I recently was in a conversation where I mentioned demonstrating gratitude is a part of learning to use spiritual power effectively, and I was asked to explain why gratitude is a spiritual practice.

Gratitude opens the door to an immense spiritual power we all have within us. As it’s Thanksgiving, it seems to me that gratitude, “giving thanks,” is a perfect thing to discuss and appreciate!

There are two homilies I learned when I was young, and I’ve pondered them my entire life: “God helps those who help themselves,” and “God loves gratitude.” Though these two are seemingly unrelated concepts, at core they both reveal a greater Truth related to our spiritual power to change how we create our lives.

Often we pray, believing that “God” will listen to us and give us what we are praying for. While sometimes this happens (and we deem it a miracle!) just as often it is we who have to do the heavy lifting for our prayers to come true. While “God” may provide the power and inspiration, we are the vehicles who “make Spirit real.”

We are the means by which that which originates in the world of “God,” is created by the Archangel “master builders,” shaped into forms by the Angelic groups, and expressed through the planets, is made real in the world. Throughout our lives we learn countless ways to deal with the material world constructively. We may know that we have countless spiritual intentions waiting to be moved into manifestation, but we still have to “make it real.”

So when we think that “God helps those who help themselves,” it is no selfish decree to help ourselves at the expense of others; it is an affirmation that as we train ourselves to make the promptings of Spirit real in this world, we are assisted in that Divine Intention by “God,” and all God’s assistants which help Spirit become substantial. By demonstrating our willingness to bring Spirit to matter, we generate appreciation on countless levels by those who are benefited, whether they or we know it.

Since Divine Intention is already real “in potential,” as we vehicles of Spirit learn how to make the potential actual, we are both helping ourselves and being helped by Spirit, a.k.a. “God.” As we fulfill our intentions, it’s natural to feel a sense of gratitude for accomplishing what we have done. Which brings us to the second saying, “God loves gratitude.”

Being grateful demonstrates the Law of Karma in its most absolute form. It follows from the fact that as we do, feel, think, and aspire, so we see these made manifest in some way in the future according to our intention and understanding of what is true and untrue for us. Just as the reward of patience is patience, generating gratitude creates an energy which is bound to lead to more gratitude.

Gratitude and appreciation are attitudes of mind. As we cultivate them, we see just how much there is to appreciate and be grateful for. As we cultivate the ability to recognize that which is worthy of appreciation and gratitude, we find ourselves noticing more and more to appreciate and be grateful for.

By repetition, these qualities become patterns in our “astral atmosphere,” which are more easily accessed each time we recognize something to appreciate, or take the time to appreciate all that is. As we cultivate the qualities of appreciation and gratitude, we attune ourselves to the greater receptors of Soul, which loves that which has, does, and will lead us to a greater love.

When I was younger, I remember thinking that all I had was given to me, whether by my family or by my own willingness to receive. As I got older, I realized that truly everything we are, everything we have, everything we identify with has been given to us. And that there are times when we receive, and times when we learn to give, and times when we learn to let go.

That led me to understand and appreciate that as we let go, we create space to receive. I learned to cooperate with the process of giving and receiving, the inflow and outflow of things, feelings, and attitudes. As I began to appreciate both what came and what left, I became more aware that life truly is like breathing; we learn to release and exhale, to create the space to receive and inhale.

And just as each breath is given to us, so is everything else we have, whether for a moment or a lifetime. As we appreciate all that has brought us to this point of awareness in this time, we can see many more things to be grateful for, since we can catch glimpses of our spiritual Way which is the purpose we’ve been seeking our entire life. I have found gratitude for all that has helped me become who I am, all that I have which I value, the opportunities to become more aware of who and what I had to release, and my connection with Source, my Higher Self, and “God.”

So when we think “God loves gratitude,” it is merely an acknowledgement that Spirit witnesses everything in our hearts, and as we are grateful, we are given much more to be grateful for. Just like when we learn to help ourselves, Spirit responds with that which encourages us to be more helpful to our Higher Self.

Getting back to the original conversation, my response was

We are one with the universe. As we move, it moves, whether we see it or know it or understand it or not. All energy moves according to its intention. It radiates out into the world of form, and then the wave form returns to the sender. It's why those with bad intention often hurt themselves more than their intended target because the target has no "center of receptivity" to receive the negative thought form.

Gratitude is an energy which sends out an "intention of appreciation." Gratitude acknowledges what has been received, and furthers the energy of conscious receptivity of whatever there is to be grateful for. In other words, “All that Is" acknowledges gratitude by furthering that energy, giving us more to be grateful for. As we move from being grateful for "self-ish" things to being grateful for "un-self-ish" things, we move our attractive pulse related to what we are grateful for from the personal to the interpersonal and transpersonal levels of experience. That's spiritual power.

Gratitude acknowledges the good that is and the good that could be and turns any vibration of the "self-grasping, self-cherishing mind" (as His Holiness puts it) toward more altruistic intention, thus generating "Bodhichitta," aka "Soul stuff" or "Good will," as DK refers to it. Gratitude directly overrides any mental tendency toward selfishness or pessimism.

