Principle: Generosity of Spirit

What this means in practice

Everything here is free, always. Membership is free and comes from affirming the Commitments. Giving is voluntary and leaves everyone's place here exactly as it is. Every door here is already open to everyone.

In practice, this means the library, Ask the Commons, and the gatherings are open to you in full, always. The tools are open. Conversations are open. The Commitments are open. If you choose to give, you give to keep the doors open for everyone, and your place here stays exactly as it was.

It also means generosity flows in both directions. You give your attention to others in Conversations. You give your time as a volunteer or a Circle Host. You give your prayers and hopes to Shared Intentions. These gifts stand free of any measure or rank. They are simply gifts.

A passage

When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

Source: The Bible (King James Version), Deuteronomy 24:19, 1611

A question to sit with

What would it mean to give without keeping track of what comes back?

A practice to try

Give one thing today, freely, with the giving itself as the whole of it. A kind word, a moment of attention, a passage from the library shared with someone who needs it. Keep it to yourself. Notice what it feels like to give unseen.