“You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” ― Kahill Gibran, The Prophet
Often it is asked, “How can one become spiritual and eschew the bitter shackles of materialism?”
It is not an overnight miracle, but the path to a spiritual life can be carved by demonstrating gratitude as it can open the doors to a reservoir of spiritual bliss and knowledge as we end the year, it seems to be a fitting time to appreciate our innate ability to give thanks and manifest a blessed 2023.
The Divine Logos is expressed through ethereal powers like Gods/Goddesses, nakshatras and planets, for after all, “we are star stuff”; through our will we have to ground these spiritual intentions and “make it real” by bringing spirit into matter. As we perform actions and develop habits to fulfil our intentions, it is rather natural to acknowledge the help we receive and give thanks as we feel a deep sense of gratitude. If you trace the etymology of the word, it originates from “gratia” meaning grace or thankfulness.
We are bound by our karma and when we accept what comes, we are grateful for each experience and encounter; this in turn demonstrates the karmic law which is ever flowing through cyclical universes. When we develop an attitude of gratitude, it rewards us with more gratifying things to be grateful for. Like begets like.
When we train our minds to appreciate the beauty of the world in front of us, we realize that indeed there is so much to be grateful for! Just the fact that you woke up today, healthy and happy, that is a true blessing, and it should fill you with gratitude. By repeatedly reliving the attitude of gratitude throughout the day, you create patterns in the etheric void or Parama Vyoma and every time you appreciate something and feel gratitude, this connection is strengthened which shows the door to pure love and bliss.
If you feel that it’s not easy for you to cultivate this attitude of gratitude, then you need to “let go” thereby creating space for gratitude. Let go of what? The anger. The disappointment. The rejection. You simply have to let go and believe that when it is time for you to receive, you will receive; in the meantime, however, you must be grateful even if you’re the one on the giving end. To receive, you must give and vice versa. Once you’re firmly embedded in gratitude, you will begin to pause and appreciate love. You’ll be aware of your breath. With each inhalation you will feel profound gratitude and with each exhalation, you will release love.
We are the macrocosm in the microcosm, we are one with the Universe! Be aware of your unconscious self-sabotage patterns. What are you feeding your mind? What are the triggers for your emotional states? Energy is activated by intention. Thoughts take form and manifest, so when you tune into gratitude you send out an intention of appreciation which multiplies from the personal to the interpersonal and transpersonal levels of experience.
Let us give cheerfully and accept gratefully for research has found that individuals who practiced the art of gratitude tend to have more brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the area associated with learning and decision making. Once gratitude becomes an established practice, the brain activity lasts for months revealing the long-lasting effects and benefits of such a practice. I believe that if you’d like to utter a prayer to God and it was only a thank-you, that’d be enough. Once you feel grateful, hold onto that positive emotion, and allow it to flow through your whole body.
The article has been authored by Tina Mukerji, a soul guide working with Astrology, Tarot, Psychism, Yoga, Tantra, Breathwork and Mantras. She works to discover the inherent archetypes, by studying astrological charts.