Abundance Without Reciprocity Isn’t Abundance
The Six of Pentacles, the serviceberry, and how we spend our energy
As we wrap up (pun intended) the season of giving, I’ve been reflecting on abundance and reciprocity. A few days ago I was giving a tarot card reading to a friend and her “challenge” card was the 6 of Pentacles. It shows a wealthy person in a red robe giving coins to two figures who appear to be struggling.
The card is associated with themes of giving, receiving, and charity. She and I noticed how the wealthy figure wasn’t really re-balancing the distribution of wealth, even though he is holding a scale in one hand. It made us think about the imbalance of resources in our society and how capitalism keeps the rich in power over those with less resources or privilege.
In contrast, through the lens of the natural world, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry discusses how we can use our energy so that it is rooted in reciprocity rather than extraction. Kimmerer describes how the serviceberry does not hoard its fruit. It offers freely, trusting that the cycle of giving will be held by the land, the birds, the people who tend it. But crucially, it also grows in conditions that nourish it. It receives as much as it gives.
This framing feels especially important when we examine the dominant spiritual rhetoric of our time.
Much of what passes for “abundance” in pseudo-spiritual circles—particularly within Law of Attraction and manifestation culture—rests on a very different set of assumptions. Despite its mystical language, this framework is deeply individualistic, rooted in self-determinism and the belief that personal willpower, positive thinking, or correct energetic alignment alone can generate success, safety, and wealth. It’s capitalism dressed up in sheep’s clothing.
Historically, this way of thinking echoes Puritan ideals: the notion that material success is a sign of moral virtue or spiritual worthiness, while scarcity reflects personal failure. In this worldview, abundance is something to be earned, attracted, or claimed by the “right” individual.
What’s missing is reciprocity. Reciprocity asks, What am I in relationship with—and how do we sustain one another?
The act of giving—our capacity to offer energy, effort, and presence—is closely connected to the third chakra, located at the solar plexus. It governs our personal power, metabolism, as well as how we take in nourishment and how we expend it. It is the center of will, agency, and self-worth.
When this chakra is balanced, giving flows naturally. We act from clarity rather than compulsion, from confidence rather than fear. We know when to engage and when to take a timeout. Our “yes” and our “no” carry equal integrity.
But when the third chakra is out of balance, giving can become distorted. We overextend. We hustle for the sake of hustling. We give in order to feel valuable, safe, or seen. Or we grasp for abundance as something external to ourselves—something to be manifested, accumulated, controlled, or showed off—rather than something that circulates through relationship.
In the gift economy of the natural world, energy moves in cycles. The serviceberry’s abundance feeds many—not because it is striving to be abundant, but because it is embedded in a web of mutual nourishment. It depends on soil, water, pollinators, seasons, and care. Its power is relational, not solitary.
As we head into a new year, I invite you to consider:
Where in my life am I giving from overflow?
Where am I giving from depletion?
Where might my solar plexus be asking not to do more or accomplish more, but for rest, digestion, and self-trust?
Many of us are generous with our time, our emotional labor, our attention. We show up for our work, our families, our communities. We hold space. We listen. We care. But when it comes time to offer that same respect and kindness towards ourselves, something tightens. Rest feels indulgent. Slowness feels undeserved.
And yet, the natural world offers no such moral struggle. A tree does not make excuses for going dormant during the winter. The serviceberry does not bear fruit year after year without first being fed by sun, rain, and soil.
Abundance, in this sense, is not about endless growth or personal gain. It is about balance and recognizing that we, too, are part of an ecosystem—not separate from it, not obligated to give beyond our capacity.
I’m beginning to notice how often I pour my energy outward without checking in on my own reserves. How quickly I say “yes” to a new project or teaching opportunity. How rarely I ask what I need in return—not as a transaction, but as nourishment.
What would it look like to practice true reciprocity with myself?
Maybe it’s pausing before saying “yes” to something and asking myself: Do I have this to give freely today?
Maybe it’s giving myself care, support, and rest first.
Maybe it’s trusting that tending to my own inner fire is not selfish, but necessary
What does practicing reciprocity look like for you?
Intuitive Yoga - January 2026
Intuitive Yoga & Intention Setting, Thursday, January 1st, 10:15-11:45am at High Country Yoga
This class will inspire you to connect with your unique intuition through movement, meditation, and journaling. We’ll explore and uncover ways to nourish and care for ourselves as we begin a brand new year. All levels are welcome. More information is available here.
Intuitive Yoga, Sunday, January 4th on Zoom
I invite you to join my upcoming Intuitive Yoga class on Sunday, January 4th at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern on Zoom. The focus for January’s Intuitive Yoga practice is to reset the body, renew our energy, and realign with our natural rhythm as we step into the new year.
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About me
I’m Veronica and I created Finding Ease as a way to share thoughts, tools, and resources for connecting authentically to your mind, body, and spirit. I’m a librarian, yoga teacher, and healer. I approach the world of yoga and spirituality with joy, along with an interest in examining the ways in which systems of power affect our access and ability to find ease.
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