Gratitude is the gift you give yourself

Cultures throughout the world set aside a special day of the year or an entire season to give thanks.

For example, in North America we celebrate “Thanksgiving” in October for Canada and November in the United States.  China celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, Germany has Erntedankfest (Harvest Festival).  In Japan there is the celebration of Kinrō Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day), Vietnam has Têt-Trung-Thu Festival and India celebrates Pongal. All countries include some kind of ritual as part of their annual celebration.

And although dedicating a day or season to express appreciation is a wonderful way to practice gratitude, I believe you can express your thanks more often with a sense of ritual as well.

Let me explain.

In my book, Being Joy™, in the chapter called Be Grateful, I write about a great activity you can practice every day to elevate your joy vibe by reminding yourself of all your blessings. In fact, I look at this as a sacred ritual.

First of all, find a nice journal that you like and a favourite pen to write with. Take some time to select them – it’s all part of the ritual.

Once you have your journal and pen, find a place you won’t be disturbed and get comfortable.  I like to do this early in the morning after I’ve meditated and centred myself for the day, but you choose the time that works best for you.

If you want, light a candle or burn some incense.  Use your favourite essential oil to help set the sacred mood (I use the Young Living blend Gratitude of course!)

Next, write down ten things you’re grateful for. They could be simple things such as what you ate for breakfast, especially if it was really yummy.  Or it could be someone in your life, an experience you had yesterday, or a new insight about yourself that you’ve uncovered.

Recently I’ve started to expand my morning journaling ritual to encompass a few other things and I’ve reduced the list of 10 gratitudes to the most important 3 for that day:

• I start with “My 3 Gratitudes” (I like to begin by giving thanks)
• I then write “My 3 Observations”.  These are usually things I observed about the way I react to things or my thought patterns or my focus or lack thereof.  It’s usually about me and how I’m operating in the world. Still, I’m giving thanks for these.
• I then write “My 3 Intentions”.  This is where I express positive intentions for the day.  Sometimes they are specific such as intending a successful resolution to a challenge or completion of a project. Or sometimes they are more general like intending to stay focused and grounded during the day.  This is about claiming your intentions for the day. Remember you get to choose. Then act as if. And say thanks in advance.
• My final group of 3 is “My 3 Oracles” and this is where I pull a card from 3 different oracle card decks.  The ones I’m using these days are Native Spirit by Denise Linn, Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson, and my own deck Joy Medicine Cards.  It’s always amazing to me how all three cards I pull tell a unified story to guide me for the day. I love how this works!

I’ve found that writing in my journal each day has become my morning ritual and a fantastic way to balance myself for the day ahead.

The important thing is to do it every day – make it a habit and a sacred time you give yourself. You’ll notice that you start to feel more at peace and present during the day and will attract far more blessings into your life when you elevate your joy vibration through your grateful heart.

What are your sacred rituals? Please share your experience in the comments below.

Love from your Joy Mama!

P.S. If you want to read more about sacred rituals, here’s a great article you might enJOY. The Power of Sacred Rituals

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[image from Pixabay.com]