gratitude
Heal Your Life With The Great Law
Do you have a lot of recurring drama in your life and the same negative situations repeating again and again? Do you keep attracting the same kind of toxic people and energy thieves into your life?
If so, you may benefit from learning more about the laws of karma and how to apply them in your everyday life, as these universal laws can transform your life for the better if we honor them in our spiritual practice and daily life.
Hindu and Buddhist spirituality recognizes 12 Laws of Karma. The first and most important of these is The Great Law, also known as the Law of Cause and Effect. This fundamental karmic law has helped me a lot to uncomplicate my own life since my spiritual awakening.
The Great Law teaches that whatever we sow, we shall reap. Every cause has an effect. Whatever put out into the world will eventually come back to us. Even the good and bad things we wish upon others will return to bless, or curse us.
Once we understand the role of The Great Law in our life, we become more aware of how we can eliminate negative patterns in our life and begin to attract more positive, new things. The energy we emanate each day in the form of thoughts, wishes, fears, desires, attitudes, and beliefs will determine what will return to us as manifested experiences, events and circumstances.
Intention is everything in karmic law. For example, you start dating someone, but you live in fear of that person leaving you, or betraying you, so you are emanating an energy frequency of fear. In the end, it is very likely that you will lose that person. Fear attracts fear, love attracts love, and gratitude attracts gratitude. It’s that simple.
How To Make Gratitude A Way Of Life
Life has certainly not been easy for me recently. First and foremost, my iPhone, email account, bank account and credit card had all been hacked by some very clever cyber-criminal. Soon after, my brother went into hospital for the second time. I was feeling rather sorry for myself until one day, after visiting my brother in the hospital, I was delayed while driving home. I had to stop at a junction to allow oncoming traffic to pass. A hearse was passing by on the other side of the road.
“God bless the deceased and their loved ones,” I softly prayed.
As the funeral procession moved closer, I noticed that the flower wreath beside the coffin had a ribbon with the words: Beloved Daughter. In a flash, all my own problems seemed to evaporate, as I thought of the bereaved parents of the deceased. Here I was, complaining that I could not access my email account, while other people were grieving the passing of a loved one. Although it was a brief, random experience, it made me take a step back and take an honest look at my life. It caused me to reflect upon the many blessings in my life and, apart from my brother’s current health condition, the ongoing well-being of the rest of my family.
The hearse experience was highly synchronistic and definitely a sign from spirit. The Universe no doubt had an uncanny hand in ochestrating this occurence, as it mimicked an similar experience I had almost 20 years ago! Back then, my son had been born three months prematurely and suffered a minor brain hemorrhage as a result. Statistically, the doctors told me, the odds were fortunately in favor of him surviving such a premature birth. Still, the four months that he was in hospital were probably the most harrowing of my life!
Let Us Make Strong Strides Into The Future
Here in Canada, the days are now getting much longer, the weather is turning warmer, and the trees are in full bloom. Gorgeous flowers are starting to take hold for the summer and the little birds start their incessant chirping at 4 am as the skies start to lighten.
What a beautiful time of celebration this time of the year is, with Pride Month, Father’s Day, and the Summer Solstice all being recognized, among so many other events around the world. It’s also my aunt’s 96th birthday, so that is of itself a reason for our family to rejoice.
Now is a time of nourishment, growth and abundance. Nature gives us so much to see and hear. We are enjoying maximum daylight, as the solstice grows near, surrounding us with warmth and energy. Let’s revel in the beauty that surrounds us, regardless of where we find ourselves or the circumstances we are currently navigating.
We should also take some time to honor those brave leaders of the past and present who have forged paths for others to follow, in spite of insurmountable odds. We can salute them for effecting lasting change and support them in ongoing pursuits for liberty and justice around the world.
The recent celebration of Father’s Day alsoreminded me that we must salute our fathers and forefathers, and those who have become father figures to us. When we think of fathers, we sometimes think of their traditional roles from back in the day as leaders of the family, sole breadwinners, arbiters of sibling arguments, and ultimate disciplinarians. It wasn’t cool for fathers to show emotion or tenderness, far less cry, and, of course, they were always right, even when they were not.
How To Get More Out Of Your Journaling
I always thought of all journaling as writing one´s thoughts and feelings down on a notepad or in a book- something like a very personal diary. But recently, a very artistic, creative friend posted photos of some exquisite journals she makes. I had simply had to get one.
I even got to choose the colour, together with a sigil my friend will add between the layers of the journal. My choice for a sigil was something I am working on manifesting, so seeing that inscribed symbol will be a constant reminder of my manifestation each time I journal.
I asked my friend what her view is on journaling, because she absolutely loves creating these works of art. She envisions her creations being used as perhaps a gratitude journal, a dream journal, a meditation journal, a poetry notebook, as well as for general journaling or recording one’s favourite quotes.
