Gratitude & Aligment ~ When All is Freely Given

“If the only prayer you say in your whole life is Thank You, that would suffice.” ~ Meister Eckhart

Much has been written and said about the importance of cultivating gratitude and yet, there are people for whom listing 3, 5, 7 or 10 things that they feel grateful for on a daily basis is not an actual value or a possible habit they might be willing to embrace. I find this to be such a simple and beautiful practice, and I've done it for so long ~ not necessarily every day ~ that being grateful has become part of who I am, even when I am going through some darkness. Especially during these moments.

So what exactly is Gratitude? Is there an "exact" way to describe it? Why begin practicing it? And what does it have to do with Alignment? Well, this is what I am exploring in this text, and I invite you to come along.

Gratitude can be defined in many ways, and different people in a variety of cultures have come up with heartening and inspiring definitions for it. Practicing gratitude is deeply valued in wisdom and faith traditions from around the globe, and it is also true that in the last years it has become really cherished, with the ever-increasing number of research studies, papers, and blog posts that have been published, linking the practice with higher levels of life-satisfaction and happiness.

Mine is an open and intuitive exploration. And yes, I will rely on and quote authors, and I will also speak from my inner & outer experiences. I am grateful I've been intentionally dedicating myself to different kinds of practices that have been changing the way I relate to myself and the world around me in ways I wouldn't know were possible. Sharing my stories is part of my journey and as many other people's stories have touched me, I humbly believe mine can also touch and inspire some of you.

Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, "You owe Me". Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the Whole Sky ~ Hafiz

Gratitude can be seen as a virtue, as a quality, as a feeling, as a mood, as an attitude, as a choice, as a state. And it can be experienced in your mind, your heart and, believe me, in your body as well. Gratitude knows no boundaries and chooses no context to be fully expressed. Have you ever travelled to a foreign culture, where language was a true barrier for you, and experienced connection just by eye gazing and smiling in return for something a stranger did for you?

Once I had the experience of receiving so much love and care from people I had just met, that I still remember how profoundly held I felt. As much as my body remembers the sorrow of tragically losing the man I was in love with, more than a decade ago in Southern Patagonia, my body also remembers what true and meaningful connection can be. Solidarity through shared human experience also knows no boundaries, and for that, I am deeply grateful.

The pandemic showed us the kindness of humanity in the midst of all chaos, uncertainty, and loss. Had you ever realized the importance of essential services to your community, your country? If you are like me, you probably didn't let a day go by without giving thanks for the people who risked their lives so that most of us could safely stay at home, especially health-care workers, doctors, scientists, researchers, and volunteers.

Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash

True gratitude opens our hearts to grace. To receiving freely. Author Angeles Arrien speaks about four portals ~ or entryways ~ to a grateful heart: blessings, learnings, mercies, and protections. According to her, "Recognizing these portals at the time when they appear in our lives is key to developing the capacity to cultivate gratitude". Anything can be considered a blessing, depending on your ability to notice the presence of grace and divinity. We can learn from every situation that presents itself to us, either pleasant or unpleasant. Mercy is linked with kindness, compassion and forgiveness, and therefore, with gratitude. Anyone who has received merciful acts or the gift of forgiveness has also experienced the emergence of gratitude. Protections are invocations, rituals, prayers, and practices that people use to both feel protected and protect their loved ones. When we know someone, an ancestor, a spiritual being, God, or the Mystery is protecting us, we feel deeply grateful and that impacts how we go through the day.

The cultivation of gratitude leads to the embodiment of character virtues. And the more we practice it, the more expanded our capacity for gratitude becomes, as we begin to also embrace other virtues as integrity, generosity, kindness, joy, trust, and the willingness to contribute and collaborate. As our heart softens, there is more space for empathy, for humility. Through this process, our heart expands, and we feel compelled to compassionate action. And as we become more aware of our inner experience when we give, depending on our openness and disposition, the sense we get is complete awe for receiving so much in our hearts in return for what we are offering.

