Spiritual Skills - Gratitude

Gratitude

Gratitude is an open and expressed appreciation and thankfulness of all that is good and welcome in our lives.

Gratitude is a spiritual skill because it is a pivot point for so many universal laws, for instance the law of attraction or the law of cause and effect. When you vibrate your gratitude, source energy gives you more of what you are thankful for: love, health, prosperity, or anything you resonate about. Gratitude is an integral part of Affirmative Prayer.

Gratitude is one of the spiritual tools that can redirect our emotions and our lives. Having a bad day? Write down a list of things you can be grateful for. Your day will have changed before you finish.

There are some interesting facts about people that are grateful. They are happier, less depressed, less stressed, more satisfied with their lives, enjoy more robust social relationships, have more purpose in their lives, accept themselves more, sleep better, and transition through life changes more easily. Grateful people are more resilient and better able to deal with problems; they have more control over their environments; and feel more personal growth. One psychologist put it simply: “Gratitude is the key to a happy life.”

Appreciating the above facts, it is no wonder so many spiritual authors urge reflection on this area through such techniques as carrying a ‘Gratitude Stone’ around in your pocket or maintaining a ‘Gratitude Journal’ that you read and make frequent entries in. (I do both.)

Relative versus Absolute Viewpoint

We humans seem to have a predilection to only want to use gratitude on a relative basis. We forget some of the baselines in our lives. Thus, we want to be grateful for the raise, but not the good job and base salary we earn. We want to be thankful for the healing, but don’t think of the years of healthy living we’ve enjoyed. We are thankful for the gift, but not the constant love that stands behind it.

Many of us take our base of living and loving for granted. Our gratitude may not extend into this huge arena that makes up most of our lives, yet this is precisely where our thankfulness could start. Be thankful for the day, the air, the beauty around you, the people you meet, and the love you can share, and your ‘aliveness.’ Be thankful for the baseline in your life.

Thanking or Being Thanked

I’ve often heard people say something like, “I gave him (or her) that gift, and never heard another word.” There was an expectation of being ‘thanked,’ and, apparently, an attendant feeling of bitterness for not having that expectation fulfilled. Gratitude withheld is gratitude unfulfilled.
Gratitude can start within you before a gift is given. Fulfill your own expectations, but don’t expect others to be as emotional about receiving your gift as you are in giving it. Instead, focus on your own gratitude about your ability to give the gift. Remove the burden on the other person to experience gratitude and fulfill your expectations.

Gratitude in the Doldrums

Even for those that believe the world is not their oyster, there is room for gratitude. If you are filled with wants and dreams, be grateful for having something to strive for. If you find your life full of mistakes, express thanks for how they make you stronger and give you wisdom. If you find flaws in yourself, be thankful that you have room to grow and advance. In a time full of problems and issues, be grateful that you have the opportunity to work on these challenges, solve them, and improve your life. Every negative has a positive side. Be willing to see the positive and express your appreciation for it.

Gratitude and Awareness

Being aware is one of the aspirations for spiritually inclined people. One effect of gratitude is creating increased awareness. To be grateful, you must be aware – you must understand the situation and all the attributes of it to be grateful about it. Your gratitude always takes you in a spiritual direction – in a direction of increased awareness.

Intention and Gratitude

Gratitude is one way we relate to source energy or God – that which we are made of – for all that we experience. Intention is the connection to source energy that enables all. With these two universal forces – Gratitude and Intention – we can co-create any thing or any event we want. We can tap into source energy with these skills or actions, bringing all that we seek to fruition.

Enjoy and be grateful.

Namasté

This newsletter is to stimulate your spiritual thinking in the hope that it will contribute to your spiritual growth. The essays are not meant to be complete treatises on the subject, only short papers to stimulate your thinking. The author invites your comments and critiques by reply e-mail to bob@futuremoons.com.