The Power of Gratitude: Honoring Community, Growth, and Giving Back
Written by Erin Daugherty
Gratitude is pure magic.
Gratitude is a currency.
Gratitude is both a feeling, and an act.
To feel and to act grateful creates waves of positive impact in ourselves and the people around us. In times of darkness, gratitude can be the source of light that allows us to keep on going. The power and significance of gratitude is infinitely underrated and underestimated.
Today we will attempt to uncover and embody more of gratitude’s energy together, through reflection, ritual, and intentional acts.
Let’s take a moment to pause and tune into the energy of gratitude. Consider getting your journal handy for this exercise.
Gratitude Journaling
Begin by thinking or writing about ten things you are grateful for today. They can be big or small things, anything under the moon. Maybe you are grateful for your home, your car, and to have food in the fridge. It doesn’t have to be anything lavish.
Next, write a letter of gratitude to yourself. This exercise could also be split up into writing a gratitude letter to your past self, present self, and future self, depending on how deep into gratitude you are desiring to go.
Taking time to speak positively, praise ourselves, and express gratitude to ourselves has deeply powerful impacts on self esteem, self worth, self confidence, and self love. A letter of gratitude is one of my personal favorite ways to show love and compassion to myself. This is a safe time and space to praise yourself for every percent of progress that you have made lately, and every way that you have shown up for yourself, your health, and your goals.
Through expressing this deep gratitude for yourself, it encourages yourself to let go of the things that you have maybe been judging yourself or being hard on yourself about. It assists you in focusing on all the good you are doing, rather than dwelling on mistakes or shortcomings.
Letters of gratitude remind yourself (and the people you love) that you are enough just as you are.
Gratitude & The Laws of the Universe
One of the most powerful and empowering things about practicing gratitude, is how being grateful for the small things and the things you already have, will attract more reasons to be grateful. This follows multiple laws of the universe- the law of attraction, and the law of perpetual transmutation of energy.
The law of attraction simply states that similar energies attract one another. This means when you are thinking high-vibe thoughts (gratitude, love, joy) - you will attract more things of this energy. The law of attraction also works the other way. If you are thinking low vibe thoughts (resentfulness, doubt, depression) - you will attract more things of this energy, too. In order for the law of attraction to work, the frequency of what you desire must be matched. This is why practicing gratitude for all the little everyday things in life can help us manifest and create new daily lives filled with even more of what makes us grateful.
The law of perpetual transmutation of energy states that energy is always moving, and as spiritual beings, we have the power to redirect it. By redirecting our energy to gratitude, energy is taken away from the things that we are maybe not so grateful for. This law also supports the law of attraction, because in order to embody and match the energy of what you want to attract, you first must move or direct energy to that intention. If you want to attract more gratitude, you have to embody gratitude through transforming your own energy to be grateful.
Expressing Gratitude
Writing down or expressing aloud the things that we are grateful for is one of the easiest ways that energy can be redirected, transformed, and matched with desires. Expressing gratitude to the ones around us might be even more powerful than just writing them down.
Think about it for a moment. It’s actually really nice to be thanked for the mundane things in life. Some days washing the dishes or cleaning the house is difficult for us to do. It feels good to be thanked just for doing your job well, or recognized by people in your life just for showing up in general.
Gratitude can even be expressed with a smile to a stranger when they hold the door open for you, if you don’t feel like talking.
We can also show people how grateful we are for them through acts of service and tokens of appreciation. I say “tokens of appreciation” rather than “gifts” because tokens of appreciation don’t need to be something extravagant, planned, or for any particular reason.
Maybe you feel like getting crafty and creating something that you think someone you love will appreciate. Maybe you are cleaning out your house and find nice items that someone you love might need or use more. Maybe you are out thrift shopping or at a local market and see something that you are able to purchase for someone that comes into your mind the second you lay eyes on the item. Maybe you simply find a penny on the sidewalk and want to spread good luck. All of these are more than acceptable tokens of appreciation, and there are infinite many more examples.
Expressing gratitude for your current abundance or your local community might look like making clothing donations to local non-profits, volunteering your time and help towards mutual community goals and values, or even simply choosing to shop for your Christmas gifts from small businesses.
When expressing or acting from a space of gratitude, it's all about the intention behind why you are doing what you are doing. When we say and act from a space of genuine thankfulness, it creates a warm and tingly feeling in all of us. It simply feels good, and that is all the more reason to intentionally be grateful and share that gratitude.
Gratitude isn’t flashy or expensive. Gratitude is in our human nature to embody, so we can work with the laws of the universe and live our most abundant lives - experiencing every reason we ever desired to be grateful for. Attracting more reasons to be grateful always starts with practicing gratitude for what you do have or are surrounded by in the present moment, and sharing that gratitude with the people around you however you are able.
Gratitude Activity
Consider three to five people in your life that you are grateful for right now. It can be any person for any reason. Get a piece of paper, or even an index card (or a sticky note if that’s all you have) for each person.
Write a brief thank you note to each person. Just take a moment to directly express the reasons that they make your life better, easier, more beautiful, and full of love. You can even simply thank them for being their genuine selves. If you only have small pieces of paper, it’s okay to keep it really simple. When it comes to gratitude, even the smallest gestures can move mountains of loving emotions within us.
