GRATITUDE AND THE OTHER WORLDS

(The following article represents excerpts from a lecture
given recently by Joleen D. Du Bois. )

The Ageless Wisdom tells us that gratitude is the "medicine" for permanent health; through all of our incarnations, and on all journeys in the Higher Worlds. Gratitude is one of the steps that takes us to the path of everlasting health, happiness and bliss.

"The quality of gratitude is...the finest purification of the organism. Great is the healing power of the emission of gratitude."1

As we enter into our thoughts of Thanksgiving Day, esoteric students can think more deeply about Thanksgiving. The esoteric student can think about the relationship of the "giving of thanks" with the energy of Gratitude from the Other Worlds.

As you begin to think and ponder upon that relationship you will begin to build and assimilate the energy of gratitude into your nature; you can learn how the energy of gratitude can change your state of consciousness; you can learn how a change of consciousness can bring in a new standard into your life. You will learn how a new standard in your life will introduce new changes into your thinking, feelings and action processes.

-What Is gratitude?

Gratitude is an energy coming from higher realms.

-What happens when a person expresses gratitude?

When a person is grateful, when he expresses gratitude, "he emanates a kind of energy that cleans his aura and heals his body. He radiates a violet-colored energy into his aura which organizes and harmonizes all the levels of the aura and builds a bridge between him and the violet devas, who are the healing agents in this Universe."2

-Consciousness and Standards: Every new expression of consciousness brings in new standards. As you begin to use the energy of gratitude in your life, you will begin to actualize a new level of consciousness. As you actualize your new level of consciousness, new standards will take form in your day to day mundane and spiritual life.

There is an invocation for gratitude which can be used for the rest of your life. This is an invocation , if said with sincerity, focus and concentration, with regularity and rhythm for weeks, months or years, will cause you to change your level of consciousness and establish a new standard in your life.

This is such a beautiful invocation.

Say with deep concentration: "Thou Who watched me since my cradle and shed Your Light upon me, accept my gratitude and love for You."3

This is an invocation which is said for your Solar Angel, your Guardian Angel.

Saying this invocation every day, saying this invocation before you make any important decisions, and following any gift of opportunity given to you, will begin to polarize your consciousness to the Other Worlds.

"Our life is an exact response to our consciousness. If our consciousness is lofty and beautiful, we attract a corresponding life. When we create a lofty state of consciousness, it becomes like a magnet which attracts conditions which will bring us joy, beauty, and success."

As you faithfully say this invocation, think about it, and even visualize it, you will begin to see changes come into your physical, emotional and mental life. You will gradually attract and increase joy, beauty and success into your life; and you will awaken to mystery of the energy of gratitude.

The source of the energy of gratitude is called psychic energy. Psychic energy exists in your soul which energizes and charges every thought that is in harmony with the current of health. Psychic energy exists, then, in Gratitude.

Thoughts of gratitude begins to accumulate and attract psychic energy from great ideas and visions in Space. These thoughts have originated from great Lives of Great Ones; Their thoughts of gratitude carry the energy of Their spirit.

Thoughts of gratitude act like a real magnet. Gratitude creates an energy field which refines and transmutes your consciousness so you can attract greater health, joy, beauty and success.

"Nothing happens to us by accident. Whenever we are in those conditions which are not joyful or happy, it means that we have acted against the law of gratitude. Whenever we fall into a state of ingratitude, we inevitably fail in our life.

"When you start developing gratitude, you establish a communication line between yourself and the invisible Creative Forces in the Universe. You also establish a communication line between yourself and those spiritual human beings who have the same frequency. In gratitude you expand your field of consciousness and communication.

"Communication [with the Higher Worlds] means expansion of your beingness. The greater your field of communication is, the greater you are. Communication is developed thus when you learn to express gratitude."4

Here is another part of the gratitude exercise to equip you to better communicate with your Solar Angel and with the Higher Worlds.

Say with deep concentration: "O Thou Who are a fiery Angel, a flame in the Chalice, burn all impurities from my mind, my heart, my lips, my senses."5

When you are grateful, your negativity and tensions disappear. Whenever you fail to appreciate something good someone did for you, when you start criticizing that person, you become divided within yourself.

So many times people will express gratitude with restriction. If this is done, then you are not expressing pure gratitude. For example, you express your gratitude to a person, but then you turn away and begin to talk negatively about him. You say to him, "Thank you for helping me." Later you talk to others saying how it was nice he helped you, restrict your gratitude by saying, "Well he helped me this time, but he is really a very difficult person to have as a friend. You can't ever believe what he says." Your gratitude is not real; it is your ego.

True gratitude slowly eliminates your ego. When you start criticizing about other people, when you fail to appreciate something good someone did for you, your ego will increase and you become divided within yourself. On the other hand, if you are truly grateful to the helping one, you will gradually begin to see the beauty in yourself increase, your health increase, your energy increase.

Remember, the opening verse said "Great is the healing power of the emission of gratitude." Gratitude increases your health. Ego decreases your health.

Through the expression and energy of gratitude you dissipate all those factors that create disturbances and distortions in your aura.

What can ingratitude cause? As an example, a moment of ingratitude can cause you to fall down and hurt yourself, or catch a cold; you can lose balance in your life, you may be forgetful.

