HJ: Happiness, abundance, peace of mind, appreciation and joy are just a few of the benefits of an authentic gratitude practice.  And this is quite enticing, but it is important to always practice gratitude for the sake of it.  You cannot fool the universe and a conditional practice solely for the benefits brings limited results.  Authenticity is the name of the game.  When your gratitude is unconditional — when nothing is expected in return — everything is given in return. Like many things in the universe, a paradox indeed…

This is because to want is to lack.  Whether you are for or against something, you are attached to it in some way.  The path of zen is to be neutral — neither wanting or not wanting —  rather accepting and at peace.  This is a state of abundance in which all things needed come your way.  When you do not want or need, then you are complete.  And completeness begets more completeness.

Gratitude can be a very powerful path to this state.  Gratitude, combined with a deep level of acceptance and appreciation, is indeed unstoppable.

- Tru...

Release your expectations and attachments to any outcome. Your Earth-plane existence is subject to change at a moment’s notice. Why focus on things behind you when the things ahead are so much more interesting?

Lance Schuttler, Personable Media
Waking Times

We live in a world today where the idea of group power is being rekindled and where it’s momentum is gathering. Humanity as a whole is remembering that it is thoughts and actions of kindness, honesty and equality for all that create positive change.

One initiative that is expanding throughout religious and spiritual groups, as well as on blogs and other social media sites is globally synchronized meditation/prayer gatherings.

To some, believing that thoughts or prayers can influence the physical world around them can be dubious. To a quantum physicist on the other hand, thoughts influencing the world around them are someth...

If you are having a bad day, or feeling stuck in any area of your life, simply stop and ask yourself these two key questions. Am I surrendered? Am I in gratitude? We are willing to bet the answer is no. Discomfort comes from resistance and being out of alignment. Surrender is the antidote to resistance, and gratitude creates peace with where you are, which supports your comfort and alignment. You have the ability to adjust yourself very quickly into a much better feeling state, any time you wish, by remembering to use these simple and very effective tools. ~Archangel […]

James C. Wilhelm, Contributor
Waking Times

Thousands of books have been written about mysticism over thousands of years, and this essay is a mere 1,012 words. Do I really think I can convey the essence, power and bliss of the mystical in a thousand words?

I do.

That is what I set out to do after recently viewing numerous videos and reading many essays that I found on the World Wide Web. After reviewing this mass of content, I realized that after all those hours of viewing and reading content by gurus, masters and experts, I realized I had learned nothing of value. Indeed, much of the content was nothing if not misleading.

Lao Tzu says it well in the

You like to think that you are independent. You may be feisty. You may be many things, yet independent is not one of them. When everyone is connected, you are interdependent just as in a fire brigade as the pails of water are passed on. In a sense, you, personally, don’t really exist. You are far more than a pair of arms that pass on the pail of water, yet you are part of an extraordinary interdependence.
 
And the world at large depends upon you.
 
I am reminded of a long-ago story where a little boy spun so fast, he turned into butter. This story can be seen as a metaphor of your enlightenment. Unlike the little boy, you seek your enlightenment, and you would hasten it. At the same time, you are innocent. You have no idea that enlightenment means the ending of a monarchy. One is not one. One is One. The importance of differences and individuality disappear. Individuality doesn’t linger. Oneness is far greater than individuality. Individuality has a wonderful flavor, yet it is Oneness that is forever more. You are milk churning into butter. Life churns you.
 

Luminita Saviuc, Purpose Fairy
Waking Times

“I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

If you ask me, there are certain qualities each and every human being should have. Qualities that have the power to help each and every one of us to connect with our own selves and the world around us at a deeper level. Crafting better lives for ourselves and those around us and making the world a happier and a lot brighter place to be in. And these qualities are:

1. Faith

Faith...