brand us for Slaves, and call us miserable Souls, whose Life is not worth having, alleging, That we degrade ourselves in subjecting our selves to one Man [a king] who possesses the whole Power, and is bound by no Law but his own Will.... [Individual Indians] value themselves above anything that you can imagine, and this is the reason they always give for’t, That one’s as much Master as another, and since Men are all made of the same Clay there should be no Distinction or Superiority among them.' [Emphasis in original.]
The essayist Montaigne had noted the same antiauthoritarian attitudes a century earlier. Indians who visited France, he wrote, “noticed among us some men gorged to the full with things of every sort while their other halves were beggars at their doors, emaciated with hunger and poverty. They found it strange that these poverty-stricken halves should suffer [that is, tolerate] such injustice”
The leaders of Jamestown tried to persuade Indians to transform themselves into Europeans. Embarrassingly, almost all of the traffic was the other way — scores of English joined the locals despite promises of dire punishment. The same thing happened in New England. Puritan leaders were horrified when some members of a rival English settlement began living with the Massachusett Indians.” (source)
When Europeans arrived to Turtle Island, they encountered very different societies than those they were accustomed to. Those societies had very different cultures, each with their own intellectual tradition.
The collision of two completely separate intellectual traditions led to the creation of an indigenous critique of European society, which Graeber and Wengrow call The Indigenous Critique.
The Indigenous Critique refers to critiques of European society which were developed by Turtle Islanders.”
In a book called “The Dawn Of Everything” Elizabeth Whitworth explains:
“In the late 1600s, European colonists in North America became engaged in philosophical discussions with the indigenous peoples of that land. Some of the indigenous people and the colonists learned to speak one another’s languages fluently. Graeber and Wengrow explain that the native North Americans had strong philosophical traditions and skilled orators who challenged European colonial officials in debates.”
In some cases, indigenous intellectuals travelled to Europe in order to study and understand feudal society. One such person was a Huron-Wendat leader named Kondiaronk, also known as Le Rat, who seems to have impressed everyone he ever met with his great brilliance.
Whitworth continues:
“In New France, Wendat leader Kandiaronk raised scathing critiques of European social customs and values, particularly criticizing monarchical rule, social hierarchies, emphasis on the accumulation of wealth and materialism, and punitive justice systems. These descriptions then made their way back to Europe, where they were widely distributed among the intellectual class and, Graeber and Wengrow argue, became the inspiration for much Enlightenment thought.
One of the major cultural differences the Europeans and indigenous people found they had was the notion of gift economics, equality and its connection to freedom. Indigenous ideas about sharing abundance with those in need, equality and freedom directly conflicted with the European notions of selfish materialism, social status and a natural hierarchy.
Beyond the emphasis of the indigenous critique on the immorality of the hierarchical and involuntary governance structures (Statism) that was prevalent in Europe (and being imported to Turtle Island with the settlers/colonial peoples) many of the people who called Turtle Island home were also very critical of the lack of compassion, generosity and charity which was ubiquitous in the European’s way of living.
After visiting France and then returning to the Eastern Woodlands of Turtle Island Kondiaronk (the Wendat chief described above) offers this distillation of the indigenous critique:
“I’ve spent six years thinking about the state of European society and I still can’t think of a single one of your ways that isn’t inhumane, and I sincerely believe that it can only be because you stick to your distinctions of ‘mine’ and ‘yours’.
I affirm that what you call money is the devil of devils; the tyrant of the French, the source of all evil; the scourge of souls and the slaughterhouse of the living. To imagine that one can live in the land of money and preserve one’s soul is like imagining that one can preserve one’s life at the bottom of a lake. Money is the father of luxury, lasciviousness, intrigue, deceit, lies, betrayal, insincerity, all the worst behaviors in the world. Fathers sell their children, husbands their wives, wives betray their husbands, brothers kill each other, friends are false, and all for money. In light of all this, tell me that we Wendat are not right to refuse to touch or even look at money?”
Kandiaronk continues, explaining human qualities valued by the Wendat by saying:
“Over and over I have set forth the qualities that we Wendat believe ought to define humanity – wisdom, reason, equity, etc. – and demonstrated that the existence of separate material interests knocks all these on the head. A man motivated by interest cannot be a man of reason. “
Kandiaronk’s view was that the greed, poverty, and crime found in French society arise from lust for money (an expression of their scarcity based economic model). By refusing to deal with money (and instead continuing to develop a reciprocal connection to nature’s gift economy), the Wendat were able to live in freedom and equality (with enough to share with those in need).
Kandiaronk:
“Do you seriously imagine, he says, that I would be happy to live like one of the inhabitants of Paris, to take two hours every morning just to put on my shirt and make-up, to bow and scrape before every obnoxious galoot I meet on the street who happened to have been born with an inheritance? Do you really imagine I could carry a purse full of coins and not immediately hand them over to people who are hungry; that I would carry a sword but not immediately draw it on the first band of thugs I see rounding up the destitute to press them into naval service?”
At that time, the region that came to be known as New France (now Ontario, Quebec and part of the US) was inhabited largely by speakers of Montagnais-Naskapi, Algonkian and Iroquoian (Potawatomi) languages. Those closer to the coast were often fishers, foresters and hunters, though most also practiced horticulture (and regenerative agro-forestry); the Wendat (Huron), concentrated in major river valleys further inland, growing maize, squash and beans around fortified towns.. with advanced regenerative agroforestry food production systems further beyond their three sisters fields.
..While French assessments of the character of (what they described as) ‘savages’ tended to be decidedly mixed, the indigenous assessment of French character was distinctly less so.
Father Pierre Biard, for example, was a former theology professor assigned in 1608 to evangelize the Algonkian-speaking Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia, who had lived for some time next to a French fort.
Biard did not think much of the Mi’kmagq, but reported that the feeling was mutual:
“They consider themselves better than the French: “For,” they say, “you are always fighting and quarrelling among yourselves; we live peaceably. You are envious and are all the time slandering each other; you are thieves and deceivers; you are covetous, and are neither generous nor kind; as for us, if we have a morsel of bread we share it with our neighbor.” They are saying these and like things continually.’“
What seemed to irritate Biard the most was that the Mi’kmaq would constantly assert that they were, as a result, ‘richer’ than the French. The French had more material possessions, the Mi’kmaq conceded; but they had other, greater assets: ease, comfort and time.
Twenty years later Brother Gabriel Sagard, a Recollect Friar,” wrote similar things of the Wendat nation. Sagard was at first highly critical of Wendat life, which he described as inherently sinful (he was obsessed with the idea that Wendat women were all intent on seducing him), but by the end of his sojourn he had come to the conclusion their social and economic arrangements were in many ways superior to those at home in France.
In the following passages he was clearly echoing Wendat opinion:
“They have no lawsuits and take little pains to acquire the goods of this life, for which we Christians torment ourselves so much, and for our excessive and insatiable greed in acquiring them we are justly and with reason reproved by their quiet life and tranquil dispositions.”
Much like Biard’s Mi’kmaq, the Wendat were particularly offended by the French lack of generosity to one another:
‘They reciprocate hospitality and give such assistance to one another that the necessities of all are provided for without there being any indigent beggar in their towns and villages; and they considered it a very bad thing when they heard it said that there were in France a great many of these needy beggars, and thought that this was for lack of charity in us, and blamed us for it severely.’
(source)
So as you can see the people of the eastern woodlands has a worldview colored, informed and given structure/purpose by the Gift Economy of nature and the Creator (which they could, and we can, observe all around us in the workings of a forest ecosystem). The indigenous people of that region’s view starkly contrasted the view of the European scarcity economic model. We can also see from the journal accounts of the Europeans above that what they were observed about how the indigenous people of that area produced not only enough food for themselves, but an abundance of food (through applying biomimicry to create advanced regenerative agroforestry food production systems along with their three sisters fields.) and then shared it freely with those in need.
According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread among First Nation Indigenous societies of Turtle Island, is a sophisticated, regenerative growing system that provides long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations. Growing a Three Sisters garden is a wonderful way to feel more connected to the history of this land and the gift economy that was prevalent here, regardless of our ancestry. Early European settlers would certainly never have survived without the gift of the Three Sisters from the generous indigenous people’s who helped the settlers survive their first winters here on Turtle Island. In fact, that is the basis of the story behind our modern day Thanksgiving celebration.
Without the gifts of food and help of the Native American community they met upon settling in America, the Mayflower Pilgrims would have likely never survived.
Instead, the mutual understanding between the two groups led to one of the world's most well-known dates - Thanksgiving.
"The way of the three sisters reminds me of one of the basic teachings of our people. The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they may be shared with others. Being among the sisters provides a visible manifestation of what a community can become when its members understand and share their gifts. In reciprocity, we fill our spirits and our bellies."