Try this: express gratitude before you do something, and observe if there will be any difference in your life. This is why for ages it has been recommended we give gratitude before eating. This Thanksgiving, and with all of your meals, before you eat, express gratitude to those who prepared the meal, for the gift of having food with which to nourish your physical body....for with gratitude you will assimilate the food better.

The Teachings remind us at the beginning of all that we do, we must start with gratitude. "A wise man used to say, 'Do not open your door to go out in the morning without first giving gratitude.' When you do this, immediately the Creative Forces will accumulate and assemble around you, and They will work for you.

"The Creative Forces in Nature are the forces of righteousness. They want you to understand the beauty around you and give something in return through your feelings and consciousness.

"Gratitude toward others protects you from criticism, gossip, hatred, malice, and slander.

"Every time you speak negatively about someone you cut off the Creative Forces around you and create an imbalance within your system."

I know a young man, a friend who is so very intelligent. He has an encyclopedic brain. He is a whiz at the computer, so very knowledgeable. He read many of the great books from around the world about the Teachings and then later began to criticize everyone who did not interpret the Teachings according to his understanding. He slandered his teachers, his co-workers, his friends and his group; eventually leaving them to establish his own group, his own teachings, his own center of criticism. In reading his writings, studying his viewpoints about life and the wisdom teachings I have seen my friend's imbalance within his writings and his break from the Creative Forces in Nature. Yet as he continues to slander his teacher, co-workers and friends in the name of the teachings, I also believe that someday he will return to the energy of gratitude and the source of gratitude. I think about the statement, "When your ego grows too big, you become lost; your light becomes lost."6 We must carefully check ourselves every day to prevent from becoming trapped in this "coffin" on the path of gratitude.

If a person continuously expresses negativity through his words, his writings; if a person slanders others, if one is always jealous of other people's talents, beauty, successes; if a person harbors hatred toward those who have injured him and is critical, the aura weakens and loses its magnetism. You will not be successful in your life. Ugliness means to lose your magnetism, integrity, and harmony.

As you sincerely expresses gratitude to others, a change of consciousness occurs, increasing your sensitivity so you can see beauty, acknowledge beauty, and respond in beauty.

Gratitude creates right human relations. Of course, you must always be sincere in your gratitude. Gratitude without sincerity has no energy source. It is like having a powerful spotlight but no electrical cord to connect to the energy source. The spotlight looks powerful, but has no source of power.

Right human relations are built through gratitude. As you sincerely appreciate others and display your gratitude for their talents, labor, striving, and this and that, you become a magnet. Through your magnetism you create a magnetic field which is fed by the Higher Worlds, by your Solar Angel and other great Beings. The field draws co-workers to you to begin to work, labor and serve the Plan and Purpose of Life. You, your co-workers become a benevolent force for others.

"When you begin to develop the spirit of gratitude, a transformation takes place in your nature. You think more about what you can do for others to prove your growing gratitude. When you give, you begin to grow.

"You cannot grow until you manifest the beauty that you have within you. Your beauty manifests only by building beauty in others."7

To what can we express our gratitude?

"We must be grateful to that center called the Father's Home, Shamballa. This Center is a stronghold of protection for us, for your family, group and nation; for the planet.
"We must be grateful to the Hierarchy. It is Hierarchy Who formulates the Plan for humanity, sending forth Great Ones to establish centers of religion, philosophy, art and culture.
"We must be grateful to our spiritual Teacher, whoever that person may be. It is our Teacher who works for us, enlightens our mind, expands our consciousness, and helps us transform our life.
"We must be grateful for all the blessings Nature has given us.
"We must be grateful to our parents, friends, fellow students, and our own students.
"We must be grateful to those who reveal our weaknesses to us and make us strive toward perfection.
"We must be grateful to our Guardian Angel for guiding us down through the ages.
"We need to be very grateful to the obstacles, pains, and sufferings in our life for letting us pay the karma we have accumulated throughout ages to progress and overcome limitations.
"We must be grateful to the vision of the future. Without these visions, we will never be able to proceed on the path of beauty and perfection.

"Gratitude is considered to be a bridge between the physical and the Higher Worlds. Those who climb toward the Higher Worlds are full of gratitude to all that exists. Gratitude is the peace in one's heart. Gratitude is the cause of harmony with the whole Universe. And gratitude is the cause of harmony with the whole Universe. And gratitude is the wings by which one flies toward the Higher Worlds."8

Further suggested reading:

"Other Worlds" by Torkom Saraydarian. Published by T.S.G. Publishing Foundation, "Visions for the Twenty-First Century", 28641 N. 63rd Place, Cave Creek, Arizona 85331.

__________________________________

1 Agni Yoga, verse 31, p. 28. Published and copyrighted by the Agni Yoga Society, Inc. 1952.
2 Torkom Saraydarian, Other Worlds, p. 377. Published by TSG Publishing Foundation, Inc. 1990. Copyright held by The Creative Trust. These quotations are reprinted with written permission by the copyright owner.
3 Torkom Saraydarian, New Dimensions in Healing, p. 290. Copyright holder: The creative Trust. Published in 1992 by T.S.G. Publishing Foundation, Inc. (Reprinted with permission of Copyright holder)
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid., p. 378
7 Ibid., p. 379
**8 Torkom Saraydarian,Other Worlds, pp. 381-382. Published by T.S.G. Publishing Foundation, 1990. Copyright: The Creative Trust, All Rights Reserved.**