Last night I went to my meditation circle, and we did a special gift-giving session. Everybody meditated on the others’ essences of their higher selves, and the “gift” was telling each person what sense we had about them, and what we appreciated about them.
Even if not done in conjunction with meditation, and looking for spiritual answers from a higher plane when we don’t necessarily know those people well on a social level, this can be a very powerful exercise.
All you need to do is go around a circle or group, focusing on one person at a time. Each of the others in the group take turns telling that one person why he or she is important to them, what qualities he or she has that they admire, and what exactly they appreciate about him or her.
It’s great to do at Thanksgiving, or at Christmas, or at a Birthday… but it’s perhaps even more special on just any old day.
There are two things that this exercise accomplishes for the person receiving the gift:
1. It makes them feel good to be appreciated and have people point out in public what makes them special.
2. It puts into perspective the qualities that others see in them, and allows them to take stock of themselves and understand better how they come across.
But, giving is just as valuable as receiving. There are also two things that this exercise accomplishes for us, the gift-giver:
1. It makes us focus deeply on another person, their essence and the spiritual and mental gifts and talents, which gets us into the habit of recognizing the good in others.
2. It puts the focus on gratitude, and we know that gratitude is one of the most powerful manifesting emotions available.
There were only a few of us at the meditation circle, because of the holiday season, so it was really special to be able to connect with them on a deep level. Then we went out to celebrate ourselves at a local sushi bar, where I discovered more to be grateful for…
The sushi bar we went to is called the G Street Bar and Grill, and it was especially interesting that Donna, our group leader, wanted to go there, because Barry and I had talked about it extensively the night before.
I had found an old email of his from over a year ago where he mentioned going to the sushi bar down the street, and I had asked him where the sushi bar was. That led to a longer discussion on what sushi bars were around town, and which ones we’ve gone to or not, and whether we were going to go to G Street or not, because he had taken another girl there in the past.
So right after he decided we probably wouldn’t go there for sushi, Donna says she wants to go there for sushi. Hmm… coincidence? Cute little Universal joke? 😉
Anyhow, some of the others weren’t feeling the holiday spirit this year, and were getting caught up in everyday stresses, or just getting frustrated with the commercialism of Christmas. And the other couples had basically decided not to exchange gifts with each other, because they already had what they needed and didn’t want to spend money on things that the other person wasn’t going to use.
As I listened to them talk, I felt increasingly grateful that Barry and I are not only exchanging gifts… but a lot of them.
I too had fallen into that “let’s not exchange presents” mindset with my ex-husband. But this year I am feeling excitement and joy that I haven’t felt since I was 16, because we’re going all out.
And it’s not about the money, or the actual physical gifts themselves.
They say, “It’s the thought that counts,” and that’s truly the essence of holiday cheer.
I am happy because I get to pick things out that I think Barry will enjoy, and wrap them up, put them under the tree, and anticipate how he’ll react when he opens them. I am happy because I know he is doing the same thing, putting extreme thought into each and every gift he picks out for me.
I don’t care what they are, or how much we spend or don’t spend, as much as I truly appreciate and feel grateful for the experience. And I appreciate every moment of it, from the shopping to the wrapping to the anticipation, as much as I will the actual gift opening.
Since manifestation is about feelings and emotions, and since appreciation and gratitude top the list, this is a perfect way to rev up the manifestation engine.
So if you want to really make this a dreamlike season of conscious creation, go out and get your loved one a bunch of gifts. They don’t have to be huge, they don’t have to be expensive, they just have to be things that give you joy to pick out, and will give them joy to open.
Actually, let me revise the last quote. “It’s not just the thought that counts… it’s the thoughts and the feelings that count.”
So have a joyful, happy, and very merry Christmas!
Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life,
