126 SECRETS OF SHAMANISMmoccasins, robes, and everything needed for living. By giv-
ing away what they had, they reaped even greater rewards.
From the shamanic perspective, giving away always
begets increase in the form of power. Native Americans take
their example from the spirit world. When the spirit world
gives, it benefits by becoming even more powerful. So the
rule here is that the more you are able to give, the more
powerful you will become. It does not matter that you are
able to give only a little bit to start with. Each offering in-
creases your power little by little until you have a large
enough store to make significant changes in the world.
In general, shamans do not charge for their services but
are pleased to get a donation as a kind of exchange from
those who can afford to do so. Now, the truth of the matter is
that shamans are often rather well-off members of their com-
munities who never go hungry for lack of means. They are
usually repaid handsomely for their many services in the
form of livestock, grain, clothing, and utensils. Historically
they have lived in societies whose economy supports this
form of exchange.
The challenge for people today is learning how to apply
this principle of giveaway in a modern nonshamanic culture
that does not operate from these rules. This means under-
standing and operating according to the spirit of giveaway
and not necessarily according to the typical ways shamans
have practiced it.
First of all, giveaway does not just apply to material
things, but to many other qualities of life. When you give
away your love, you increase love returned to you. When
you give away your time, people make time for you. When
you give away your attention, you gain the attention of
others. When you delegate authority, you become a greater
leader.
When it comes to money or possessions, in our culture it
is not a good practice to give away more than your means,
because die economy will not support you if you do. There-
fore a good rule of thumb is to give "some" money or goods
away that you can afford to give away on a regular basis.
This should feel good to you and not cause you great dis-
comfort or fear. It is good, however, to stretch a bit in order
to increase your capacity for giving things away. If you do,
following the example of the spirit world, you will always
increase your supply of money or possessions.