Five Ways to Practice Gratitude
It's almost Thanksgiving and a part of me is always a little bit sad this time of year now. Thanksgiving is becoming less and less common for people now that the gross mistreatment of indigenous peoples related to this celebration has been exposed. However, for my family, Thanksgiving has always been a big holiday because we have so many birthdays in November, including mine, and my dad’s birthday is November 24th which almost always lands on Thanksgiving.
We wanted a way to still celebrate our family tradition but without supporting the ugliness Thanksgiving represents. So like many, we’ve decided to call it gratitude day instead. Now every November, I focus a great deal on the practice of gratitude and thought it would be great to refresh all of you on ways to bring more gratitude into your own holiday.
All of these things are familiar practices but tend to be overshadowed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I hope this list reminds you to make time, even just a few moments, to look around and to celebrate how much you have, even if it doesn’t always feel like enough. The more you focus on the good, the easier it will be to find it.
Keep a Gratitude Jar: Keep little strips of paper next to the jar. When you feel grateful for something, write it down on one of the pieces of paper and add it to the jar. Over time, you’ll get to see how full your cup is becoming and how much you have to be grateful for.
Express Gratitude to Others: Take the time to thank those around you for their support and kindness. Don’t forget to tell them what you appreciate about them.
Practice Mindful Meditation: Take a few minutes each day to close your eyes and focus on the things that you are grateful for. This will help to create more clarity and peace of mind.
Perform Random Acts of Kindness: Doing something kind for someone else is a great way to express your gratitude. Whether it’s a simple gesture like baking a cake for a neighbor or volunteering your time, these acts of kindness will make someone’s day a little brighter.
Spend Time in Nature: Taking a walk in the park or spending time in the outdoors can be a great way to appreciate the beauty of the world. Enjoy your surroundings and be mindful of the natural beauty that surrounds you.
Work with ritual tools which encourage gratitude like the Gratitude Oracle or my mini deck Gratitude: a little deck of appreciation.
How do you practice gratitude? Comment below and let’s chat about it.
(Bonus) Gratitude Correspondences
There are very few clear cut correspondences for gratitude even though it is something that every spiritual leader can agree is needed in a spiritual practice. I have been on the hunt for specific gratitude correspondences for years, checking every source and researching everything I can find.
It’s taken me a long time to compile a list so I thought I would save you the trouble if you are interested in making magical potions for gratitude. This list consists of both my research and correspondences I have discovered for myself.
And if you’re interested in how to use these ingredients and symbols to make your own magical potions, be sure to check out my membership, which includes dozens of recipes as well as base recipes that you can customize to fit your needs.
Oils: Bergamot, cinnamon, clove, cypress, frankincense, geranium, lavender, lemon, neroli, peppermint, rose, spruce
Crystals: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Botswana agate, citrine, clear quartz, malachite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz
Animals: Buffalo, dolphin, hummingbird, turkey
Plants: lemon, hawthorn leaf and berry, maple leaf, marigold, orange blossom, poppy seed, rose, willow bark, yerba santa
Tarot cards: The Empress, The Sun, The World, six of pentacles, six of wands, nine of pentacles, nine of cups, ten of pentacles, ten of cups