- Robin Wall Kimmerer (Author of "Braiding Sweetgrass")
Another powerful expression of Gift Economics can be observed in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s Seventh Generation Principle.
The Seventh Generation Principle is an Indigenous Concept, to think of the 7th generation coming after you in your words, work and actions, and to remember the seventh generation who came before you.
That is essentially gift economics stacked in time, or temporally transcendent gifting, if you will.
That 7th generation thinking, finds one of its most tangible, nourishing and practical expressions in the form of planting and tending Food Forests (which can go on functioning and providing for centuries after the original food forest creators are long gone). I provided some local evidence of this kind of temporally transcendent/multi-generational regenerative gift economics in my recently published article on the Shagbark Hickory Tree and it’s cultural history here in Ontario.
I should note however, that does not mean that all people that were indigenous to Turtle Island (or indigenous to anywhere else for that matter) operated based on that set of ethics and worldview, nor does it mean I suggest idolizing said cultures of the Eastern Woodlands (as no one person or culture is perfect) but what it does offer us is a glimpse into a particular historical/cultural cross section where Gift Economics were apparently a big part of the value systems and how people lived in those regions and at that time.
So we have viable historical cultural expressions of this concept that we can learn from, adapt and evolve into something that can enrich and strengthen our communities and societies in the present day. But what would that look like?
We can and should emulate and apply that multi-generation gift economy wisdom to our lives and communities. People are already beginning to do it in cities…
Another way to look at a manifestation of a “gift” based economy is the system of exchange between organisms that takes place in the soil of a mature eco-system. You could describe it as a “soil-stock market” (in which many different individuals make deposits and invest their time and energy and then at some point they are gifted a return on their investment in the form of nutritious food). The soil is a nexus for a constant exchange of the gifts offered by countless species that all do their part to give to the living soil. The cycle of gifts continues as the living soil offers its gifts to the plants and fungi which in turn offer their gifts of nourishment to countless species that in turn deposit nutrients back into the soil to complete the cycle of gifts. Mature eco-systems are so resilient and productive because they are nurtured by myriad cycles of gifts that flow between the species that call that place home. Each being offers it’s own unique gift and in some way contributes to the health of the collective.
Fungi offer powerful examples of gift economics in nature.
We can learn from our wise and talented elders in the Fungi Queendom and use our gifts to accelerate the breakdown and transformation of that which is dead and dying through embodying grace as we bare witness to that which is coming to an end.
Each of us is capable of emulating our ancient elders and becoming the bridge between death/disintegration and life/renewal. Through embracing the way of the fungi we are invited to face the crumbling empire before us with unflinching honesty... we are invited to send out 'hyphae of hope' (with our hearts, our words and our actions) so that we may myceliate every situation, relationship, system and community we engage with compassion, solidarity and integrity to transmute pain into wisdom, stagnation into fertile nutrients for new ideas and tyranny into freedom.
In doing so, we can provide medicine for the land, medicine for the people and medicine for the soul... making the way for the seeds of new life and a new civilization to begin to set down roots.
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn"
I collected this germinating acorn shown above from the base of a 170 year old + red oak.
This tree lived in a time before the existence of a thing called "Canada".
I am honored to be able to save one of her acorns from the mower and give it a chance to grow onto it's true potential.
May this single acorn grow to be a 300 year old elder and may her acorns create yet thousands more.
May these Mother Trees become the hubs of biodiversity and nourishment that can sustain and protect countless generations of winged, four legged and two legged beings for millennia to come.
So it is, and so it shall be.
The above choice I made to plant an acorn, (and the choice I made more recently to plant dozens of shagbark hickory seeds/seedlings as part of several community food forest projects) is one tangible example of gift economics applied in a way that goes beyond the boundaries of gifting to present day recipients of gifts, and into the realm of sending out gifts to countless future inhabitants of this land.
Those are the kinds of choices many of our indigenous ancestors made in order in the hopes of ensuring that we could have the abundance in the now. And though some of those gifts were not able to be received by us (due to the anthropocentric and greed based decisions of statist/corporate entities resulting in extreme deforestation in the past century especially) we can still honor their gesture by emulating their noble efforts and planting the seeds so that future generations might be able to receive those same gifts.
The institutions and social structures that are common in modern day society seem to be based on domination, competition, exploitation and egotism and not on nurturing. The shift in perspective offered here is to review everything in terms of nurturing, or to phrase it another way, in terms of gift giving. The thread of gift giving and receiving begins in every life in the biological and emotional needs provided by mothers. We are born into a world and showered with gifts.. love, attention, nourishment and beauty all around us. As time goes on in the individual life and in the existence of institutions and social structures, this thread is altered, turned back upon itself, we are programmed to compete, and our innocence and giving nature is used and abused for domination. Rather than a free flowing cycle of gifts, our modern day society operates on “Exchange”. This requires quantification and measurement, an equation between what is given and what is received to the satisfaction of both parties.
Exchange is at odds with gift giving. The competition which is characteristic of Capitalism pushes the exchange way against the gift way.
Even the way most people go about perceiving and engaging in romantic relationships is now often based upon exchange (rather than gift giving). I have spoken with many who described the reason they got married being related to financial security (not their want to share their love with the other).
Giving in order to receive - exchange - is ego-oriented. It is the satisfaction of one's own need that is the purpose of the transaction. Giving to satisfy another's need is other-oriented. These two motivations constitute the basis of two logics, one of which is intransitive (exchange), the other of which is transitive (gift giving).
Exchange creates and requires scarcity. If everyone were giving to everyone else, there would be no need to exchange. The market needs scarcity to maintain the level of prices. In fact when there is an abundance of products scarcity is often created on purpose. An example of this is the plowing under of 'overabundant' crops (which may happen even when people are standing by who are hungry). On a larger scale scarcity is created 1. by the channeling of wealth into the hands of the few who then have power over the many; 2. by spending on armaments and monuments which have no nurturing value but only serve for destruction and display of power; and 3. by privatizing or depleting the environment so that the gifts of nature are unavailable to the many. The exchange paradigm (which includes concepts like “capitalism” and it’s ugly offspring “consumerism”) is a belief system which validates this kind of behavior. Exchange is adversarial, each person tries to give less and get more, an attitude which creates antagonism and distance among the players. Gift giving creates and requires abundance.
Though, when we take a step back and discard all the programming we can see that almost everything from nature to the dynamics of many ancient cultures can be viewed as gift-giving in some form. We can closely observe the many facets of nature in our garden that involve cycles of gifts beings given between organisms and then imagine ways we can emulate these circles of gifts in our daily lives and even in the structure of our larger society.
What does that look like for humans in the context of modern day society?
Well first of all, we can give the gift of our attention, the gift of our acknowledgement and the gift of taking the time to get to know our neighbors (human and non-human alike).
In a conversation I was having with a fellow Corbett Report Subscriber (that goes by the screen name “generalbottlewasher” ) who often shares perspicacious, witty and humorous comments in the threads, we ended up describing what the word “citizen” meant to each of us. I expressed how the word evokes my misgivings about nationalism, statism, “smart cities” and swearing allegiance to authoritarian institutions but “generalbottlewasher” on the other hand provided a perspective of that term that is more positive, grounded in humility and relationship to place.
He described the term as:
“Citizen,
Person of a local community, known of by that community.”
He continued to elucidate on this thoughts on the word citizen, posing some poignant questions and making a thoughtful suggestion in another thread by saying:
“What is a citizen?
Well to me it is someone who is not invisible. Known to the surrounding community.
I had a business in a small town on the shoulder of a large town, small city. It was a thriving community. Possibly made up of every conceivable economic stada and background a slice of Americana that could be. Oil, glass, steel, mom and pop shops of an infinite variety.
Every person had a name. From the Banker, Bakers, Tradesmen to services of all kinds, shops, kids, retirees, and even rail bums. They all were visible. They all had names. Even the bums that sleep out back in the alley. Lump, Red, Vic ,they drank, fought, murdered each other on rare occasions. The court house was 3 blocks down the street.. But you never worried or felt fearful cause they had names..
Wow has things changed. Do you know your neighbors name? Do you know my name? Do you care?
Pay it forward by asking everyone what their name is.”
His insightful comment invited me to see the word citizen with a different light and invited me to consider what it means to be a citizen of a community in the more than human world embedded within a web and economy of gifts that flow freely.
I responded by saying:
“you never worried or felt fearful cause they had names… Do you know your neighbors name? Do you know my name. Do you care. Pay it forward by asking everyone what there name is.”
Powerful stuff my friend.
