Gratitude Replaces Resolutions

Carolyn Shares:  I try to be positive every time the end of December draws near, but I am most always crabby as I approach the final weeks of the year.  For me, there is a difference between the idea of starting over everyday and starting over in a 'new year' with a set of resolutions. So, here is my resolution solution:

The 13th Moon cycle, 'Be Truth', arrives during these weeks as well. For those of us who use the moon cycles as guides for growth and change the date of the ‘Real’ new year begins with the New Moon for January. One that day/night, we will take a deep breath in, and breathing out, start on the next leg of our journey.  

As we look for this new cycle to begin, do a review of the past year by asking for Guidance and Wisdom to see the Truth of your journey.  For the struggles there may have been that don’t yet make sense, set a place of gratitude for what is yet to be revealed.  For any successes, great and small, give yourself appreciation.  Sit in Praise for the journey that has been, and yourself for making the journey up to this point.  Rest in place.  Just rest and have gratitude for yourself, your fellow journeyers and the earth upon which we all travel.  Taking these remaining days of the waning moon phase to rest in thanksgiving without giving into new plans or resolutions will give more energy and clarity in the week to come as we prepare to step into the starting block for the 'real' beginning of a new year.

Self Reflection: This year instead of writing resolutions for the coming year instead, take time to reflect  with writing a gratitude list. Trust the time for new will come after this period of rest and reflection.

What it Means to Honor Truth

From Sara we  receive this words of wisdom: "Within us is already everything we need to know."  The difficulty comes in that there are many layers or levels of knowing with us.  We can be aware of many things that are 'true' about ourselves.
As we dig deeper into our consciousness, we find that what is true in one experience is not true in another experience.  We see that what is true in one relationship is not true in another.

We are called to have gratitude for whatever truth is revealed, regardless of how we experience that truth. To begin to discern the difference between what is 'true' and what is 'Truth',  take all that you have held as true and distill it, refine it, examine it.  Where you find a reaction and a rigid response there is likely to be something 'not true'.  

Self Reflection: With gratitude for the experience, thank it and let it go.  Where you have found ease, love, peacefulness and compassion, there is likely to be a Truth.  With gratitude, place these knowings in your heart, and carry-on.

Preparing to Receive; Preparing to Begin Again

When we fully Thank Truth and express gratitude for our lives, we are willing to receive the Vision for Our Being,  we consciously join with Creator to live our life to our fullest potential.   We make the decision to let go of our need to be in charge and control of our creative energies. We become willing to have an open mind and heart to receive Creator’s gifts—inspiration, guidance, direction, and impulse so we may be out in the world manifesting and fulfilling our birthright, our purpose.

Here in this place we do not work alone!  And yet, we alone do the work.  We alone are responsible for our actions.  Yet our actions are made known to us ONLY by our letting go of ‘my way’, the need to control. Preconceived ideas, notions and beliefs—which may be conscious, unconscious or subconscious MUST be set aside for our vision for our life to come clear.

Self Reflection: I am thankful for the Truth of my life. I live in gratitude. Am I ready to begin the journey to know and become my vision I know from living in these Truth cycles? I will rest and reflect in gratitude for my journey of the past year so I may be re-energized to begin again.

Receiving Guidance: Gratitude as a Guiding Force

Carolyn writes:  I have a journal which I write in only when I am in deep awareness of connecting to Guidance-It is my G.O.D. journal' (G.O.D. is my acronym for Grace of Divine/Guidance on Demand/Good Orderly Direction).
Sometimes I write in it everyday for a week or so, then months can go by without an entry. I began this particular journal in 1994 and there are sill a few pages left to fill!  Here is the page that caught my attention as I sat to seeking and writing for guidance this morning.  What a page to show up, as perfect now as it was the year I wrote it. What is REALLY Truth is eternal.  

Self Reflection: What is my gratitude for Truth list for the year now ending?

