How can we be "earth-minded" holiday gifters? • Nicole Doherty Ananda

For a while I’ve been grappling with the traditional holidays, mainly the amount of money we spend as a culture on material goods. I’m currently navigating how to celebrate the holidays and discussing with Lloyd what our traditions will be as a family, especially with our two year old son.

What do we want to teach Yeshua?

How do we want to be more earth-minded gift givers?

Do we want to continue giving our money to big corporate monopolies that are not helping the planet?

I would love to hear from my community about this and if this is something that you struggle with as well. The deeper I’ve gone into my Shamanic studies, the more I’ve been practicing rituals to the Earth and the Moon. I’m understanding more of the role I play as a human within the cosmos. I’m realizing how much more important it is to be of service to the Earth. Thus, wanting to buy less things and in replacement, exchange more healing energy with people and the planet.

How can I be of better service vs a better consumer?

The other day I went to a store and realized that I was in the mad rush of holiday shopping. Lately, around the holidays I go into a state of overwhelm and feel like I want to hide. There is all this activity going around outside of me and inside I am screaming,”What are we doing to our planet?”. I look in these big stores and see so much crap that will just end up in the garbage. I see so much plastic. Even as I look around my own house, we made a pledge to only use wood toys and I don’t see more than a handful of them.

How can we change our holiday gift giving to have less negative impact on the earth and more positive impact on each other?

Here are a few suggestions that I’ve come up with today:

As a healer, I love gifting energetic exchanges that don’t impact the planet negatively and create landfill, but impact a person’s soul. Gift a healing session to someone. Put your money into the hands of people who are really changing lives! I know countless healers, breathers, yogis, intuits, and therapists that could offer so much love for less than $200!!! Even over Skype! Could it be any easier? Let me know if you need recommendations.
My family and I decided moving forward to only send electronic gift cards to stores that we regularly use for purchases like food, music or books.
Another earth-giving gift idea is to create an experience that you could share with someone like a picnic on a hiking trail with a dinner at the end of the road at a nice place you love.
Gift educational experiences that will help someone process things in their life and help them heal like workshops or classes. There are thousands of extraordinary teachers out there that are offering brilliant teachings! And websites like Sounds True and the Shift Network and countless others offering brave new information.
You could offer earth gifts like crystals, stones, incense, and items that are beautiful, meaningful, have healing qualities and are from the earth.
Donate to charity on behalf of someone. Our teacher trainees did this for myself and Jocelyn as a teacher’s gift for our last yoga teacher training. It was so incredibly touching. With the fires that have recently happened my community has been able to offer this gift to our dear friends. {Link to fundraiser. Receive a tax deduction by donating to our 501c3 non-profit at: ElevateFoundation.org – Simply click the yellow DONATE button at the bottom of the page)
On that note, perhaps offer clothing and empty your closets of anything you haven’t worn in a 2 years. Someone else could use them.
Trade. What service to you offer the world and what service do you want to receive? Reach out and touch someone.
Volunteer for an earth project. Ecotopia, (Ojai Hot Springs) is always looking for people to clean the land.

In my humble opinion, I believe its time to re-evaluate what we are consuming.

Do we want to continue to put our money into the places that are causing so much grief to this planet and not to mention, perpetuating the lack story of “I don’t have enough money.”? How many times a day do you hear that ridiculous story.

It’s time to take our power back.

It’s time to create a barter system based on love and healing energy.

It’s time to cure the mind’s distractions.

It’s time to give our money to each other, the people that are changing lives.

It’s time to help the planet.

As my community, I’d love to hear from you. What are some of your awesome ideas that don’t negatively impact the planet? What types of gifts are you giving this year? I’d love to hear your creative stories 😉

Nicole Doherty Ananda

For a while I’ve been grappling with the traditional holidays, mainly the amount of money we spend as a culture on material goods. I’m currently navigating how to celebrate the holidays and discussing with Lloyd what our traditions will be as a family, especially with our two year old son.

What do we want to teach Yeshua?

How do we want to be more earth-minded gift givers?

Do we want to continue giving our money to big corporate monopolies that are not helping the planet?

How can I be of better service vs a better consumer?

How can we change our holiday gift giving to have less negative impact on the earth and more positive impact on each other?

Here are a few suggestions that I’ve come up with today:

My family and I decided moving forward to only send electronic gift cards to stores that we regularly use for purchases like food, music or books.

Another earth-giving gift idea is to create an experience that you could share with someone like a picnic on a hiking trail with a dinner at the end of the road at a nice place you love.

You could offer earth gifts like crystals, stones, incense, and items that are beautiful, meaningful, have healing qualities and are from the earth.

On that note, perhaps offer clothing and empty your closets of anything you haven’t worn in a 2 years. Someone else could use them.

Trade. What service to you offer the world and what service do you want to receive? Reach out and touch someone.

Volunteer for an earth project. Ecotopia, (Ojai Hot Springs) is always looking for people to clean the land.

In my humble opinion, I believe its time to re-evaluate what we are consuming.

Do we want to continue to put our money into the places that are causing so much grief to this planet and not to mention, perpetuating the lack story of “I don’t have enough money.”? How many times a day do you hear that ridiculous story.

It’s time to take our power back.

It’s time to create a barter system based on love and healing energy.

It’s time to cure the mind’s distractions.

It’s time to give our money to each other, the people that are changing lives.

It’s time to help the planet.

As my community, I’d love to hear from you. What are some of your awesome ideas that don’t negatively impact the planet? What types of gifts are you giving this year? I’d love to hear your creative stories 😉

Nicole Doherty Ananda