Gratitude is a positive emotion, which involves a feeling of emotional indebtedness towards another person; often accompanied by a desire to thank them, or to reciprocate for a favour they have done for you. In a religious context, gratitude can also refer to a feeling of indebtedness towards a deity, e.g. God in Christianity. Psychological research has demonstrated that individuals are more likely to experience gratitude when they receive a favor that is perceived to be (1) valued by the recipient, (2) costly to ...

Read more here: » Gratitude: Encyclopedia - Gratitude

See also:

Gratitude, Gratitude - Psychological research, Gratitude - Value of the benefit, Gratitude - Cost to the benefactor, Gratitude - Intention of the benefactor, Gratitude - Gratuitousness of the benefit, Gratitude - Empirical support for the determinants of gratitude

Read more here: » Gratitude: Encyclopedia II - Gratitude - Psychological research

The fourteenth century Native American Iroquois Constitution opens with a prayer of gratitude. It offers thanks "to the earth where men dwell; to streams of water, springs and lakes; to the maize and fruits and medicinal herbs; to the sun and moon, wind and thunder... and to the great creator, the source of life".

Gratitude is one of the first principles of spiritual well-being. Blessings abound in the life of each of us, and a keener appreciation of the same unlocks the secrets of the universe. In opening our hearts wide to render thanks we automatically create the space in our consciousness for greater grace to flow in. A thankful heart is an open heart and is thus, open to receiving. Meister Eckhart, the German mystic observed, "If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice."

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Gratitude - A Simple Yet Powerful Tool

Every night and every morning thank your own Guardian Angel

for peace and for the regeneration of all the cells in your body, and for joy.

Dorie D'Angelo

Read more here: » Angel Quotes: Angel Wisdom about gratitude

I was looking forward to working in the studio with Paul Madar. We planned to lay the foundation for a CD of Atlantean music. Produced by dulcimer strings, the vibrations would align consciousness, opening the listener's mind to ancient healing methods.

We were ready to go and I was preparing Paul's frame of mind. I thought of the metaform, a revolving geometric form, that might facilitate focusing Paul's attention. I quickly went to the upper room to retrieve it.

(See also: Indigo Children, What is Indigo Children, Parenting Indigo Children, Adult Indigo, Indigo Children Channeling)

Read more here: » Indigo Children: Gratitude Prerequisite for Reasoning    

In this article, the author share a simple and very powerful way of combining drumming with clearly expressed intentions together forming your own strong prayer. This technique can be used by anyone and adopted to suit your own personal need.

Read more here: » Spiritual Music: Song Alchemy - Drumming for spiritual awakening

In 1999, Bennie LeBeau of the Eastern Shoshone tribe began to experience a torrent of dreams and visions. The visions directed him to set in motion the plans for a massive Medicine Wheel Ceremony. The ceremony is set to take place at High Noon on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at more than 20 sacred sites in the American West, and at many other sacred sites elsewhere around the world, including Australia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the Middle East.

Read more here: » Native American Spirituality: Native American Medicine Wheel Ceremony on May 8th 2004

Kundalini Yoga

Thus far our soul psychotherapy has drawn from universal spiritual principles of gratitude, forgiveness, poignant impermanence, and the like, while remaining largely within the precincts of conventional developmental theory. In this chapter I broaden our scope more toward the body by delving into the farther reaches of human development as is becoming known in the West under the heading of kundalini yoga.

Read more here: » Kundalini Yoga: Kundalini Yoga and the Far Reaches of Human Development

Nile-God (Egypt, Egyptian). Represented by a wooden image of the river god receiving honours in gratitude for the bounties its waters afford the country.

There was a "celestial" Nile, called in the Ritual Nen-naou or "primordial waters"; and a terrestrial Nile, worshipped at Nilopolis and Hapimoo. The latter was represented as an androgynous being with a beard and breasts, and a fat blue face ; green limbs and reddish body. At the approach of the yearly inundation, the image was carried from one place to another in solemn procession.

(See also: Nile-God , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

For more dictionary entries, see » Gratitude Dictionary

To begin today to develop greater prosperity consciousness, you can:

Determine those things you love spending money on and relish the experience. Linger in that feeling of joy as you count out the cash or write out the check. Ponder and examine this feeling, and keep it in the front of your memory. Before you write out checks for your bills or other expenses, draw this feeling up first.