Flipping the Coin of Forgiveness and Gratitude

In practicing gratitude for our experiences in life, we come upon times where we experience hurt, anger, frustration, dissolution, pain.  Can we even think about being grateful during these times?  The gift in this cycle is 'Thank Truth' .  We look for the Truth, open ourselves to what is Truth, (with an uppercase 'T') when we are confronted with the challenges of living life. 


Self Reflection: Forgiveness and gratitude are two sides of the same coin.
If this coin comes into my possession, I have received a gift more priceless than gold. It is a gift which brings me a freedom greater than I have ever known!

The Amazing Gift of Gratitude for 'What Is"

The gift of  'Thank Truth' is a gift supporting us to start each day anew with the willingness to begin again, and again, and again. Gratitude allows us to miraculously be present to life in an amazing, powerful way.  It truly is a gift to be able to see beauty in the everyday and the mundane.  It truly is a gift to know hope and possibility in the midst of chaos.  It truly is a gift to be able experience change as it is happening in our feelings and actions.  Gratitude = a path of living in the present/in Presence.

Self-Reflection: Today I begin again. Today I will live in the present of each moment. Beginning again and in the present I experience Presence. I live Gratitude

To 'Thank' Requires Action

I can be grateful for what is true/truth in myself. But, what is truth of myself that I do 'thank'?

What does it mean to thank the truth of myself?  This moon cycle we are instructed to 'thank' truth;  not just being grateful, but actively 'thank'.  It’s easy to be grateful for what we deem to be ‘good’ about our self; more challenging to be grateful for what we deem as ‘bad’.  Being grateful is an internal process.  We just think, 'Oh, yes, I'm so grateful ...."  There is a lovely feeling that arises when we sit in gratitude. But, to thank 'Truth' requires active engagement with that we are thanking-whether it is something within our self or another person, place or thing.  The very act of consciously being thankful for what we accept as 'Truth' opens a space for conscious creation of something even more true. This action invites transformation.  This is what deep personal transformation work invites—getting us look at our current view of what is true about how we experience our life, and opening the door for a bigger and more active truth to be created.

Self Reflection: When I find a way to thank everything I think I know about myself, regardless of how I judge it to be good or bad, I will have freed myself of the binding that keeps me stuck in unpleasant pain, patterns, and distress.  Am I willing to thank ALL of what is Truth of the person I am? 

Gratitude Builds a Strong Temple

Gratitude builds a strong temple of faith and gives hope a place to live.
As we moved through the waxing phase of the December moon cycle 
our practice of gratitude for all aspects of our life may have had many effects.
Hopefully we have come to more gentleness with ourselves in our struggles and mis-takes.
Perhaps we are now able to pat ourselves on the back and appreciate effort and progress.
Sincere gratitude strengthens our resolve to carry-on.  It builds discipline in our character.
Sincere gratitude brings us faith that our efforts will carry us forward in our life, toward a future of hope.
Sincere gratitude hones our abilities and smooths away the rough places where we stumble.

These qualities are needed as we move into the waning phase of this moon cycle, where our expression of gratitude is outward, toward others.  
We become the strong temple in body mind and spirit.
We are a place where hope can live.

Self Reflection:  Am I ready to share gratitude?

Learning Gratitude For All Parts of Our Truth

This month is a gift of teaching us how to Thank Truth.  This gift informs us to look deeply within ourselves for all those parts of ourselves that are worthy of gratitude.  This includes thankfulness for both what we consider the ugly, the shame-filled, and what we label as mistake parts, as well as what we label as victories, beautiful and love-filled.  Both are necessary for full expression of our Self. Without thankfulness for each and every experience, our life will remain shallow and, without depth.  Author and Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron, teaches that our ability to experience joy is equal only to our willingness to embrace our pain. Truth sees all, receives all, knows all, accepts all.

Self Reflection: Am I willing to find a way to be grateful for ALL of my self?

