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Musings of a Massachusetts Witch

Are You Gifted?

Recently, I was having a discussion with a friend concerning the concept of gifts and talents; are the words interchangeable or do they mean different things? And while we didn’t really come to a conclusion it left me contemplating the idea. I found that it was more complex than I first imagined and many people have set ideas on this concept that I don’t personally subscribe to.

The first thing I considered was what each word meant. For this I turned to my trusted friend, Merriam-Webster. She is always my go-to gal when contemplating the meaning of words. I strongly believe that words and names hold power so for me, understanding what a word means is extremely important and necessary. Merriam revealed to me that the meaning of ‘gift’ is: a quality, endowment or talent that is given to an individual without compensation. And the word ‘talent’ means a natural endowment of a person, a characteristic feature, aptitude or disposition of an individual.

Yes, these definitions gave me pause. If a gift is something that is given and since we were discussing the non-physical (divination, healing, clairvoyance, and the like) then who is the person/entity/power that is giving this ‘gift’ to the individual possessing it? Does this imply that there is a God or Higher Power that is bestowing these ‘gifts’ to people? And if so, do all people possess ‘gifts’? Or are some individuals ‘gifted’ while others are not? And if that is so, doesn’t that create an elite class of ‘special’ or ‘entitled’ people? Does God or Creator or Higher Power really work that way? It is and was my belief when I was a Christian that we are all (created) equal.

I was even more curious at this point so I sat down at my computer and went online to do some research. I was interested to find what other opinions were on the topic. Interesting enough I discovered that there are some common beliefs pertaining to ‘gifts’ versus ‘talents’. The first being that the majority of people discussing the difference between gifts and talents were Christians. Second, they believed that gifts were sacred and originated with God and were given to individuals through The Holy Spirit. Third, they believed that only Christians were given such ‘gifts’ and all abilities that non-Christians possessed were considered ‘talents’. They also believed that ‘gifts’ were to be used for the Glory of God and to minister to others while ‘talents’ could be used for non-spiritual things. And lastly, they all agreed that ‘talents’ were natural inherited abilities that could be developed with knowledge, training and practice.

Well, now that gave me pause. There was a lot there that I do not agree with but it really helped me solidify what I did believe in regards to ‘gifts’ and ‘talents’. I can understand to some degree the Christian beliefs however I do not agree. Allow me explain why.

I believe that we all are God/dess and are a part of God/dess. We are deity manifested in the physical and being so we have access to everything that is, that was and that can be. We are limitless beings that have limitless ‘gifts’ and ‘talents’ however, because there is no power greater than We there is no Higher Power to give us what we want. We already have access to it. We already possess it. You have it. I have it. My friend has it. Even the Christians have it. We are all equal. We are all sacred. We are all divine.

I do believe that we all have different life experiences and through them we find ourselves interested or drawn to certain aspects or abilities more so than others. I believe that as we travel our life path we make choices that shape our likes and dislikes and at some point we may find that we enjoy a particular activity. We enjoy it so much that we repeatedly practice it or spend a lot of time and energy doing it. We enjoy it. Doing it makes us happy and connects us stronger to Universal Source (God/dess) and while we participate in this activity we become inspired and because of this … we are good at it. It is our calling. It is our ‘gift’ or our ‘talent’.

Now I know someone is going to read this and think … well, I have this ‘gift’ that makes me uncomfortable or scares the doggy doo out of me and I don’t want it, I don’t want to use it or practice it. Well, my belief on that (and you don’t have to accept it) is this: Fear is based on the physical plane – not on the spiritual one. What is it you are truly afraid of? Let it go. You are a powerful sacred being. There is nothing to be afraid of. You are God/dess. You are part of God/dess – part of ALL that is, ALL that was and ALL that will be. Why do you fear? That ‘gift’ is something that you have ultimate control of. Release your ego. Remember that you are more than your physical body. Do not be afraid. You are not alone. You are never alone.

So are you gifted? I say, “Yes. Yes you are. And so am I.”