Now contemplate that question while extending the definition of “neighbor” to include non-human beings and you would be describing the question I am asking myself as I write my next book.
In a world where people no longer know the names of the plants and trees that also call the place home where they live and yet they know the names of a thousand corporations, they feel at home in a shopping mall and surrounded by scary strangers when they are in a forest.
Getting to know the names of the non-human beings in the place we call home is a gift we can all give, we offer our genuine attention and gratitude, it roots us into reverence and respect, confidence and empowerment. Getting to know our neighbors (human and non-human) allows us to become a good “citizen” of the communities we are a part of (human and non-human communities) and contribute a unique human gift to the gift economy.
When we engage in Reciprocity with Mother Earth (through regenerative gardening) and then pass on the gifts she shares with us (in nutritious food, knowledge and heirloom seeds) we nurture the cycle of gifts to flow and grow exponentially. In doing so, we not only increase the resilience and health of our households and communities in the present, we also ensure a brighter future for those who will call this place home after we are gone.
One of the beautiful things about investing in the Earth (through gardening and saving seed) is that we are always gifted more than we need for ourselves. Thus, an investment in the Earth compels us to share the abundance with our neighbors and the communities we are a part of.
That is only one expression of what nurturing the “gift economy” and working to regenerate our local communities can look like.
Unlike the WHO’s “One Health” treaties and UN’s “sustainable” development goals (and other similar greenwashed globalist propaganda) I advocate for increasing the impact we have on the ecosystems we are a part of, not minimizing the impact we have on them. Unlike the anti-human greenwashed globalist propaganda or misguided brand of environmentalism that portrays humans as an imposition on nature, I do not think it is beneficial programing people to become misanthropic and see themselves (and their fellow humans) as some kind of disease or imposition with regards to our impact on the biosphere (telling them to lessen their impact and ‘leave no trace’ avoiding interacting with wilderness areas and forests). Rather, I humbly invite you to see from the more ancient perspective of our ancestors who lived in close relationship with the land to unlock our potential to intentionally have a huge impact on the land (which is positive). I invite you to see that we were given many gifts as humans which can serve to increase biodiversity, beauty, resilience and abundance within the ecosystems we live.
Through unlocking our own unique gifts and then imagining a way we can align them to be in service of life, we begin changing our viewpoint of humanity from an imposition on the Earth to an asset to the living Earth, we lead by example to redefine what it means to be a human being. Instead of seeing humans as a blight, we refine our presence and relationship with the Earth through definitive action as a gift.
Even if one lives in a city apartment, taking action to grow some medicinal herbs in pots (or better yet to start and/or contribute towards a community garden, or better yet a community food forest) this offers the empowering opportunity to begin developing one’s botanical literacy, pattern recognition and cultivation skillsets so that one is both learning to provide for themselves and increasing one’s emergency preparedness through building universally applicable knowledge and experience. We can all start somewhere and if you are reading this then you are able to discover people who are engaging in this important work of educating and installing food forests all over the world so if you are not in a position to do the hands on work yourself you could donate to those who are able and willing to help support their work.
Each of us can find a way to use our gifts and blessings in this life to leave this world a little bit more green and beautiful than it was when we got here for those who will call this place home after we are gone.
Each of us can Pay It Forward and offer gifts in our own unique way, whether it takes the form of a handful of seeds we plant in the rich Earth or a donation to those who are working to regenerate and cultivate abundance in the natural world (or both! ;) ).
“No action is wasted, every action changes Creation”
Every action, word, thought and emotion we choose and give our energy to sends out a ripple into fabric of reality. These ripples wash over the beings we share this experience with and have a very real effect. These ripples we send out have measurable energetic, biochemical, epigenetic, psychological and physical influences on our fellow beings.
“Humble lives" (as Charles describes the choice of living everyday life with compassion and integrity: youtube.com/watch?v=CknaStMmf8A ) issue out a prayer for a more caring society. Whether it is caring for one's children, a garden, uplifting or helping a stranger, tending to a tree or engaging in Self-care, each choice based in integrity, compassion, courage and peace issues forth a prayer, shifting the morphic field.
In essence, all the actions you choose (whether someone is looking or not) represent something you are gifting to the field of energy that connects us all, every single one sends out ripple effects, and they can be ripples that heal, inspire, connect, regenerate and elevate, or the opposite, the choice is ours.
"Sanity is walking with open eyes to see what is really valuable".
I see a genuine intent to make more and more choices that align with a striving to be an honorable, humble, kind and reverent human being as inherently valuable and fundamentally essential as we strive to dissolve corruption on Earth and create a more beautiful world we all know is possible.
I see the choice to consciously put out an effort to get to know our neighbors (human and non-human) and forge alliances with our elder rooted beings as inherently valuable and honorable.
Other ideas could take the form of collectives of people getting together to create community gardens and kitchens in which an abundance of food is grown and shared with each other and those in need. Each person gives a few hours of their time each week to tend the garden and in doing so everyone benefits immensely from the gifts nature provides. Taking such an endeavor a step further could involve setting up after school programs where we teach kids how to cultivate their own food, save seed from crops, and then send them home with the seeds and the knowledge so they can re-create the regenerative abundance where they live.
The essence of what I am trying to express here is that each one of us has powerful gifts to offer that can nurture gift economics in our local community, and they do not all have to do with directly giving back to the Earth. Sometimes it could be as simple as a genuine smile or random act of kindness shared with a stranger, or one using their artistic gifts to raise awareness on important issues (yes informative/evocative street art can serve as a gift too) or using one’s gift of intellect, humor, deductive logic, musical talents or communication skills to gift non-physical ideas, truths, solutions, laughter, realizations.
People/publications like James Corbett (of Corbettreport.com), James Evan Pilato and Cassie (of Media Monarchy),
of Oatcakes.ca, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and many others share their gifts of knowledge, offering empowering truths, actionable solutions, spiritual awareness, inspiring poetry, creative expressions, introspective tools, illuminating that which is in the shadows, using levity to lighten the heart while informing and helping others. Also, perhaps most importantly their work (and the networks they have created) have connected millions of likeminded kindred spirits that can now share ideas with each other, pool resources to accomplish common goals and feel comradery and the support of community.While their gifts may not always be physically tangible, they have physically powerful impact in how they improve people’s lives, their ability to safely navigate around pitfalls, while also providing actionable intelligence for creating a better future.
Another expression of a “gift based economy” is something called “Gift Circles”. These are a simple format for people to bring what they have to freely offer and to ask for what they need without direct barter or obligation. Note there is a difference between a ‘gifting circle’ and a ‘gifting scheme’ (that is really a pyramid scheme). When people gather in person or online because they are recruited and the recruiter receives money or gifts for each person recruited, that is a gifting scheme. True gifting circles can be very beneficial for all involved. They can help people save money and waste fewer resources. They exist in many cultures and communities and help build relationships within those circles. Members may or may not know each other, and they operate in a similar way: members assist each other in fulfilling wants and needs with their many resources. There are also things that have innate value that do not cost any amount of monetary currency that can be part of a gift based economy. When we operate from the heart, we have an abundance to give each other, in different ways. Think of it this way: when you give a smile or hug and someone smiles or hugs back, neither of you has less but actually more of that smile or hug. There are many facets of a gift based economy that work the same way. Knowledge is another thing that in many cases can be gifted freely (which can become part of a circle of gifts where each individuals knowledge serves to enrich the other’s and everyone benefits).
There are some excellent organizations out there dedicated to regenerating communities and nurturing the gift economy like the “Food Is Free Project”, the "Grow Free" movement, Rob Greenfield’s “Food Freedom” book and the “World Central Kitchen” initiative (and many others).
The key factor here is making a conscious decision to give back to the earth through composting, planting seeds, cultivating some beautiful produce, saving seed and then imagining ways that we can invite our neighbors and fellow community members to do the same.
This can mean sharing some of our garden bounty with those in need (preferably along with some seeds/seedlings so they can cultivate some of their own produce) or starting a larger scale project and inviting people to participate in cultivating.
Each of us is imbued with innate gifts that we can discover and use in a regenerative and beneficial way.. it is up to each of us to discover what those gifts are and imagine how we can align them with Reciprocity with Mother Earth, regenerating our communities and reshaping systems of monetary exchange.
“What does 'economic growth' actually mean? It means more consumption – and consumption of a specific kind: more consumption of goods and services that are exchanged for money. That means that if people stop caring for their own children and instead pay for childcare, the economy grows. The same if people stop cooking for themselves and purchase restaurant takeaways instead.
Economists say this is a good thing. After all, you wouldn’t pay for childcare or takeaway food if it weren’t of benefit to you, right? So, the more things people are paying for, the more benefits are being had. Besides, it is more efficient for one daycare centre to handle 30 children than for each family to do it themselves. That’s why we are all so much richer, happier and less busy than we were a generation ago. Right?
