Gratitude - what it entails?

[Craig]

Hey,

we are living in interesting times as they would say. I am not as regular as I would wish on these forums cause well you know life...

But I have a question, every night at bed I express thanks for the daily proceedings, I try to remember the daily happenings that stand out and express thanks and gratitudes.

But deep inside I feel like it is kind of empty my thanks that is, as if I am not thanking enough? I'm not expressing hard enough? Does that make sense?

How can I improve on this, make it feel like I am truly expressing thanks to the universe, god, creator, what may you?

Anyway, if you have read this I thank you deeply, though it may take time to answer back

Cheers

[JackMcThorn]

He is as pious and thankful when a tempest is past, as devout when it is present : not clamorous to receive mercies, and tongue-tied to return thanks.

From the essay The Good Sea Captain by Thomas Fuller 16o8-1661

I am in the daily habit to express gratitude for even the smallest relief to my day. This quote I extracted from a book of essays from 16oo-19oo and I find that as much as the world changes, people generally stay the same. My copy is from October 1912. It is in good condition but I have jotted and highlighted it in a manner consistent with my thinking. I picked it up for €4.oo in 2o19 in a Killarney book store.

So I too, am not tongue-tied to return thanks, much in the same way you are, Craig.

[norman]

I can never quite determine if gratitude is a bunch of cerebrally created strings of appropriate word thoughts or a state of consciousness that requires no such word thoughts.

When I'm in a 'good space' I tend to see it as the later but when the crap is flying I swing back towards the former.

[Vangelo]

Posted by Craig (here)
...
But deep inside I feel like it is kind of empty my thanks that is, as if I am not thanking enough? I'm not expressing hard enough? Does that make sense?

How can I improve on this, make it feel like I am truly expressing thanks to the universe, god, creator, what may you?

...

I too feel gratitude frequently and consciously acknowledge it through thankfulness and reflection. These are always spontaneous events that happen randomly. When I give thanks for my blessings, it never seems enough. By that I mean my thankfulness is incapable of reaching the depth or volume of the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. This feeling of inadequacy or lack of equivalence is the point when I can truly see just how grateful and lucky I am. It becomes like a measure of my gratefulness allowing my to quantify it and see it relative to everything else in my life. This is what makes it so special to me and so I then give thanks for that too.

[Harmony]

With all the practical things in life that keep us busy it is sometimes easy to forget all the numerous people, natural forces, and the infinite energies around us that make our experiences possible. When those miricles come into awareness, the true majesty and divineness can be overwhelming to behold in one single heart. Thank goodness we have so many hearts that can join to behold that magnificence.

[rgray222]

Posted by Craig (here)
Hey,
But deep inside I feel like it is kind of empty my thanks that is, as if I am not thanking enough? I'm not expressing hard enough? Does that make sense?

How can I improve on this, make it feel like I am truly expressing thanks to the universe, god, creator, what may you?
Cheers

I too spent many hours in prayer, gratitude, and thanks. For years I simply believed it to be the right thing to do but if I am honest about it felt hollow and not very fulfilling. Even today that gratitude must come from deep in my heart and be focused. Sending your gratitude out to the universe, god, and/or creator, what may you is like putting leaves in the wind. They might make it to their destination but it is unlikely.

[BlankReg5]

Hello Craig,
Hope things are well. I have had similar thoughts concerning prayer. In my case, I find it helpful to be in a state of surrender
My "prayer" is simply "Thy will be done"
Who's will? Well ultimately mine...whomever that is
Much peace and love
john

[Heart to heart]

Once your heart has been opened an attitude of gratitude is a constant, although one may not be aware of this.
The gifts of love and friendship make me thankful that I am still here to appreciate the joy of life.
In nature we have our true treasure, in the colours, sounds and shapes we perceive every day around us when our eyes are open to the glory of creation.
And gratitude to this forum where we can freely share our thoughts and experiences without judgement.

[ExomatrixTV]

• Masaru Emoto's Experiment in Gratitude

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=SDNhH8deZPg

Masaru Emoto's experiment in Gratitude shows us what happens when you "Bless The Water" with gratitude.

Water as Love and Gratitude

The image above is a water crystal that was exposed to thoughts of love and gratitude and is an image from the website of Dr. Masaru Emoto. If you have ever watched the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know” you are familiar with this concept and Dr. Emoto’s work and research into the mysteries of water. What fascinated him was that when water was held in love or was thanked and talked to like we talk to and encourage plants to grow, the frozen water crystals were beautifully shaped but when they were told they were evil they formed very misshapen crystals that you can see here. This discovery can lead one to wonder what the implications are.

In the movie there is a scene where the main character comes upon an exhibition of Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work about water crystals and how our words and intentions influence how the water can form into beautiful or distorted crystals. The scene goes on to comment on how our bodies are mostly water, about 60% and if these thoughts and intentions can influence water then what do our thoughts and intentions about ourselves affect the water in our bodies and our souls.

We all know how our self-criticism can affect us mentally and emotionally but also how this affects us down to our core to the level of the water that flows through us and is part of our being. One very healing part in this movie was when the main character was in her bath and was using an eye shadow pencil to write beautiful designs on her body in a very healing way. We could all use taking a moment for loving ourselves as being beautiful being and holding ourselves in love and gratitude.

How would it be to have the water in our body forming these beautiful crystals and being beautiful inside and out?

• source

• This Hidden Power of Water:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qkVK4BaPSL4

Water memory allows water to retain information about anything it has come in contact with and also receive information from human thought and intention. It can, in effect, retain a ‘picture’ of any substance within its molecular core. Some scientists proved that water is also alive, a phenomenon known as structured water. Could it really be possible that water is ever recording a history of its relationship with the world through molecular clusters? And if so, what is it doing with this information?

[Parsi-X]

I've been practising gratitude unconsciously since the pandemic.. Having lost my job and family, it was easy to go into a depressing spiral of self-pity.. But then when I would watch the news of the suffering of people in India, who had virtually no government support and the pandemic was horribly managed.. Anytime I felt overwhelming sadness.. I would look up and say "I have a roof over my head, a loving spouse, food in my belly" and i learnt to live within my means.. What more can one ask for? I lost the feeling of scarcity and feel abundance within; this is the key I feel to gratitude.. Feeling appreciative in the moment. Wishing you well on your journey.

[Matthew]

This thread is a little treasure. Sometimes I remember to thank plants when I take their fruit, and other instant pieces of thanks even if it is something mundane like my pliers. In the secret depths of my mind, away from the echoes of other people's words, I secretly give thanks to the creator of the universe and then wonder and marvel at the universe and the nature of things. And that's why it took me so long to do what I was doing with my pliers. A bit more human: I always work hard to remember the people factor in service industry, that it is a person or people helping me, not a logic system.

[Eagle Eye]

A pure heart is the key to open the door that leads to eternal peace.

[Chip]

I work at this!
Being grateful is something I try and live by.
Many days I feel like a failure.
But it all adds up to success when it’s truly endeavored.
We are all very fortunate to be here at this moment in history.
I feel personally very grateful being here, even if that means being fried to a crisp in some micro nova event….
It doesn’t matter.
We all know and feel that we are at a juncture.
How we act, how we respond and the appreciation we have for all of nature/God is what will define us in the end.
I don’t know about all of you, but I have high hopes and expectations.
Being human doesn’t mean being weak.