Universal Exchange

Giving and Receiving

Two years ago I started offering some classes and courses with a pay-what-you-can payment system. It has been an eye-opening experience. Some regular clients were taken aback and some were instantly accepting. One person called me and demanded that I “stand up for what I’m worth”.

It took some explaining but this person did come around to the idea of universal exchange, equivalence in commerce and a new perspective giving and receiving. Universal exchange is a metaphysical term that I first came across in Spiritualism scenarios where donations were the only opportunity to pay for a service or thing.

The donation (I’m hard pressed to avoid using air quotes here) would be considered a fair universal exchange. Sometimes the donation amount would be suggested and other times it was left up to the individual.

Each person was trusted to weigh the value of the service or the thing from their perspective, in addition to keeping in mind what comfortable amount of money they consider appropriate for them to spend at the time. The money would be offered with no questions asked and there is the rub for some people.

The donation offered was accepted without question. It was offered in integrity and it was accepted in trust that the offering had been weighed sufficiently for its value to the donor.

It is very subjective and that is what makes it so hard for people raised in capitalism to accept. Especially todays ground down form of capitalism; one that requires the absolute knowledge that you are indeed getting the lowest price for a service or a thing. This has led to a world knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde.

In spite of the possible confusion I felt very comfortable offering some of my classes and courses at a pay-what-you-can format. I find it has allowed everyone involved in those transactions to give second thought to first, their own means and secondly, to thoughtful consideration of what the value of the offering is to them. Leaving me to accept what is and trust in divine reckoning where receiving is concerned.

I have in the past tried to use what is generally called barter; an exchange of goods for a service or an exchange of goods for artwork, which wasn’t too successful. This is largely because, at that time anyway, people weren’t open to being denied the exchange and bartering left them choosing to be offended.

Cash is pretty universal in its use, whereas offering a set of handmade dishes is only useful if you need them. The important thing with the bartering aspect of universal exchange is choosing to enter into a transaction with an open mind and heart on both sides no matter what is being offered and accepted as payment.

Each party needs to hold compassion for the best outcome. Bartering often means having a conversation or bartering (bickering) for an agreed upon ‘price’. This is a widely held belief and many people relish the concept especially at the ubiquitous American yard sale.

The Universal Exchange I’m talking about is done in a higher octave; a high state of mind with genuine thought for value and not the goal of the lowest price. I call the lowest price goal the WalMart mindset; one that has brainwashed the entire population of this beautiful globe into forgetting that earnest people make things, and loving people do things that hold a genuine value that cannot be reduced without sacrifice.

I don’t want to transact with others and ask for a sacrifice. I teach that intention is everything and ones integrity is the foundation for all intention. This is a core tenet in Universal Exchange.

Trusting that someone has made a donation or payment with the highest intention and the highest integrity is key to manifesting abundance for my part. If an offer is not of the highest intention and integrity then the offering party is creating a karmic situation. I trust that implicitly and I am just an observer in that regard.

It requires a Huge change in the current group mind, the collective, but I feel that Universal Exchange will eventually be understood and adopted on a wider scale. As St. Germain has said, In Time and On Time. Which may have you, dear reader, asking why bring this whole subject up? Self-worth? Karma? A little of both and also about Balance and Giving and Recieving, in the big picture, the soul journey.

With Universal Exchange there is no need to posture and stand up for what you are worth because it is not about self-worth. It is about what something is worth to you and making an offer in integrity without dwelling on what others pay (because value of a thing/service is a personal choice) or worrying that you may be looked down upon (it doesn’t matter what others think) and ultimately your worth is not tied to the exchange in any way!, for either party.

When I offer a pay-what-you-can opportunity I know my worth is not determined by the amount of currency or exchange I take in. My worth is determined by me and only me and has nothing to do with Universal Exchange transactions.

Looking at Universal Exchange from another perspective consider what is actually being exchanged when there is a free offer or a complimentary service. There is an exchange of energy of some kind and it can really vary, but there is an exchange.

In todays social media world your data is the exchange you give for using a free service of ANY social media platform and in this particular case there is no standardization and it must be said, usually not equal in exchange. I offer free meditations on my web site and what I get in exchange is a hit on my web site which in turn helps my algorithm and moves me up the charts, so to speak. This is not spoken of on the free meditations page but that is the ultimate exchange.

Money, an action or service, IS energy. The Law of Conservation states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed. That law is the spine of Universal Exchange whether one is paying a set amount of money or choosing a variable amount of money based on capability and personal value combined.

In the later form Universal Exchange cannot be standardized and it cannot be centralized. It truly is Universal if it is accepted as true value determined by donor, by the recipient. Universal means relating to All no matter what shape or form it arrives in. Engaging in Universal Exchange requires radical acceptance and engenders tremendous freedom for both parties, but it is still challenging in todays marketplace.

Sure I have had some people pay nothing in my unusual pay-what-you-can scheme. Trust is key in this situation. I trust that they will pay it forward, in some way and I don’t have to know what that is! Balance is the natural state; harmony will be achieved eventually.

If they don’t pay it forward and intend to use the opportunity to take advantage of me then it is their karma they will have to deal with, which will not be denied. I trust in the mechanism of giving and receiving and in the meantime I will continue to experiment with pay-what-you-can Universal Exchange dharma in the New Earth.

Embrace the Mystery