We in the richest societies have too many calories even as we starve for beautiful, fresh food; we have overly large houses but lack spaces that truly embody our individuality and connectedness; media surround us everywhere while we starve for authentic communication. We are offered entertainment every second of the day but lack the chance to play. In the ubiquitous world of money, we hunger for all that is intimate, personal and unique.
The American Dream betrayed even those who achieved it, lonely in their overtime careers and their McMansions, narcotized to the ongoing ruination of nature and culture but aching because of it, endlessly consuming and accumulating to quell the insistent voice: “I wasn’t put here on Earth to sell a product.” “I wasn’t put here on Earth to increase market share.” “I wasn’t put here on Earth to make numbers grow.“
We protest not only at our exclusion from the American Dream; we protest at its bleakness. If it cannot include everyone on Earth, every ecosystem and bioregion, every people and culture in its richness; if the wealth of one must be the debt of another; if it entails sweatshops and underclasses and fracking and all the rest of the ugliness our system has created, then we want none of it.
No one deserves to live in a world built upon the degradation of human beings, forests, waters, and the rest of our living planet. Speaking to our brethren on Wall Street: No one deserves to spend their lives playing with numbers while the world burns.
For indeed we live in a world of fundamental abundance, a world where vast quantities of food, energy, and materials go to waste. Half the world starves while the other half wastes enough to feed the first half. In the Third World and our own ghettos, people lack food, shelter, and other basic necessities and cannot afford to buy them. Meanwhile, we pour vast resources into wars, plastic junk, and innumerable other products that do not serve human happiness. Obviously, poverty is not due to a lack of productive capacity. Nor is it due to a lack of willingness to help: many people would love to feed the poor, to restore nature, and do other meaningful work but cannot because there is no money in it. Money utterly fails to connect gifts and needs.
In a context of abundance greed is silly; only in a context of scarcity is it rational. The wealthy perceive scarcity where there is none. They also worry more than anybody else about money. Could it be that money itself causes the perception of scarcity? Could it be that money, nearly synonymous with security, ironically brings the opposite? The answer to both these questions is yes. On the individual level, rich people have a lot more “invested” in their money and are less able to let go of it. (To let go easily reflects an attitude of abundance.) On the systemic level, as we shall see, scarcity is also built in to money, a direct result of the way it is created and circulated.
The task before us it to re-align money with the true expression of our gifts. What will it take to shift away from the current money system? So I think that we are going to see a series of crisis moments, each one more severe than the last. And at each crisis moment, we will have a collective choice. Do we give up the game and rejoin with the symbiotic relationships prevalent in nature to provide our basic survival needs, heal our communities, eco-system and re-shape our economy? or do we hold on even tighter to this artificially perpetuated competitive / extractive system? It is really up to us to determine at what point this wake up point will happen."
― Charles Eisenstein
I feel we are now at one of these "crisis moments" Charles spoke of.. a choice point which offers us a pathway to healing, joy, abundance and purpose. The alternative is to hold onto this crumbling system even tighter until the next (more severe) 'crisis moment' comes along.
We live in times when developing a reciprocal relationship with the land where we live is of paramount importance. There is no elected official, institution, guru, priest or any other external force or individual who can do this for you. This is a path you must embark upon with courage and humility.. a path that walks in the footsteps of our ancestors. It requires us to look inward and remember those things that make us come alive. Those innate gifts we possess that we can share with the world for the benefit of all beings. It requires us to work with our hands and see with our hearts... and it begins with a handful of seeds and some tlc.
In a conversation between Charles Eisenstein and Brock Dolman (see: https://bit.ly/3jAyBmC ) they spoke to the imperative of regenerating our inner 'eco-system' in laying the foundation for our efforts to restore the eco-systems around us. I invite you to contimplate something that came up in their conversation when Charles spoke about how important first healing our inner environment is as we strive to go about healing the outer environment. Brock's response spoke to how he agrees and that he feels it is important that we not only work toward local eco-system restoration (guided by watershed restoration) but that we also work to plant the seeds for 'Ego-system Re-storyation' within ourselves.
I feel that in order to begin to build a lasting framework for a regenerative economy (that aligns with 'keeping the gift in motion') we must first re-define what it means to be human.
In order to break from the old paradigm and shape a new one we need to stop seeking outside of ourselves and look inward. As each of us become reacquainted with the part of ourselves that existed before we came into these bodies (and will continue to exist long after) we move into an awareness that involves self-awareness and intuitive discernment
This is the realization/state of being that when embraced by enough people, can be the catalyst for rendering the current system on earth obsolete and planting the seeds for a future of peace, abundance, and equality for all mankind. With this knowing, and the common ground that such a realization and truth bridges between us, “the corporate parasites” that currently thrive on this world would no longer be able to survive. Greed and fear would have no place in the midst of those who understand who and what we truly are, and so, people would not be swayed by those manifestations of the brain nor the illusions of the ego.
The sickness of the mind that is greed and lust for power is a symptom of a society of humans who have forgotten who and what they truly are. Unfortunately, our modern materialistic and fallacious scientific paradigm which teaches that we are molecular machines (that through biochemical electromagnetic functions produce consciousness and self-awareness) created by nothing more than a rare cosmic accident, is one of the main sources for the toxic behavior on earth. As long as people inaccurately view their consciousness as nothing more than a phenomenon produced by their biology, they will live in fear of the perceived finality of death (a misunderstood process). This fear of death leads them to be motivated by primal desires, including seeking out many unhealthy distractions such as material wealth, transhumanist delusions of digital 'immortality' and power to control others.
Thus, while the need for regeneration of the biosphere around us is indeed dire, the need for regeneration and exploration of our inner realms is even more dire. This path we embark upon inwardly need not be defined nor limited by existing ideologies or dogmatic belief systems, the important thing is that the path is embarked upon with genuine humility, open heartedness, courage and in stillness.
Making the choice to go inward and allow our spirit to take the driver's seat is the single most profoundly beneficial and meaningful action one can take to experience a fulfilling life on earth. For not only does inward stillness, exploration and coming to know your eternal self inevitably invoke beautiful realizations and knowledge, it helps one to attain a kind of lasting inner peace, joy, and knowing not attainable through any amount of outside stimuli, whether that stimuli be “education”, religious belief, material wealth, or even intimate connections with other humans. From this perspective we can move forward not purely for the sake of a benefit to ourselves as individuals, but towards a new path where the evolutionary process is consciously determined from within each of us to enrich the collective of which we are an intrinsic part. The transformation begins with each one individual, inside out.
This is the single most important thing we can teach/give our children. If we guide them to look inward, as they grow up they will serve as the spiritual antidote for this world which is currently infected by a rampant ego-disease of the mind.
“Gratitude and Reciprocity are the currency of a gift economy, and they have the remarkable property of multiplying with every exchange. Their energy concentrating as they pass from hand to hand. A truly renewable resource.
Continued fealty to economies based on competition for manufactured scarcity, rather than cooperation around natural abundance, is now causing us to face the danger of producing real scarcity, evident in growing shortages of food and clean water, breathable air, and fertile soil.
Crop failures and Erratic weather is a product of this extractive economy and is forcing us to confront the inevitable outcome of our consumptive lifestyle, genuine scarcity for which the market has no remedy. Indigenous story traditions are full of these cautionary teachings. When the gift is dishonored, the outcome is always material as well as spiritual. Disrespect the water and the springs dry up. Waste the corn and the garden grows barren. Regenerative economies which cherish and reciprocate the gift are the only path forward. To replenish the possibility of mutual flourishing, for birds and berries and people, we need an economy that shares the gifts of the Earth, following the lead of our oldest teachers, the plants...
As I forage for service berries, I accept that gift from the bush, and then spread that gift with a dish of berries to the neighbor, who makes a pie to share with his friend (who feels to wealthy in food and friendship, that he volunteers at the food pantry) you know how it goes. To name the world in gift, is to feel one’s membership in the web of reciprocity. It makes you happy and it makes you accountable. Conceiving of something as a gift changes your relationship to it in a profound way. Even though the physical make up of the ‘thing’ has not changed.
A wooly knit hat purchased at the store will keep you warm regardless of it’s origin, But it it was hand knit by your favorite auntie, then you are in relationship to that ‘thing’ in a very different way. Your responsible for it, and your gratitude has motive force in the world. You are likely to take much better care of the gift hat, than the commodity hat, because it’s knit of relationships. This is the power of gift thinking.