Desiring Gratitude for What is True

The desire to thank truth
Invites slowing down.
       No; requires slowing down.
Takes time.
       No; it gives us time.

Self Reflection: Do I desire gratitude for the truth of my life?

Try this: Spend one day expressing gratitude (just say it in your mind and heart, not out-loud) for every experience, every thought, every action.  yes, this experiment will take time.  The gift is: the presence we have for each moment -gives more time.

Thanking Ourselves Deeply

A kind, loving, and steadfast friend knows about gratitude.
They will stay by our side and know we will stand by theirs, regardless.
Yet, there is no taking for granted, no need to know the outcome.
These are relationships of deep gratitude.

We learn to be steadfast friend to our soul
            by holding our self in both compassion and accountability.
By expressing gratitude for our life experiences,
            we remember that our life is a journey of practice and progress.
For us; for others.


Self Reflection:  How will I express deeper gratitude to me?

The Foundation for Living in Gratitude

These are the foundations that are the basis for living in gratitude:

What Is:  there is so much goodness available.  In fact, the darker the space, the more place there is for good.

What Has Been: We will not regret the past nor try to shut the door on it.

My Gifts: we are the treasurer of our life.  What does that mean? Being able to work the edges and the core of our being at the same time.

My Trials:  It's so easy this time of year to run around like like a lunatic, to lose connection with what grounds me. When I let my environment direct my actions, I can not hear Higher Guidance.

Self Reflection:  I have the ability to listen for gratitude, to discern gratitude in all situations.  The only question is am I willing to live in gratitude rather than ego?

The One Reason We Thank Truth

To say Thank You and really mean it requires we fully accept what is offered.  Otherwise, our thanking is shallow.
To express gratitude while not truthfully receiving what is given, denies a gift we may need for our well being.
It may be that we are given the gift of gratitude for the primary purpose of practicing gratitude so we may eventually learn to thank and have gratitude toward ourselves.
We must experience gratitude toward Self in order to truthfully express gratitude toward others.
To thank the truth within our Self, in our gifts, imperfections, and miss-takes opens us to the gift of being human.
It is a gift to be human...a rare gift.
When we live this gift in the practice of being human, we are Truth,
we know the meaning of Thank Truth.

Self Reflection: Am I willing to express only authentic gratitude?

New Moon, December: Darkness Becomes Apparent When Exposed to Light

Darkness becomes apparent when exposed to light.
On this new moon, darkness is apparent, because, for the moment, the light reflecting from the moon is not visible to us. And in December, the darkness seems even darker as the night continues to lengthen.

This is the month to Thank Truth.  There may be things, rules,experiences, persons and institutions we struggle with, maybe even feel hatred toward, that we we not only don't want to hold in any form of gratitude.  These same 'things' we also repel from even considering that what have is true about them is not true at all, let alone ask with sincere intention to know and be grateful for the truth of these life experiences.

Gratitude is the light that will end the darkness of any situation.
We begin to bring in light by acknowledging there may be a truth in (the situation we are thinking of) that we do not yet understand and are not yet able to accept.  This can take effort and time.

Self Reflection: Am I willing to commit to continue looking for a tiny place for thankfulness, no matter how difficult or horrible the experience?  If not yet, what would I need (within myself) to look?

Shame and Gratitude Meet on the New Moon of Share Truth

Sara’s honesty in sharing her experience of shame around her personal gifts and accomplishments reflects how a willingness to be visible creates an environment for others to experience their lives more fully.  This kind of sharing with others has the effect of dissolving shame and making space for new growth--for ourselves and for those with whom we share.  In Sharing Our Truth we invite others to do the same.  A new community of trust and camaraderie with others begins to form.  This is the deeper calling of this moon cycle, Share Truth. As this cycle moves toward completion, the emerging  moon cycle brings the gifts of gratitude, strengthening our commitment to Share Truth. 

Shame lives in our shadows

              and feeds our fears.

Shame encourages hiding.

