The Christmas season is a time for feeling gratitude. In America there is also the holiday of Thanksgiving. However, it is always a good time to be grateful. Thankfulness is not just a matter of spiritual correctness; it is a matter of spiritual effectiveness. To feel appreciation requires you to have the story that life is working for you, that you receive what you want. Since your experience follows your story, gratitude is essential to you having a sense of fulfillment in your life.

Some of you may be thinking that there are some things that are difficult to feel grateful for, in fact they are actually quite upsetting. How, for example, can you give thanks for having a car accident, losing a job, being diagnosed with a serious dis-ease, or having somebody close to you die? How can you be joyful about being late somewhere, stubbing your toe, having an argument with your partner, or misplacing your keys? Actually, these are the most important times to have the intention to experience gratitude. Everything that comes to you is a gift. You experience pain and discomfort because this gift is unexpected and unrecognized. All that has happened is that you have forgotten what you have asked for; you have forgotten who you are.

Let’s go back to square one. You are the innocent, unconditionally loved child of God. You are divine, the creator of all that exists in your life. Yes, you have forgotten all of this. It is hidden behind that veil that separates the physical from the immortal and the timeless. But this does not alter the truth one single bit. You have created what is present in your life. To act as a victim, to be upset about what is, is to deny your power, your divinity. It is to guarantee a future of more upsets and unhappiness until you finally awaken to the truth. Nothing can occur in your life without your permission. The first step is to accept your gifts. Welcome what has come into your life, even if you don’t understand how it can be a benefit. The understanding will come later, but it is not necessary yet. All that is necessary is the awareness that you have created it, even if it was done unconsciously.

Express gratitude for whatever has come into your life. If it is difficult for you to sincerely feel grateful, you can follow the five-step process. The first step is to state the problem as you perceive it. It can be helpful to write this down in a sentence or two. This is your “old story, the one have been carrying around with you all of your life and probably for lifetimes. Perhaps you feel a discomfort in your body, but cannot put this feeling into words. Just go with that.

The second step is to feel where you are carrying this energy in your body. Close your eyes. Begin a slow, deep, rhythmic breathing. Focus your attention on the place in your body where you are feeling the discomfort. Notice how it feels. Turn your mind off. Don’t judge, label, defend, or define the discomfort. Just pay attention to it. Notice how it feels. Don’t attempt to control it. Let it do whatever it wishes. Just follow it. Allow it to get as big as it wishes. Eventually you begin to notice some settling of the energy. It may begin to feel warmer and lighter. Slowly move the energy to your spiritual heart or heart chakra. You have just performed what I call Spiritual Alchemy. You have transformed fear into love. This is actually easy to do because fear is an illusion. Only love is true. Your mind has labeled the experience and the feelings as fearful, but the truth is that there is only love. Next, visualize an opening in the front of your spiritual heart and see the energy releasing through it in a laser-like beam. As you continue breathing, feel the energy dissipating through this opening with each exhale until it has largely been discharged into the universe.

Now that you are feeling unconditional love and peace, the third step is to take complete responsibility for creating the situation described in the first step. Take your power back. Acknowledge that this situation could not have occurred without your participation. Again, it is not necessary yet to understand why you have chosen as you have. It is enough to declare that you have done so and to know that it was done from love.

Finally, it is time for the fourth step. Choose your new story. Again, it may be helpful to write this down in one or two sentences. As you declare what you wish to create, remember to phrase things with positive statements. Your mind tends to ignore negative words (for example it will interpret ”I will not experience pain” as ”I will experience pain”). State your story in the present tense unless you wish to keep its fulfillment always in the future. Also, do not require any other specific individual to play a role in your story. If you can control others, they can also control you. Just state that someone will play a particular role in your new story. This is a co-creation between you and your angels and guides. It is not your job to make things happen on the physical plane. You have done your job by choosing your new story. Allow the person or persons who wish to be part of your plan to join in. Then let go and let God.

The fifth step is called ”repeat as necessary”. You will likely experience a recurrence of the “old story”. It is deeply embedded in your cells. The old feeling may rear its head again. Pat yourself on the back for recognizing the first step, and repeat the other three. It will be easier each time. Eventually the “old story” will fade away and only your new story will remain. You may notice that the fourth step also morphs as you repeat the process, as you get clearer and clearer about what you truly want. Eventually, you will also realize why you created the original story. You will understand what a gift it was to you and the benefit it brought to you. Accept your reward right now. Be thankful. Open your present. Enjoy it. Deep within lies the realization of your ascension. It is your birthright. Merry Christmas.

God Blesses You,

Sanhia