GRATITUDE IS PROACTIVE

“. . . for all tomorrow’s good
May rest today upon your gratitude,
For he who gives thanks before the wine
Is pressed from grapes still clinging to the vine
Has shown a faith above, beyond the present hour
And his thanksgiving holds the future flower.”
~ from “The Voice Celestial” by Ernest and Fenwicke Holmes

Ernest Holmes, the developer of The Science of Mind (LINK) philosophy and the founder of Religious Science/Centers for Spiritual Living, was largely a synthesizer of ancient wisdom and modern psychology. He did not originate most of what he wrote and spoke about but put things together from various sources in a way which created a practical approach to spiritual realization. He was eternally curious, seeking out new wisdom throughout his life.

One thing which is unique to his teachings, as far as I can tell, is seeing gratitude as a proactive expression – in other words, when we are deeply grateful in advance for what we seek, we bring more energy into our manifestation – we create a strong consciousness of positive expectation. While it is easy to leave a focus on gratitude behind as we move from November to December, we do well to remember our New Thought principle of gratitude as an active and proactive element in our everyday lives.

“The feeling of gratitude is among the strongest and most affirmative spiritual energies at your command.  When you feel a deep sense of gratitude…you are actually focusing your creative energy and bringing it to bear on your life.”
~Rev. David Owen Ritz

If my use of mental science is to be most effective, I need to recognize the power of gratitude in advance of manifestation. When I am truly grateful for what I am seeking in advance, I create a stronger consciousness of expectation within myself. Doubts about manifesting my desire are erased as I repeat my spiritual mind treatments with the gratitude step (Step 4 in the Five-Step Treatment Process).

“And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, I have really good days.”
~ Ray Wylie Hubbard

It was at this point in writing this post that I had a spell of vertigo and ended up in the emergency room of the Hôpital Croix-Rousse here in Lyon for the rest of my Sunday. Apparently, all is well, but during the 7+ hours in the ER, which was mostly waiting, I did have time to ponder how gratitude can be a creative force, even when appearances are not positive. Or maybe, especially when appearances are not positive.

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”
~ Shanuna Niequist

Rather than catastrophizing thinking, which is easy for many of us to do, I steered my thoughts toward gratitude. Gratitude for the four members amazing ambulance team, one of whom spoke excellent English, for assessing me so well and giving me the experience of riding to the hospital with the siren on! Gratitude for the excellent French healthcare system, and the Croix-Rousse complex which serves the northern half of Lyon so well. Grateful for the ER staff, who despite a heavy workload (an ambulance every 15 minutes or so, plus lots of walk-ins), did their jobs professionally.

And grateful for my own support system – Dorianne and our friends, who were there for me. Finally, grateful for this philosophy, the Science of Mind, which I have worked diligently to embody, and which served me so well in maintaining a consciousness of healing during this event. AND: GRATEFUL FOR MY HEALING WHICH WAS ALREADY PRESENT!

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”
~Meister Eckhart

Gratitude in advance, in order to be truly effective, must be accompanied by a consciousness of positive expectation. And while things do not always turn out as envisioned and there are no guarantees in life, this consciousness of expectation and gratitude is powerful and puts the odds in my favor. Our difficulties show up in life to call forth some quality yet unexpressed, so gratitude in times of difficulty, as difficult as it may be, can speed the process of expressing that quality and to a fuller experience of life. The creation of your life experience does not happen without your involvement in each unfolding instant.

Therefore, while Thanksgiving is past, and we are moving to the end of the “Month of Gratitude” in November, it is really important to keep a consciousness of gratitude active in our daily lives. I will close with one of Ernest Holmes’ more practical quotes:

“Always come to a complete conclusion when giving a treatment. Always feel that it is done, complete and perfect, and give thanks for the answer.…The treatment should be repeated daily until a healing takes place. If it takes 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, or 5 years, the treatment must be kept up until a healing is accomplished. This is the only method we know. It is not enough to SAY that everything is all right. This is true in Principle, but in fact and in human experience, it is only as true as we make it. Treat until you get results. A healing takes place when the patient is no longer sick, and until such time, mental work should be done.”
~ Ernest Holmes

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Copyright 2023 – Jim Lockard