Gratitude isn’t just about saying ‘thank you’. It is actually the heart connecting to ‘all that is’ in a way that allows a kind of divine grace to fill the emotions. It is the essence of emotional connection to higher consciousness. When we allow ourselves to experience deep gratitude we also allow ourselves to peek into the inner workings of creation, the “Mind of God”, so to speak. So, gratitude on this level goes far beyond the usual Thanksgiving ritual question, “What are you grateful for?”
Oftentimes when we seek to create new outcomes in our lives, we begin from a place of lack. We focus on what we don’t have and then attempt to fill that void. That can work. No doubt about it. But, the more integrated approach is to first be grateful for what we have. We need to first feel gratitude for the fact that we even exist. That’s no small thing! We can then feel gratitude for everything else, things like air and water and friends and laughter. There may even be a few other things I have neglected to mention ; ).
Now that we are in a state of gratitude, we can ask for what we want. It helps to keep in mind that there is a wide range of desires, ranging from the most to the least authentic. To me, an inauthentic desire is a desire that bolsters an inauthentic self-image, a self-image based on lack of self-love. For example, if I am insecure I may desire fame to overcome that insecurity. Since insecurity is an inauthentic conditioned response, the desire for fame is merely a desire to paper over insecurity.
The best way to approach manifesting through gratitude is to commit ourselves to always attempting to make sure that we are only focused on the most authentic desires. When we do that, we align with our higher selves and open a portal to the miraculous.