The Power of Gratitude And Accepting What Is

Accepting what is at this moment creates a natural feeling of gratitude and recognition that every moment is a precious gift of all possibilities. Although ‘accepting what is’ sounds so simple and easy, we may have spent numerous lifetimes to experience such a moment of grace just once. Now the world is being prepared to make this moment permanent. We are asked to leave our minds behind because acceptance is a matter of the heart, the entry point to the soul within the body and the seat of our Higher Self.

Life is uncomplicated and simple for the heart but complex and complicated for the mind. The heart honors all our desires, even if they blind us, conceal our spirit self, or cause violence. From the heart’s perspective, everything that happens to us and to the world has a favorable reason that is supported by a larger picture. The larger picture, being a puzzle to the mind, is like an open book to the heart. It honors and cherishes all desires, even those that appear evil. Evil desires, should the need for them arise, make us aware of our fears and struggle and may, in fact, be indispensable for our growth.

Sometimes, to jump forward you may first have to take a few steps back, which may appear to be negative. The heart knows that detours have meaning because it trusts in the perfection of the moment; the mind, however, is the one that raises doubts. The doubting mind has its value too; it helps you clear a path through the jungle of duality until you see the light of Self. Being grateful for both is the key to spiritual and material abundance. Thus, being grateful for each desire you have ever had and will ever have, safely leads you through life until you desire a life of oneness. Your desires are your guideposts on the way, each one telling you where you are in your spiritual journey.

At each moment in life we have the choice to accept everything that happens to us, not passively or as a victim would, but with loving anticipation of what we have created for our world and ourselves. Allowing and embracing the moment is assuming the power of co-creation. Jesus once taught those who questioned their own powers: “Is it not written in your law, I said, ‘Ye are Gods’?” (John 10:34) And on another occasion he said: “Ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.” (Psalms 82:6) It is time to become aware of our creator roles and enjoy what we create with everyone to share.

With the New Age Movement came a renewed desire for creating abundance in life. The idea spread that to receive abundance one must deserve it, implying that those who don’t have abundance don’t deserve it. This is however only true on the superficial level. Everyone is deserving of abundance and has always been. Lack of abundance can be just as good a sign of deserving to grow as having it. The difference lies in the kinds of learning that an individual soul has accomplished. Some learn earlier than others that if your attention is on what you don’t have you remain stuck there unless you shift your attention on to what you do have. If you look deep enough you will find that there is a lot you can be grateful for. The longer you look, the more treasures begin to reveal themselves to you. Once you are thankful for everything then abundance will flow by itself. And abundance can come in many ways.

Being thankful that you don’t have everything that you desire allows you to look forward to something new. If you are grateful that you don’t know certain things, you derive great pleasure from learning more about them. Your gratitude for the difficult times in your life gives you the opportunity to grow stronger and wiser. Being thankful for your mistakes helps you to learn valuable lessons. Therefore, if you can find a way to be grateful for your troubles, they inevitably become your blessings.

In truth, human beings do not make mistakes. The saying: “To err is human” stems from an incomplete perception of reality. The so-called mistakes are an integral part of the drama of life. Each time you make a supposed mistake, a chain of events is formed which leads you a little closer to the goal you and your Higher Self have set for yourself. It is like a new movie where the audience doesn’t know how it ends but the director, the film crew and the scriptwriter do. Your Higher Self is the director and producer of your personal drama in life. Every little detail counts and every mistake made is important in the overall scheme of your life. The movie of life must contain mistakes, controversies and conflicts in order to bring the drama of duality to a closure. When the drama ends, it is going to be a happy ending.

Don’t therefore judge yourself for making ‘mistakes’, instead, be grateful for having made them. Become aware that mistakes are always disguised as opportunities. Also acknowledge that, like you, other people do not make mistakes either. This removes a great deal of fear from your interactions with others. Everyone on Earth is a Creator God, acting out a specific role that serves the whole. Some are here to create light and love; others are here to create darkness and deception. In the course of evolution, destructive powers are equally important as constructive powers. While gripped by the illusion of duality, one is seen as ‘bad’ and the other as ‘good’. When the veil of illusion is lifted from awareness, former enemies treat one another as the best of friends. We see setbacks as wakeup calls, as timely opportunities for change and growth.

It is very easy to be grateful for the good things in life. But real abundance comes only to those who can also be thankful for the setbacks. Conversely, giving energy to what is not there, such as lack of money or love, or focusing on what doesn’t work in your life, is like multiplying ‘0’ with any number. However large that number may be, the result always remains zero. In other words, there is abundance in everything and especially in ‘negative’ things. ‘Getting’ that, really comprehending it, fills you with gratitude. Suddenly you realize you have so much for which to be grateful.

By accepting and blessing everything that you do have, you automatically begin to accept what you do not have. This places you instantaneously in the stream of abundance and affluence of every kind. And remember to bless others in their health, their work, and their relationships. Bless them in their abundance, their wealth and possessions, bless them in every conceivable way, on the street, in the stores, or at work. Also bless them in their mistakes and judgments, their aggressions, illnesses and unkindness. This brings a sudden ray of sunlight through the clouds of their sky. This is a direct way to dissolve the consciousness of division and bring to your own life all the wonderful things you wish others to have. Whatever you need to live comfortably and joyfully will land at your doorstep, somehow, someway, some day. When, how, and through whom this comes about doesn’t need to be your concern. A president of a country doesn’t need to know all the details of how to obtain this or that, they just need to know that what they ask for is in their power to achieve. Once the preconditions for the fulfillment of the desires are met – acceptance and the removal of self-doubt – you will begin to live your dreams.

With this comes the realization that there are no adverse circumstances, ill fate, or even bad luck in life. Being grateful for everything that comes your way also implies that you cannot suffer any disappointments in life. On the other hand, expecting gratitude from others for what you do for them is really ‘being ungrateful’ and is bound to cause disappointments for you. Therefore, if you do have expectations of others, it is in your best interest to become disappointed by them, otherwise you will keep trying to ‘buy’ love and attention from others instead of giving these to yourself. Just as the withering of a plant is the result of not watering its roots, not having ‘enough’ is the consequence of not nurturing oneself. Gratitude is the best form of self-nurturing, of blessing yourself. It is impossible to bless and to judge at the same time.

Such commonly used expressions as “I will always be poor” or “I can never make ends meet” are self-fulfilling prophecies, ever perpetuating themselves until we change the prophecies. We are the creators of our own lives and destinies. What we command must occur. There is no place for independent forces, which randomly pick out the less fortunate and deprive them of the right of equal opportunities. If we decide to experience poverty for a while or even a lifetime then this is our choice. Understand that being born into a family that has no material possessions or enough food for every member is no more coincidental than driving your car from your home to your office. Both are subject to need and want. In reality, none of the choices are harmful.

Abundance doesn’t need to be generated; it is always at your fingertips, no matter what the circumstances may be. Yet it needs to flow, like a stream. The flow is only interrupted if you stand in its way. You block the flow by insisting, albeit unconsciously, that you are not worthy of it. The beliefs that uphold the idea of unworthiness are often rooted in the guilt of having deprived others of abundance before, in this life or other lives. You may have even abused your wealth, power, and influence to obtain what you wanted. To balance these karmic distortions you may have chosen an equally extreme situation, one that lies on the other end of the spectrum of duality, offering poverty and deprivation as an opportunity to nourish the qualities of humility and gratitude.

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This is an excerpt from my book LIFTING THE VEIL OF DUALITY