The beauty and sacredness of what this brings is not so much about how much we give, or about the materiality of this third dimensional world we live and sometimes get trapped in ~ we may not have much and that may be the least of our issues. It is all about how we relate to what is happening around us and within us that makes all the difference in the way we engage in life.

We can open ourselves to learn and give thanks for the simple things in our lives. We can find happiness and meaning in contemplating a view, in witnessing a sunrise or a sunset, we can be thankful for a pair of shoes that were passed on to us, and for what we ourselves donate to others. When true gratitude arises, it brings us spiritual wisdom. We awaken to a different reality where there is more Love, more Hope, more Charity. Everything aligns with everything else, and life flows effortlessly through the space-time continuum. Grace abounds.

The more you give thanks, the more you receive. And the more you receive, the more you wish to give in return. When you go through this life principle truthfully and joyfully, you realize giving and receiving are actually sides of one wholesome experience.

Deepen your way of being

Do you usually give thanks for what the Universe brings to you? Do you say a prayer of gratitude for the food you eat every day? For the job you have, for the projects you work with, for having found meaning in your sorrow? For the people in your life, for being healthy, for being alive? Are you grateful you can read?

One can find meaning in developing the capacity to express gratitude. I have experienced shifts in my way of being, and I have seen that happen with clients too. Change from within originates change on the outside world. When we are connected to our core values, and we offer ourselves as instruments of the benefit of others ~ and it doesn't matter which way we do this ~ it seems only natural that we begin to have a sense of alignment. Our will and God's will become one. We sense the Universe has something special for us, waiting just around the corner, that is ours to share.

Inspiration for Growth and Self Awareness

This section of my Blog is for you to savor a few practices, similar to some of the ones I invite my clients to, during their processes. The kind, the content, and the depth of the practices all depend. Everything is sensitively tailored.

Here you will find different and more general resources to help you cultivate Gratitude and eventually expand your perspective about it.

My invitation to you here is simple: pause, breathe, and enjoy some of what I have curated for you. All the practices speak dearly to my heart, soul, and spirit. After each of them, you will find questions for self-reflection.

A Gratitude Practice

This is an invitation for you to close your eyes and remember a moment you felt genuinely happy and grateful for the presence of a particular person in your life ~ a family member, friend, co-worker, team leader, or a total stranger. It just needs to be someone who once made a difference in your day, or even changed the course of your life from that day on.

Bring this person to your mind, bring this person to your heart and for a few minutes, just breathe in serenity, as if sending them your love and thankfulness, for what happened in the past. Then, notice how your body feels. Notice if there is anything different in your chest area, in your heart, and any other area of your body. Just observe ~ it is perfectly fine if you notice nothing different. You can notice that. Spend a few more minutes with this person, and slowly return to open your eyes.

Did this practice impact you? In what ways? Write about this in your journal, if you have one, or simply cherish it in your heart. Would you consider writing and sending them a note of gratitude? Would you prefer calling them, even if you have not talked for a while? Are there any other people you would consider bringing to your heart and mind for tomorrow's practice? What will you take forward from this practice into the days ahead?

A Song by Snatam Kaur | Servant of Peace

Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Hai Bhee Sach, Naanak Hosee Bhee Sach.

[True in the beginning, True throughout the ages, True even now, Nanak Truth shall ever be.]

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love

Where there is injury, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith

Where there is despair, hope

Where there is darkness, light

Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console

To be understood, as to understand

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

It is in dying that we are born into eternal life.

Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Hai Bhee Sach, Naanak Hosee Bhee Sach.

[True in the beginning, True throughout the ages, True even now, Nanak Truth shall ever be.]

You can play it here, and you are invited to dance to it.

How did dancing to such melody impact me? In what ways did the lyrics of this song resonate with me? Did it move me to sing along? Did I notice anything in my body? Do I seek receiving more than giving? Have I ever experienced receiving through giving in my life? What will I take forward from this practice into my days ahead?

A Year of Practice | Living in Gratitude Book

If you feel called to engage in serious work towards developing Gratitude, I recommend this book, by Angeles Arrien. She invites the reader to a full year of dedication towards being embraced and transformed by the "parent of all virtues".