I could not improve upon the message of Thanksgiving from one of my wonderful teachers, Hal Isen, who sends out a newsletter, “Core Wisdom® – The Way of the Practical Mystic,” from time to time. I highly recommend his life-changing book, The Genesis Principle: A Journey into the Source of Creativity and Leadership. His website is: http://corewisdom.com/
CORE WISDOM: Giving Thanks – A State of Grace
If the only prayer you say in your life is “thank you,” that would suffice. – Meister Eckhart
This Thanksgiving, many of you will be spending the holiday with family and friends that you have known for years. For others, the day may be celebrated with new acquaintances.
For some of you, this Thanksgiving may be marked by the absence of the familiar form of one loved dearly. For others, there will be the presence of a new, unfamiliar expression of Spirit sitting at your table.
What is changeless is that which is the Source of all life. It is always present and accessible to experience within the multiplicity of forms that manifest themselves as “humanity”.
When we are open to receive, we become present to that which precedes form and is the source of all forms. We find ourselves in a spontaneous state of awe, wonder, and gratitude beyond words for the miracle that is life itself in each and every moment.
To give thanks for life is to move into a state of Grace beyond appearances, beyond preferences, beyond “good” and “bad”, and beyond duality itself. It is a state where one is present to the deep abiding pulse that is at the heart of all life.
I invite you to engage in a simple, powerful inquiry on Thanksgiving day: As you take a walk or climb a flight of stairs, as you embrace the voices and laughter of others around the Thanksgiving table, and when you find yourself just sitting quietly before or after your Thanksgiving dinner, allow a few moments to reflect on what you are thankful for.
Start with something obvious and simple, and the rest will flow. Observe what you experience when you do this inner inquiry wholeheartedly for only a few minutes.
Below are a few examples of some simple yet miraculous gifts you might reflect on with grateful thanks:
The gift of SIGHT… of wonder and curiosity in a child’s face, of the symphony of colors, hues, and tones at sunset, the shimmering of light on water on a moonlit night, the graceful curve of a neck, the purple radiance of flowers on a green hillside, the synchronicity of a flight of birds flying South in the cool of Autumn, the twinkling of a star, a painting by Monet, the light in a lover’s eyes.
The gift of HEARING… music, the whisper of the wind through fall leaves, the crunch of hard packed snow underfoot, voices strange and voices familiar, a baby’s laughter, a child’s first word, an anguished cry of loss, an intimate’s gasp of pleasure, a parent’s last sigh.
The gifts of TOUCH,SMELL and TASTE…the texture, aroma, and taste of the pumpkin pie, the smoothness of an infant’s skin, the warm,
textured grain in a piece of wood, the cold, hard smoothness of metal, the scent and warmth of a loved one’s embrace.
The gift of FEELING…aware of, experiencing, allowing, welcoming, embracing, understanding, and having compassion for the whole range of human emotions.
The gift of MOVEMENT…being aware and in awe of the miracle of our bodies to move, to crawl, to walk, to run, to jump, to dance, and to love in spontaneous response to our intention.
The gift of BREATH… as Spirit breathes through us, in and out.
The gift of family, friends and teachers… of all shapes, forms, and sizes.
The gifts of FORGIVENESS, COMPASSION, and LOVE …that open our hearts to embrace the essence and forms of all that is.
This Thanksgiving, allow yourself to reside in the space of thankfulness and gratitude. Ask yourself, “What am I thankful for?” Be still, and the answer will come. And then another. And another.
I invite you to live from THANKFULNESS and GRATITUDE in all the days that follow. Awaken in the morning to the question, “What am I thankful for?”Go to sleep in that question. Observe how your life begins to transform into being an expression of the space of thankfulness and gratitude.
At this time of Thanksgiving, I thank each of you for the gift you are in my life in whatever form or forms that has taken — as family, partner, friend, adversary, business associate, neighbor, student, client, mentor, guide, guru, acquaintance, or passerby.
You are all my teachers.You have all given me priceless opportunities in this life to question, to experience, to learn, to grow, to relate, to understand, to allow, to transform, to know, to create, to love, and to BE.
Thank you for BEING in my life.
With love, joy, gratitude and appreciation,
Hal (and Aysha!)
© 2010 Hal Isen & Associates, Inc.