Shame keeps us from living fully,

              from sharing the truth of our gifts, talents, accomplishments.

Gratitude is the antidote for shame.

Gratitude nourishes our gifts,

              grows our talents.

Gratitude is a catalyst of encouragement,

for showing up as our real self.

Self Reflection: My time of daily reflection and contemplation makes a space where my gratitude and shame can meet.  This time creates a sacred space where my gratitude can shine light on my shame. Shame crumbles and loses its' power. In this time of sacred, quiet self-reflection, I experience gratitude for my abilities and accomplishments. I find courage to share my life fully in the world. For that, too, I am grateful.

Another Cycle of the Moon; Another Cycle of Our Becoming More of Who We are in Truth

Carolyn Writes: As we approach the close of the August moon cycle, I find myself thinking about how my desire to Serve Truth has awakened.  It has shown up in my desire to be of more service to many areas of my life.  With this awakening desire to serve, I became aware of how some of my behaviors and fears thwarted my intentions.  In the midst of anger and resentment (toward others and myself) I was blessed with a number of opportunities to let go, ask for help, start over. I found more of me, through doing all these things.

I have come to understand what is  ‘me’ is really my soul energy expressed in my life experience(s), which is the experience of body-being and spirit being, me and more than me!  Me and union with others, and with the Creator of All That Is, of Great Mystery.  

I am more whole.  Yes, I am more whole because I am more able to be all that I am.  I am no longer in the place of ‘what can I be?’, ‘what can I do?’, who am I?’.  Now the questions are ‘What do I do?’,’ How do I do?’, ‘Where do I do?’, ‘Am I willing to be, do?’.    Today I am more whole than yesterday and tomorrow I will be more whole than today.  I now know that experiencing loss and letting go are actually necessary for me to become more whole and more of who I am.  I feel comfort now, rather than fear and angst when I think of letting go.  Letting go no longer feels like a loss.  It feels like the only way my hands can become free to receive—to take what Creative Source/Great Mystery is offering to me.

Self Reflection: Take time to reflect on your journey of this past month.  Speak out loud gratitudes for even small victories of each day.  Speak out loud gratitudes for each bit of willingness to use the tools for support.  Do this in the twilight as the dark of the moon gives over to the new moon, and the next path: to Live Truth.

Tools Part Two: Praying

Support tools for letting go what no longer serves us AND for learning to serve in Truth:

1) Gathering with a few others to review the scene before any action (just be sure they aren’t enablers)

2) Praying (remember the running out the door prayer-that is enough)

3) Contemplating  (which means watching and listening and hearing)

4) Receiving help (as gracefully as currently possible)

5) Taking a ‘do-over’ and humbly beginning again (as many times as needed)

To Pray is being present in the moment, giving voice, and listening with all of our senses.

Begin with gratitude, no matter how tiny the gratitude may be.  It may be only a gratitude of having the willingness to try and pray.  How we pray and why we pray is a very individual process.  There is no wrong or right way, and if there are‘rules’, there are just two: to begin each time of praying with ‘thank you’ and to ask to be heard (followed by asking).

Praying is an active process. Actually, it is an interactive process involving asking and then listening. We do not need to know with whom or what we are interacting.  Our belief in any form of God or Spirit is not even necessary for prayer to be effective.  Our beliefs do not 

make the receiver of our intercessions more or less able to hear for what we are praying.   

The universe receives our words, even when we dare not speak them out loud, though out loud is better.  Hearing ourselves speak our request out loud seems to make it easier to listen and hear the response coming to us.

Then, we listen with our ears, our eyes, our heart, our voice, even with our senses of taste and smell.  This listening can take a while, but it will come.

If you need a starter way to pray try the ‘running out the door prayer' from the post during the waxing moon for August.

"As I go out the door I notice whatever it is Creation presents to me from nature: a tree, bird, animal, the morning star or the moon. 

