I’ve recently felt incline to celebrate more in line with the seasons, like the Solstice and Equinox. Much of our modern traditions and celebration have originated from our ancestors celebrating the gifts of nature. We are past the official date of the Fall Equinox, but that doesn’t mean the magic of the season has left too.
Thus, I’ve been reading a lot. In fact, I got a little overwhelmed with all the different cultural forms of celebrating fall. I looked instead at the similarities of celebrations, and then I listen deep to what moved me. Gratitude…gratitude connected all celebrations and rituals. It was these celebrations that lead modern cultures… and a few pilgrims, to create Thanksgiving Day.
I read a statement once from a Peruvian Shaman, who said – “All humans have three gifts: the gift of blessing, the gift of truth and the gift of gratitude.” We all the power to bless, but we often give this gift away to priests and pastors. We all have the ability to see the truth at any given time, but our fears prevent most of us from doing so. Gratitude is the simplest of gifts that we can use at any given moment. This gift shifts us and fills us with light-ness. My mom would always say when we were down, “count your blessings.” This popular quote was not just wise, but a very power-filled statement.
Try to be in a sad, fearful or bad mood while counting all the blessing you have in your life. Truly count them. Try not to do them in a comparison way, like you should be thankful because you have a roof over your head and others don’t. Look deep at your life and when you count your blessings. You cannot help but recognize the abundance in your life. The fullness of real gifts… if you are reading this email right now with both eyes on a functional computer or phone… that’s three gifts of abundance already. Feel yourself shift as you count. It’s pretty powerful.
Gratitude for abundance…this is what the celebration of this season means to me. If you celebrate the goodness in your life, the Universe feels heard and appreciated, thus sends more. Many ways you can show your gratitude for the abundance in your life if by sharing it. Tip a little bit more. Bring one more dish to the company party. There are many imaginative ways you can say, “Hey, Universe – Thank you for filling my life up.”