The Generosity Marketplace

“We must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. Maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.”
-Elizabeth Gilbert,
Eat, Pray, Love

In our interdependent world, generosity is fundamental to the economy of life. Even the most basic biological functions involve receiving something from others (nutrients, oxygen, life), processing it in some unique way and then passing it on into the matrix of life.

Fundamentally, the practice of generosity puts us in touch with these truths:

 

  1. We are interdependent and not alone.
  2. We are already relying on the generosity of others to live.
  3. Our liberation is shared and we are bound together.
  4. The human spirit is made for generosity and it calls out the best of who we are.
  5. We are already all right and can give without anything bad happening to our loved ones or to us.
  6. Sharing resources is life-giving for all involved.

The Seven Stones Generosity Marketplace

The Generosity Marketplace provides a direct way for us to practice generosity by creating pathways for others to live from and work within Sustainable Abundance.

Through the Generosity Marketplace, you can make a voluntary contribution of any amount that another member of the community can use to help defray the cost of their development. The Marketplace allows you to contribute above and beyond the amount of your own tuition, fees and materials so that others have better access to exploring the courses, coaching and products offered by Seven Stones—in other words, you have an opportunity to pay it forward. And your contribution represents an investment in a global movement.

How to Contribute

If you would like to contribute to the Generosity Marketplace, please reach out to us here. By contributing to the Generosity Marketplace you’re putting generosity into practice. You and fellow community members can use these funds to learn, grow, and live in sufficiency.

How to Receive

If you would like to request funds from the Generosity Marketplace to defray the cost of a Seven Stones offering, please reach out to us here. These funds come from another member of the community who has chosen to put generosity into practice by contributing to the Generosity Marketplace fund.

Why no 501c3?
We chose not to create a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for the Generosity Marketplace so that the emphasis of our practice of generosity is not on what we get in return for our “good deed,” but rather on the choice to give.

Other Ways to Practice Generosity
Mindful attention can help us see more clearly how much to give in particular situations—or whether or not it’s appropriate to give. Here are some questions to consider:

  • What is happening in my body when I give?
  • What is happening in my mind?
  • When I give, is there a sense of ease, openness, and loving kindness and compassion in my heart, body, and mind?
  • When I give, is there a feeling of depletion, weakness, fear, anger, pity or confusion—a contraction of my heart, body, and mind?

Generosity Practices to Consider

  • Can I go beneath my stories, ideals and beliefs about how I want the exchange to be or not to be, or how I believe it is “supposed to be” or “not supposed to be”?
  • Can I mindfully recognize when I am caught in stories, beliefs, or wishful or aversive thoughts in relation to generosity?
  • Am I giving beyond what is appropriate, or giving beyond what may be healthy for myself emotionally and/or physically?
  • Are my heart, body, and mind relaxed, open, and joyful when I feel I’ve given “just enough,” or do I experience anguish and contraction of the heart, body, and mind in giving “too much”?
  • Am I aware of when the most generous act might be to step back and simply let people take care of themselves, to let go and allow a situation to “just be” and work itself out?

4 Virtual Learning Sessions plus 6-month Racial Affinity Group Experience

For this learning path, you will participate in the 4 virtual learning sessions and be enrolled in one of three Racial Affinity Groups:

1) People who identify as People of Color (Black, Indigenous, Asian, Hispanic)

2) People who identify as Bi-Racial or Multi-Racial

3) People who identify as White

*More specific affinity groups may be formed upon the completion of course registration

We believe that it is important to do our own work with people with similar racial experiences to build capacity for cross-race dialogue that supports authentic relationships and deep belonging for everyone. We will ask you to self-select into the group that best aligns with your racial identity. We recognize that for some this is not a simple choice and we are available to have a conversation with you to support your selection.

Together we will:

  • Reflect personally and collectively on the impact of embodied trauma, separation, scarcity and disconnection.
  • Work in learning partners and/or small groups for the sake of holding each other accountable and deepening our learning through multiple disciplines.
  • Engage in embodied practices for unwinding from the impact of racism in order to build stamina, capacity, and resilience.


Where:
Online Zoom Sessions

Time: 11am-12:30pm ET/8am PT/4pm GMT*

When: 5-Sessions scheduled between Sept 28, 2023 – Jan 26, 2024 (see below)

*All sessions will run from 11am-12:30pm ET.

Racial Affinity Group Schedule
Thurs, September 28, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET Kick-off/ Authentic Communication
Thurs, November 2, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET Unpacking Our Racial Autobiographies
Friday, November 17, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET Self-Compassion
Thurs, December 7, 2023 — 11am-12:30pm ET What is Sustainable Abundance?
Thurs, January 25, 2024 — 11am-12:30pm ET Inclusive Leadership

Course Registration

Upon registration, you will be directed to our online community space, where all aspects of your program will live, including: pre-work, event links, and a space to connect with fellow participants.

4 Virtual Learning Sessions Only

These four learning sessions will provide you with a new view and innovative framing of the problem as we see it. Below is a brief description of what will take place in each session:

  • Learning Session 1: Why Context Matters
    In session one, we look at our individualist narratives and the impact of not understanding the context in which we exist. 
  • Learning Session 2: Unpacking Trauma
    In session two, we discuss individual and collective trauma. We define trauma and look together about our current systems of inequality and how they evoke trauma-like responses in so many of us.
  • Learning Session 3: Global Anti-Black Racism: A History Lesson
    In session three, we get a history lesson like none other: we explore the global slave trade as the foundation for our current economic model.
  • Learning Session 4: Understanding Power
    In our last session, we examine power; power structures, our relationships with personal power; the importance of learning a healthy relationship with power when so many of us have had power abuse in our lives.


Where:
Online Zoom Learning Sessions

Time: 11am-1pm ET/8am PT/4pm GMT*

When: 4-sessions scheduled between Sept 21, 2023 – Jan 18, 2024 (see details below)

*All sessions will run from 11am-1pm ET.

Learning Session Schedule
Thurs, September 21, 2023 — 11 - 1pm ETWhy Context Matters
Thurs, October 26, 2023 — 11 - 1pm ET Unpacking Trauma
Thurs, November 16, 2023 — 11 - 1pm ET Global Anti-Black Racism: A History Lesson
Thurs, January 18, 2024 — 11 - 1pm ET Understanding Power

Course Registration

Upon registration, you will be directed to our online community space, where all aspects of your modular program will live, including: pre-work, event links, and a space to connect with fellow participants.