I imagine that if we acknowledge that everything we consume is the gift of Mother Earth, we would take better care of what we are given. Mistreating a gift has emotional and ethical gravity, as well as ecological resonance. How we think, ripples out to how we behave. If we view these berries, or that coal, or that forest, as property, it can be exploited as a commodity in a market economy. We know the consequences of that. Why then, have we permitted the dominance of economic systems that commodify everything? That create scarcity instead of abundance. That promote accumulation rather than sharing. We’ve surrendered our values to an economic system that actively harms what we love."
– Robin Wall Kimmerer (source)
Tangible Examples of Gift Economics From My Personal Experience
The more time I spend observing the gift thinking of the trees, the bees and the many beings that dwell in-between in action, the more I am compelled to internalize and then act upon the same gift thinking at is inherent in those non-human communities and interactions.
In the past 5 years I have sent over 350 parcels of heirloom seeds to people living in over 40 countries. Most of the time they were just expecting a book to arrive, but I slipped heirloom seeds between the pages of the book as well, other times people have asked me for certain heirloom seeds and I send them the ones they have requested plus several other varieties which serve as beneficial companions plants and in some instances I just feel moved to gift seeds to people and spend both my time and money to get the seeds to them.
Heirloom Seeds are living embryos and ancient living libraries so I take the responsibility of being a steward of these generous beings seriously. As Dr. Robin Kimmerer sussinctly stated above, when we give something that is imbued with the spirit of gratitude and reciprocity, those things have the potential to exponentially multiply each time they exchange hands.
The inherent quality of multiplying when shared that is embodied in beings such as heirloom seeds is something I touched upon in this post:
The Best Investment On Earth, Is Earth
While I was sorting kale seeds I had saved from our garden a few years back I was thinking about how I come across a lot of people who see the spiritual, psychological, emergency preparedness or (at the least) the nutritional value in gardening, but for some reason think it’s not financially viable and use that as an excuse to opt out of even trying. Wh…
The act of saving seed from your heirloom garden crops is an act of love and hope for tomorrow. Not only does this act save one money and ensure food security for one's household (and local community) but, it also offers one the unique sense of satisfaction that comes from the knowing that each successive year seeds are saved the varieties of seeds are becoming more genetically customized (via the natural processes inherent in seeds adapting) to flourish in the specific climate and soils they are being raised in.
Holding the seeds saved from our garden in my hand, I sense the living essence that echos my hard work from the previous season and am gifted the knowing that those efforts will breath life into days yet to come. This is something that brings me great peace, joy and gratitude.
Seeds are little living embryos, housing vast genetic libraries which connect us to our past and offer boundless potential for the future.
When seed saving is combined with act of composting it essentially means you are contributing towards the fabric of an ancient living decentralized sacred economic model.
Such is the power of saving heirloom seeds and investing in the living economy of the Earth with our hands and our hearts. This simple act is an investment that provides exponential gifts in one's life.
Of the many people I have sent seeds, I have now heard back from people that I gifted seeds living all over Turtle Island, in Japan, China, Russia, Mongolia, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, The UK, Scotland, Ireland, Greece, Croatia, France, Morocco, Ethiopia, Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Brazil, Chile, Equator and Nicaragua.
Many of them have enthusiastically shared with me their experiences as a first time gardener, what they learned during their first season (of what not to do next time and what worked well) and shared pics of their first triumphant harvests, homegrown meals and handfuls of seeds saved from their year one crops. They described to me how they had their kids out in the garden working along side of them, how they are excited to share the extra seeds they saved from their first year harvests with family, friends and neighbors. They told me of how that act of saving seed and creating meals with ingredients they grew themselves, they felt hope for the future.
Those kinds of messages I receive are a gift I value beyond any amount of fiat currency. These curious, courageous and determined people with little or no gardening experience dove in and made the conscious decision to honor the gift of the seeds by doing their best to allow them to achieve their true potential (and then they felt compelled to share the resulting abundance with those close to them). That is the Gift Economy in action!
Some specific examples of gift economics in action
After Cassie and James Evan Pilato of Media Monarchy were kind enough to send me a package with a replacement Corbett Report T-shirt which I ordered from their online shop after there was a mix up and then Canada Post disappeared the second package I decided I wanted to share some of the abundance of heirloom seeds I had that year with them. I sent them these seeds from my personal collection.
They then invited me to do the Mounsey Minute segment and have it broadcast into their awesome community of free thinking and intelligent individuals.
check out this link for a list of all my Mounsey Minute segments Thanks to that amazing gift I have been able to connect with (and heard back from) dozens of people that are putting the practical regenerative techniques and recipes I shared in those episodes to good use to enrich their gardens and feed their families and many of them also chose to buy a copy of my book (which I of course filled with heirloom seeds so that they can each continue the cycle of gifts in their local communities). I wanna give a shout out to Media Monarchy members
, , , , and all the other good peoples of the Media Monarchy Kingdom that bought a copy of my book and have been supportive here on Substack! I could not do this work without the support of people like you.Thanks to good people like JEP and Cassie keeping the cycle of gifts in motion, hundreds of people from their community have now subscribed to my newsletter and many of them have written me to tell me how they are putting the practical info I share into action to feed and educate their families. That is the kind of thing that makes this work worth while and nourishes the Gift Economy to flourish far and wide.
I gifted a physical copy of my book Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table to James Corbett (with the help of JEP and Cassie of Media Monarchy) as I quoted him in the book and thought he might enjoy having a physical copy of a book in which he was quoted on his shelf. I did not do so expecting anything in return, but James, being the thoughtful and generous guy that he his, invited me to participate in a Solutions Watch Episode on Regenerative Agriculture.
In the conversation James shared some powerful insights and observations that pertain to gift economics such as how “the current system of industrial agriculture is based on fighting against and trying to tame nature” (which chemicals, monocultures and machines) as opposed to regenerative gardening and regenerative agriculture with recognizes the already inherent abundance in a functioning ecosystem and aligning with it.
and not only that, James was kind enough to offer the following generous review
of my book
“Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way from Seed to Table explores regenerative practices, permaculture, stacking functions, and other very specific and practical information. As the title suggests, it includes plenty of recipes for things that can be made in the kitchen from the things that you're growing in the garden. But it also contains very specific and practical tips for people who are serious about actually weaning themselves off of the industrial food supply, the system feeding us processed chemical gunk that so many of us are stuck on. Its pages suggests processes and practices that help shape your garden into something that's productive and regenerative. It is holistic in every way.”
For those not familiar with his work, James Corbett is an award-winning investigative journalist. James Corbett founded The Corbett Report website in 2007 as an outlet for independent political and societal analysis).
The Corbett Report is an independent, listener-supported alternative news source. It operates on the principle of open source intelligence and provides podcasts, interviews, articles and videos about breaking news and important issues from 9/11 Truth and false flag terror to the Big Brother police state, eugenics, geopolitics, the central banking fraud and more.
I would like to express a huge thank you to Corbett Report members
, “HomeRemedySupply”, “jo-ann”, “mkey”, “Torus”, “JCh129”, “Kelly”, “NohMaskChannel”, “cu.h.j”, “yellowsnakes”, “Slow Cured Anarcho Hippy”, “candlelight”, ,“Voluntaryist”, “mathew100”, , , , Nancy, Thomas, (aka “Al”), , , , , , , Craig, Jessica, , AZ, Julianne, , , , , Stacy, Catríona, , , and all the other Corbeteers I cannot think of at this moment which have either purchased a copy of my book, become a paid subscriber on here and/or showed your support in Corbett Report post threads! Your support, kind words, constructive criticism, inquisitive questions, witty remarks and letters that tell me how the seeds and garden projects are coming along mean a lot to me, they give me hope and determination to keep doing what I do, thank you!I had an exceptional human being (by the name of Ken aka
) reach out to me via email and inquire if I wanted to trade a copy of my book for some of his homemade organic Nova Scotian Oat Cakes.He said he would pay in “non-edible currency” if I preferred that but I said no way! I want edible currency please!
the picture above shows Ken in Kjipuktuk (aka Halifax) in Mi’kma’ki (aka Nova Scotia) reading his copy of my book. Ken was kind enough to share a review on his website stating “This book is my new bible!” Ken later wrote me an email stating:
“In a world where the moral compass seems to have gone missing, it’s refreshing – almost shocking – to discover an author with such a well-rooted sense of direction.
I show my copy of Recipes for Reciprocity to friends and strangers alike.
Response highlights:“A frigging amazing how to…”
“This should be core curriculum in all schools”
“This is such a good book, I want a copy”
No doubt about — Gavin inspires what must be the most important SOC (Self Organizing Community) on the planet today!”
Talk about Gift Economics in action! Ken has helped me connect with dozens of people interested in starting their own Regenerative Gardens and Food Forests in Mi’kma’ki (aka Nova Scotia).
