Celebrating the Giving of Thanks
by Lynn Andrews

Beyond the dimensions of ordinary life lie dimensions of higher consciousness. When you move into higher consciousness, you discover the strength and serenity of a faith and a trust, a hope and a joy that will sustain you through anything you face in life.

Fall is the season when people across the globe traditionally come together in celebration, harkening back to the days when we were much closer to the land and the celebrations of giving thanks for an abundant harvest.

What does the term “giving thanks” mean to you? As a shaman who has spent the last four decades working with healers from across the globe, to me giving thanks is about higher consciousness. It is about the consciousness of thankfulness, a celebration with the Great Spirit of all of the gifts of life that surround us.

Thankfulness is a beacon of light which shines from within you, inviting you to move beyond the dimensions of your ordinary life. It is your way of saying to the Great Spirit, to God in all of the wonderful ways we understand God, “Thank you for these gifts of life.”

You are uplifted when you say, “Thank you,” to God. Even in the darkest moments, when you say, “Thank you,” to the Great Spirit, you feel deep in your soul that you are not alone, that there is something very kind and powerful within your own life force. It is always present for you if you allow it in, the great God who is always on your side. When you are in this moment of being uplifted, you are in the celebration of thankfulness.

Gratefulness is what brings you into the present moment, which is where all of life is happening. Life only happens in the present moment. The past is behind you, the future has yet to come. It is important to learn from the past as you prepare for the future. That’s part of why we have celebrations of homecoming – they remind us of the good parts of where we have been as well as where we are going.

But the only moment in time we are ever really given is this moment, right now. So fill your present moment with gratitude. Find something for which you are thankful at this very instant. Awaken your appreciation, and don’t ever let it go to sleep again. Then you will have all of the strength you will ever need to move through the events of your life with confidence and, dare I say it, joy – the pure joy of living. The celebration of thankfulness is what keeps your life force vibrant.

In a way, moving into thankfulness is like placing a seed in the ground. You nurture and water the seed, and the flower blooms. Thankfulness is a seed that is within you that needs to be cultivated. You come into this physical realm carrying this seed; it is part of your life force. When you nurture it, that’s when it blooms into the guiding force of your conscious experience of life. You choose to be thankful. You choose to celebrate the life force with which you have been gifted. You choose higher consciousness, and a new world opens.

This magnificent season of Fall is a time of high energy and the coming together of family and friends, to feast, to celebrate, to be reminded that no matter where we are in life, we are part of something larger than ourselves. What a great time to practice thankfulness in a conscious and intended way!

When you talk about the coming home of loved ones into your life, to me you are talking about God. As you open your heart and your home and your life to the ones you love, you are opening your being to the Great Spirit and the gifts of life which are bringing you back together.

Whatever you are doing in this season of Fall, find something for which you are thankful and make it part of your celebrations. If you are going through stressful times, perhaps filled with sadness or fearfulness, look within yourself until you find something for which to be grateful and celebrate that gratitude. Make friends with your thankfulness. It is part of your life force. Nurture it in everything you do. When you feast, don’t forget to think about the animals and the life that has given way so that you may live, and celebrate that life.

Whatever festivities you celebrate at this time of year, make them a conscious celebration of thankfulness. It is one of the greatest gifts you will ever have and it is always within reach. It comes from within you.

Lynn Andrews is a shaman teacher who is recognized worldwide as a leader in spiritual healing and personal development. She is the internationally best-selling author of the Medicine Woman series, founder of the Lynn Andrews Center for Sacred Arts and Training. www.lynnandrews.com.