Read more here: » Manifesting: Prosperity Consciousness and Manifesting Exercises

When you appreciate what God has given you, instead of saying "thank you" in word or thought, express your gratitude by choosing to be who God wants you to be - toward yourself, toward God, and toward others. Use the opportunity of "thank you" to correct your attitude and remember to love.

Read more here: » Personal Growth: On Opening to Higher Guidance

Despite the stupendous achievements in various fields today, peace and happiness continue to elude humankind. Although peace and happiness have to be generated from within, we have started relying more and more on external factors to solve our internal problems.

The progress we see today is mainly of the external world. But, this is no measure of individual evolution. If the individual wants to be peaceful and happy, he must uplift himself.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: Value Systems for Total Competence

Indian culture has always held the guru in high esteem. Having a master was not just considered a matter of pride, but it was mandatory to have a guru. Not having a master was looked down upon as being an orphan, being poor and a sign of misfortune.

The word anatha in Sanskrit means one without a master. An acharya (teacher) gives shiksha, which means knowledge; Guru gives diksha, which means heightened awareness.

(See also: Sri Sri Ravishankar , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Sri Sri Ravishankar: Guru, God and Self are Synonymous  

The ability to communicate with those who have passed into the nonphysical or "died" gives a person a unique perspective on life and death. Working as a medium has blessed me with the opportunity to communicate with many in the spirit world. Often through the years, as clients have thanked me heartily for bringing through a loved one, I have found myself sincerely returning their gratitude for the opportunity to "meet" the spirits who came through for them. I have learned a great deal from these communications about the nature of life and "death."

Read more here: » AfterLife: Death is a Dream - What the Dead have taught me about the Afterlife

Our lives are a series of experiences. Although these experiences appear to be linear, actually, they are not so. We discover this when we pause to carefully reflect on them. Life is a form of language with its own punctuation marks, much like the written language, where each punctuation mark has an unspoken meaning.

I experienced the visible language of life recently when I was down with a viral fever with a severe chest congestion. I was completely dependent upon others to even get up on my feet. Without the care and support of my family, I would have had to be hospitalised. Because of the intensive care I received at home, I bounced back to good health within a reasonable period of time.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Your Good Health Can Spread Cheer

Buddhism Holydays: Holy days and Festivals in Buddhism

Festivals play a big part in the lives of many Buddhists. Most Buddhists, with the exception of the Japanese, use the Lunar calendar. The dates of Buddhist festivals and the way they are celebrated vary from country to country, and between Buddhist traditions. The most important holy days are: Wesak, Dharma Day, Sangha Day, Parinirvana Day and Losar

Read more here: » Buddhism Holydays: Holy days and Festivals in Buddhism

Bhagavan stuti: Open Your Mind With Songs of God

Stuti literally means praise and a stotram is a hymn or song dedicated to God's glory. Is it necessary to praise the Lord? Would He be affected by our praises and does He really need them? What could be the benefits that accrue from singing His glory? From our experiences of dealing with the empirical world, we understand it is natural to appreciate someone who has performed well.

Read more here: » Bhagavan stuti: Open Your Mind With Songs of God

Buddhism advocates tolerance - to accept that there are differences in human experiences; that diversity is part of life, whether in experiences, cultural backgrounds or religions/faiths. Buddhism is the religion of compassion, mercy and forgiveness for all life forms.

It does not preach the superiority of its belief systems over those of other religions, nor does it believe in any sort of hierarchical ordering of faith systems; it does not discriminate against anyone, least of all on account of faith or belief. The recognition and embracement of diversity and pluralism and the resulting absence of any coercive or violent means for proselytising is the very essence of the humanism of Buddhism.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Compassion and Peace Go Hand in Hand

Vipassana Meditation: The practice of the sound current in Vipassana meditation, also known as the divine sound, is a foundational practice of linking directly with the soul and I AM Presence. It comes from the Himalayan masters of ancient India, and is a foundation for the practice of nada yoga, sahaj yoga, Babaji’s kriya yoga, as well as Sikh practices like shabda yoga.

Read more here: » Vipassana Meditation: The Sound Current and Vipassana Meditation

Selfless action is the outward expression of selfless love. When the heart is filled with love, it expresses itself in the form of unselfish action. One is a deep inner feeling and the other its outward manifestation.

Without deep, unconditional love, selfless actions cannot be performed. In the initial stages of our awakening, the actions we perform in the name of selflessness are not selfless, because the love we feel for ourselves is present in everything we do and say.

Read more here: » Selflessness and Selfishness: Beware the Minefield of the Mind