I start every day with a guided gratitude meditation by Jess. And throughout the day I remind myself of everything I’m grateful for, which is everything. Especially when going through rough patches, listing and thinking about things I am grateful for improves my outlook on life. I know it’s good for me and probably helps keep me aligned with what I want to manifest. After all, I read Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret. Everywhere you go gurus and self-help podcasts are emphasizing the importance of expressing gratitude. But …
Gratitude to whom, exactly? If you have a very concrete picture of God as a separate entity then the problem is solved; I direct all my gratitude towards God: Thank you God for this computer. Thank you God for my family ….
I know that most people will say I’m way over-thinking things, but that’s kind of my m.o. When I think, “Thank you for my health; thank you for my friends; thank you for my feet … I want to know whom I am thanking. Is The Universe really God? I mean, if there was nothing in the beginning and God created everything then they must have created everything from themselves — they were the only raw material. Thank you Universe for my healthy organs? I know that I am part of the Universe, and in many philosophies and religions we think of ourselves as parts of God trying to become more aware of our god-nature. So … I thank myself for my wonderful feet?
The answer may be a little hard to wrap your head around. When I go through my list of things I’m grateful for, I am thanking the Universe, myself and God, all wrapped up in one. I’m thanking you and the sun and the moon. All the divine energies of the cosmos. The Big Mystery. Everything.
Perhaps it doesn’t matter. Perhaps to get the benefits of gratitude, all that matters is feeling grateful. And if that’s the case, I am grateful for that. Thank you gratitude.
