Anything we do automatically, is less effective than it can be, when done consciously. When we face ourselves and the world, do we prepare our masks, being sure they are in place in order to portray who we want the world to think we are? Or, do we cherish and relish every opportunity to be authentic, real…our True Self? For me, the spiritual path has been all about shedding, unlearning, releasing and letting go of pretense, and this is what frees who and what I really Am to bubble up to the surface and reveal Itself. And, I firmly believe this is what contains the potential for being a blessing in the presence of others.
Gratitude is something we’re all familiar with. It is the highlighted holiday for November. “I give thanks for all the abundance that is mine to share and enjoy.” This is a great affirmation, and…not so great if it is done as rote, just because we’ve read it so often and said it so frequently. It is in the same category as the, “Fine” response that automatically springs to our lips when asked, “How are you?” To deeply and truly be grateful, is to see through the eyes of our Divine nature, and upon doing so, we see a world made fresh and new through our own eyes…the “I’s” of our Godliness, if you will. The sky is bluer, the trees are actually dancing in the breeze and the song of the bird is just for us. To sit at the Thanksgiving table and to go around and have each person state what they are thankful for is a beautiful ritual, when consciously declared. If, however, it becomes a question of ‘giving them what they want and expect to hear’, if it means holding back saying what truly wants to be given voice through and by means of us, then we’ve just ‘sold a piece of our soul’ to a lesser idea of what we can be…at all times, under all circumstances and with all people.
So, how about humming a new tune this year? How about doing your true Self a favor by trusting it to come forth through you? How about being a catalyst for others’ tuning in and listening up from a new level of their own being? That is what we are here to do, you know…the Master Teacher, Jesus, the Christ said, “I Am come that you have life and have it more abundantly.” And, since we can’t have anything we don’t know already exists within us, then is not the sacred act of humbly letting all we are speak on Its own behalf by means of us, isn’t this the greatest gift we can exult in gratefully sharing? And, then…my dear ones…ah, then the ancient, sacred promise is fulfilled and we experience the richness of our Being that has burst forth in all its glory. How good it is to be alive, to be of Spirit, humanly expressing and to share genuine gratitude for the gift of Life itself!
AWARENESS CONTEMPLATION:As you ‘make your bed and lie in it’, starting tonight, make up your mind to take the inward journey of relaxing your body in preparation for a restful and deep night’s sleep. Next, gently take yourself through the course of that day’s activities and see the blessings that you encountered every step of the way. Build on the idea of giving thanks for everything and everyone in your life. Particularly for what you experienced that caused you discomfort, annoyance and fear. See the hidden good that every encounter contained and bless it with your thanks and…grow from it. Continue to be an ever more open and receptive vehicle for gratitude to be recognized and expressed and in ways that you never before paid any attention to. See, feel, sense yourself opening in greater ways to how very much you truly do have to be grateful for…and keep the genuine gratitude flowing.
AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER:I set aside all automatic attempts to be grateful for the life I have lived and for the life I live now. I establish a new pattern within my inner mind, planting new seeds, cultivating new ideas of how much I truly do have to be grateful for. I give thanks, “There is One Life, that Life is God, that Life is Perfect, that Life is my life now.” I perceive and understand the sacredness of myself and all others. I deeply appreciate the beauty within me and the realization of how loved and cherished I Am. That which created me, causes me to awaken and be glad in wholly new and nourishing ways that bless myself and all those around me. I give thanks for all the abundance that is mine to share and enjoy, now and always…and I mean it…I really mean it. And, so it is.
* REMINDER: To explore more ideas on this topic, as they personally relate to your life, e-mail me at: revsue@verizon.net.
Abundant and loving blessings during this and all seasons!
Dr. Sue