After receiving some of the superb oat cakes he promised I discovered that he and his partner taken the time to print various inspiring, subversive, hopeful, mind opening and wise messages on the backside of the label in each oat cake bag.
Check it out:
They are not only creating delicious oat cakes using locally sourced organic ingredients, they also print empowering, evocative, mind opening, informative, heartening and humorous messages on the otherside of their oat cake wrappers, making them what I would describe as experts in “Guerrilla Marketing”.
Oat Cake People (Ken and his lovely lady) When I ordered another box of their delicious organic oat cakes after that initial transaction and I opened the package and I was honored to discover that an excerpt from my conversation with
was printed on a select number of their packages. Check it out!
Ken’s gift of sharing my writing in his packaging resulted in dozens of people subscribing to my blog and several people buying a copy of my book. This is a beautiful example of how gifts can multiple each time they exchange hands in the gift economy model.
I gifted a bunch of extra rare heirloom, potent medicinal herb and endangered seeds with people I met through the Corbett Report who I felt would be capable of/willing to hive them a chance to them set down roots and achieve their true potential. Many of them wrote me back to share how they are going to save seeds from their resulting harvests and share them in their local community! Here are a couple examples I found particularly heartening.
Brian from Japan (who was featured in the Community Gardens SolutionsWatch Episode of the Corbett Report) wrote me to share how he was able to supply 10 of his neighbors with seeds and how “The Return from Nature is more than any stock, bond or other investment; and better yet, it can be shared.”
from the UK shared about her resolute intent to grow some real food for her family with the seeds, get the kids involved so the knowledge can be gifted onto the next generation.Anders from Norway told me about his plans to grow lots of food, medicine and many seedlings from the seeds in his mountain village to provide a service to help others that cannot grow food for themselves and to provide seedlings/seeds to those that can. Now the seeds I gifted him are able to become part of a local gift economy in Norway. Below is a pic of one of the Scarlett Runner Bean seedlings he had going from the seeds I sent him.
the gifts of the cultures of central america, finding their way to me in the form of runner bean seeds, and then travelling to Norway, where they provide food and beauty in the mountains, what is the kind of reach gift economics can have! I gifted some Malus sieversii apple seeds to some fellow APSO alumni, Permaculture designers that are subscribed to my Substack, Corbett Report members (such as “Torus” and “Julianne”) and local orchardists in my efforts to help that endangered species find a home in areas outside it’s threatened native Kazakhstan habitat and so I could bring life into the sayin that is the title of the post linked below
You can count the seeds in a single apple, but you cannot count the apples in a single apple seed
·
“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.” - Welsh Proverb
a handful of 2nd gen Turtle Island grown Malus sieversii seeds 
Some newly germinated malus sieversii seeds. Both the seeds that produced these seedlings in this pic came from the same fruit. This offers a visual testament to the potential contained within the immense ancient library of genetics that exist in each seed. What strange, tangy, colorful, bitter, mysterious and/or sweet fruit might they produce in their long lives which are yet to be lived? How many generations of children yet unborn will experience joy climbing up the sturdy branches of these trees when they are over one hundred years old, as they watch the million bumblebees that will feed on the nectar of their blossoms each year? What wonderous regionally specific recipes for cider, pies, preserves or treats will those multiple generations of children create with the trees unique fruit when they grow up to be adults? (passing on those recipes and seeds from that tree to their grandchildren one day so they can in turn create their own recipes and abundance for future generations). Such are the blessings and potentials we unlock when we align with the gift economy of nature and work with elder rooted beings such as trees. Over 20 people have written back to me know telling me they had over 90% germination rates with the Malus sieversi seeds I sent them and that they have so many seedlings that they are sharing with others in their community and planning for planting them in community gardens and shared spaces for future generations. Think about all the abundance that those tiny handfuls of seeds will bring to many communities all over. Such is the abundance we unlock when we combine gift economics with seeds saving (and food forest design).
- of Alaska Chaga reached out to me after learning of my work on the Corbett Report and offered to send me some samples of his excellent Chaga products. I accepted his kind gesture to send a gift and also sent him a gift in return of a copy of my book and heirloom seeds for growing in the garden. I am super excited to receive his Chaga and begin creating in the kitchen, and I hope to share more on that in future posts.
Earlier this year, Akiva Silver of Twisted Tree Farm (and Author of “Trees of Power”) heard about my efforts to regenerate endangered Carolinian Forest Habitat and create Community Food Forests and he gifted me well over a hundred stratified (ready to germinate) Shagbark Hickory seeds.
from Akiva’s book “Trees Of Power” I followed the advice in his book and built air pruning beds for them (little portable ones in my case) and the seeds, rooted and leafed out beautifully.
After letting them grow for the season I recently on boxed them from the air pruning beds and separated them to find they had developed beautiful fibrous roots extending off of the intact thick tap roots.
I provided more details and pics on that in this note:
I now have over 80 healthy Shagbark Hickory seedlings that will be going to community food forest projects and Carolinian Forest Regeneration projects locally thanks to Akiva’s gift to me.
In the spirit of giving back to the living Earth, giving to the 7th generation down the line and beginning to regenerate the food forests of southern Ontario, I have donated several of those seedlings to a group interested in regenerating the forest here. I was honored to be invited to help plant some of those seedlings as part of a Community Food Forest project recently. I intend on planting many more next year as part of that same project and similar projects locally. I am grateful be part of efforts to plant seeds for the 7th generation that will come after us so they can have access to an abundance of food and medicine. I hope to be able to share more information from that project when I am able.
As my way of keeping the cycle of gifts in motion I sent him these Pawpaw seeds saved from our biggest fruit from our 2024 harvest
some pawpaw fruit and seeds from our 2024 harvest 
Pawpaw seeds I sent to Akiva Silver to share with his community through his excellent nursery/farm I also highly recommend Akiva’s book and his nursery for it’s high quality content and seeds/seedlings that were grown and/or collected with love (and in living soils).
If you are in the state of New York or the surrounding area and are looking for good quality tree and shrub seedlings to enrich your garden or design food forest, I suggest checking out the Twisted Tree Nursery website:
I gifted Goji Berry seeds and seedlings with a local farmer so that he and his family could have a heavy producing and nutrient dense crop that is resilient added to their repertoire and now he is growing an entire row of them, shared 10 pounds of his harvest with me and will be providing fresh Ontario Grown Goji Berries to people in our local community so they do not have to buy them from China anymore. For more on the immense potential of Goji berries, read this, and this.
When I make fermented and canned preserve recipes (like the sauce I shared pics of in this note) one of the things I love about it is that I can give bottles/jars of these as gifts to neighbors, family and friends with packages of pepper seeds saved from my garden, so that when they taste the vibrant nutrient dense sauce they will be inspired to plant the seeds so they can grow their own ingredients for next year. Those people then go on to make their own sauce, save seeds from their peppers and share them and the ripple effects of abundance, health, resilience and poetry for the senses exponentially expand outwardly.
I also like to do this with Elderberry preserves, which offers the potential for even more exponential abundance to be unlocked via gift economics as each seed can produce a shrub that can live for decades producing hundreds of pounds of anthocyanin rich berries for making medicine.
In this way, the recipes in my book can serve as additional vectors for gift economics to ripple out into communities when people save seed, make the preserves and share both as gifts :)
Many people have written be back to share how they are now creating their own hot sauces and preserves with the crops that resulted from the seeds I sent them and they are also sharing seeds they saved from their own gardens to perpetuate the abundance locally.
I purchased this beautiful handmade sweetgrass basket with a cross section of the heart of a black walnut woven into the bottom from a “lost arts” festival the other day.
The sweetgrass aroma is intoxicating and uplifting but I found the fact that the weaver (Nancy Hager) grows and/or foraged for 99% of the materials to make it locally even more uplifting.
She teaches young people about the art of weaving natural materials into pieces of art and practical containers at the John R. Park Homestead and so I told her that I wanted to thank her for offering that sacred service to future generations by gifting her some heirloom seeds from my garden. In return she offered to gift me some sweetgrass rhizomes from her weaving garden and tips on how I can make my own baskets in time.
Such are the blessings we receive when we embrace the gift economy and share the abundance that nature provides when we align with her regenerative capacity in our gardens.
