This post is written by our beloved Sparkle Team member; Crystal Content Manager, Lisa D’Arrigo. I am so happy that Lisa volunteered to take over the blog today. She has such wonderful insights to share with us here.

(sidenote: She’s a total style icon too. Check her out!)

Jean – Baptiste Massieu said

“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”

Gratitude, appreciation, thankfulness all flows from the heart.  It’s the simplest yet most powerful of notions.

It’s the pulse of life… right up there with Prana, Shakti, Chi.  And it undoubtedly opens the doors to greater love & joy.

It clears the pathway, it raises your vibration.  It sparks wonder in the small moments, love in all things. ❤

At the same time, it’s possible it can be dangerously liberating  … it could make you smile & laugh A LOT, burst into song, dance with wild abandon, fly your freak flag.

In my life, this journey, this goal of living from a place of gratitude started many years ago when I was learning about the Law of Attraction.  The LOA teachings gave me insight into how I could make this glorious life even better by using my thoughts to steer the course.

So, I started to notice my thoughts and change them when needed, to change my perspective.  I bought a journal to make a gratitude journal and wrote down a list of things every day that I’m grateful for.

And it’s become crystal clear that after you start to live each day from that heart space, over time it just becomes part of who you are… of how you live.

Now I find myself waking up and having immediate thankful thoughts about that very moment of awakening; the possibility of a new day, the warm security of home, the very breath we breathe.    It’s no longer a conscious effort.  It’s as natural as breathing. (and no, it doesn’t happen like this every single day, after all, I do have teenagers in the house!  But I’m going for a majority of days here) 😉

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Here are a few ideas on how you might spark an attitude of gratitude.  In my experience, these small but meaningful tools & practices help cultivate & grow appreciation, stoking that heart fire to greater love.

Crystals

Choose a crystal or pick a few different ones as your talisman to tap into appreciation. Carry it with you, keep it on your desk, under your pillow, in your pocket or your purse.   Know that your crystal selections might be different from mine since it’s a very personal choice & experience based on your story & your intuition.

For me there are 3 crystals that radiate gratitude: 

  • Pietersite
  • Green Aventurine
  • Larimar

gratitude6

Pietersite

I’ve always had a connection with Pietersite.  Maybe it’s my fiery nature, my Italian & Irish roots that are drawn in by this storm element. 🙂

Whatever the reason, gazing into or mediating with this beauty has always inspired a sense of awe and gratitude. It naturally awakens a profound feeling of appreciation for the beauty of mother earth and life in general.

Green Aventurine 

A few years ago, I traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria to join a group of people from around the world for an artful, magical & musical yoga experience.  I threw my hat in the ring & was invited to film a series of yoga DVD’s with the amazing international yoga teacher, Micheline Berry.

Before I went, I kept thinking about green aventurine.  That I really needed a piece of Green Aventurine! For some reason I felt this very strongly (and I’ve learned to pay head to those feelings…you know?)  So,  I looked for a piece, but I couldn’t find one that fit the bill.  My local rock shop didn’t have the right piece for me at that time and I didn’t have time to order anything online.

So I flew off…and the day after arriving in Bulgaria, some new friends and I were strolling through an outdoor market in downtown Sofia.  We were checking out the scene & wares for sale.  And there, I found the perfect little piece of green aventurine.   It was such a magical moment!  The most perfect outcome and I’ll always be grateful for that gypsy market. I remember thinking “look how this amazing universe works!”  and how deeply thankful I was for that very moment.  Now, that stone is a constant talisman of possibilities and deep appreciation.

Larimar

Ahh, this special stone.  I’m filled with awe & gratitude for this one and the peace and calm it brings.

It was the first crystal to give me a super powerful jolt of physical sensation. It was so wild!  It really blew my mind, that first stunning energetic experience.  Now,  whenever I need a reminder of all the blessings that surround us, the ones that we cannot see, the miracles we may not notice; of all that is unseen, I go back to this stone.

