“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” �Howard Thurman
The Service Trap
That energy can affect the receivers as well. The unspoken but active emotional vibrations of resentment and exhaustion can reinforce, within the receivers, subtle feelings of unworthiness as they sense that having their needs met is an inconvenience to others.
Suzanne Eder
Over the years I’ve worked with many clients who are in career transition, or who are retiring from their careers and want to create a fulfilling next chapter in their lives. Not surprisingly, I tend to attract people on a spiritual path who want to deepen their understanding of creation and manifestation from the perspective of Spirit. They want to learn more about how Spirit - the vast, infinitely loving, intelligent and powerful aspect of who we are that exists in nonphysical realms - is expressed physically through the lens of our individual and collective human consciousness. More often than not, when these beautiful, spiritual people come to me during a career transition, they seek to find paid or volunteer work through which they can be of service in the world. When that intention arises from an awareness of who they really are, it’s a recognition of the joy that Spirit wants to experience through them, as them. It reflects delight in sharing their gifts with others. Yet a similarly stated intention can arise from a totally different place. It can arise from guilt, which reflects a misunderstanding of who they – and others - really are, and that guilt spawns an obligation to serve. Giving from obligation is a contradiction of terms and, more fundamentally, a contradiction of energy. The energy of giving, which is at the heart of true service, is lifeenhancing Source energy expressing its fullness, its creativity and its generosity. The energy of guilt is a depressive, heavy energy which can be only be activated when we aren’t in harmony with who we really are.
This is one of the many reasons why I believe it’s important that we understand the implications – and creative power - of our vibrational nature. When we view ourselves as purely physical beings in a physical universe, we rely solely on physical action to accomplish results. But the effects can only be temporary until we understand that consciousness is the primary driver of all physical effects. And our consciousness reflects our awareness – or relative lack thereof – of who we really are. Here is an example of how a lack of awareness of who we really are might play out in the arena of service, in this case the giving and receiving between two people: Let’s say I am unaware of myself as an extension of Source and therefore believe I am unworthy. The vibration of that belief will not be in harmony with the ideas, opportunities and natural support that would otherwise reflect my worthiness. On a physical level I may have unmet needs. If you, too, are unaware of yourself - and others - as extensions of Source, yet your physical needs are met, you may start believing in something as capricious as luck. Unaware of your own worthiness, you could feel guilty about your seemingly random good fortune and give to me out of a sense of obligation.
Providing service out of guilt-induced obligation often results in feelings of exhaustion and resentment in the providers, yet they keep pushing themselves to give out of that same sense of obligation.
If you continued giving from that place, you would tire yourself because you’re disconnected from your true Source of energy and inspiration. If I continued receiving from that place, I would remain disconnected from my own Source of energy and inspiration through my ongoing false belief in unworthiness.
What they don’t fully realize is that their feelings of resentment and exhaustion may not be real from a physical perspective, but they are nonetheless very real from an energetic perspective. And the energy of those feelings diminishes their health and vitality.
The immediate giving and receiving of physical support would of course be needed, welcomed and appreciated, but if it doesn’t also stimulate a shift in self-awareness and self-belief, the vibrational patterns of our
12
www.livingwellmagazine.net
September 2019
— continued on next page
