Gratitude's Gift

Key #7 Gratitude’s Gift

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul." - Henry Ward Beeche

The 7th key found in the novel "the 100th human," is truly one that opens the door to enlightenment. Gratitude can be found on a myriad of pathways that all lead to God. The symbol for the 7th Key is revealed to us in the subtle image of an elephant. The gentle giant is sometimes used as a symbol for the sacred state of Gratitude. Within the emotion of feeling grateful is the seed that offers us the ability to grow into enlightenment.

Sam Hutchison, the 7th gatekeeper in the novel, guides our heroes through the intricacies and true power of Gratitude. Everyone knows what being thankful is. However, few beings use Gratitude to its fullest benefit. Gratitude can create a beautiful moment or define a lifetime of happiness and bliss. Its power is great and its effects, if fully embraced, can transform your life into magic. Gratitude’s Gift is a happy paradox that perpetually turns into itself.

"Gratitude is most sacred. It is not a state of subservience as some might interpret it; though humility is an inseparable part of gratitude. But the type of gratitude I speak of does not worship God as some might assume, it rather communes with God, which is considered to be far more reverent.

". . . gratitude is not something I feel toward God for blessing me, as much as it is how I feel when I commune with God.

"Without duality, there is unity. Gratitude is one of unity’s faces. Gratitude is part of the experience of unity." -- Chapter 89 of "the 100th human"

Gratitude forces us to be present in the moment. You can be grateful for the past, but you can only feel the emotion now in this moment. Life is now, abundance is now, God is now and you are now. Being grateful in each moment will literally transform your life. No less.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." --Melody Beattie

God is good, happy, at peace, in bliss and now. Gratitude is both a tool you can use to reach God and the state of being you will find once you have arrived in God’s presence.

"Gratitude is not just something you should feel when someone gives you something. It is a state of mind, a state of consciousness, if you will. You can not feel gratitude in the past or future. You can think about it outside of present time reality, but you can’t experience it. The true experience of gratitude requires several things. It requires you to be in the present moment, completely devoid of past regrets or future projections. When you experience true gratitude as not only an emotion, but as a state of mind, all traces of being a victim, or of self-pity wash away and are replaced with power and connection to God.

"When you are in gratitude you understand unequivocally that you are connected to God and are part of it. You can not feel a deficit in any part of your being, if you are communing with that force. In other words, you have the power to change - everything, but most importantly your mind, or your perceptions. Remember there is no reality, only perceptions of reality.

"Gratitude is also unique in that you can use it as a tool to connect to God and to your deepest states of consciousness. What I mean is, when you are feeling victimized, self-pity, worry or fear – all you have to do is think of something you are grateful for and your mind and energy will change. It doesn’t matter how “holy” that thing might be. Hell, it could be feeling grateful for your dog or for a meal or for your most recent life lesson. No matter what it is, your state of mind will change immediately. And if you can stick with it, you can enter the State of Gratitude.

"If you must compare yourself to others, compare down. Compare to people who are less fortunate than you. No matter your place in the world, there is always someone who you perceive to be worse off than you. I do not tell you this so that you can judge or pity others, or excuse yourself from trying to better yourself, your circumstances or your environment. But by comparing down, you can feel grateful. Once you begin to feel grateful, you can have access to higher states of gratitude consciousness and realities. It is a powerful tool.

"Gratitude is a tool, a power and a state of consciousness all at once. It creates miracles in our lives and expands our hearts to the point where we can invite God in. I urge you, as I have urged my students: embrace gratitude in every way that you can." - Chapter 89 of "the 100th human"

How do we use this powerful tool to reach its promise land? Never forget to feel grateful for everything in your life, including the difficulties; for they are the boulders of today you must climb to build the muscles needed to ascent the mountains of tomorrow. Stay present in each moment, feel the sustenance the earth provides you and the opportunities that lay within your heart. Make every moment a grateful moment. Receive Gratitude’s Gift! n
Don’t forget the other keys as well: Living on Purpose, Hearing the Silence, Infinite Possibilities, We Are One, and Correctly Identified. Remember your thoughts count. Be the 100th human!