Whenever you are able to and the time feels right, give each of these people your letters of gratitude in person. If they are able to read it with you there, allow yourself to be open to receiving their gratitude. Transmute, transform, and embody the energy of gratitude with one another. This also strengthens connections, bonds, and relationships of any kind. A hand written note is something that they can cherish and return to in moments of doubt.
Gratitude for the Holidays
Gratitude is already a common theme throughout the holidays - between “giving thanks” for Thanksgiving and traditions of exchanging material gifts on Christmas. This season, let’s all put a little different spin on gratitude, together.
In your journal, reflect on three ways you can show people you love how grateful you are for them without spending any money. Is there a family gathering you can show up for? A kitchen you can help clean? A family member who always goes above and beyond to host a gathering? Think of small things that you feel will be genuinely appreciated, and you genuinely want to do from the kindness of your heart.
Next, let’s think of two ways you can show your local community gratitude without spending any money. Do you have canned food in your pantry, and a local food drive is happening? Do you have extra clothes, toys, or books you can donate to local thrift shops or drives? Can you share a post for a small business on social media? These are just some ideas.
Lastly, think of one way you can show yourself gratitude every day through the holiday season. Ideally this is something that becomes a part of your daily routine. Again, keep it simple. My favorite is giving myself a hug at the end of the day, and telling myself, “Thank you for showing up today. I love you.”
Showing yourself gratitude should be an act of love. Maybe it’s journaling about what you are grateful for, rubbing a grounding essential oil on yourself, or doing a shower meditation. Just make it short, sweet, and attainable to be consistent with.
While the last few months of the year can be incredibly hectic, stressful, and overwhelming, gratitude can be the anchor.
Gratitude can keep you grounded. (And the people around you.)
Being rooted in gratitude means accepting things as they are, and always finding reasons to be grateful. Maybe it’s being grateful for kindness, and spreading more kindness. Maybe it’s being grateful for your loved ones, and spending time being present with them. Maybe it’s being grateful for yourself, and showing yourself love. Put the phones down like we used to, and just be present. The present moment is quite literally what it sounds to be - a present, a gift, to be experienced and appreciated.
Crystals for Gratitude
Crystals can be a helpful tool for embodying and aligning with the energy of gratitude. Technically any crystal can service the purpose of attracting gratitude, simply by being grateful for that crystal. However, there are crystals whose energy will directly support you in maintaining the vibration of gratitude, ultimately assisting you in attracting more reasons to be grateful.
Green Aventurine: Associated with the heart chakra, and known as a charm for good luck and abundance of all kinds. Green aventurine crystals can be programmed to assist with any specific type of abundance, or placed in your wallet to attract financial abundance.
Citrine: Assists with recognizing reasons to be grateful through supporting a positive perspective on life, stimulating creativity, and sparking joy. Citrine is associated with the solar plexus chakra.
Sunstone: A stone of illumination, light, and positivity. Sunstone is associated with the sacral chakra, which is the energy center for sensuality, playfulness, and passion. It supports authenticity, happiness, and self esteem.
Rose Quartz: A go-to crystal for any healing or manifestation work regarding love, whether that is self love, friendships, or romantic connections. Rose Quartz is associated with the heart chakra and intensely radiates the energy of divine love, while assisting in making loving decisions.
Keep these crystals close to you throughout the holidays - in your home, your pocket, your purse, or wearing them as jewelry. They also might be good crystals to give to people that you love. We can all use a little extra healing support over the holidays. These gentle and loving crystals will help you receive exactly that.
If you would like to channel the energy of gratitude, and intentions to align with more reasons to be grateful, into one of your crystals, now is the perfect time to do so.
Below is a short ritual to channel your specific intentions or desired energy into any of your crystals, so they can support you in achieving your goals.
Gratitude Ritual
Begin by creating a quiet and grounding space for yourself to spend some intentional time with your crystals. Choose the crystal that you would like to channel the energy of gratitude and abundance into. These steps can be repeated for multiple crystals.
Start by lighting a candle, incense, or cleansing herb like Palo Santo. We will begin with cleansing the crystal by passing it through the smoke of the candle or incense. Envision the crystal, and yourself, being a blank slate of energy in this moment.
Hold the crystal over your heart and think about the things that you are grateful for right now. Take a few full, deep breaths. Feel this loving, grateful energy flowing into the crystal - filling it with the power of gratitude. Picture this loving energy as a pretty pink light, starting from your heart as it makes its way to the stone.
Take another few deep breaths and begin to visualize and think about the aspects of your life that you would like to pour even more gratitude to. This could be anything from making time for something you are passionate about, showing appreciation for someone you love, or simply being more present.
The crystal that you hold in your hands is now filled with the power of your gratitude to support you in attracting more love into your life. Thank the crystal for amplifying your gratitude, and blow out the candle or incense to close the ritual.
Keep this crystal close by throughout the next month or so. Whenever you need a little boost in your energy, or to be reminded of reasons to be grateful, pull out that crystal. You can always start with being grateful for the crystal, take a few deep breaths, and begin thinking of more reasons to be grateful.
Gratitude attracts gratitude. Love attracts love. Now is the perfect time to be even more intentional, grateful, and loving.
Thank you for being here with me, in the energy of gratitude today.
Through practicing gratitude, we can create more loving and abundant lives for ourselves and the people around us. Sometimes less is more, so never underestimate the power of your gratitude. Also, remember to use the tools at your disposal to support you in the times that you might feel a lack of reasons to be grateful.
Sending love and light always,
The Spiritual Sunflower