I have the beautiful art she created and a container to hold special stones and other sacred objects in a place I meditate, she has heirloom seeds (some of which she will be able to use to naturally dye her weaving materials to increase the beauty of her future art) and I will now have sweetgrass in our garden and endeavor to learn to weave my own baskets (which I will in turn gift to others, inevitably filled with heirloom seeds)
Last but not least (thanks to another one of the many gifts James Corbett shares with the world through the community of people he facilitates connecting in the comments section on his website) I became aware of a community of people in Brazil that have been living intentionally, with love with reverence and in connection with the Living Earth at a place called Source Temple. Their devotion to embrace the “Life as Art” philosophy (creating their dwellings, food and choosing to interact with others in a way that imbues each of those things with the sacred) inspired me to offer them the gift of heirloom seeds for their community.
One of their community members expressed their gratitude and willingness to accept the gift, so I sent this bundle of seeds and a digital copy of my book and she has been sending me updates on how the seeds, seedlings and mature plants have been doing in their community garden since then.
After sharing the pics above showing her progress in cultivating the seeds last year she wrote to tell me how “The peppers are absolutely flourishing, the tulsi is absolutely thriving. We use it for everything, especially in our pizzeria, for the margarita pizza (as a delicious addition to the basil)” and that “your book is a treasure of knowledge about the plants and how to use them!”. She also said how “It's great to see as everyone settles into their new space, all the planting that IS happening. People I never thought would be digging in the soil, are asking me about plants and for gardening advice. We are all turning into gardeners :) It is a wonderful process.”
She noted that “By far the plants that are thriving the most are the tulsi's. They are lush, vibrant, and continuing to give more and more sprouts. We all LOVE them, not just for teas, but for seasonings.”
and she wrote me back more recently to share how they are planting out a second generation of the seeds now in a new expanded garden space! Check it out:
So now they are scaling up their cultivation of food and medicine plants for their community, sharing nutritious and flavorful meals, learning how to garden together and saving seeds for expanding their gardens, sharing locally and re-planting in the years ahead. What a beautiful expression of Gift Economics in action. I want to express a big thank you and much love to Mirabai of the Source Temple and all the other community members there that are honoring the sacred through and living in a way that sends out the ripples of love, abundance and hope into the world.
Composting as a powerful leverage point in nurturing the gift economy
When we compost and cultivate a regenerative food garden we are investing in an ancient 'gift economy'. This gift economy involves countless species that offer their own unique gifts (which serve to benefit their fellow beings) and in doing so everyone has access to abundance. It is an ancient and reliable 'living economy' that has allowed for the prosperity and unfolding of countless species that depend on the living soils. This method of exchange (made up of myriad symbiotic relationships between different organisms in nature) could be described as a "soil stockmarket" (in which we deposit and withdraw highly valuable units of 'currency'). We can invest in this "soil stockmarket" (or living gift economy) through mulching and composting. Seeds can be invested into this market in the form of a "soil-seed-bank". When we save seed and allow heirloom crops to seed themselves (mulching and building soil year after year like a forest does) we create a living soil-seed-bank that offers us a return on our investment year after year in the form of nutritious and delicious food.
Composting is a means of teaming up with ancient organisms and natural cycles to align with the abundance inherent in any mature ecosystem. Combine that with saving seed and you have a solid way of increasing food security and resilience in challenging times. Investing in this 'living economy of nature' is also a way to give our time and energy to ensure future generations will be able to enjoy the same health and abundance we have access to.
Gratitude as a gift we can give in any and all situations:
“Gratitude propels the recognition of the personhood of all beings and challenges the fallacy of human exceptionalism—the idea that we are somehow better, more deserving of the wealth and services of the Earth than other species. Practicing contentment is a radical act in a consumption-driven society.
Gratitude is our first, but not our only gift. We are storytellers, music makers, (gardeners), devisers of ingenious machines, healers, scientists, and lovers of an Earth who asks that we give our own unique gifts on behalf of life. Let us live in a way that Earth will be grateful for us.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer
I feel grateful to have been able to directly experience the innate abundance that is implicit in a Gift Economy recently. I shared some heirloom super hot chili seeds with a couple I met last year when they told me they loved spicy food and totally forgot about it until about a week ago when they dropped off a 5 gallon bucket filled with glorious radiant organically grown heirloom chilis. Such is the way that gifts move when we align our time, energy and resources with the forces of nature and share the abundance we are gifted with others with an open heart.
We do not have a lot of land to grow food on so our pepper production is limited but the people who I gifted the seeds to have lots of space to grow. They cultivated more than they would need and knowing how I love to create with hot peppers in the kitchen gifted an abundance of fresh chilis to me, their neighbors and shared seeds with many.
The gift that was given without the expectation of reciprocation apparently planted a 'seed' of the feeling that we can all share with each other freely when we have more than we need for ourselves. This feeling/knowing spread, potentiated by the act of caring for the living soil and exponentially multiplied by the act of sharing the resulting abundance with more people still.
These peppers that returned to me as part of a never ending circle of gifts (expanding in all directions) so I saved hundreds of seeds (which I will share with dozens more people). Knowing the people who gifted me these beautiful peppers enjoy hot sauce with many of their meals we chose to roast the peppers over the camp fire to make three different hot sauces. We gave them three different bourbon infused camp fire roasted hot sauces and shared the remaining abundance of sauce with many others (including some who got the seeds so they can know what the seeds are capable of producing). Now the endless cycle of gifts continues to flow.
I invite you to join in and nurture gift economies to grow and thrive where you live. Each handful of seeds, each tid-bit of encouragement, each hopeful smile to a stranger, each random act of kindness and each act of courage in the face of a system without empathy is an act that nurtures a gift economy to grow and thrive.
In doing so we are investing our time in giving back to and learning from the more than human Gift Economy that has existed all around us for eons and we embark on a path to attaining True Wealth.
True Wealth ; (as I define it) refers to the degree of which one is self-sustaining, living sustainably (or better yet living regeneratively) and to the degree of which one has established a lasting symbiotic relationship with the land one lives on. It also means being immune to parasitic entities that seek to draw us into debt slavery. Beyond those physical defining perimeters it is also defined by the measure of which one feels happy and at peace inwardly (truly illusive states of being for many currently on Earth, "rich" and "poor" alike). Unlike material wealth (which is temporary and cannot provide lasting happiness) True Wealth is permanent and nurtures lasting happiness. It is more about the measure of how much one gives and shares, and less about what one acquires, takes, or hoards.
The gift of True Wealth is found in the years, lasting fulfillment and health which is added to our lives when we care for the land we live on (and those who we share it with). Lasting fulfillment is found in savoring those precious moments that are given to us each time we stop to appreciate the "little things". It is the gift we give ourselves when we choose to use our time on earth to help things grow and nurture them to achieve their highest potential.
"The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness. Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart." - Robin Wall Kimmerer (Author of "Braiding Sweetgrass")
Each time you make a choice that nourishes, respects and enriches her, you are nourishing, respecting and enriching yourself... and each time you make a choice that degrades, harms and pillages her, you are degrading, harming and pillaging yourself.
She is more than just your Earth Mother, for unlike a human mother, the Earth will provide everything you need to live, thrive and experience joy since the moment you are born to the moment you go back to her. She gives you the air you breath, the water you drink, the food you eat, she gave you the calcium that is in your bones and the iron that is in your red blood cells (which flow through your heart, even now).. she shares the indescribable beauty of her art work to nourish your soul and the calming rhythm of her eternal heart beat to let you know you are safe and you are loved.
The following is another excerpt from the Regenerating Communities and Nurturing The “Gift Economy” chapter of my book (Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table).
Some of the most beautiful gifts that embody the spirit of hope, kindness, joy and good will are those gifts that you arrived with when you chose to come to this world and live the human life you are living now. These gifts are inside you, they are unique to you and you possess them so that you can engage in the sacred task of sharing those gifts with this world.
When you take time to look inward, discover your unique gifts and then imagine a way you can use your gifts to nurture other beings to achieve their highest potential, give back to the living planet that gives to much to us and create things that express the essence of your spirit manifested in physical form and/or poetry for the senses, you are giving the most valuable gifts in this universe. No one else can share the same gifts that you can (in the same way you have the potential to share them with).
We approach a tipping point. As it is with a great storm that uproot the mightiest of trees there will inevitably come a time when the light shines down on the rich fertile Earth where it had not reached for many years, and the seeds that have been sown or lay dormant there will awaken and spring forth with new found energy and purpose.
Many claim to seek a path to peace, unity and the bringing about of a new paradigm for mankind while waiting for others to do the groundwork so that they can find sturdy footing. In truth, we are the architects and sculptors of the path we find laid before our feet. Not only our actions, but also the thoughts and emotions we choose as individuals are what shapes what will become our shared experience on Earth. For this world we share is influenced by more than just physical stimuli. Thus, the thoughts, emotions and perspectives we choose to hold within can also be gifts that we consciously share in our contribution to a gift economy.