At the beginning of the year, I began a nightly routine before falling asleep in making a mental note of the big and small things I am grateful for, and also to ponder about what I have managed to achieve during that particular day, be it a small chore I had procrastinated on, or something more important.
My fancy new journal will now be used to write down all the things I am grateful for at the end of each day, as well as recording my achievements. I feel it will have more impact written, and will be good to look back on, because I tend to be my own worst critic when something doesn’t get done.
Journaling is going to help me realize that I have really accomplished much as I could possibly get around to on any given day, and that I have done the best I could with the time and energy available to me.
Finding The Light Within
When we rely on codependent, toxic relationships, materialism and possessions, and other superficial sources of ‘fulfillment,’ it creates a weariness within us. It weighs down the soul. It drowns out the inner light.
Material things and human beings by nature cannot be perfectly reliable all of the time. Material items deteriorate and lose their luster. Friendships and relationships come and go. All that ever truly remains is spirit, and what we do to take care of ourselves. As the world is in dismay in the wake of a pandemic, we can choose to turn to spirit and to take better care of ourselves instead.
While others may choose to descend into lack consciousness, greed or an attitude of entitlement, we can choose an attitude of gratitude, inner peace and joyful living instead.
We have a tremendous opportunity right now to expand our spiritual growth and to empower ourselves with self-care. Many folks don’t realize how useful taking just a few minutes out of their busy day can be!
Adopting a new daily spiritual practice, or simply reading an inspiring book, taking a soothing bath, or buying an aromatherapy diffuser can be uplift the spirit and heal the soul.
There is also crystal energy work, nature walks, prayer, and meditation by a body of water to enhance our joy and connect with the Creator who envisioned all this and brought it all into being.
What we can’t control, we can simply turn over to a Higher Power of our understanding. We can surrender to hope and joy, and let go of our fears. We can say, “This does not have to happen on my timeline, let Your will be done in my life.”
Now Is The Time To Celebrate Life!
The time has come to recognize how far we have come and celebrate the sheer joy and privilege to be alive. Although Covid-19 is still around, and I personally know several people who are just now recovering from the illness, we are in a much better position now than a year or two ago. We have a lot to be grateful for as we start to work our way towards the future.
So, let’s celebrate! While still taking appropriate precautions, it is wonderful to be able to go out again, eat in restaurants and shop inside stores. A feeling of lightness is everywhere these days, with people really appreciating the ability to get back to some semblance of normal.
I see people smiling and laughing again while they are out and about, doing their daily errands, meeting friends, and attending functions and events. It seems even strangers are friendlier and more open to positive conversation and a more optimistic outlook nowadays. What a welcome change!
It is particularly satisfying to focus on and reconnect in person with the people who are important in our lives and make us feel happy. This year Mother’s Day was especially meaningful for many of us. It is always a beautiful opportunity to showcase the love for our mothers, both those who are still with us in this life, as well as those in spirit.
However, spirit impresses on me that honoring our mothers should happen more consistently than just one day per year. Each May, many of us resolve to show our love and respect all year through. So, how are we doing so far? Are we still honoring our mothers long after her special day is over?
A quick call, some surprise flowers, a little gift for ‘no reason’ are all lovely gestures that don’t take a lot of time or money, but can mean the world to mom, or stepmom, grandma or other maternal role-models who have touched our lives.
Ritual In A Modern Spiritual Lifestyle
Rituals, rites and ceremonies are the oldest forms of spiritual practice and essential aspects of all religions and belief systems. A ritual is a meaningful or symbolic action or series of actions that has a standardized format or sequence and can therefore be repeated in exactly the same way by individuals, groups or even communities.
The metaphysical energy generated when we focus our intent using symbols, tokens and metaphoric activities during a ritual that has special meaning for us personally can be highly transformative! Whether you practice ritual in a group or solo, it can supercharge your manifesting ability and aid in any mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual healing processes you may be going through.
When some people hear the word ‘ritual,’ they tend to imagine darkened, smoke-filled rooms with mysterious people in long robes, chanting strange refrains perhaps, all choreographed with everyone knowing their roles. I’m sure there are people who practice rituals in this way and elements like incense and chanting can indeed be party of a rite or ceremony. But a ritual can also be more simply crafted in a way to fit into a modern lifestyle and everyday spiritual practice.
In my own practice, I created a little ‘altar’ for myself. A small sacred space where I have placed a few candles, some incense, crystals, feathers and a few other symbolic tokens which hold special meaning for me. I also added a picture of my mother and a statue of an angel given to me when my grandpa passed away. In this way I created a sacred space that has deep meaning for me personally and brings me into a spiritual mindset.
You don’t need to have a lot of room for this in your home. So, you can even create a small sacred space for yourself on the corner of a dresser or table top. As my practice has evolved, I now find that any spare surface or quiet corner in the places where I have lived can become a nook for little spiritual treasures that I find during my adventures. Once you start creating a sacred space, the Universe will send you little gifts to help you along.