Then I got to thinking how gratitude is inherent in the life of all disciples; gratitude for the wisdom, gratitude for the community, gratitude for the Teacher, gratitude that we are able to further our loving wise intelligence for this lifetime, and gratitude for all who protected us, taught us, loved us, cared for us, and helped us BE our Soul grounded in a body. This led me to realize there are a few things already taught about the power of gratitude to nourish our spiritual journey on countless levels. To that end, I’ve assembled a few paragraphs about gratitude from several Agni Yoga works, said to be the teachings of the Master Morya as impressed on the consciousness of Helena Roerich.

From Heart

243. Let us accept love as the motive force in the expansion of consciousness. The heart will not be aflame without love; it will not be invincible, nor will it be self-sacrificing. So let us bring gratitude to every receptacle of love, for love lies on the border of the New World, where hatred and intolerance have been abolished. The path of love unfolds with the intensity of cosmic energy. So on this path everyone will find his place in the Cosmos. Not as dried leaves but as lotuses aflame will people find kinship with the Highest World.

From “New Era Community”

211. Gratitude is the setting for justice. The community must know the essence of gratitude. Each goalfitted action is not reduced to nothing but carries along gratitude. The essence of gratitude will be adjoined with the closest harmony of consciousness.

Affirmation of cooperation is not the result of a formal examination. Only through action and resoluteness is it possible to approach the heart of the Community. Teach not to let possibilities slip by. If resoluteness and action lead to gratitude, then imprudence and negligence create an obstacle difficult to remove. The coworker who neglects action through immobility is left to his own devices. This is not a penalty, but a practical means for showing him his failure.

From Fiery World 1

191. We have spoken about solemnity, friendliness, magnanimity—let us complete the square with gratitude. From the most minute through the entire line of Hierarchy, shine the sparks of gratitude. Precious are these fires!

192. Even if someone does good by accident, praise him. Commend each crumb of good. To him who cries out in the darkness it matters not who brings the Light. Widening the field of vision means the bringing of Light. This action is beneficial, both for the giving one and for him who receives the Light. Transmission of Light connotes the transmitter’s expansion. There was one flame, now it has become two. It means good has been accomplished.

396. When I indicate the beneficialness of gratitude, I do not mean that someone is in need of it, but that in itself it contains the chemism of bliss. One must analyze the chemism of various emotions; such observations will help in finding psychic energy. Not vitamins so much as the fiery energy must occupy the imagination. The revelation of the essence of human existence cannot be regarded as something occult!

405. The idea of having at least a half-hour daily for thought is good. I do not mean some special concentration. It is useful to think about the best aspect of everything that is taking place. Even small signs reflecting the best in life afford a glimpse of Light. They also stimulate the flow of gratitude and magnanimity. Such fires are equivalent to a dose of musk. Thought about the best generates aspiring tension of the nerves. The nerves should also be given work, but only Good will strengthen the nerves.

From Agni Yoga

31. It is necessary to distinguish between indignation of spirit and irritation. The fire of irritation must be divided into two kinds. When irritation has an impersonal cosmic character, its poison may be washed away by a current of prana. But if harmful feelings, such as conceit or self-pity, intensify the irritation, the sediment of poison will be precipitated upon the centers. Then there is no means to remove it; one can only wear it away by developing cosmic perception.

Quality of thinking must be realized as healing. Gratitude is likewise the finest purifier of the organism. He who has found the seed and realized the care of the Sender can project gratitude into space. Great is the healing power of the emission of gratitude. One must transform everything abstract into reality.

76. … Gratitude and devotion flourish joyously in Our Community…. Our co-workers know both how to receive and to give.

83. Spread the grains of the Teaching little by little. Let it imperceptibly flood the being. The time for preaching has passed, and life remains. Inspire the consciousness of your brother with an imperceptible touch, brought to him as his daily bread. Expose and understand his wrath and quench it with goal-fitness. Affirm him in the joy of realized containment. Beware of manifesting miracles to him, but reveal to him the co-measurement of that which passes into the Infinite. Abolish special holidays, and make of life a perpetual holiday.

“My holiday will be yours. My path will be your achievement. My generosity will be your inheritance. You will not notice the generosity, but you will be astonished at your own transformation. I have no need of thanks, but your gratitude will be fuel to you, because supreme above the flames of other offerings is the fire of gratitude.”

Aum

325. Among secret things, especially undiscoverable remains the knowledge as to who reaps the most benefit from the good sent forth. No one knows whom his goodness has helped. It may be assumed that a thought of good reaches a definite person, but this is only a supposition. It may be that this thought has greatly aided someone unknown to us. Such a thought is a messenger of good, and the rescued man may not know his savior; so his gratitude is turned toward the Higher World. When he wishes to express his enraptured gratefulness, he looks upward into the eternal Furnace of Creative Thought.

326. Anonymous thoughts also receive secret gratitude. Each thought of good receives the best gratitude. It is not for us to judge where the song of gratitude will arise. There is no need to get ahead of words of gratitude; the most beautiful song of gratitude resounds in a moment of joy. But then, the thought of such joy has been sent by someone.

Let us say gratefully—Aum!

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

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