Gratitude and Living in the Now

Sometimes in the mad world we live in, it is easy to forget about gratitude. We can get so carried away with what goes on every day without even thinking about the things we should be grateful for. I've done it myself, loads of times, I just forgot to say thanks for the simple everyday things. Now I know that gratitude is one the keys to moving into abundance and personal freedom.

So I made a gratitude list and stuck it on my lounge door. When I began writing it, I wondered how full the list would be, but I was really surprised! I said thank you for my house, my children, my pets, my mother, father and sister and started moving on to friends. Then there is health and thank you for being here on this wonderful planet at a time of great changes and so many other things.

I've read Eckhart Tollie A New Earth and Power of the Now and I firmly believe that the key to happiness is very much about staying in the now and not letting your imagination either run ahead of you. Projecting your thoughts too far into the future or being stuck in the past can stop you enjoying life day by day. So after considering this for a long time, I decided that what I needed was a meditation that kept me in "the now." One which would stop me either focusing too much on the past, or projecting myself into the future.

There is one thing for sure that we have to remember here and it is, that neither the past or the future have any power over us unless we allow this The real power that we have and which is easily obtainable to us is by being right here, right NOW in the present, which is a gift!

My meditation for staying in the NOW:-

Close your eyes for a few moments and start to take some very slow long deep breaths. Feel the earth beneath your feet. Feel your body sitting on a chair at the point where it makes contact. Become aware of your breathing by focusing on the in breath and then letting go on the out breath. Feel the air on your face feel the weight of your own body but also how relaxed it is. Keep aware, do not fall to sleep! Ahead of you there are three doors the first door says "PAST" on it. The second door says "THE PRESENT" and the third door says "FUTURE".

Open the door to the PAST. As unwanted thoughts enter your mind, or things that aren't really necessary visualise putting these things the other side of that doorway. Yes, just push or shove them away through the door. When you don't see anything else cropping up from the past shut the door firmly and lock it with a very large key which you put in your pocket.

Then go to the FUTURE door. This door is made of glass and you can see inside but the only thing that you can see through this door is an Angel. Your Angel is your Guardian Angel and she is creating your future. Give her a magic wand or some angel dust and see the energy in your future as bright and sparkling. Move away from this door. It is not necessary for you to go through it but it is alright to observe how great your future is!

Next, stand in the entrance to the "NOW OR PRESENT DOOR." This doorway is open and you stand and breathe in the fabulous energies surrounding you. Feel how good it is to be in the now with no worries of the past or the future. Just enjoy the power and freedom of the NOW as it enters completely into your being. Let go of any worries and just feel that freedom and connection. You are surrounded by all the people you love who are smiling at you and enjoy being in the now also. Or you can experience it alone. The choice is yours. You can hear birds singing and a gentle breeze coming through the door as well as masses of bright light.

You know you are loved and there is no better place to be than the PRESENT!

Have a beautiful day!

Jennifer Lynch