Whenever I need some perspective or an attitude adjustment, I reach for larimar.

larimar

The piece I work with most isn’t the finest quality larimar.  It’s riddled with lots of red hematite in it.  But when I found it in the Caribbean I knew this was the stone for me.  It took me a while to find it…to look in many shops on that small island, beyond all the beautiful & glittery jewelry, because I wanted a piece specifically to meditate with.  Once I found this slab, it was way overpriced, so I bartered like crazy and brought it home.

Meditate

You can grab one of your fav stones that help you to connect with your grateful heart or pick up a mala that you might have to dive deep inside.

As you drop into meditation, adding mantra to your experience you could say ‘So Hum’ which means  ‘I am’.

You’d recite ‘So’ on the inhale and ‘Hum’ on the exhale. Repeating it with each breathe.  Soft and easy.

If you use your mala beads, you can recite one mantra per bead to complete a round of 108.  You don’t even need to say ‘I am grateful’, just ‘I am’ and try to feel it in your heart.  Feel the gratitude as you give yourself this gift of meditation time.

gratitude-2

If a seated meditation is not your thing, try a walking meditation.  Go for a walk in the woods, hug a tree and say thank you 3 times.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Or find a labyrinth or a beach in your area to walk it out.  You can always recite mantra while you’re walking to tap into your heart space.

Another mantra for gratitude is ‘Dhanyavad’ which translates to something like gratitude, thanks, or thank you.

Journal

This exercise is so simple & truly powerful.  Just grab yourself a journal and literally write out a list.  Just a list, no reasons needed, of the many things you are thankful for.

It can be absolutely anything, because this list is just for you.  For sending your thanks out to the Universe and basically flexing your gratitude muscle.

It’s like you’re filling up a wellspring here & I think you’ll find after time, that the stream of consciousness just flows and the more you do this, the longer the list will grow and the more you’ll have to be thankful for.

This is also a helpful exercise to reflect back on.  Looking back and glancing through your lists, you might find something you listed multiple times, like a message from your heart showing you what gives you the most joy.

The Power of Scent

Sweet sweet essential oils.

The nectar of aroma.  People that don’t know have always joked with me … “are essential oils really essential?”  Why YES – LOL, of course they are!

For me the scent of gratitude is Ylang Ylang essential oil.  Ylang Ylang aroma instills a deep, soulful & reverent connection to all that is.

Just like with the crystals, it won’t be the same for everyone.  You’ll likely find or already have your own essential oil that you connect with…an aroma that awakens a sense of gratitude in you.

So work with that oil, wear it, anoint your mala or your crystals with it, bathe with it, diffuse it.  Whatever method works best for you, do that to bring that scent into your life & ignite appreciation.

Seva

Give back.  Be of service. Volunteering, or donating, whatever form it takes, whatever you can do, just do it.

Being of service has always been a big part of my life, as far back as I can remember.  You, anyone, can start today.   It’s never too late and the world is always in need of kindness and generosity of spirit.

For some, monetary donations are the way to go and that’s fantastic & so needed worldwide.  But understand that time is also money and giving your time is both valuable & fulfilling.  Share your gifts.  Teach a free yoga class, help with a beach clean-up, work a crisis hotline, fill sandbags during a flood, help someone with their groceries, volunteer in a soup kitchen, join the Peace Corps.  There are so many options & endless opportunities.

Find a way to be of service, that fills you up.  It’s important & it helps keep things real.  It helps keep you aware of all the good that is already in your life and helps you remember to count your blessings.

Hopefully 1 or a few of these ideas give you some inspiration to ignite gratitude in your life.  I know I constantly need reminders!   Little things to help me get back in the flow and stay there for a longer period of time.

♥♥♥

Hibiscus here…

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your personal sparkly journey with us & all your wonderful insights on awakening gratitude!

If you resonate with anything Lisa has shared here with us…please leave a sparkly comment below.

Crystal Blessings,

Hibiscus Moon