These quotes encapsulate the essence of the journey I wish to share—a journey into creating both new and ancient narratives of how humans relate and exchange with one another. The gift economy, as old as humanity itself, is built upon decentralized reciprocity: an ongoing cycle of giving, receiving, and giving again. This stands in contrast to the one-time, centralized market exchanges that dominate our global economic system, where money is often viewed strictly as an asset to accumulate, governed by external forces like the U.S. dollar.

Carl Jung once said, “The world will ask who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.” In this season of gift-giving, it’s vital to reflect on living a story we truly believe in, rather than one imposed upon us by unchangeable social norms. We have the power to create rituals that honor and respect people while gifting the world. As Charles Eisenstein points out in his book Sacred Economics, “Money is woven into our minds, our perceptions, our identities ... yet this is also cause for great optimism, because money is a social construction that we have the power to change.”

We can become more conscious of our thoughts—research suggests we have up to 60,000 thoughts a day, with 95 percent being repetitive and 80 percent negative. By becoming aware of our awareness, we gain authenticity and sovereignty, grounding ourselves in who we truly are rather than what others expect us to be. Ironically, it’s through discovering our unique authenticity that we embrace our common bonds and interdependence.

Interdependence is a fundamental tenet of the gift economy. Moving beyond stories of separation, we can embrace “interbeing”, a term coined by Thich Nhat Hanh, as a way of being truly connected. While this may seem challenging in a culture that values rugged individualism, it’s essential for fostering genuine relationships. The East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative, in Oakland, California, describes eight aspects of a gift economy: Generosity, Access, Intention, Abundance, Equity, Transparency, Faith, and Interdependence.

The gift economy creates and sustains community relationships around these principles, building on the concept of “think globally, act locally.” It allows individuals and communities more control over the exchange process, fostering connections without the need for dominant external forces. As Bob Dylan sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”

Charles Eisenstein’s Sacred Economics—available for free in many languages—explores how our current economic system, with its aggressive marketing and manipulation, creates artificial scarcity to encourage competition. In contrast, the gift economy is boundless, driven by acts of kindness and compassionate love. Love is the genuine and fundamental exchange inherent in humans.

This shift involves moving from doing (consuming) to being (producing and embodying divine energy). Erich Fromm’s book To Have or To Be delves into this dichotomy, highlighting the importance of defining ourselves as boundless sources of giving rather than mindless consumers controlled by external forces.

I didn’t always embrace this perspective. As a child, I would tally and evaluate Christmas presents, driven by ego and a desire for control. The ego seeks only what validates its identity, unrelated to the soul’s absolute values. Recognizing this, we can choose to be vessels of unconditional love, like the sun radiating energy unconditionally, rather than consumers of endless desires.

“You have no idea how hard I’ve looked for a gift to bring you. Nothing seemed right. What’s the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It’s no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So, I’ve brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me.”

Our task is to explore and co-create in our communities new ways to exchange and interact—not based on stories of separation but grounded in genuine interdependence and interbeing. There is no limit to this boundlessness in human connections.