Gratitude From page 37
Notice which of the following questions capture your attention and which are less evocative or interesting to you at this time. Select two or three of the most meaningful questions for you and explore them more deeply.
• December is the month of giving and receiving gifts from family and loved ones. Two kinds of gratitude result: one is the kind we feel when we
• Reflect upon what has been hale, hearty, and whole for you this year. Where has healing occurred in your life and within your nature? Give gratitude for the periods of grace, healing, and wholeness you have experienced.
• Develop the mystic heart and mystic character within your nature: ask or pray for ways to access your moral capacity, develop solidarity with
“When more is given to us, it can open our hearts to extend generosity of spirit to others in pure-hearted ways. Those who are pure of heart are naturally generous, possessing no agenda or expectation for return.”
receive, and the other is what we feel when we give. Notice if it is easier or more difficult for you to receive than it is to give. The mystic heart relishes giving and receiving with equal gratitude and thankfulness, as both are expressions of love—given and received.
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all living things, and commit to nonviolence, selfless service, and humility of spirit.
• What mystical experiences have you had? These are times when you have experienced the dissolution of ego and merged into a sense of profound unity, peace, joy, and love with all that is.
Dec/Jan 2011-2012
• What have you learned about love this year?
• How do you express generosity of spirit in your life? What acts of royal generosity have you extended this year––to whom and to what? What gifts have you extended to others, and what gifts have you received? In the ritual of gift-giving, what heartfelt and genuine choices have you made that have been pure-hearted?
Excerpted with permission from Living In Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life. © 2011 Angeles Arrien. Published by Sounds True, November 2011.
Angeles Arrien, PhD is a teacher, author, and cultural anthropologist residing in Sausalito, California. Dr. Arrien’s teachings bridge the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, and comparative religion, while focusing on universal beliefs shared by humanity. She lectures and leads workshops internationally on cultural anthropology and transpersonal psychology at colleges, corporate settings, and personal growth facilities.
www.angelesarrien.com
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