The Real Thanksgiving: The Power of Gratitude

Last updated on: November 25, 2009 at 12:32 pm by Lynn Hayes

The Real Thanksgiving: The Power of Gratitude 2009-11-25T12:32:26-05:00 Lynn Hayes

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Not too many of us in the United States are left with the illusion that the first Thanksgiving was a romantic feast where native Americans and white folks forged a beautiful friendship that lasted hundreds of years. Most of us know the tragedy and devastation that European settlement of the US brought. And lots of people don’t celebrate Thanksgiving as a result.

But if we forget about the Pilgrims and gorging on the traditional 10-course meal from which it takes weeks to recover, we end up with a day to give thanks which is a valuable part of the spiritual path.

Finding something to be grateful for, even in the midst of a miserable time in our lives, is one of the most healing things we can do. Back in 1910 metaphysician Wallace Wattles wrote, “Gratitude brings your whole mind into closer harmony with the creative energies of the universe,” and since then this idea has really taken hold and become a part of daily rituals for many of us.

I’ll leave you by quoting myself from my Visioncrafting book, and send you my warmest wishes for a full heart and a desire to look forward to a brighter tomorrow.

When we experience gratitude we open our hearts and minds and counteract the contraction of fear and doubt. A gratitude practice is a very useful tool. It is human nature not to pay attention to the good things in our life and to take them for granted; a daily review of the things for which we are grateful can help to refocus our attention and help us to build the positive attitude that is the foundation of transmuting the base metal of our life into the gold of transformation and actualization.

Marcus Tulius Cicero said, back in ancient Rome, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” Gratitude for what we are given is the single key that turns prosperity and wealth into a true experience of abundance.

Gratitude is an emotion that is felt primarily in the heart center. On a mundane level a practice of gratitude helps us to maintain perspective about our lives. On a more esoteric level, gratitude opens the heart center which helps us to ascend from the ego into an experience of divine love and consciousness. This openness helps to unlock the blocks of fear which opens the door to transformation.

Gratitude also helps us to expand beyond judgment and restriction. When we approach the experiences of our life with a sense of gratitude, it becomes much easier for us to see every experience as an opportunity for growth and transformation rather than a burden. It is impossible to be a victim when we are grateful for what we have been given.

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