Sharing Your Gifts

In this guided reflection, you will go out into nature with Liz and discover the gifts that surround you. Then you will be gently asked to discover what your gifts are in the world and what you are being called to share. Nature is a wonderful teacher allow her to show you the way.

Transcript

Hello and welcome.

My name is Liz Scott and you join me outdoors in a meadow on Dartmoor in the southwest of England.

And this meadow is beautiful.

It's got bluebells creating a haze of blue through the fresh green of the grasses.

And through the grasses there are ferns which are like a lime green unfurling their way through the grass.

And peppered through the grasses are yellow buttercups.

And they're partially closed.

This is evening and we've had a rainstorm today and it's a little bit overcast but there's a watery sun shining through illuminating the field.

And we're joined by the birds.

And I've come outdoors because I feel a real sense of wanting to express my gratitude and also to explore gifts.

The gifts that you have.

The gifts that I have that are being called on to be shared in the world.

So join me in this guided reflection as we both express gratitude and we ask that our gifts are expressed in the world.

So first of all just take a little time to listen to the birdsong as you breathe in and out slowly three times.

And breathe in.

And breathe out.

And breathe in again.

And breathe out.

And as we listen to the birds it's time to reflect on what it is that we are blessed with in the world that we might take for granted.

And it's the natural world we'll start with.

And as I look around me here I'd like you to join me in your mind's eye.

Just start by imagining the grasses here coated with raindrops from the passing storm.

And the grasses are still heavy with the weight of the rain.

And the rain,

This life-giving gift from nature that falls from the sky freely and fills the streams,

Fills the rivers,

Winds its way down to the sea,

Down to the oceans.

This life-giving gift of nature.

Water that we cannot survive without.

That we drink every day.

This gift is given freely.

It falls from the sky.

We don't have to make it happen.

It just does what it is called to do.

And it falls from the sky and makes its way to the oceans where the great cycling and recycling of water takes place.

And it's soaked up once again.

Drawn up back into the sky,

Into clouds where it will carry on its journey and fall somewhere else on the earth.

What a gift.

How extraordinary that we are blessed with this everyday gift.

Let's give heartfelt gratitude towards this gift that we turn on in our houses,

A tap or a faucet and out comes water.

And yet,

For it to reach us is a miracle.

A miracle of generosity.

Let's give thanks to water.

And as I listen to the birds,

The sound of the birds,

The beauty of their melodies,

Of the songs that they create.

And they sing.

They sing in the hedgerows.

And they tell their stories.

And they communicate and try to communicate with us.

But we don't understand what they're saying.

But we can listen and enjoy the gifts of the birds.

And the birds fly.

And they hunt.

The swallows at this time of year scoot across the meadow grasses,

Hunting for insects.

And they're raising their young.

And they carry on with their gift,

Generously sharing their gift with the world.

They're part of this extraordinary web of oneness,

Of the ecosystem.

And we take them for granted until we listen out and hear them sing.

Just take a few moments now to listen to them sing.

And I want you now to draw your attention to you.

We've seen the rain and water.

We've listened to the birds.

And we've reflected with gratitude on the gifts that are freely given to us every day,

Whether we acknowledge them or not.

They are miracles.

And we are here in the world with our gifts.

What is your gift that is being called on to be expressed in the world?

What is the gift that you are being asked to share freely in the world?

And like the rain that falls on the stony ground,

Or the meadows,

Or the rain that falls in the cities,

Or on the oceans,

The rain doesn't discriminate where it falls.

The rain just shares its gift.

And it shares its gift with everyone.

What is the gift you are being asked to share in the world?

What is the gift you are being asked to share in the world?

Not to a particular person.

Not to get payment.

Not to be acknowledged.

But what are you being asked to share in the world as freely as the rain is sharing its gifts with us?

And then listen to the birds and to their songs.

They aren't competing with each other.

They aren't shyly holding their song back for fear that another bird has a sweeter melody or voice.

They sing because that is what they are being called to do in the world.

To sing and share.

And you too are being called to express yourself in the world.

What is it that you are being called to express?

In the world.

And as you reflect on the rain,

The generosity of the rain that falls everywhere,

And as you reflect on the birds' song,

And the generosity of the birds as they share their song,

Whether everybody is listening or nobody is listening,

As you reflect on this,

Look within and ask yourself,

What is my gift to share?

And ask this gently and with love.

Reflect gently within yourself as you ask this question.

And don't worry if you don't get a clear answer.

Because as you ask the question,

At some molecular level,

The answer is being formed and will make itself known to you.

And if you know fully what your gift is with the world,

Then just gently allow that knowing to wash within you as the wave washes up on the seashore and soaks into the sand.

Just allow that knowing to be present with you and you to be present with it.

And reflect on what you're being called to share,

Not for acknowledgement,

Not for payment,

Not to be better than,

Not to be judged as being worse than,

But what are you being called to share in the world so that all can hear,

All can see?

I want you to send the blessing of gratitude to yourself and a gratitude blessing to nature and nature's generosity.

And to know that you are gently awakening that gift within you.

Within you that will be shared in the world in whatever form it might take,

Whether it's small or large,

For many,

For no one.

But it's a gift that you and only you are able to bring.

So it's time now to bring yourself back,

To allow yourself to feel your body,

To feel yourself breathing.

And if you've had your eyes closed,

To open your eyes and to look around you.

Thank you so much for joining me on this guided reflection.

And please do let me know what your gift is and what you are being called to share in the world.

Reviews

The birds song is delightful, sweet, gentle little chatterings as they prepare to end their day.
Gratitude 🙏🏼 to you Liz for the reflections that you provide.
I would hope my gift to share is my willingness to be open minded. I feel I have several gifts to share, creativity , ability to tune into animals, understanding of what it is to walk in another’s shoes and empathy.
🌿🐦🎶🐦🌿

I know I'm an empath, and I feel I can learn to heal with energy through my hands. I need to find out.

Absolutely lovely, grounding, and inspiring. Connects to nature and ourselves

Thank you so much for this meditation ,my gift is to spread love between all religions 🙏

🙏🏼
Thank you for sharing the beauty of this field. My gift to share in the world is positivity. ✨

Lovely 🙏🏼💝🌟

My gift is to bring a sense of peace and presence to those around me.

My core value of being kind popped-up immediately. Being kind with words, showing diverse acts of kindness to all beings, and spreading kindness and oneness through a smile. A beautiful meditation, Liz, reinforcing my core value/s. Namaste...🕊️😌🕊️

Thank you for sharing this meditation. I feel we have many gifts we can share amongst each other if we’re open to it. 💐

Thank you, Liz🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻I so enjoyed the description of your environment, and the bird song, all very different from where I live, we are back to a drought 🙏🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🙏🏻

Hi Liz, thank you for this. Love is the gift I am to give, it’s forms in my life are life art, music and librarianship. I feel a deeply resonant presence from communing with your work here, its transmission. Jon