The Magickal Pen

Let us drink from the waters of gratitude and
Be fully present in the space of appreciation
for what surrounds us.

Open your eyes and take in all the lessons of
Both sorrow and joy and from a place of gratitude
Find the grace of mercy that flows
Eternal within your own being.

If you were raised as I was, you were taught to say “thank you’ when receiving something, to be grateful when someone does you a favor and especially at Thanksgiving to offer up with great verbosity the laundry list of gratitude to family and friends.

Now, I am not saying that these things are not good models of polite behavior, but as with many things we have been conditioned to do we act and react on auto-pilot without giving much thought to what the words really mean. With that being said, the challenge then becomes to bolster each word, action and offering of gratitude with the full understanding and intent that it rightfully deserves.

Now, you would think that holding those standards would lessen those grateful moments, but the surprising thing is that when we truly are grateful for what has been given us, we see more clearly the abundance of things we can offer up gratitude to. I envision the space of gratitude to be very much like flowing waters. Some are shallow and you can clearly see all that rests on the bottom. Others are vast and deep like the very oceans themselves, and we wait with bated breath to catch a glimpse of dolphin or whale, affirming that life teams below the surface.

The waters of the earth meander here and there and from the right altitude, etch a veiny trail on the surface, leaving an indelible mark of their course.  These waters respond to the magnetic pull of Luna’s magick just as our perception and awareness of those things deserving of our gratitude are pushed and pulled to the surface by emotional connection. The waters of life are a necessity for our survival and our bodies move with fluid like grace in acceptance of the gifts for which we should be grateful.

We yearn to know more of these deep waters and in that knowing we seek those gifts that catalyze us as grateful beings. Mind and heart are synthesized and become as one in the space of gratitude and in those moments of acknowledgment of what has caused us to be grateful. Gratitude feeds the feelings of appreciation that we seek for ourselves and once found, we may then selflessly share with others.

It is in gratitude and appreciation that we are transformed as we offer up these gifts in recognition of our Higher Self and the Divine Flame that flows within. It is in gratitude that we cease to be, for this is the gift of culmination of the lessons of this lifetime and the power to shed these forms of matter as we reunite with our own Spirit Divine. These are the loftier aspirations of gratitude that are only realized through the building of being able to see with clarity all the moments of gratitude that present themselves daily.

A good beginning to laying these foundations is to begin a gratitude journal. Each night before going to bed, list the things for which you have given thought to and are truly grateful for their presence. It does not matter how small or short-lived that thing was, just write it down. As you continue this process, you will become more selective in what is deserving of thanks and also see areas of your life that would have gone unnoticed and un-thanked. As you open to a deeper awareness of how much you have to be grateful for the waters of that gratitude will flow strong and freely and in their clarity you may drink from them quenching the thirst of a soul that seeks its own flow of appreciation.