Potawatomi Teacher, Dr. Robin Kimmerer, says Earth asks of us, “to meet our responsibilities and to give our gifts … two sides of the same coin. The possession of a gift is coupled with a duty to use it for the benefit of all. A thrush is given the gift of song, and so has a responsibility to greet the day with music, which is in turn received as a gift to us as we watch the sky grow pink with dawn.”

Gift consciousness is about each of us giving our Gifts (without financial regard), and it is about flowing support to others to give their Gifts as well. It is two sides of the same coin that together builds an energy and trust between us, and expands our thinking from the head’s either/or discernment, to the heart’s perception of the whole. It is new consciousness that shifts us from ego-system awareness that cares about the wellbeing of me to ecosystem awareness that cares about the wellbeing of all including myself.

Beyond impact investing, beyond conventional philanthropy, Gift consciousness requires each of us to change what we do, and entirely depends on the practices of inner transformation: forgiveness, building community, and building trust in life.