You chose to be here on Earth in this particular time (and critical stage in the unfolding of humanity) because you are resilient, courageous, capable of transmuting pain into wisdom, radiating light from within to make the darkness flee and serving as an exemplar to help those who are ready to also become catalysts for a metamorphosis. This is a time where each human is being given the opportunity to choose to embody the template for a new civilization. With the knowledge, skills and awareness we now possess, we are able to begin utilizing our innate abilities as human beings to align fully with the syntrophic forces of nature.
So now you see, the gifts we can share are myriad and the only thing holding them back is fear and ego. We can become a living gift that offers service to all of creation and in doing so bring meaning, purpose, beauty and abundance into our lives here as well. We can sow the seeds for a gift economy and regenerate our communities by sharing these gifts each day with grace, strength, courage, wisdom and love.
You are the sowers of the seeds of change and the remediators of humanity's collective consciousness. You are the gardeners that sow the seeds of hope, truth, healing, remembrance, kindness, respect, solidarity, gift economics and compassion (even in the midst of the cold winter winds) having faith these seeds will germinate and their roots take hold when the time is right.
Go forth now and find the others, it is time to embody the template for that which will be and cut our ties to that which was.
Now is the time for us to give thanks for all she gives to us and remember that we each came here with our own unique gifts that we can use to reciprocate and provide the medicine this world and her inhabitants need now. Look within to remember your gifts and go forth now to share them with the world. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
For those looking to source out regeneratively grown (non-gmo) heirloom seeds or seedlings for planting and contributing to nurturing a local gift economy, I put together the following resource:
Regenerative Gardening Seed/Seedling/Tree Sources 2024
Hello everyone! It is seed starting and garden planning season for us in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere so I have compiled a list of what I consider to be trustworthy heirloom seed companies and nurseries for those looking to start, expand or diversify an existing garden this year.
I know times are tough for many right now due to government scams and oligarch chicanery deflating the value of our currency and exponentially increasing grocery/energy bill costs I am currently offering a limited time 50% off sale on Annual Paid Subscriptions to my newsletter.
I am doing this so that getting access to the heirloom seed bonus offer I describe in this post (which can be turned into exponentially increasing amounts of nutrient dense food and medicine year after year) is more affordable for those going through tough times and also so those that want to support my educational, ecological regeneration and heirloom seed protection endeavors can do so in a way that may be more manageable at this point in time.
The link to the 50% off annual paid sub sale can be found below:
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/882a866a
The above annual paid subscription offer holiday heirloom seed bundle package that comes with each new annual paid subscriber can opt to receive. It is called the The Seven Sisters.
The ancient traditional Three Sisters Guild of Turtle Island’s horticulturally adept indigenous peoples has many variations based on the particular region, time frame and peoples applying the companion planting technique. This Seven Sisters version is one of the variations I have found to be great for producing a balanced nutrient dense diet of corn, beans and squash, while also simultaneously, attracting/nourishing native pollinators as well as beneficial predator insects with echinacea, anise hyssop, sunflowers and holy basil.
The ‘supplementary sisters’ not only feed our winged friends nectar (resulting in better pollination rates for our other crops and providing them a sanctuary to weather the manmade nectar deserts and killing chemical fields our native pollinators have to contend with due to Big Ag) they also each provide their own medicine and food for the human body. I also like to sometimes substitute either a tall Amaranth variety, or a tall sunflower variety for corn in the Three sisters guild (depending on soil, climate type, dietary goals/preferences and seed availability in a particular garden design) so I have lots of Hopi Red Amaranth and Hopi Black Sunflower seeds available should those who are receiving the seed set prefer those over corn.
I grow each of these in my garden not only for the nutrition, medicine and pollinator benefits but also because of the beauty these rooted beings bring into my life in the form of poetry for the senses. Thus, the Seven Sisters not only nourishes the body, mind, soil and local ecology, but also the soul.
Thus, these seeds offer many gifts to humans and non-humans to build up the gift economy in your yard, your community and in your heart.
I want to express a huge thanks to everyone that is helping support my work in preserving and sharing heirloom seeds like these through your generous donations as a paid subscriber.
The act of saving seed from your heirloom garden crops is an act of love and hope for tomorrow. Not only does this act save a person money and ensure food security for a person household (and local community) but, it also offers a person the unique sense of satisfaction that comes from the knowing that each successive year seeds are saved the varieties of seeds are becoming more genetically customized (via the natural processes inherent in seeds adapting) to flourish in the specific climate and soils they are being raised in.
Each time we save and share seeds (and share the resulting abundance of crops) we are taking steps towards divesting from/boycotting centralized food and monetary systems which are corrupt and do much harm to the Earth and our collective future.
Therefore, one of the the most powerful forms of peaceful resistance we can engage in these times of government overreach, pharmaceutical tyranny and corporate corruption begins with a handful of seeds and some tlc.
Mother earth has her arms outstretched and hands open inviting us to embrace her as our ancestors did to find strength and grace in challenging times through reciprocity and symbiosis. We can create oases of health, resilience, and abundance in each of our communities.. we can become the solution, break from dependence on centralized systems and help others to do the same. It begins with the soil and the seeds.
With the right knowledge, a little practice and some tlc you will be able to perpetuate the cycle of garden abundance, honor our ancestors, engage in reciprocity with Mother Earth and have extra crops and seeds to share with others, thus sending out regenerative ripple effects into the world around you and building up the Gift Economy where you live.
If we combine Regenerative Agroforestry (Food Forest design) with seed saving (and seed sharing) we can create such overwhelming abundance and resilience in each of our communities that we will no longer be susceptible to the economic warfare tactics of the plutocracy and we will plant the roots for a way of living that will render their centralized parasitic systems obsolete so we can one day leave them behind.
Such is the power of saving (and sharing) heirloom seeds, learning from the genius of Creator’s design that is embodied in a functioning ecosystem and investing in the living economy of the Earth with our hands and our hearts. This simple act is an investment that provides exponential gifts in one's life (and in one’s community).
Give a person a basket full of fresh veggies and he can eat for a day, give a person a copy of Recipes For Reciprocity : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table and a handful of heirloom seeds and they can not only feed themselves for a lifetime, but also send out ripple effects of abundance, resilience and hope into their local community (through sharing seeds and knowledge so others can do the same).
Given that I take the reader all the way from a handful of seeds, to planting them, tending, harvesting, preserving, composting, seed saving and perpetuating the cycle, Recipes For Reciprocity : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table is an excellent gift as it is in essence a fractal seed that aligns with the inherent gift economics and regenerative capacity of the Earth. When planted within a fertile mind, that seed can unlock a great many gifts which are accessible throughout one’s entire lifetime.
Each copy of my book purchased between now and dec 24th will have heirloom seeds saved from my garden slipped between the pages so that the reader will not only have the knowledge but also the living seeds to get started investing in the living Gift Economy of the Earth.
For those that missed it, I am offering a limited time 40% discount on the digital (ebook) version of Recipes For Reciprocity : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table and a 20% discount on physical copies of my book (from now until December 24th).
The limited time offer discount code for both is:
the gift that keeps on giving
Gavin. I am so humbled to see my name mentioned in your piece (a few times). I want you to know ho much it means to me.....truly!!! I agree with Mary. You are an inspiration. You motivated me to start a garden this year, ferment food, read and learn, consider things I haven't considered before, and truly look at who I am and how I envision the very best version of myself. My garden was a success. We had more than we could use and shared when people were will to be shared with. I had no idea people were so resistant to being given things. It still has me baffled. We shared with several different restaurants, friends, neighbors and herbalists. I saved some seeds and saw wildlife in my garden I've never seen before. The Runner beans brought in the hummingbirds by the dozens and the sunflowers, goldfinch. I learned about the bugs and watched my little ecosystem flourish. I felt a connection and a sense of satisfaction I havent felt in a long time. My family just wants to say thank you. I'm so happy our paths intersected. I do have seeds for YOU. They're all dried and ready to be sent. I just need an address. I'll email you soon and get then on the way. Be well my friend.
There are so many gems in here, Gavin. I need to delve back into your book this winter. I loved seeing the food forest in Atlanta! Imagine if all the city parks did this...minus the pesticides. I am an eternal optimist, thanks to my Sagittarian sun. I think we will see more and more of this in the coming years.
On the other side, my heart just caved reading about the level of deforestation that has happened where you live. One of the main reasons I ended up in New Hampshire was that it's second only to Maine regarding the amount of forest. That being said, not much of it is old growth. I always try to imagine what that would have been like back in the day. There are a few grandmother/grandfather White Pines and Hemlocks in the woods where I live. They take my breath away.
Thanks for all that you do to educate all of us, Gavin. Happy Solstice, from your Nature Sister to the south. 🌲🌲🌲XO