I notice and I say: 'Good morning, thank you for listening; thank you for hearing, thanking you for being.  Your being allows my being. I ask (insert a request for a definitive support for your day).' Then I say again.  'Thank you, thank you.  A million, million times thank you.'” 

Then, even if you can not stop long enough to listen at that moment, you will find your senses are listening for answers, as you move through your day.

Self Reflection: How is prayer a part of my life? I remind myself that to Serve Truth is a form of prayer.

One Minute Running Out the Door Alignment Prayer

 I like my rituals to be uninterrupted, so I plan them for early dawn hours. In these days, at the close of summer holidays, schedules are getting back in sync for fall—school, work, whatever.  These schedule changes call for adjustments in my personal routines, as well.

My morning ritual takes some time, and part of the frustration of these end of August days is when the morning changes interrupt MY morning prayer and contemplation routine. 

When this happens, I have a one minute ritual, my ‘running out the door into my day prayer’.  As I go out the door I notice whatever it is Creation presents to me from nature: a tree, bird, animal, the morning star or the moon. 

I notice and I say: “Good morning, Creator, thank you for listening; thank you for hearing, thanking you for being.  Your being allows my being. I ask (insert a request for a definitive support for your day).” Then I say again.  “Thank you, thank you.  A million, million times thank you.”  

When this becomes a committed one minute ritual of every day, life changes for the better.  This prayer sets a template for our day. Try it! 

PS: This prayer is an adaption I learned through the teaching that originated with Twylah Nitsch.

Self Reflection: As I leave my home for the day, I notice whatever it is Creation presents to me from nature and greet the day: “Good morning, Creator, thank you for listening; thank you for hearing, thanking you for being.  Your being allows my being. I ask (insert a request for a definitive support for your day).” Then I say:  “Thank you, thank you.  A million, million times thank you.”  

Strengthening and Aligning Our Internal Flame, Part 4: Discipline as Grace

Carolyn writes:
I'm writing about myself today, in first person, not assuming others experience life as I do. When I am irritable and frustrated by the limitations I see in myself,  my personal world, or other people's actions, I find my intentions and my integrity can fall to the way-side.  To continue with the metaphor of the 'wick in the lamp' (see Part 1), it is as if my wick is separated from the fuel source, or has become so fouled it can no longer maintain a flame.   

There are also times when  I am so angry or upset that I consciously shut off any experience of Grace and Divine support. I 'yank my wick out of my lamp'! And, I usually shut out human support as well, which, in my metaphor, is the 'fouled-up-wick' part.

Yet, tbecause I have a commitment to daily contemplation, even when I am pissed off, through the grace of this daily practice, I sit my bottom down on my prayer cushion. I make an attempt to name some things I am grateful for. Sometimes, I can only say I am grateful for the gift of discipline to sit when I don't want to. Sometimes I'm not even able to do that. I set my timer for five minutes, and I sit. This commitment to sit, even when I don't want to, is a movement toward alignment. It is a profound, disciplined act of loving myself.

Self Reflection: Where am I disciplined in loving myself?  Where would I like more discipline? 

Strengthening and Aligning Our Internal Flame Part 1

By internal flame, is meant one's life force, which is the energy which we bring into the world with us when we are born.  Over time, our life experiences can be like a storm battering away at the flame of a lamp.  While we cannot control the metaphoric winds and storms that threaten our flame, we can strengthen the wick of the lamp which is our life.

Our intention for living our life and our commitment to live with integrity (Truth as best as we currently understand) weave together and become like a wick, drawing up energy from Creator's unlimited source. This energy, ignited by Grace, is an ever-flowing gift of love available to all of us. 

We receive this Grace through two actions: First, through a daily practice of expressing specific and sincere gratitude (thanksgiving) and second, by asking Source (by whatever name we have for Source) for help in living our life and are consciously willing to receive help.  In other words, we establish a morning practice of gratitude prayer and contemplative petition.

Self Reflection: I align MY internal flame with the Eternal Flame of Love.