“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”
-Meister Eckhart
I love Thanksgiving. I love that it is a secular holiday that applies to anyone, yet also ties into the very spiritual idea of Thanksgiving. I love that its a nice family based holiday without a lot of commercialization; a perfect break between the growing commercialization of Halloween and the complete frontal assault of Christmas.
This week I am going to focus on Thankfulness on this blog. It is a practice in itself that is highly underrated. When I included a chapter on being thankful as a daily practice in the SS course, it generated more objections than any other practice I gave except meditation. It still amazes me that if I told people to summon a demon or cast a jinx, they would probably have no objection (I dont ask either BTW) but people get fiesty when I ask them to sit still for a few minutes a day and be thankful for what they have.
Some truly cannot see what they DO have because they are blinded by what they DON’T have. Some feel cursed, like the world is just arrayed against them, yet when I look at them I can see some amazing things that most people wish they had.
For some the Holiday itself is tainted , having its roots in a fabled meeting and peaceful between Pilgrims and Native Americans who we then went on to slaughter en masse. Likewise life itself is tainted by all that is wrong with the world. I urge you to acknowledged what is wrong, but not to let that stop you from celebrating what is right! Leave Burroughs and Wednesday Adams alone this year and give Thanks!
Thankfulness is a practice that is not only religious, but magical. When we are grateful to another human being for something that they did for us, we give value to that person, build rapport, and also cause that person to want to please us further to continue the positive feelings. It is the same way with the universe itself. After your meditation, but before you concentrate on your projection for the day, give thanks to the universe for all the random factors that have gotten you this far. The body you were born in, the education you were able to receive, the people that life has brought you into contact with. Anything and everything that you value.
The focus on good things that you already possess reinforces the idea that you can get more of the same, and build self-value. Another trick is to give thanks in advance for what you expect to achieve through magic. It just primes the forces that surround you to respond with success. This is not some new thought shenanigans - this is the basis upon which your rituals should rest!
Per your recommendation, I’ve begun daily offerings (I call them my “daily yajna’s”). I spent some time the other day bouncing around the town looking for totems or oils or other bric-a-brac which I would use as physical supports over the next few months.
I was amazed by how much my thinking kept turning to “[This] seems perfect for creating [this] type of effect,” or “I could so use this as a cool talisman after I offer it.” I repeatedly had to catch myself with,”This is not for me or my use, this is an offering for [...]. Would this be appreciated?” I have also noticed these “personally-oriented” patterns of thought while actually doing the offerings. I finally settled on a liturgy of “Please accept this offering and grace me with your blessings,” as a stop-gap because “my thoughts” kept asking for things.
In just a few weeks of offerings, I have discovered that, despite my professed beliefs about magick, my working definition and practice has been ALL about “getting things for me/ego,” and I have the suspicion that this has been a major limitation. It’s really unsettling and exciting at the the same time.
I know your post is about giving thanks rather than offerings, but as I read it dawned on me that the two are not too far apart.
roh’nin
Ha!
A beautiful reminder of the need to give thanks at this time of the year for what we have. I am thankful that my community passed through the recent storm, relatively unscathed. I’m thankful that I still have family in the world of the living, and I am thankful for the honored dead whom I see now more clearly than before. I am thankful for good food to eat and good friends to share it with. I am thankful for modest prosperity in a time of shortage and want; I am thankful for having enough to share with others. I am thankful for my writing skills, and thankful for my emerging drawing skills. I am thankful for faith, and thankful for magic, and thankful for love, and health, and life, and peace.
I’ve recently taken up the practice of giving thanks on a daily basis. I’m still new to it so sometimes I forget, despite how simple it is, really. I find that it’s easier to remember if I associate it with something, so I’ve started saying thanks after meals; not only for the meal itself, of course, but for whatever I can think of. It actually makes me feel really good afterwards.
I’m convinced the practice of gratitude will improve your life in all areas. Even if all you can muster if whispering thank you to that creative spark inside every morning. Great advice to your readers, Jason!