The Four Portals of Gratitude

In her audio book, Gratitude, Angeles Arrien offers the four portals of gratitude:

Blessings – acts of kindness, consideration and generosity

Learnings – life lessons that allow me to stretch, to handle the unexpected and unfamiliar

Mercies – acts of compassion and forgiveness

Protections – given to us by the seen and unseen worlds

Gratitude is intricately linked to cultivating a creative way of living. Giving gratitude every chance we get – for an idea, a sweet exchange with someone, a near miss on the freeway, finding something we lost, stopping to appreciate a moment of beauty – can produce a feeling of deep connection to something larger than ourselves. Developing an awareness of that connection helps build trust in the “hidden hands” that guide us when we’re living in our true creative spirit.

The creative spirit is an open conduit to inspiration. Being grateful keeps those channels clear and free of clutter that can muck up the connection.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

– Meister Eckhart

Research (for those who are interested) shows the benefits of an attitude of gratitude to our health and well-being. Consistent practices of gratitude keep the heart open, expand our curiosity, and keep us open to possibilities we had not considered.

Practice

Start your own gratitude journal. At the beginning of each day make note of the Blessings, Kindnesses, Mercies and Protections in your life. Branch out from just using words. Make some marks or simple images that express what you’re grateful for. This is also a wonderful reflection to do at the end of the day.

Create your own collection of prayers, blessings, wishes, and poems that express what gratitude means to you. Here is one of mine.

On Waking

I give thanks for arriving

Safely in a new dawn,

For the gift of eyes

To see the world,

The gift of mind

To feel at home

In my life.

The waves of possibility

Breaking on the shore of dawn,

The harvest of the past

That awaits my hunger,

And all the furtherings

This new day will bring.

– John O’Donohue
To Bless the Space Between Us

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