There is a clearing in your mind where stands a tree. And it glows and shimmers. It shines of the light of flame, yes; but also of love and generosity. It bears the wondrous fruits of giving. Of sacrifice. Of purpose. It calls to those whose heart is in need of a give-away. And it calls to those who thirst for the meaning of true gifting. Not just hands reaching out for things, but souls reaching across time to touch each other's desire for intangible fulfillment.
Come to this clearing.
Reach.
Give.
Be filled, in love.
Bring your heartfelt anonymous gifts to be left at the 2008 Transformus Giving Tree. If there is a story behind the gift, how it came into your life, what it meant to you, share it in a note that will carry that meaning and energy to the recipient.
Take a gift, if it calls.
Be joyous in gratitude,
for gratitude is the mother of blessing.
The Transformus version is loosely based on the Native American ritual of the Giveaway (or the Potlatch, depending on tribe), it goes something like this:
We ask that Mysterians bring something special from their lives that they are ready to part with. Whatever it is, it should have a story attached to it, and it should be something personal. Large or small, handcrafted or manufactured, no matter - but you must be ready to part with it, no strings attached. Take the time to gift wrap this object. Inside the wrapping, write a few words about what this special artifact means to you - where it came from, what experiences you had with it, and perhaps - but not necessarily - why it is time to give it away. This note can be as short as a poem or as long as a novel... what matters is that you impart some of the magic of the gift's story unto the recipient, thus transforming it from mere discarded object into magical artifact. Now, that that's all said and done, make sure to bring it with you!
After you arrive at Transformus take your GiveAway up the hill to the Medicine Wheel/ Giving Tree., you may at any time bring your gift to the Giving Tree, and lay it down. In the years to come, as the Tree grows strong, you may hang your gift in her branches...this year, we ask that you place your gift at the base of the tree within the Wheel. There will be many gifts there, all anonymous, all nicely wrapped, and all - like your own - with their own stories attached. If you feel drawn to something, take it. If not, come back later. Or not. But do bring a gift, and see for yourself: the magic of the giveaway is real!
Transformus is already so many things to so many people: an arts festival, a jam fest, a place to learn, a place to grow, a place to indulge fantasy, a place to perform to an appreciative audience -- somehow, a gathering of people that share a common bond -- and yet that bond, while easily intuited, eludes simple articulation.
But lets try, and in doing so, put forth a theory. If we were to capture that common bond and define it, if we were to make a daring guess, it might sound a little like this:
confused? good. me too. so lets start out with the terms:
Transformus's way of drawing out the gifts of its participants is to enforce a strict economic blockade on the premises. That is, ABSOLUTELY NO EXCHANGE OF MONIES IS ALLOWED ON THE GROUNDS FOR THE DURATION OF THE FESTIVAL. fine, call us Gift Nazis. We've been called worse. But now that the boom's been lowered on you, what are you gonna do about it? Well, try starting with a visit to the Giving Tree.
the value of a gift is enhanced by its velocity. In otherwords, a gift kept too long becomes dead property, an asset notation on a ledger. A gift that is given again is alive -- its story continually evolving, its magic constantly renewed.
A gift is always wrapped. What in life compares to the wonder and surprise of unwrapping gifts!?!? The wrapper is ideally the giver.
A gift is given without strings attached, period. Any less, and you are bartering, not giving. A string is a demand (or at the very least an expectation) for reciprocation.
A gift should never be given in the same condition you received it. It begs to be modified, toyed with, augmented, combined. This can be as simple as removing a new toy from its wasteful packaging and pre-loading it with fresh batteries. As simple as writing a heartfelt inscription into the inside cover of a special book. As radical as welding new gemstones onto a family heirloom bracelet. At the very least, augment your gift with a story. See point 5, below.
A gift should always come with a story attached. This is the story of its origins, and how it came into the hands of the giver, and why it is now moving into the hands of the recipient.
Gifting is about letting go.
Gifting is about grace -- the grace of giving more than you think you have, then discovering your own hidden reserve; recover and repeat PRN.
Receiving is about grace -- the grace of receiving the unwanted object with a smile, and finding a useful purpose for it in the world -- if not in yours, then in someone elses.
Commit random acts of gifting. You'll find so many of lifes amazing surprises await you.
Gifting forms lasting relationships. A gift is a bridge between two people. It is a touchstone of memory for a moment, a feeling, an experience.
Gifting has no rules. So find YOUR inner gift, stop reading, and start gifting today!
Lifes journey is about finding out what your own special gift is, and learning, through practice, the absolute best way to give that gift out to the world. So, what's yours? Remember: practice makes perfect!